Hojicha vs Matcha Powder: What Are The Differences
North American tea lovers have been seeing more and more matcha products show up in their favorite tea shops over the past few years. Matcha is even making its way outside of your cup and into some of your favorite treats, such as ice cream and chocolates. Hojicha is starting to find popularity among tea drinkers in North America. It may not be known far and wide just yet, but once people learn a little bit more about hojicha they might like it just a bit better than other green teas. Both Hojicha vs Matcha are Japanese green teas that are ground into a fine powder. There are a lot of extra health benefits by drinking both of the teas because you consume all of the leaf.
One of the key differences between the two teas is that matcha can only be consumed as a powder, where hojicha can be drunk either as loose leaf tea or powder. To get a better understanding of the differences, it’s best to know a bit about what makes each tea unique.
What Is Matcha?
Matcha is a fine powder made from tencha tea. The green tea plants are given some shade in the spring before they’re ready for harvest. Once the leaves are ready for harvest they then go through a steaming process in order to prevent oxidation. The leaves then get sorted and cleaned up to be ground into a powder. Matcha is a high-caffeine green colored tea. This is how matcha is made.
What Is Hojicha?
Where matcha is a powder, hojicha is different because it is a loose tea that you can grind into a powder. Hojicha is made by roasting bancha and sencha green leaves. Once the leaves are roasted they are ready to be turned into tea. There are two styles of hojicha tea, one is made from leaves and the other is from stems. The hojicha stem teas are more expensive than the leaves. Hojicha is a low-caffeine brown colored tea.
Matcha vs Hojicha-The Real Differences
There are a lot of similarities between the two teas, so it’s easy to see why you might confuse them with one another. While both teas are loaded with health benefits, there are a few things that make them different from one another.
#1: The Tea Itself
The biggest difference between matcha and hojicha is the tea in which they come from. Hojicha is a roasted green tea that can be blended into a powder, where matcha is a fine powder made from tencha tea. Both teas are delicious though.
#2: The Tea Color
Both of these teas are a green tea, but hojicha actually turns out to be more of a brown shade caused from the roasting process. Matcha on the other hand is a bright green color. Their coloring makes it very easy to distinguish the difference.
#3: How They’re Made
The process for making these teas are completely different from each other. Matcha is made from Tencha being harvested, steamed, dried, then sorted to eventually become a fine powder. Hojicha is made from roasting leaves, sorting and grinding into a powder.
#4: How They Taste
These teas are very different in flavor. Depending on the quality, matcha is a more bitter and vegetal tasting tea. Hojicha on the other hand has more of a rich and earthy flavor from the roasting process. This is why hojicha makes a better tea to accompany your dessert.
#5: Caffeine Levels
Matcha is the ideal coffee substitute because it has a higher caffeine level without the crashing effect afterward. Theanine is an ingredient in coffee that causes the jitters and crashing feeling. Hojicha is a lower caffeinated beverage that’s a better choice for an after dinner tea. It won’t keep you up all night.
#6: How They’re Used
Matcha is mostly used to make into a hot beverage to replace your morning coffee, but lower quality matcha is usually a bit too bitter and can be used better in smoothies or baking. Hojicha can also be drunk as a hot tea but it is more commonly used as an ingredient in sweets.
Matcha vs Hojicha: Final Thoughts
Now you should be able to tell the difference between matcha and hojicha. Both teas are made from green teas so you know you’re doing your body a favor when you drink them. Matcha is a great drink for when you need a pick me up without all the extra sugar that comes with most caffeinated drinks. Hojicha is smooth earthy tea, that’s the perfect company for a night when you need to kick your feet up.
Which one of these fine powdered teas do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.