★★★★★
This tastes just like nori (seaweed sushi is wrapped in) to me. I don't care for that in liquid form. Small amounts (to tone it down) in a blend would be ok. It has a nutty quality.
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.
This tastes just like nori (seaweed sushi is wrapped in) to me. I don't care for that in liquid form. Small amounts (to tone it down) in a blend would be ok. It has a nutty quality.
Buttery, earthy, herbal, a little sweet. I was surprised by how much I liked this one.
What a delicious cup of tea! The roasting of the green tea leaves gives this a warm, toasted flavor. There's slight undertones of the vegetal green taste, which works really well, making this tea almost broth-like.
This is an unusual tea. It looks like mulch in the packet and tastes nothing like green tea. It reminds me of an oolong tea that has a bit of a malty flavor and a hint of earthiness taste to it.
Not a green tea fan, but the reviews had me really excited to try this one. I was super surprised at how dark it seemed. One review said it was a toasted wheat flavor,and I completely agree. With a wee bit of sugar and oat milk it was super tasty.
Roasty, toasty, and nutty, but still clean and fresh feeling - that’s this tea in a nutshell. Although I do get notes of nori or seaweed, the tea lacks the grassiness of many green teas; it’s all been toasted out. Instead, this has a nutty sweetness that is enjoyable unaltered or heightened with a little honey. Despite being roasted, this tea still has a light feeling that would make this a pleasant tea in the afternoon. Quite an enjoyable cup of tea. (2-3 minutes at 175F)
Ummmm hmmmmm, this is a delight! I adore hojicha! I was introduced to it through my green tea of the month box and that's when I began to realize I'm really into the terroir driven teas that undergo cool processing. This one is roasted, which gives it a toasty nutty flavor. The depth of deliciousness can't be overstated. It coats your mouth and leaves nutty and mineral notes behind. The umami richness makes you close your eyes and go mmmmm. It steeps up a good three or four times too! I could drink this on the daily. Happy Sipping!
Delicious cup of comfort! The aroma is toasty and warm like being wrapped in a thick quilt by a fire. A hint of the roasting fire comes through but it's not harsh or smoky like lapsong, but rather reminiscent of the dark brown patches on fire-roasted marshmallows or the crust of a well-toasted slice of bread. A mild sweetness is nicely contrasted with a good amount of mineral taste. Without a touch of bitterness it finishes with a light astringency. Very nice cup.
A good green tea. Nice and earthy with a pleasant grain smell when you open the package. It's smooth and full of flavor.
175 degrees for 2 minutes.
This tea tasted a lot like the roasted seaweed snacks from Costco. And while I don't mind munching on those occasionally, drinking them as a tea just hits the big 'NO' button for me. As far as quality goes, I'm sure this tea is excellent, but for my personal tastes, I just can't do it.
I wanted to like this tea. I really did. But the first thing I noticed, both from the packet and after brewing, was a strong seaweed smell. That carried over into the taste as well. I do want to note that I LIKE seaweed. I eat nori sheets as a snack and seaweed salad is a favorite when I can get my hands on it…but not in my tea. I MIGHT see myself enjoying this more if I was actively eating sushi, or paired with a soy sauce heavy dish (which is the only reason this earned 4 stars instead of 3 - the possibility is there). But this was not a tea I would choose to start my morning with.
I'm really surprised that I liked this CommuniTea this morning! It's a green tea but it has zero vegetal taste. Kinda earthy, almost coffee like taste and mouth feel.
What a surprise, a lovely green tea. This lightly roasted bancha had a sweet grassy aroma when opening the packet. Sweet unami flavor with mild earthy nutty tones in the background. Soft feeling on the palate with no astringency. It had a buttery finish and lingering pleasant aftertaste. Good for several steeps. Very nice cup of tea.
I love green teas, but I’m not a fan of this one. I don’t know if it was the roasting. Meh
Very interesting! Earthy, rich, and nutty tasting.
As someone who really doesn’t care for green tea I found the nutty flavor of this to be a little more likeable.
This is a very unique green tea! It turns quite dark once brewed. To me, it smells like seaweed snacks and has a very seaside kind of taste. It's unique, but not my type of drink.
Nice green tea, tasted better than most I’ve tried.
As a lover of the greens i found today's to be quirky. Quirky like oh that wasn't the flavor i was expecting from a green. I like it don't get me wrong but goshdarndang it's suprisingly earthy in taste. I thought i was drinking a puerh or oolong for a hot second. It confuzzles me truly.
Love me some toasty rice like green tea. It’s an easy drinking green tea.
A very safe green tea with a refreshing, grassy taste. The taste reminds me heavily of store-bought teabags but with a higher quality. Bland on its own, but with that said, it is a solid backing for adding flavor accents, such as dried fruit, vanilla, and honey. Perfect for people who like to get creative with their brews.
I was not a fan of this. the tea itself was a dingy brown color and the taste was too woodsy almost like mulch
Brew as recommended.
Wow! Our new favorite! Great “seaweed” flavor. I know that sounds crazy but it’s delicious. We will be getting a large bag of Hojicha!
My favorite tea to use in milk tea that isn't Earl Grey Bella Luna. Very unique flavor, and trendy at the moment in boba shops.
The roasting gives it a strong and borderline burnt flavor, it's a tea for a very specific time, but not an every day drink.
I did some research on different types of Japanese Green Tea to find one similar to what they serve you at most Japanese restaurants I have been too. I was happy to find most of them available here on Adagio and they're amazing! Got to try them all if you love green tea.
My first thought was that it smells *exactly* like Korean boricha (barley tea). I brought my cup over to my husband and asked him what it reminded him of, and he immediately said the same thing. This isn't a bad thing, as I like boricha a lot. The roasted flavor is very strong, making it a hearty, savory cup. A very interesting tea, and worlds different from all the other green teas I've tried.
Good nutty flavor. I didn't taste any smokiness coldbrewed. It was rather refreshing.
I love the roasted/toasted taste of this tea. Very nutty flavor, warm, and earthy. Pleasant to drink. Surprisingly dark in color for a green tea, and I love that unique quality about it.
Rich and earthy tea; a deeper and toasty green; a new favorite!
earthy and nutty, its a great tea to start the day or end the day with
Pretty color, had a nutty flavor - but not one that was very good. Overall, the tea seemed weak, neither steeping longer nor adding more tea in the prep made it better. Would skip...
Perfectly delicious hojicha. Love the overall flavors, will buy again
My first cup of hojicha was very interesting since I wasn't expecting the toasty flavors. If you like the toasty flavors of genmaicha, then hojicha is the next level up. The resulting cup was light but comforting, and I was able to get two solid infusions.
Love this tea! Nice mellow slide into energy in the morning!
Warm and smooth, very much a curl-up-in-a-sweater-on-the-couch tea. I’ve taken it to work with me, enjoyed it on rainy days at home, and even mixed it with some other herbs around the house. (Adding a little jasmine, less rose, and a dose of orange peel was PHENOMENAL)
This is my brother’s favorite kind tea so I bought him a package from Adagio as a gift. He absolutely loved it! I’ve now converted him to Adagio community. The quality of the tea completely won him over.
It has nutty, roasty notes in aroma and flavor. Earthy too. I detect a tiny bit of seaweed, which is expected from hojicha. No bitterness whatsoever. Very easy to drink and stands up to multiple infusions. I don't typically drink Japanese teas, so this was a really nice change of pace.
I really like this tea. It's supposed to be one that's made from stalks and stems and leaves - a cheaper, less fancy green tea. But I really like that it has a lot of flavor and hold up well to get 2 large mugs from one teaspoon of tea.
As someone sensitive to caffeine, I really love this tea! It has a toasted sesame vegetal sort of flavor.
Lovely and unique roasted flavor. Great by itself or with milk and sugar.
Wow! this tea blew my mind away.
I did not expect to like this at all.
but the toasty flavor made this a delicious cup. very nutty. will be part of my collection
I often get my green teas from an Asian market, but due to Covid and not going into shops, I needed to replenish my green tea stock. I tried the green tea sampler and the hojicha and genmaicha teas were both stand outs and were promptly ordered. This tea has a strong flavor that stands up to 3-4 resteeps and provides a satisfying earthy blend perfect for drinking with or just after lunch.
I m not a fan of green teas, so take this review with a grain of salt. Based on personal preferences, I would have rated this one star. Tastes like green tea with a hint of caramel sweetness. Wet leaves smell like green tea dosed with seaweed.
Always a pleasure drinking a warm cup of hojicha. The toasty taste and sensation is perfect for those chilly nights or even just to sit down and relax with. I obtained a sample with a previous order and then splurged and bought an 8oz bag upon the sample’s completion. I loved it so much that I couldn’t dare part ways. Needless to say, I will step a teaspoon and a half, twice, at 212 degrees for 5-8 minutes and it’s perfect, at least to my standards, each time.
Nice toasted green tea, very nice for winter days.
More subtle on the palette than the nose would suggest. Very close to the tea I would be served in Kyoto restaurants.
Crisp and refreshing with a round palate. My spouse thinks it smells like an ashtray though 😀
This was a gift for my friend so I didn’t try it personally, but she let me know it had a rich, smokey flavor with a lovely amount of green tea earthiness.
Wonderful, it’s an every time of day tea for me. Great plain or with a touch of almond milk.