How to Make Hojicha Latte at Home (the 5-Minute Roasted Tea Drink)

Hojicha latte is the underrated cousin of the matcha latte. It uses roasted Japanese green tea instead of stone-ground matcha. The result is nutty, toasty, slightly sweet, with a fraction of the caffeine and none of the bitterness people sometimes associate with matcha.

If you've tried a matcha latte and found it too grassy, too vegetal, or too high-maintenance — try a hojicha latte. It's made the same way, tastes completely different, and takes 5 minutes.

This is the recipe we use at home. It's also the recipe we recommend to anyone who likes a creamy, easy tea drink without the matcha fuss.

What hojicha is

Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that's roasted after steaming. The roasting transforms the tea — instead of the vegetal notes of a regular sencha or gyokuro, hojicha has a toasty, nutty, almost caramel character. The color of the brewed tea is brown, not green.

The roasting also reduces the caffeine content significantly. Hojicha has roughly 1/3 the caffeine of coffee and 1/2 the caffeine of regular green tea. You can drink a hojicha latte at 8pm without affecting your sleep — most people.

The tea itself is made from the older leaves and stems of the tea plant. Younger leaves are reserved for sencha and gyokuro. The older leaves are tougher and more fibrous, but the roasting breaks down the fibers and produces a complex, mellow cup.

What you need

• 1 tablespoon hojicha (loose leaf or tea bag — both work)
• 8 ounces hot water (200°F, just off boiling)
• 4 ounces milk (any kind — whole, oat, soy all work)
• 1 small whisk or frother (optional but recommended)
• 1 mug

That's it. No special equipment. No strainer needed if you use tea bags. A small fine-mesh strainer if you use loose leaf.

The 5-minute method

Step 1: Heat the water. Bring 8 ounces of water to 200°F (just off boiling). If you don't have a temperature-controlled kettle, boil the water and let it sit for 30 seconds before pouring.

Step 2: Steep the hojicha. Add 1 tablespoon of hojicha to your mug. Pour the hot water over it. Steep for 30 seconds. Strain the tea (or remove the tea bag).

The steep time is short — hojicha doesn't get bitter the way green tea does, but a long steep produces a stronger, more astringent cup. 30 seconds is the sweet spot for a hojicha latte.

Step 3: Heat the milk. While the tea is steeping, heat 4 ounces of milk in a small saucepan or in the microwave (45 seconds on high). The milk should be hot but not boiling — around 150°F.

Step 4: Froth the milk. If you have a milk frother, use it for 10–15 seconds until the milk is foamy and doubled in volume. If you don't have a frother, pour the hot milk into a mason jar, screw the lid on tight, and shake for 20 seconds. The shaking produces foam.

Step 5: Combine. Pour the frothed milk into the steeped hojicha. Hold back the foam with a spoon if you want a layered drink. Spoon the foam on top.

Step 6: Optional sweetener. Hojicha has a natural toasty sweetness that most people find pleasant without added sugar. If you want it sweeter, add 1 teaspoon of honey or simple syrup. Stir.

Total time: 5 minutes. Total cleanup: rinse the mug and the saucepan.

Iced hojicha latte

For an iced version, use the same recipe but cool everything down:

Step 1: Steep hojicha in 6 ounces of hot water for 30 seconds. Strain.

Step 2: Add 2 tablespoons of simple syrup or honey to the hot tea (it dissolves better in hot liquid). Stir.

Step 3: Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the sweetened tea over the ice.

Step 4: Top with 4 ounces of cold milk. Stir.

Total time: 5 minutes. Total caffeine: roughly 1/3 of a cup of coffee.

Why hojicha latte works (and why some people don't like matcha latte)

Matcha is stone-ground green tea. The flavor is intensely vegetal, with strong grassy notes and a slight astringency. Some people love it. Other people find it too bitter, too grassy, or too much work (matcha requires whisking, special tools, and exact temperatures).

Hojicha solves most of the problems people have with matcha:

• Roasted, not vegetal. The roasting caramelizes the leaf, producing nutty, toasty notes instead of grassy ones.
• Lower caffeine. Roughly 1/3 the caffeine of matcha. You can have one in the evening.
• Forgiving on steep time. Hojicha doesn't get bitter from over-steeping. You can leave it for 2 minutes instead of 30 seconds and it still tastes fine.
• Easy to brew. No whisk required. No special powder. Just tea leaves and hot water.

For people who find matcha too intense, hojicha is usually the answer.

What kind of milk works best

Any milk works. We've tried:

• Whole milk. Produces the creamiest, richest cup. The fat carries the toasty notes well.
• Oat milk. Produces a creamy, slightly sweet cup. The natural sweetness of oat pairs well with the nuttiness of hojicha. Our default for dairy-free.
• Almond milk. Produces a lighter, more delicate cup. The almond notes complement the hojicha.
• Soy milk. Produces a creamy cup, but the soy flavor can compete with the hojicha.
• Coconut milk. Produces a rich, tropical-flavored cup. Different, but interesting.

If you want the most neutral cup that lets the hojicha shine, use whole milk or oat milk.

Common mistakes

Mistake 1: using too much hojicha

Hojicha is light-bodied. If you use 2 tablespoons instead of 1, the cup gets strong but also astringent. Start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to taste.

Mistake 2: steeping too long

30 seconds is the sweet spot. 2 minutes produces a stronger cup but also more astringency. If you want a stronger cup, add more tea, not more time.

Mistake 3: using boiling water

Boiling water (212°F) doesn't ruin hojicha the way it ruins green tea, but it produces a more astringent cup. 200°F (just off boiling) is the right temperature.

Mistake 4: skipping the froth

The froth isn't just decoration — it carries the aroma to your nose as you drink. A flat hojicha latte tastes less aromatic than a frothed one. Even a quick 10-second shake in a mason jar makes a difference.

When to drink it

Hojicha latte works at any time. It's:

• A morning drink for people who don't want the caffeine jolt of coffee
• An afternoon drink for a 3pm pick-me-up without affecting sleep
• An evening drink for a cozy, warming cup without the caffeine issue
• A dessert drink that pairs well with buttery pastries

We drink it most often in the afternoon. The toasty notes feel grounding, the lower caffeine doesn't affect sleep, and the 5-minute prep doesn't require any special equipment.

The takeaway

Hojicha latte is the easiest specialty tea drink to make at home. It uses one ingredient most people haven't tried (hojicha), one tool most people have (a kettle), and takes 5 minutes.

If you've been wanting to add a tea ritual to your day but matcha felt too fussy, try hojicha. Start with 1 tablespoon, 8 ounces of 200°F water, 30 seconds of steeping. Add frothed milk. Drink plain or sweetened.

The result is nuttier than a matcha latte, gentler than coffee, and easier than either. We talk about the differences in our guide to hojicha brewing — same tea, different methods.

— Seraphina (founder, Cozy Sips)

P.S. If you've been a black-coffee-only person and you're skeptical about tea lattes, try hojicha first. It's the most coffee-adjacent tea drink we know — toasty, slightly bitter, no sweetness required. It's also the easiest way to ease into tea if you've been a coffee loyalist.