Nutty, barely candy, and with a touch of caramel, Hojicha Latte is a creamy and frothy scorching drink that may be very well-liked in Japan. Powdered hojicha (roasted inexperienced tea) incorporates a lot much less caffeine than matcha or espresso, making it an important various! {Vegan-Adaptable}
In case you haven’t seen, we’re on a hojicha kick currently! I’ve loved this roasted Japanese inexperienced tea in chilly brew and iced latte, and in desserts. At the moment, I’ll present you the right way to make a heat cup of Hojicha Latte (ほうじ茶ラテ) at dwelling.
Throughout chilly months, this hojicha latte makes an ideal drink to begin your day or take pleasure in throughout your afternoon break. My household nonetheless completely loves our Matcha Latte, however it’s been a lot enjoyable to have one other drink choice that we get to take pleasure in at our ‘dwelling cafe,’ as my daughter calls it.
What’s Hojicha?
Originated in Kyoto, hojicha (焙じ茶, ほうじ茶) is a sort of roasted Japanese inexperienced tea that has been having fun with its second as a well-liked beverage in Japan.
The tea leaves are first steamed earlier than present process a roasting course of that offers hojicha its reddish-brown shade and imparts a caramelized word. The roasting additionally considerably reduces its caffeine ranges with out impacting its well being advantages, comparable to antioxidants and nutritional vitamins A, C, and E.
Many individuals take pleasure in hojicha for its distinctive toasty and mildly candy taste, in addition to its soothing impact. I like each its versatility and its attract, and I’m wanting ahead to crafting extra fascinating recipes with the tea.
You will discover hojicha in free tea or in powder kind. Since we’re making a latte, I take advantage of hojicha powder so we will simply whisk it with scorching water and steamed milk.
How you can Make Hojicha Latte
The Substances You’ll Want
- Hojicha (roasted inexperienced tea) powder – You should purchase ready-made powder, or make your individual from hojicha tea leaves.
- Sizzling water, about 176ºF or 80ºC
- Milk of your alternative – Entire milk is greatest however I take advantage of 2% lactose-free milk on this recipe. For vegan/vegetarian, you may substitute with oat or almond milk
- Sweetener of alternative – I used granulated sugar on this recipe however I normally make a batch of Selfmade Easy Syrup for every week so I could make totally different drinks (principally Matcha Latte or Iced Matcha Latte) at dwelling. You can even use different sweeteners.
The Preparation
- Sift the hojicha powder right into a bowl or cup. This may decrease any lumps and yield a easy latte.
- Add the recent water to the bowl.
- Whisk briskly, drawing a letter W, not the standard round sample. Mix the recent water and hojicha powder till no lumps stay. The matcha ought to be easy and a bit of foamy.
- Steam the chilly milk with a steaming wand or froth the warmed milk with a handheld milk frother.
- Pour the milk into the hojicha combination. Sprinkle extra hojicha powder on prime.
Recipe Ideas
- Take away hojicha powder lumps: For those who’re not utilizing a chasen (bamboo whisk), sift the hojicha powder and ensure there aren’t any lumps earlier than including scorching water.
- Use 2% (that’s what we use) or entire milk for a richer latte. I don’t suggest utilizing skim milk as there will likely be no foam.
- Froth the milk to 140-155ºF to get the frothy foam. In case you are not utilizing an espresso machine, microwave or warmth the milk on the stovetop or microwave utilizing the meals thermometer.
Vegan Variation
Need to make a vegan hojicha latte? Oat milk can be your best option; it froths properly, identical to dairy milk. In comparison with almond milk, it has a pleasant creamy, impartial taste. Nevertheless, you won’t get as thick a foam as dairy milk.
“Soiled” Variation: Soiled Hojicha Latte
A unclean latte is blended with two-thirds of recent, chilly milk topped with a double shot of espresso. The espresso shot should be poured slowly and with care. This ensures the espresso flows by way of the low-temperature milk, permitting you to benefit from the two visibly separated layers when served in a transparent glass.
The place to Purchase Hojicha Powder
I get my hojicha powder from Hojicha Co. The tea is roasted in small batches in Kyoto and packaged in Japan for optimum freshness and style.
Can You Make Hojicha Powder?
Sure! I included the directions within the recipe card beneath. You will have a small-capacity meals processor or spice/espresso grinder (I used the Nutribullet).
The grinder doesn’t grind the tea leaves into superfine powder; subsequently, you’ll need to grind it additional with a mortar and pestle.
For those who don’t grind hojicha into superfine powder, your latte can have massive black specs from the tea leaves and you’ll style it in your mouth.
For those who make drinks with matcha or hojicha powder, I extremely suggest getting these two instruments.
- A bamboo whisk – To reduce clumps, it’s value getting a bamboo whisk known as chasen. It blends tea powders and liquid rather well, introducing air to the combination to create foam and froth. Alternatively, you need to use a flat whisk, which works nice for whisking small quantities of dry and moist substances.
- A spouted matcha bowl (optionally available) – Known as katakuchi, a spouted bowl is specifically designed to make whisking and pouring a lot simpler. I take advantage of this stunning katakuchi from Solely Means Is Up.
- Milk frother – You may get this handheld milk frother. We use Mr. JOC’s espresso machine, which comes with a steaming wand. You’ll be able to skip frothing the milk if you happen to like, however you’ll miss out on the ethereal mouthfeel of the latte’s heat milk foam.
What to Serve with Hojicha Latte
Hojicha Recipes To Take pleasure in
Let me know you probably have different hojicha recipes you’d wish to see on the weblog. I’ll add them to our recipe request record!
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Hojicha Latte (plus Soiled Hojicha Latte)
Nutty, barely candy, and with a touch of caramel, Hojicha Latte is a creamy and frothy scorching drink that‘s very fashionable in Japan. Powdered hojicha (roasted inexperienced tea) incorporates a lot much less caffeine than matcha or espresso and makes an important various! {Vegan-Adaptable}
Substances
For Soiled Hojicha Latte (optionally available)
Forestall your display from going darkish
Directions
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Collect all of the substances. I used hojicha powder from Hojicha Co. right here. For those who‘d wish to make hojicha powder from scratch, see the directions on the finish of the recipe. To make a Soiled Hojicha Latte, make a double shot of espresso.
To Put together the Hojicha Combination
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Right into a bowl with a pouring spout (I take advantage of a matcha bowl known as a katakuchi), add 1½ tsp hojicha (roasted inexperienced tea) powder. If you wish to sweeten your beverage, add ½ tsp sugar (optionally available; I don‘t add it). Tip: For those who‘re utilizing an everyday whisk as an alternative of a bamboo whisk, I like to recommend sifting the hojicha powder right into a cup utilizing a fine-mesh strainer. Fantastic powders turn out to be lumpy when you add scorching water.
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Add 2 Tbsp scorching water. Why scorching water? Hojicha powder doesn’t combine properly into cool/chilly water. With a bamboo whisk (chasen) or flat whisk, combine the tea powder and scorching water briskly forwards and backwards, drawing a letter W. Combine till no lumps stay, about 20 seconds. The hojicha combination ought to be easy and a bit of foamy. If it‘s not fluid, you may add a tiny little bit of water (a teaspoon at a time) till it‘s a pourable consistency. Tip: Use as little water as required to make a fluid suspension which you can pour right into a cup. We wish to preserve a wealthy, concentrated taste by limiting the quantity of water we use.
To Steam and Froth the Milk
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With a Handheld Milk Frother: Warmth ¾ cup milk within the microwave or a pot on the range till heat, about 140ºF or 65ºC. Then, with a handheld milk frother, froth the milk till foamy, about 10–15 seconds. For those who don‘t have a frother, skip this step.
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With an Espresso Machine with a Steaming Wand: Begin with ¾ cup milk. Study to steam milk by following this video tutorial by a World Champion latte artist. For this recipe, Mr. JOC used the auto-steaming perform.
To Make the Hojicha Latte
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Pour the tea combination into the cup.
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Pour the steamed milk into the middle of the hojicha combination, ending with gentle foam. Sprinkle extra hojicha powder on prime utilizing the fine-mesh strainer. Serve scorching and luxuriate in!
To Make the Soiled Hojicha Latte
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Pour the hojicha combination into the cup and add 2 pictures espresso.
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Pour the steamed milk into the middle of the hojicha combination, ending with gentle foam. Sprinkle extra hojicha powder on prime utilizing the fine-mesh strainer. Serve scorching and luxuriate in!
To Make Hojicha Powder (optionally available)
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To make hojicha powder from scratch, weigh 1 oz or 30 g of hojicha leaves. I used hojicha from Ippodo Tea, which measures roughly ¾ cup (12 Tbsp) per 30 g; nevertheless, each model of hojicha is totally different, so please weigh your tea. Subsequent, add the tea leaves to a small-capacity meals processor or spice/espresso grinder. I used the Nutribullet right here.
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Cowl firmly with the lid and start processing.
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Grind the tea leaves for 3 minutes, with out stopping, till the leaves flip into powder.
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Faucet the carafe on the counter a number of occasions to launch any powder connected to the lid. Then, take away the lid. The feel of the tea will resemble a effective grind dimension.
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To make it superfine to make use of in a beverage, additional grind the hojicha powder by hand. Add 1 Tbsp of tea powder to a mortar and grind it with a pestle till it‘s ultrafine. Switch to a container. Proceed hand-grinding the remaining powder, 1 Tbsp at a time. You‘ll get about 5 Tbsp of superfine hojicha powder. Retailer the hojicha powder in an hermetic container and preserve it in a cool, darkish place (or fridge if you happen to reside in a scorching, humid surroundings) for as much as a month.
