Hojicha Bubble Tea
Updated Feb 28, 2025
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A must-try, a hojicha bubble tea gets its sweet, nutty flavor from Japanese roasted green tea. It’s perfectly sweetened with brown sugar.
Hojicha Bubble Tea
Hojicha bubble tea is a delicious iced drink made with hojicha, brown sugar, milk, ice, and boba (tapioca balls). This drink is a bubble tea because it has tapioca balls.
Hojicha is a roasted green tea from Japan and the drink is toasty and nutty in flavor (and not at all bitter). Because hojicha is a roasted tea, it contains less caffeine than regular green tea.
Note from Jee
Hojicha is one of my favorite teas and the one I’ll get at Japanese restaurants to have with sushi. I loved roasted tea, and hojicha is so nice and roasty.
I love hojicha without anything added, but because it’s rich and deep in flavor from the roasting process, the tea also goes really well with milk and sugar.
If you haven’t tried hojicha and you love roasted teas like I do, this is a must-try!
Recipe Summary
- It takes 6 ingredients to make hojicha bubble tea at home.
- Hojicha is a roasted green tea and it has a nutty and lightly sweet flavor.
- Store-bought tapioca balls are cooked in water for a few minutes to make them soft and chewy.
- The recipe makes a 16 ounce (2 cups) drink.
RELATED: 17 Easy Bubble Tea Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Hojicha tea: Use hojicha loose tea, tea sachets, or tea bags. There’s no need to use the highest quality or the most expensive hojicha to make bubble tea since it’s mixed with milk and sugar.
- Tapioca balls: Store-bought dried boba is bouncy and chewy in minutes when cooked in boiling water. It’s an easy way to make bubble tea at home.
- Brown sugar: The rich molasses flavor of brown sugar pairs nicely with roasted flavors of hojicha. You can also use white sugar if that’s what you have.
- Milk: Any milk can be used for this recipe, including plant-based options, but whole milk makes a creamier drink.
- Water: Use filtered water for a better tasting bubble tea.
- Ice: Make ice from filtered water if possible.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Steep tea in hot water. Strain out tea, stir in brown sugar, and let cool.
Step 2: Boil brown sugar in water, then add tapioca balls.
Step 3: Put warm tapioca balls and brown sugar syrup into a cup.
Step 4: Add ice.
Step 5: Pour in tea.
Step 6: Top with milk. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking and use an extra wide straw.
Recipe Notes
Warm tapioca balls will be soft and perfectly chewy.
For the ideal boba texture, serve tapioca balls when they’re very warm. Just make sure they’re not too hot, since they can burn your mouth.
Make boba right before you prepare the drink.
Tapioca balls shouldn’t be made ahead since they start to harden as they cool.
Cook tapioca balls in a brown sugar and water.
The boba in this recipe is prepared in a brown sugar syrup that sweetens the tapioca balls and the drink.
Expert Tips
- Hojicha tea can be steeped and made ahead of time. It can be stored (without sugar or milk added) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Allow boba to cool slightly after cooking, but serve while they’re still very warm for the best texture.
- Use a wide straw to drink boba so you can get a few tapioca balls and tea with each sip. Always chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
RELATED: Hojicha Latte
Related
- Lavender Bubble Tea
- Black Sesame Bubble Tea
- Jasmine Bubble Tea
- Hong Kong Bubble Tea
- Bubble Tea with Cold Foam
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Hojicha Bubble Tea
Ingredients
Iced Hojicha Milk Tea
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tablespoons hojicha tea
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¾ cup ice
- ⅓ cup milk, (any kind)
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
Instructions
- Steep hojicha tea in ¾ cup of hot water for 3 minutes. Boil water on the stovetop or use electric kettle with a temperature setting. Set water temperature to 195°F. For best results, make tea ahead of time and chill in the refrigerator. Use filtered water if possible.
- Strain the tea and stir in brown sugar.Set aside to cool.
- Cook tapioca balls. Boil ¾ cup of water and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add tapioca balls.Combine water and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once you see big bubbles (2-4 minutes), add tapioca balls. Keep boiling for 8 more minutes on medium-high heat. Turn off heat and cool slightly, until tapioca balls are quite warm, but aren't too hot to eat.
- Assemble the drink. Put warm tapioca balls and brown sugar syrup into a cup. Add ice, cooled down hojicha tea, and milk.Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Notes
- You can use any milk for this recipe, including plant-based options, but whole milk makes a creamier drink.
- For the ideal boba texture, serve tapioca balls when they’re very warm. Just make sure they’re not too hot, since they can burn your mouth.
- Tapioca balls shouldn’t be made ahead since they start to harden as they cool.
- Use a wide straw to drink boba so you can get a few tapioca balls and tea with each sip.
- Hojicha tea can be steeped and made ahead of time. It can be stored (without sugar or milk) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
