This Nutty, Low-Caffeine Tea Is Taking Over Cafe Menus

"If you were a frequent coffee shop-goer and Instagram scroller in the mid-2010s, chances are you remember when a certain grassy green beverage started to pop up on café menus, grid posts, and Tumblr feeds. (Of course, we're talking about matcha.) Now, some ten years later, another type of Japanese green tea has made the jump over to the U.S. market: hojicha."

"Hojicha is by no means a new product, but it has a relatively short history when compared to its cousin matcha, whose presence in Japan dates back nearly 1,000 years. Hojicha is thought to have originated in Kyoto in the 1920s, and some believe it was developed as a way to repurpose leaves, stems, and twigs left over from the mechanical harvesting of tea plants. The tea is roasted over charcoal, which imparts it with its signature smoky, nutty flavor and warm brown color."

Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea with a warm brown color and a smoky, nutty flavor produced by roasting leaves over charcoal. Hojicha likely originated in Kyoto in the 1920s and was developed in part to repurpose leaves, stems, and twigs left over from mechanical harvesting. Hojicha uses more mature leaves harvested later in the season and a high-heat roasting process, resulting in much lower caffeine than matcha. Matcha comes from the same plant but is shaded before harvest and is steamed, dried, refined, and ground. Hojicha's low caffeine and toasty aroma make it a popular afternoon beverage and a growing presence on U.S. menus and in stores.

Read at Bon Appetit