AprikaLife Organic Hojicha Green Tea Powder, USDA & JAS Roasted Green Tea from Japan, Authentic Japanese Houjicha Perfect for Lattes, Smoothies & Baking, 3.5 oz/100g

This is the best Hojicha you will find on Amazon! I have been buying from Aprikalife for years now, because their products are manufactured and grown in Japan (not China), and their products are also USDA Certified Organic. This brand is very high quality, I am yet to receive a product that I am not happy with. This is probably the only high quality + USDA organic Hojicha offered on Amazon right now, since the options are limited. There are mixed reviews on this product, because people seem to not like the taste of Hojicha, which is subjective. Sometimes, I prefer the taste of this to matcha which can be more earthy and grassier.If I had to describe the taste of Hojicha, I would say that it tastes more caramel-like with roasted tones, similar to Thai tea. It doesn’t have the strong grassy notes of Matcha. I use this powder to make a latte every morning. I add 1 ½ tsp of Hojicha powder to whole milk and whisk it on the stove while heating it up, then I add monk fruit sweetener as desired. The mixability is much better than matcha, I find that the powder dissolves very easily, no clumps and barely needs to be whisked. Another reason to consume Hojicha over matcha is that it has an even lower caffeine content, with 5-10g of caffeine per serving as opposed to matcha which is 30-45g of caffeine per serving. I am sensitive to caffeine so I feel like I don’t need to worry with Hojicha since the caffeine content is so low.

I’m a big fan of this brand’s culinary matcha, I’ve been a loyal customer for 3+ years so I decided to give their hojicha a try. I’m not too familiar with the taste of hojicha but Aprika’s has a strong nutty and slightly sweet taste. It’s not bitter and it mixes very well, even easier to dissolve with water than their matcha. I thought it was delicious and it’s something I drink in the afternoon instead of matcha for the lower caffeine content. I make soy milk lattes with the powder and I think anyone who likes nutty flavors will really enjoy this hojicha powder!

I had high hopes for this hojicha because of the other reviews. It's not bad but definitely not as dark, rich and flavorful as the Ocha brand hojicha. Unfortunately I'm switching back to Ocha.

Hojicha is relatively new to me (although I have tried a lot of different teas), but I would say that the limited experience I have has been drinking quality hojicha tea. Comparatively, I would say that this hojicha is about what I’ve come to expect from a good hojicha. I’ve had others that were more bold and some that were a little lighter, and this one seems to hit the mark. The tea is a powder, similar to matcha, and is prepared in a similar fashion. I’ve had some hojicha teas that give instructions to mix with cold water and some with hot/warm, and hot water is what this brand recommends (and is how I have read online from various sites that it should be done). Once mixed and whisked into warm water, more water can be added, or the hojicha mix can be added to milk. For me, I chose to experience the tea with just water so that I could experience its quality and character. When preparing, I went the traditional route by using a bamboo scoop (chashaku) and sifter to make sure I was able to get the tea powder into the bowl (chawan) without clumping. I then used a bamboo whisk (chasen) to mix the powder into a small amount of warm (mildly hot) water using the same back and forth motion (not circular) as used with matcha. The tea mixed in well and this produced a nice, dark tea, but not as frothy as matcha. I would add a little more warm/hot water and mix a little more. The result was a smooth tea that was well mixed and not gritty or grainy at all. The aroma and flavor is nice and lightly roasty, but not like some others, and I assume as it should be. The tea was roasted just enough to add a more robust and bold character, but not so much so as to be burnt, strong like coffee, or overpowering. The character is well balanced and enjoyable. Compared to other hojisha teas that I have had, I would say that this is the best. There may be better hojicha teas out there that I have yet to experience, but for now, this will rank high and be a go to recommendation.

This is a very fine powder and as soon as you unseal the bag, you get hit with the strong roasted scent of freshly ground hojicha. It smells potent and fresh and super high quality. A serving is 2 grams but I find just 1 gram makes a strong cup of either warm or iced tea for me. It's bitter and mildly astringent but at the same time, if sufficiently diluted, it's smooth and not dehydrating like over-roasted tea can be. I love that the company clearly shows the caffeine mgs per serving on the bag (10-15 mgs per 2 gram serving). More companies should do this. I like to know the exact caffeine amount in everything, including decaf drinks (which usually have trace caffeine) and too few companies actually list this info. This is such a convenient product for summer when you don't want to heat water to brew tea leaves and just want to go straight to iced tea. The powder disperses easily in room temperature to semi-cold water using just a spoon and smashing the powder against the walls of your cup. I also really appreciate this being organic since tea crops are getting dirtier and dirtier. I would 100% recommend this if you like hojicha or if you're new to green tea varients and want to venture into a toasted tea but aren't sure about flavor. Good hojicha is like the more glamorous but rustic middle child between green and black tea. If you like oolong, you'll love this. And yes, it is possible to be glamorous and rustic simultaneously.