Decadent Hojicha Latte
on Jan 28, 2019, Updated Jul 25, 2020
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A rich and decadent Japanese hojicha tea latte made with a frothy cream topping that’s both sweet and a little salty.
Hojicha Latte
This hojicha hot drink is basically a hojicha latte but way, way, way more decadent.
- Made with a rich, frothy whipped cream.
- Sweet and delicious.
- It’s THE perfect drink for those chilly winter nights where you’re tucked in under a blanket.
- Hojicha is a roasted green tea so there’s caffeine in this drink.
RELATED: Hojicha Hot Chocolate
Questions You May Have
What is hojicha?
Hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea. It gets its reddish brown color through the roasting process. It’s made up of twigs and leaves of the tea plant.
What does hojicha taste like?
Because hojicha is roasted, it has a nutty, toasted, caramel-like taste.
Is there caffeine in this drink?
Yes, there’s caffeine in a hojicha latte. Due to the roasting process, there’s less caffeine in hojicha than regular green tea.
Can I use hojicha in tea bags or ground hojicha instead of loose tea?
I prefer loose tea since it’s the best quality, but you can replace it with tea bags or ground hojicha. Replace 2 teaspoons of loose tea with 1 tea bag or 1 teaspoon of ground hojicha.
Hojicha Tips
- For the best quality hojicha latte, use loose tea.
- If you’re trying to replace coffee with tea, hojicha is a great tea to go with because of its roasty flavor.
- The cream froth topping adds a decadent touch, but if you want to make it simpler, replace the cream froth with half & half.
What You’ll Need
- Loose hojicha
- Filtered water
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
- Salt: No exaggeration, absolutely the best salt I’ve ever used.
- Teapot with tea strainer
- Electric kettle with temperature setting
- Milk frother: I use this ALL. THE. TIME.
How to Make It
There are 2 parts to this drink:
- Sweetened hojicha
- Vanilla cream froth
STEP 1: Boil water.
Boil water on the stovetop, or if using an electric kettle with a temperature setting set it to 208°F.
Tea tastes better when it’s made with the best tasting water, so use filtered water if possible.
STEP 2: Combine tea and hot water in a teapot.
I’m making hojicha loose tea so I’m using a glass teapot with a strainer.
STEP 3: Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
STEP 4: Strain tea leaves and pour hot tea into a cup. Stir in brown sugar until completely dissolved.
Set aside.
STEP 5: Lightly whip heavy cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
Cream froth is a lightly whipped cream.
Whip using a handheld milk frother for about 10 seconds. Once it has thickened, stop whisking — it’s done.
RELATED: Earl Grey Iced Tea with Cream Froth
The tricky part is not to overwhip. We don’t want whipped cream with the stiff peaks.
The consistency to aim for is a thickened cream. When you try to pour the cream, it should be able to but just slowly.
If you overwhipped, just add a little more heavy cream (one teaspoon at a time) and stir it in using a spoon.
STEP 6: Pour cream froth into cup with tea.
The cream froth is light since we whipped air into it, so it’ll suspend itself on top of the tea for a bit.
I don’t like to stir the cream froth into the tea but just drink it as is, tasting the cream first, then the tea.
It’s SO SO GOOD.
Hojicha Tea with Vanilla Cream Froth
Ingredients
Hojicha Tea
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 2 teaspoons hojicha
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
Vanilla Cream Froth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Boil water.Boil water on the stovetop or if using an electric kettle with a temperature setting set it to 208°F.
- Combine tea and hot water in a teapot.Use a teapot with a strainer or infuser to make it easier to make without a mess.
- Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain tea leaves and pour hot tea into a cup. Stir in brown sugar until completely dissolved.Set aside.
- Lightly whip heavy cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.Whip using a handheld milk frother for about 10-15 seconds. Once it has thickened, stop whisking. Don't overwhip. The lightly whipped cream should be pourable.
- Pour cream froth into cup with tea.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In collaboration with the Tea Council of the USA. All words, photos, and opinions are mine, as always.
Tea is my hot beverage of choice here in Northern Illinois. Until I came across your blog here, I had never heard of Hojicha before. I have other teas on had though, and thought I’d just give it a go with my favorite Chaga Chai Mushroom tea. The salted sweet cream froth on top of the hot tea mixed with brown sugar was better than anything I’ve ever experienced with a tea latte. I feel like I got a fancy new drink from Starbucks, but even BETTER!!! My toddler tried it and wants it for an after school snack today. I’m totally making this for my mother-in-law on Christmas Day. She will be floored as she’s also a tea drinker, but doesn’t usually do latte style.
I didn’t have any hojicha so I used this as a chai latte instead and the foam was SO GOOD with the salt.
My entire family fell absolutely in live with this tea!! Thank you for posting this recipe! We just ordered another pound of Houjicha from Mountain Rose Herbs, as well as a few other tea varieties to try. I’m hoping to find recipes on your site for them as well. 🙂
Hi, Jee!
Two Questions:
1: I only have hojicha powder. Will it work? How does the recipe/measurements vary? (Loose.leaf vs. hojicha powder?) Luckily, I have all other ingredients on hand.
2: Do you have more hojicha recipes up your sleeve? I’m a hojicha beginner, but find that hojicha recipes are few and far between.
Thanks!!
This looks awesome! Do you think this would be good iced?
Hi Natasha, DEFINITELY!
This looks so good! I REALLY love hojicha as a choice for lattes. It stands up well to dairy but doesn’t pack too much of a punch.