Green tea from Japan that is rendered brown by roasting Bancha (a summer crop tea, harvested after Sencha) tea leaves. An Adagio customer favorite, with a toasty nutty flavor and slightly mesquite note. Earthy and warm quality, soothing finish.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Hojicha, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
One of my favorite teas from Adagio. A warm roasted/smokey flavor. This flavor profile in tea can be difficult to find, so I am very happy to have found this one. It is unfussy with brew time, and I have been able to successfully double brew and refrigerate for iced tea later in the day. My favorite tea to pair with a sweet pastry in the morning!
Do not over steep this one. It is great but can get incredibly tannic if you let it steep for too long
The tea is very smokey and reminds me of a bonfire when I am drinking it without the heat? I definitely want this for specific occassions.
Oh gosh, what can I say about this tea other than it s absolutely amazing! I got a free sample for sharing my purchase on Facebook and it s been my go-to ever since.
I fell in love with Hojicha when I first saw it in a bubble tea shop. This tea does best when made fresh and stored properly to prevent losing the strong toasted flavor. This tea sweetened with a bit of the tupelo honey is absolutely delicious!
Full disclosure, I am cutting a jasmine and oolong blend with this tea most of the time-- but when I do consume it solo, it is definitely a perky-yet-smoky tea. Makes you feel like you should be reclining in a leisurely fashion in the mornings, clothed in a dressing gown whilst reading the classic novel of your choice. It is a distinct mood.
Sampled with CommuniTEA on 5/24/21: I haven't had much Japanese tea, so I wasn't too sure what to expect with today's pouch. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this tea; a savory roasted flavor with a saltiness that I can't seem to get enough of. This is very different from the grassy greens I have come to love, but a new favorite has emerged. 2.5mins at 180F
Update 6/10/21: I purchased a 3oz bag of this after sampling with CommuniTEA last month. It's such a special tea that is comforting and a little bit of a novelty at the same time. Highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of green tea.
Very nutty, woodsy flavor. The flavor is strong and lasts through multiple steeps.
Hojicha was an interesting experience. I wouldn't call it great, but it was good, certainly drinkable. It tasted like toasted grains of some kind, like toasted rice or toasted barley maybe. It reminded me a little bit of beer, but not as bitter. It didn't taste like tea, per se, but like I said, it wasn't bad. It's worth trying at least once to see if it's something you enjoy.
The smell of this tea reminds me vividly of eating cereal at my Granny’s house. There was a puffed wheat cereal she always had for me that my mom wouldn’t buy due to the sugar content. I would like this tea just for the memory. But I also enjoy the taste. It’s also reminiscent of that cereal, though I wouldn’t add that much sugar. It’s a lovely toasted flavor with just a hint of green tea behind it.
Today's CommuniTea packet was hochicha. Very smooth. To me it smelled more vegetal than it tasted. Nuttier than most green teas, but not as smokey as some of the teas this month. I always like Adagio's plain teas. (Brewed with 12 ounces of 180F water for 2.5 minutes)
A very unusual green tea! Its mild, toasty, nutty flavor reminded me of Genmai Cha. Pairs well with honey, and stands up to multiple infusions.
Yum this green tea is perfect I’m ordering some now!
Hard to decide on this one. The dry tea smelled like how it looks, a pile of sticks/hay. The flavor, however, didn't have as strong a straw taste as I expected. It was toasty, nutty, earthy, jus a bit grassy - hard to describe. It's more on the savory side. I could appreciate the taste, but it didn't make me want to go for seconds.
When I opened the packet this tea had a nice roasted smell to it. The teas flavor was also lovely without being over powering.
I like this tea it's toasty and nutty and a very good green, I don't like it as much as the last green but this one is very good. I added a teeny bit if honey yum!!!
The smell and taste of this Hojicha is a lot like toasted rice. I steeped it twice. For the second steep I added freshly picked spearmint from the garden into the steeper for a summer twist. I liked both steeps equally. I don't think adding the spearmint made it better, but it was a refreshing taste. I really enjoyed this and plan to buy it as soon. No need for sweetener. I think sweetener might have even taken away some of attention away from the toasted flavor from the cup. I looked up the health benefits and was pretty impressed: 'Hojicha roasted green tea is an excellent tea for promoting good digestion. With more healthy fibers than other teas, hojicha can keep your colon healthy while reducing the body's fat absorption.' A good tasting tea with health benefits makes this a 5-star winner!
This tea was a nice surprise. It is warm and toasty and not overpowering. Savory and wonderful. Adding this to my wishlist,.
Strong nutty earth smell. It was darker than I thought it would turn out. Not a huge fan of the flavor but I bet it would be alright in a blend.
This tea was sublime. Toasted barley seems an odd description for such an enjoyable tea but that is what I have been tasting while savoring my CommuniTea sample all day. I am on my 3rd steep and may not sleep tonight after having caffeine this late but this tea is worth it!
I am not overly educated when it comes to drinking green tea. Oftentimes, greens are too soft or mushy to really appeal to me unless I’m in the specific mood for such. HOWEVER, this tea is surprisingly perky, smooth, flavorful, and pleasant!
I understand why so many people are relating the taste of this tea to nori. It has a lovely umami flavor with a hint of sweetness and a soothing earthiness to it. I really enjoyed this one.
I like this one. My cup of tea, I steeped it for 2 min at 190. 🫖☕️
Toasted bread, grain, Cheerios-so many people have described this tea using these comparisons! And they’re right. It’s a warm, malty, toasty beverage, delicious and comforting.
Tasting along with the CommuniTEA today: Lots of roasted nutty fragrance from the dry ingredients. Once steeped for 2 mins at 185°F, I notice toasted nori seaweed scents from my cup. When I take a sip, I also notice a subtle nori flavor without the saltiness typically enjoyed when eating a nori snack, while not as 'green' as nori sheets used for wrapping sushi.
This is toasty, nutty, roasted goodness in a cup! I enjoyed multiple steeps of this complex brew which is always a good thing! Happy sipping!
The packet opens to reveal a collection of roasted leaves, stems and twigs with a toasted, nutty, and woody aroma. The Hojicha looks and smells just like a good roasted Kukicha, or 'twig tea' should. Popping it into the steeping basket, I pressed the white tea button to steep at 180°F for 3 minutes.
The tea produced looked like a mellow medium brown Oolong with a tinge of orange. The steaming cup cooled while the toasted woody aromas wafted upwards in the steam. The first sip is full of autumnal flavors and aromas of toast, roasted nuts, and earthy camellia sinensis stems (Kukicha). There is a very slight smoky character to the brew but nowhere near the levels that Lapsang teas are known for. Instead, it's a pleasantly light smokiness with roasted flavors more like a perfectly toasted bread crust.
The tea has a very smooth body with a silky mouthfeel. There is no astringency nor bitterness, with a smooth but lingering earthy finish. Hojicha's classification as a green tea might be confusing, however it seems closer to a high-fired Oolong than any standard type of green tea. The light level of caffeine makes it a great afternoon or evening tea.
Adagio's Hojicha blend is a great rendition of the classic roasted Bancha / Kukicha formula. It's got all the characteristics and flavors to look for in this style of tea. Although sometimes thought of as a lower grade farmer's tea, this humble style can really be enjoyable and even sometimes a high quality sought after tea due to the unique roasted and earthy flavors.
Green teas are very hit or miss for me. I either love them or hate them. I was fully prepared to hate this one based on the smell, but it was really nice!
Brewed for just over 2 minutes at 180 degrees, though Adagio recommends 2 — 3 minutes. This is a surprisingly dark green tea. A bit like an oolong, but with a strong toasted taste. I’m not sure if I dislike this or if it’s just a new taste to me that I haven’t yet learned to love.
Smells like hay in the packet. Tastes like boiled hay in the cup.
This is an unusual savory green tea; mildly earthy, toasty, with a bit of that grassy flavor you would expect of a green tea. Still not sure how i feel about it. I sampled this tea as part of the CommuniTEA May 2023 box.
One of my favorite healthy snacks is roasted nori, and this tastes like a brighter version of that. The vibrant and spinach-like note green tea is known for is accompanied by a cozy, deep savory nutty flavor from roasting the leaf to perfection, infusing the water with a flavor akin to spinach chips fresh from the oven. I almost want to add my wasabi-brown sugar spice mix to the tea like I would dust it over my chips... almost.
I had a felling I was going to love this as soon as I opened the packet and smelled it! I love an earthy, roasted tea and this was no exception. I was surprised, though, because the first sip had a more vegetal taste than I was expecting based on the scent, but my tastebuds quickly adjusted and I was in love.
Interesting tea to try no matter what teas you like to drink. I am not a big green tea fan, but this is not grassy at all. There is a toasted nut smell with a slight seaweed smell lingering. Flavors are slightly earthy with a toasted malt flavor being more forward. This tea was ok plain, but with honey added it became a very pleasant tea to drink. Preferred it with a meal. Would be awesome with sushi or dishes with strong flavors. Was able to steep 3 times, so it’s an economical tea. Do not over steep. 180° for 2 mins.
got this as a comuniTEA. this tea has a very smokey scent before brewing and during drinking has a taste that coats the tongue. it is earthy yet only slightly smokey. i would not recommend this for people who don't enjoy an earthy taste or a slightly astringient feeling. otherwise this would be a lovely mid day tea. and nice to sit back and enjoy while doing some light work.
This an exemplary hojicha. It has a nice roasted flavor that is not overpowering. It also lacks the bitterness that can easily appear in other varieties of green tea. I steeped this tea at 180F for 2 minutes. I wouldn't worry about over steeping this tea as it doesn't have the leafiness of other, un-roasted green teas.
Smokey and earthy, but more Smokey than earthy without being too much. This is one of my favorite teas to drink on a cool crisp evening after steeping for a little over 2 minutes.
Delicious tea. Reminds me of traditional tea from Asia!
This tea was in an initial teas of Japan sampler I purchased years ago . I like it then and I still like it. It tastes like what I would think mesquite flavored twig branches would taste like. Woodsy, slightly smokey but good.
I steeped this CommuniTEA packet for 2 minutes. It's very earthy, somewhat ocean-like. It's much better after some honey added, but the aftertaste is still a bit too earthy. It's not quite salty or mineral-like but very close... Definitely not my cup of tea, but if you like toasty teas it's a fine one to sample.
Tastes like toasted wheat. I was worried when I opened the packet; it smelled very grassy. Not a hint of it in the cup. A touch of honey finishes it well.
This smelled like dry hay that has been baking in the sun, and tasted like seaweed plucked from the ocean with a bit of that toasted hay thrown in for good measure. To be fair, I don't love green tea, especially of the seaweed water variety... so I am not the best judge for this tea. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 2 min @ 180F)
A really solid, complex green tea. Very earthy but not overwhelming.
I love this tea! It has a toasted nutty flavor that is so different from the other Japanese green teas. 180° F, 2 minutes.
This tea really surprised me. I was expecting to be underwhelmed when I smelled it, but I really couldn't have been more wrong. The smokiness and earthiness of this tea was wonderful. Definitely a different, but very good green tea.
This is a very smooth tea. I get a nutty, malty, toasted barley flavor with a bit of nori. The dry tea leaves smell very strongly of nori, but don't worry!, it does not come through as strong in the tea. I added honey which added sweetness but didn't change the flavor significantly. If you like deeper, nuttier greens or a tea to pair with Asian foods, this may a be a good fit, but these aren't flavors that I find enjoyable in a morning cup of tea.
Nice toasty green tea. Still has that background vegetal flavor that I don’t love. Definitely a unique tea.
This was a very interesting tea. Out of the packet it smelled like green tea with matcha-esque tones. But boy was it toasty, earthy, and nutty! Very complex. Did leave a lot of sediment in my cup but wasn't gritty.
The tea leaves look like a toasted brown rather than green. It tasted toasty and wheat like. The liquid is brown even though this is green tea. If you have to splurge, this one is it.
I was very surprised how dark in color this was for a green tea. It didn’t have any of the grassy or vegetal flavors that a green tea has either. Toasty. Nutty. Earthy. Brewed 2 min 180 with sugar.