what’s the difference between hojicha and matcha?

if you love japanese tea, you’ve probably come across both matcha and hojicha. they’re both made from the camellia sinensis tea plant, but they taste completely different — and that comes down to how they’re made.

so, what’s actually the difference between hojicha and matcha?

🍵 matcha

matcha is a finely ground japanese green tea powder. unlike regular green tea, you consume the entire tea leaf when you drink matcha.

before harvesting, the tea plants used for matcha are typically shaded for several weeks. the leaves are then harvested, steamed, dried and carefully ground into a fine powder.

this process gives matcha its signature vibrant green colour, umami flavour and naturally creamy texture.

depending on the producer and cultivar, matcha can taste sweet, vegetal, nutty, umami-rich or slightly bitter.

matcha is perfect for:

• traditional usucha

• iced matcha

• matcha lattes

• desserts and baking

• experimenting with different japanese matcha varieties

🤎 hojicha

hojicha is also a japanese green tea, but instead of being left green, the tea leaves are roasted at high temperatures.

the roasting process changes both the colour and flavour of the tea. hojicha has a warm brown colour and a distinctly toasty, nutty and roasted flavour.

because of the roasting process, hojicha has much less of the fresh, vegetal character you might associate with green tea.

hojicha can be enjoyed as loose-leaf tea or ground into a powder, which makes it especially popular for hojicha lattes and desserts.

hojicha is perfect for:

• hojicha tea

• hojicha lattes

• iced hojicha

• desserts and baking

• anyone who prefers a roasted, nutty flavour

matcha vs hojicha: which one should you try?

	matcha	hojicha
colour	vibrant green	warm brown
flavour	umami, vegetal, sweet	roasted, nutty, toasty
texture	creamy & fine	smooth when powdered
processing	shaded & finely ground	roasted
best for	matcha lovers & fresh flavours	coffee/roasted flavour lovers

there's no better option — it really comes down to what you enjoy.

if you love fresh, creamy and umami-rich flavours, start with matcha.

if you prefer something warm, nutty and roasted, hojicha might be your new favourite.

and if you can't decide?

why not grab both? 

explore our collection of japanese matcha and hojicha and find your next favourite cup.