The hojicha latte is the quiet bestseller at our Barcelona café. It drinks like a dessert, comes with almost no caffeine, and takes five minutes to make at home with a whisk and a mug.
What You Need
- 2g (about one heaped teaspoon) of Japanese hojicha powder
- 30ml hot water, around 80°C
- 150ml milk. Oat milk is our house choice, its natural sweetness matches the roast beautifully
- Optional: a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
- A bamboo whisk or a small regular whisk
Hot Hojicha Latte
- Sift the hojicha powder into a bowl or wide mug. Ten seconds of sifting means zero clumps.
- Whisk with the 30ml of hot water into a smooth, glossy base. Hojicha foams less than matcha, so aim for smooth rather than frothy.
- Warm the milk to steaming, frothed if you like.
- Pour the milk over the hojicha base, sweeten if you want to, and finish with a dusting of powder on the foam.
Iced Hojicha Latte
- Whisk 2g of hojicha with 30ml of room-temperature water
- Fill a glass with ice and 150ml of cold milk
- Pour the hojicha over the back of a spoon for the layered look, stir before drinking
Three Tips from the Bar
- Dose generously. Milk softens flavour, so 2g is the minimum. For a bolder cup go to 3g.
- Keep the water under 85°C. The roast is forgiving, but very hot water flattens the caramel notes.
- Try it unsweetened first. Good hojicha with oat milk carries its own gentle sweetness.
The Evening Companion to Matcha
Because hojicha carries only a small fraction of the caffeine of matcha or coffee, this is the latte for evenings and late afternoons. If you are curious how the two teas compare, read Hojicha vs Matcha, or start from the beginning with What Is Hojicha?
Everything you need in one box: the Hojicha Starter Kit pairs the powder with bamboo tools. More drinks, including matcha lattes and sparkling matcha lemonade, are in our recipe collection.