One of our most extravagant indulgences is what we devour. In some cases, the food needs to be in vogue in addition to being delightful to our taste buds. Trending foodstuffs is a multibillion-dollar industry. Producers, retailers, and restaurateurs are all influenced by it. Everyone desires a piece of this rewarding pie, so staying on top of trends is crucial to sample the newest and best dishes. A brand-new selection of ingredients and foods will be popular in kitchens and restaurants across the globe as we go forward in 2023. Among them, Hojicha is one. It seems to be going to give Matcha's patrons some fresh goals.
What is Hojicha?
In 2023, hojicha, another Japanese staple, will be widely consumed worldwide. Consider it to be matcha's more refined kin. Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that differs from others in that it is roasted over charcoal in a porcelain pot. Unlike other Japanese teas, which are steamed, it is roasted at 150 °C (302 °F) to prevent oxidation and generate a pale yellow hue. Hojicha's base often consists of leaves from the second harvest or later. Hojicha is a roasted green tea with an earthy scent and a dark colour. It has a robust antioxidant punch while being smokey and sensual.
Brewed hojicha, Image Source: yugen_tea_vilnius@Instagram
Its history tells that when a Kyoto trader possessed an unsaleable bancha, creating hojicha was accidentally stumbled upon in 1920. The merchant produced a new flavour, hojicha, by roasting the bancha.
How to consume Hojicha?
Hojicha powder has a distinct cocoa flavour with a naturally nutty, sweet taste, toasted flavour and smoky undertones after infusion. As hojicha tea leaves are roasted at a high temperature, any bitterness generally present in green tea is eliminated. It comes in both loose tea leaves and powdered form. The leaves from loose teas must first be steeped before being discarded. Hojicha that has been powdered is nearly immediately ready to drink, and there is no waste.
Hojicha latter, Image Source: anotherlandcoffeeandmore@Instagram
The traditional way to make lattes is to whisk or swirl vigorously after adding 1 tsp of powder and 8 oz. of hot water or milk. Boiling water should not be used. In addition to hot lattes, cold hojicha over ice is also excellent. It tastes great, sprinkled on toast with honey and over vanilla ice cream. Hojicha tastes wonderful in an ice-blended frappe.
Hojicha and caffeine content
A roasted green tea with its roots in Kyoto, Japan, it is often consumed in the evening because it has negligible caffeine. Since caffeine sublimes at temperatures close to its 178°C boiling point, the low caffeine concentration of hojicha is frequently attributed to the roasting process, which exceeds 200°C. However, the type of tea leaves used to make hojicha is the determining factor of caffeine levels even before it is roasted at high temperatures. Compared to hojicha made from mature bancha harvest leaves, hojicha manufactured from younger sencha harvest leaves contains a small amount more caffeine. While kukicha-based hojicha has the least amount of caffeine. There is 7.7 mg of caffeine in one cup of hojicha (250 ml), which is the recommended serving size. It doesn't produce the anxiety and jitteriness that coffee drinkers feel because it has almost no caffeine.
Dry hojicha tea, Image Source: Shutterstock
Health benefits
Hojicha roasted green tea contains catechins, which speed up the body's metabolism, aid in weight loss, raise the body's calories burned, and cause fat loss. Green tea that has been roasted, such as hojicha, is also an excellent tea for improving digestion. Its L-Theanine and pyrazines aid in soothing the body when consumed.