Hojicha vs black tea
Hojicha is brown, toasty and low in caffeine, which leads almost everyone who meets it to file it as a black tea. It is a roasted green tea and the distinction matters.
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What is being compared
Why these get confused
Colour is not a reliable guide to category. Hojicha is brown and green; Anji Bai Cha is called white and is green.
Point by point
| Aspect | Hojicha | Assam |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Green tea, roasted after processing. | Black tea, fully oxidised before drying. |
| Why it is brown | Roasting caramelises the leaf. No oxidation occurred. | Oxidation turned the leaf coppery before it was dried. |
| Caffeine | Low. Roasting degrades some, and the leaf is mature. | High. |
| Flavour | Toasted caramel and wood, with no malt and no astringency. | Malt, raisin and cocoa, with heavy astringency. |
| Brewing | Near-boiling and short. Almost impossible to make bitter. | Boiling, three to four minutes. |
The short answer
If you want something dark and comforting in the evening without the caffeine of black tea, hojicha is the direct answer.
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