This is a hojicha twist on the viral Stagger Coffee double matcha latte! It has a decadent hojicha cream top and a smooth iced hojicha latte on the bottom. You get the best of both worlds with this roasted, toasty, and coffee-like hojicha cream latte!

It’s super easy to make this cafe-like latte at home with just 5 ingredients and less than 10 minutes. You’ll love this super-roasted and slightly smoky tea in milk tea form.

Here’s how to make this dreamy hojicha cream latte at home!

What is Hojicha?

Hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea that is made from old green tea leaves and sometimes the green tea twigs and stems, too! It’s made by slowly roasting the tea mixture over a charcoal fire until it turns a dark brown color. The tea takes on this incredible aroma of caramel and coffee, with a distinct roasted smell.

The caffeine in the leaves burns off in the roasting process, so hojicha is actually (basically) caffeine-free! It has about 5-9 mg of caffeine per serving, which is about the same as decaf coffee.

Because of its unique flavor profile and low caffeine level, it’s popular for kids and older people who want to enjoy a refreshing tea packed with flavor.

What is a Hojicha Cream Latte?

As mentioned, this hojicha cream latte is a hojicha version of the double matcha latte, which is a matcha latte with a matcha cream top. So, this hojicha latte has a hojicha cream top! It’s a much more roasted, dark, and toasted flavor compared to its matcha counterpart.

It’s made with hojicha tea powder, not hojicha tea, which makes a much more concentrated and flavorful drink. While you could use hojicha tea leaves, you’ll end up with a very diluted and watery latte.

This hojicha cream latte also has a subtle vanilla flavor, paying homage to Stagger Coffee’s double matcha latte, which has vanilla in it!

What Does a Hojicha Cream Latte Taste Like?

This hojicha cream latte tastes, honestly, like a creamy toasted marshmallow without the insane sweetness. Since the tea is roasted, you get the same nutty and caramel flavors that come out when you toast marshmallows (thank you, Maillard reaction!)

While the matcha version leans more sweet and creamy, this one leans more caramel and smoky. It’s such a different flavor profile, and it tastes just as good! The extra creaminess can also make this taste like hojicha ice cream!

How to Make Hojicha Cream

Making hojicha whipped cream is super easy, and you can use it on anything—ice cream, cake, desserts, drinks, and more. Just sift your hojicha powder into your bowl or cup and add a little bit of water. Using a spoon or whisk, knead the powder into a paste.

Then, add your sweetener and heavy cream, then using a handheld mixer or frother, whip the cream until it doubles in size and is soft and fluffy. For this drink, we want it to be soft and pourable, so stop when the cream is fluffy but not stiff.

For whipped cream, whip it all the way until you get a stiff texture and it can hold its shape.

Why Make a Paste? You might wonder why we don’t sift the tea powder directly into cream, and that’s because it will create small clumps of tea. Similar to how cocoa powder or flour work, powders don’t like water and will stick to each other. The only way to eliminate clumps is by mixing them with water beforehand, or mixing your cream really, really, really well.

How to Make Hojicha

Just like with matcha, you whisk hojicha powder before drinking it! Luckily, they both use the same exact equipment and technique. This whisking is important as it eliminates clumps and creates a smooth tea that blends perfectly with milk or water.

You’ll need a tea sift, matcha bowl, bamboo whisk, and water. You can see this matcha whisking tutorial for a step-by-step process of how to whisk!

Essentially, you want to sift your hojicha powder into the bowl and add water, then, using a softened bamboo whisk, vigorously whisk the tea back and forth in a zig-zag motion. You want to move up and down the bowl in that M motion to mix all the tea powder.

Stop whisking when you see a nice foam form on top! This process usually takes about 20-30 seconds, and your arm might get tired, but that’s normal.

What Hojicha to Use

Since hojicha is a roasted green tea, you’ll find it in both tea leaf form and powder form. For a delicious, strong, and creamy latte, you’ll want to use hojicha powder, not the tea leaves. Since the powder is literally ground-up tea leaves, you get a much stronger flavor as opposed to brewed tea. Meaning you’ll also get all the benefits of hojicha directly from the source!

You can find hojicha powder mostly online, since it’s not commercially popular enough to be in regular Asian grocery stores. In stores, you’ll find the hojicha tea leaves in bags instead!

Honestly, most hojicha powders taste pretty similar (although I haven’t tried too many), but what really makes a brand good is the texture.

I’ve made my own hojicha powder at home, and I just didn’t have the equipment to make the powder fine enough. A good hojicha powder should obviously have a great roasted flavor, but also a creamy and smooth texture once whisked! My personal favorite is from Matcha Cafe Maiko, but I want to try more hojicha powders soon!

How to Make a Hojicha Cream Latte (Double Hojicha Latte)

Here’s what you’ll need to make a hojicha cream latte at home:

• Hojicha Cream:
• ½ tsp hojicha tea powder
• ⅛ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• Hojicha Milk Tea:
• 1 tsp hojicha tea powder
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup ice
• 1 tsp sugar

Hojicha Cream Latte Recipe

1. Make Hojicha Paste. Sift hojicha powder into a glass and add a little bit of water. Mix the powder and water into a paste using a small whisk, spoon, fork, etc.
2. Make Hojicha Cream. Add the heavy cream, sweetener, and vanilla to the tea and, using a handheld frother or whisk, whip the cream until soft and fluffy. You want it to be fluffy yet pourable, not stiff like whipped cream (unless you want it like that)!
3. Whisk Hojicha Tea. Sift hojicha tea powder into a matcha bowl, then add water. Using a bamboo whisk, vigorously whisk the tea in a zigzag motion until you get a foam on top. You want to make a foam like how you whisk matcha. You can add your sweetener and milk into the same bowl, or pour them into your glass separately for serving.
4. Assemble Drink. Add ice, sweetener, and milk (if not added to the tea) to a glass, then pour your whisked hojicha into the cup. Top with your hojicha cream and garnish by sifting some hojicha powder.
5. Mix and Enjoy!

Other Hojicha Recipes to Try

Once you try this creamy double hojicha latte, you might be interested in making more hojicha drinks! Hojicha is so versatile, and there are so many delicious recipes to try, like a strawberry hojicha latte, hojicha Thai tea, and more! With that, here’s some inspiration for more hojicha recipes you have to try:

• Hojicha einspanner (Must Try!)
• Hojicha latte
• Corn hojicha einspanner
• Caramel hojicha latte

Tips:

Here are some tips for making this delicious hojicha cream latte at home!

• Use Different Sweeteners: If you don’t have sugar, you can use any other liquid or dry sweetener you have, like simple syrup, agave, maple syrup, honey, etc. Any sweetener works in this drink, so use what you have! Some sweeteners might impart a flavor to your drink, though.
• Roast Your Own Hojicha: If you don’t have hojicha powder but you have green tea leaves, you can roast your own hojicha and then grind it into a powder to make your own powdered hojicha. However, unless you have a very powerful grinder or a stone mill, the powder won’t be very smooth and will be chalky or gritty.
• Make it Vegan: Instead of milk and cream, you can substitute them with vegan or non-dairy alternatives! You can use oat milk and cream, coconut milk and cream, or vegan plant-based milk and cream. All of them will make great substitutes for this hojicha latte!