Roasting your own green tea at home or more specifically, making hojicha, is actually really simple. Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that is roasted after the leaves have been steamed. This is what gives it the reddish-brown colour and distinctive characteristics. It’s rich and earthy, not grassy or bitter like some other green teas. Thanks to the roasting process hojicha is also lower in caffeine. Ritsuo, the owner of one of my favourite matcha brands, guided me on how to roast green tea years ago and I have been enjoying the process and results ever since! If you have a low grade or old Japanese green tea and a frying pan, then you’re pretty much all set to begin.
Why Should You Roast Tea?
Aside from it being delicious and making your kitchen smell heavenly, roasting tea is a great way to use up tea in your stash. Green teas generally get stale faster than other types of teas, so roasting will allow you to re-purpose and create less waste.
You can also roast tea if you have a cheaper/low grade green tea at home. For instance, a cheaper sencha tends to use second harvests and older leaves, therefore the taste may have more astringency and bitterness than usual.
If you don’t love the taste of a tea because of the grade or other reasons, you don’t have to toss it out entirely. Give it new life by turning it into hojicha!
What Teas Can You Roast to Make Hojicha?
If you have any of the below green teas that are lower quality or past their best before date and no longer taste fresh, you can roast them to make hojicha.
- Sencha
- Bancha
- Kukicha
One thing to note though is that the leaves of a low grade may also be tiny and easier to burn. So, definitely stay alert during the roasting process. This isn’t something you can just set on a pan, and leave to fry for a few minutes on its own.
Do I Need A Houroku to Roast Tea Though?
Hojicha can also be roasted in a device called a houroku (see image below). This is a tea roaster. For quite some time I didn’t think I would be able to try roasting my own hojicha because I didn’t have a houroku.
But, much like making a cup of tea, not a lot of things are needed and you probably already have something at home that you can use!
I just use a frying pan when I roast Japanese green teas and this is what Ritsuo of Grace & Green — the individual who first guided me on how to do this — uses in Japan as well. Just make sure the frying pan you use is very clean prior to adding tea leaves to it. You don’t want oil residue on your tea leaves.
DIY Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea)
If you have another green tea lying around that is stale and you want to recycle, give this roasting tutorial a try.
Here is what you will need:
- Loose leaf green tea, for this tutorial I am using 7 grams of Japanese Sencha
- Frying pan
Directions
1. Place the green tea leaves in the frying pan and set it on the stove (uncovered — don’t roast with a lid on!) on high heat.
Continuously move the frying pan around to toss the leaves for an even roast and to avoid burning them. You can also toss around with a wooden spoon if you prefer.
Please note: I use high heat since I am only using 7 grams of tea here. Less amount of leaves means I can move them around easily to avoid burning them.
You want to be able to control the roasting process, so use medium-heat if you’re trying to roast more at once or even if it’s just your first time roasting tea at home. It may take a bit longer but you won’t burn a lot of leaves then.
2. Turn off the stove and remove the frying pan from the heat when you notice the tea leaves turning brown. You will also notice a roasted aroma begin to fill your kitchen. That’s the smell of hojicha!
If you would like a deeper roast you can then continue moving the tea leaves on the hot frying pan (off the stove) until it becomes a darker colour, but be careful not to overdo it.
The entire roasting process will take just a few minutes. It usually takes me about 2-3 minutes. The exact time will vary depending on the amount of tea leaves you use, the heat, and of course, your roasting level preference.
3. Remove the tea leaves from the frying pan. Small, broken leaves may burn during the process of trying to roast the larger leaves. So, discard any burnt leaves before steeping.
You can steep the roasted tea leaves right away. When the leaves are just roasted, it has the best aroma. You won’t want to wait any longer to steep!
How to Steep Roasted Green Tea
To steep, add all of the leaves to your tea infuser and pour in near boiling water (approximately 90°C/195°F). Let it steep for 30 seconds and enjoy!
What would have once been a yellow liquor should now be a reddish-brown liquor. You can resteep this for several infusions. Basically keep resteeping until the liquid is almost clear!
DIY Roasted Green Tea
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 7 grams of a Japanese green tea sencha, bancha or kukicha, loose leaf
Instructions
- Place the green tea leaves in a frying pan on the stove on medium or high heat. Continuously move the frying pan around to toss the leaves for an even roast and to avoid burning them.
- Turn off the stove and remove the frying pan from the heat when you notice the tea leaves turning brown and the roasted aroma. This should take about 2-3 minutes*. If you would like a deeper roast you can then continue moving the tea leaves on the hot frying pan until it becomes a darker colour.
- Remove the tea leaves from the frying pan. Small, broken leaves may burn during the process of trying to roast the larger leaves. So, discard any burnt leaves before steeping.
- Steep right away. Add the leaves to your tea infuser and pour in near boiling water (approximately 90°C/195°F). Cover and let it steep for 30 seconds and enjoy! This roasted green tea is great for resteeping, too.
Notes
Want to roast green tea at home? Pin this post for later here –> http://bit.ly/3otppSL
Have you tried roasting your own tea before? Share your experiences in the comments below!
How amazing! I’ve always wanted to try roasting my own tea but was too afraid to try! Now I feel like it’s doable thanks to your guide, Lu Ann! Have you ever tried roasting oolongs?
Hi Anna! You should definitely give it a go. I love the roasted smell that lingers in my home after haha. I have not tried roasting oolong yet. Maybe that will be next 🙂
I tried this last year and when I was in Japan! I should do this more often. So much fun!
In Japan! You’re so lucky and cool. 🙂
Very cool ! I never thought to try this before ! I can imagine how amazing that smell must be in your kitchen 🙂
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this. You always share worthwhile posts. Keep it up Lu Ann
Do you think it would work well in a wok?
Yes, it should work well in a wok!
Ah,thank you! I’m going to give this a try.