AprikaLife Organic Hojicha Green Tea Powder, USDA & JAS Roasted Green Tea from Japan, Authentic Japanese Houjicha Perfect for Lattes, Smoothies & Baking, 3.5 oz/100gUSDA Organic

I’m a big fan of this brand’s culinary matcha, I’ve been a loyal customer for 3+ years so I decided to give their hojicha a try. I’m not too familiar with the taste of hojicha but Aprika’s has a strong nutty and slightly sweet taste. It’s not bitter and it mixes very well, even easier to dissolve with water than their matcha. I thought it was delicious and it’s something I drink in the afternoon instead of matcha for the lower caffeine content. I make soy milk lattes with the powder and I think anyone who likes nutty flavors will really enjoy this hojicha powder!

This is the best Hojicha you will find on Amazon! I have been buying from Aprikalife for years now, because their products are manufactured and grown in Japan (not China), and their products are also USDA Certified Organic. This brand is very high quality, I am yet to receive a product that I am not happy with. This is probably the only high quality + USDA organic Hojicha offered on Amazon right now, since the options are limited.There are mixed reviews on this product, because people seem to not like the taste of Hojicha, which is subjective. Sometimes, I prefer the taste of this to matcha which can be more earthy and grassier.If I had to describe the taste of Hojicha, I would say that it tastes more caramel-like with roasted tones, similar to Thai tea. It doesn’t have the strong grassy notes of Matcha.I use this powder to make a latte every morning. I add 1 ½ tsp of Hojicha powder to whole milk and whisk it on the stove while heating it up, then I add monk fruit sweetener as desired. The mixability is much better than matcha, I find that the powder dissolves very easily, no clumps and barely needs to be whisked.Another reason to consume Hojicha over matcha is that it has an even lower caffeine content, with 5-10g of caffeine per serving as opposed to matcha which is 30-45g of caffeine per serving. I am sensitive to caffeine so I feel like I don’t need to worry with Hojicha since the caffeine content is so low.

I had high hopes for this hojicha because of the other reviews. It's not bad but definitely not as dark, rich and flavorful as the Ocha brand hojicha. Unfortunately I'm switching back to Ocha.

Hojicha is relatively new to me (although I have tried a lot of different teas), but I would say that the limited experience I have has been drinking quality hojicha tea. Comparatively, I would say that this hojicha is about what I’ve come to expect from a good hojicha. I’ve had others that were more bold and some that were a little lighter, and this one seems to hit the mark.The tea is a powder, similar to matcha, and is prepared in a similar fashion. I’ve had some hojicha teas that give instructions to mix with cold water and some with hot/warm, and hot water is what this brand recommends (and is how I have read online from various sites that it should be done). Once mixed and whisked into warm water, more water can be added, or the hojicha mix can be added to milk. For me, I chose to experience the tea with just water so that I could experience its quality and character.When preparing, I went the traditional route by using a bamboo scoop (chashaku) and sifter to make sure I was able to get the tea powder into the bowl (chawan) without clumping. I then used a bamboo whisk (chasen) to mix the powder into a small amount of warm (mildly hot) water using the same back and forth motion (not circular) as used with matcha. The tea mixed in well and this produced a nice, dark tea, but not as frothy as matcha. I would add a little more warm/hot water and mix a little more. The result was a smooth tea that was well mixed and not gritty or grainy at all.The aroma and flavor is nice and lightly roasty, but not like some others, and I assume as it should be. The tea was roasted just enough to add a more robust and bold character, but not so much so as to be burnt, strong like coffee, or overpowering. The character is well balanced and enjoyable. Compared to other hojisha teas that I have had, I would say that this is the best. There may be better hojicha teas out there that I have yet to experience, but for now, this will rank high and be a go to recommendation.

I recently tried a loose-leaf green Sencha tea from the AprikaLife brand and really enjoyed it so I was happy to try this tea, too. I am not very familiar with green teas. I've been a black tea drinker all of my life, but I'm trying a few green types here & there with varying levels of success. I've never heard of Hojicha, and I've never tried Matcha or any other powdered tea before, so I thought this would be an interesting and fun introduction to something new. The easy preparation method sounded great, too. I made the iced latte according to the instructions on the package, and it certainly is refreshing on a hot day, but I can't say as I particularly like the taste. I have read that is is supposed to be woodsy and a bit smoky with a hint of deep chocolate notes. I got the woodsy part. Maybe it is an acquired taste, as I have grown to like many teas that I didn't care for initially. It looked great, especially with the cinnamon sprinkled on top. I also tried it as a hot tea with nothing else added, just steeped & whisked to mix, but that isn't for me either. I understand that this type of tea can be used in baking so I will have to find some recipes to try. I appreciate that this is organic, and the current price of $19.99 for 3.5 ounces seems high, but fair. The tea powder is in a foil-lined Kraft paper bag that is resealable.