What’s the difference between sencha vs Hojicha? Sencha and hojicha are both very popular teas, but they taste very different. In this article, we’re going to compare hojicha vs sencha and see how the two teas differ. We’ll also learn how one subtle difference in the production process can lead to two completely different flavor profiles.
So what's the difference between Sencha vs Hojicha?
Before we compare sencha vs hojicha, let’s start by simply defining what are sencha and hojicha!
What is Sencha?
Sencha is the most common type of green tea in Japan, making up approximately 70% of the total tea market.
While sencha is a broad category, it generally refers to tea leaves that have been steamed and rolled to form these tightly rolled needle shapes. Sencha is not quite as tightly rolled as gyokuro, but it is more tightly rolled compared to a tea like Tamaryokucha for example.
During the steaming process, the enzymes in the tea that cause oxidation are broken down and the tea locks in these more grassy notes. These grassy or vegetable notes come from the presence of the polyphenols in the tea leaves. If the tea leaves were not heated directly after harvest, they would begin to oxidize naturally and the polyphenols would be converted into Theaflavins. That’s why black teas have less of this grassy or steamed vegetable flavor.
Read our complete guide about Sencha Tea
Whether you are new to sencha, or you have been drinking it for a long time, I’d love to invite you to read the article 👉 Everything You Need to Know About Sencha. You'll discover all the secret of this superior green tea.
What is Hojicha?
The first stages of the production are similar when comparing hojicha vs sencha, however there are differences that arise between the two teas later on in the production process. Once the leaves have been dried, they are then roasted at a high heat. This can be done in a rolling machine, or in a large pan where it is turned automatically.
In this large pan, the farmer makes both hojicha (fully roasted tea) and Kamairicha (partially roasted tea). The difference here is that the hojicha is roasted with the lid on, allowing it to be heated at a higher temperature for a longer time. This high temperature starts to break down the polyphenols of the leaf, giving it less of these grassy notes.
The partially roasted kamairicha actually retains some of its grassy notes, making it taste somewhere in between a sencha and a hojicha. The high heat of the hojicha roasting process, really cooks out the polyphenols almost completely, and therefore the Hojicha has very little of these grassy or steamed vegetable flavors the sencha once had. Instead, it takes on these more roasted notes of caramel, chocolate and coffee.
Read our complete guide about Hojicha Tea
We have so many things to say about hojicha that it deserved its own article! If you're interested in this superior roasted tea, we invite you to read the article 👉 Everything You Need to Know About Hojicha. We are going to walk you through what hojicha is, what it tastes like and how to prepare it.
What's are the differences betwenn Sencha vs Hojicha?
Color
When comparing hojicha vs sencha the first difference you will likely notice is in the color of the leaves.
During the roasting process, the leaves change from green to brown, and as a result hojicha will have brown leaves, while sencha will have green leaves. This being said, both of the teas are still considered green teas because they are unoxidized.
Leaf
You may also notice larger leaves and more stems in hojicha vs sencha. While premium sencha is made from the youngest sprouts of the tea plant, a tea like hojicha is often made with the older leaves and stems. These leaves are less desirable in teas like gyokuro and sencha, but they are great for roasting!
Appearance and color of the tea
The differences of sencha vs hojicha don’t end with the leaf, they also have differences in the color of the brewed tea as well.
The color of a sencha can range anywhere from a bright yellow to a dark green (mostly depending on the steaming process.
The color of hojicha on the other hand is anywhere from an orange to a dark brown. This makes it easy to recognize a cup of hojicha vs sencha.
Flavor
Now that we’ve explained a bit about the appearance of these teas, let’s compare sencha vs hojicha in a little more detail. First, let’s start with the flavor of the tea. The flavor notes in sencha have been compared to edamame, sweet corn, baby spinach and even a hint of seaweed. The emphasis is on these green, but slightly sweet flavor profiles. With hojicha, you may notice notes of roasted nuts, chocolate, caramel and even a hint of coffee. The coffee note is often not as pronounced, but it can come out with darker Roasted Hojicha Teas like the Kuki Hojicha.
Caffeine
The caffeine content of sencha is on the higher side, making this a good tea to enjoy in the morning. The amount of caffeine can vary slightly depending on how the tea is shaded and also what cultivar it comes from. Shaded senchas will be higher in caffeine, while unshaded senchas will be lower in caffeine. Most sencha teas will have between 40-60mg of caffeine per cup. This is only slightly lower than a small cup of coffee, which can have between 80-120mg of caffeine per cup. Even though this tea has a significant amount of caffeine, you won’t feel quite as jittery when you drink it. That’s because of the l-theanine, and amino acid that can slow the absorption of caffeine. You should notice a much more of a calm alert sensation when you drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee.
Drinking hojicha in the late afternoon or evening can be a very relaxing part of your daily routine. The tea is quite low in caffeine, with only around 7-40mg of caffeine per cup. The roasted notes of the tea are very calming, and can be a great way to unwind after a long day.
If you are searching for the tea with lowest caffeine in Japan, you will want to take a look at teas like bancha, genmaicha, kukicha and hojicha. But what are the lowest caffeine teas? If you're interest to find out the answer, we invite you to read the article 👉 Lowest Caffeine Tea: from Lowest to Highest.
Brewing
Both of the teas are prepared the same way, but with different temperatures. You can use 5 grams of leaves in a teapot and pour in 150ml of water too steep the tea for 1 minute. For sencha, you can use 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit water and for hojicha you can use 160-175 degree Fahrenheit water. The reason sencha is prepared at a lower temperature is because hotter water extracts more of the bitter components from the tea.
During the roasting process, a lot of these bitter components have been reduced and therefore it is able to stand up to higher temperatures. This is a key difference when comparing sencha vs hojicha. With a temperature around 160-175 you should be able to extract this nice roasted flavor from the tea.
Both teas also work exceptionally well as a cold brew. The sencha takes on more of these sweet and fruity notes and the hojicha takes on more of the chocolate and caramel notes. To prepare each tea as a cold brew, just use 5 grams of leaves, 500ml of room temperature water and let the tea sit overnight. In the morning you should have a nice refreshing cup of cold brewed tea.
Cultivation
There are not many differences in the cultivation of sencha vs hojicha. The main difference comes when the tea is ready to be harvested. To pick a sencha, the farmer will go for the top sprouts and buds of the tea plant. Because this tea is unroasted, it is more important to select good quality leaves that will produce a smoother and sweeter flavor.
When you are roasting the tea, you can be less picky with regards to the leaves you use. This is why when comparing the picking of hojicha vs sencha, you will find hojicha to be much rougher with more stems and more mature leaves.
The cultivation process of Sencha vs Hojicha have a lot of different answers. This is a question we get asked a lot, so we thought we’d put together a list to talk about all the different growing methods. If you're interested, we invite you to read the article 👉 How is tea made? Complete explanation by Tea Experts
Price
The last difference comes down to the price of the tea. One of the main Hojicha benefits is the price competitiveness. Hojicha will almost always be cheaper than sencha, because it tends to be made from older tea leaves and stems, whereas premium sencha is made from the top sprouts of the tea plant. The top sprouts are the highest in nutrients and therefore they are the most desirable. Because leaves used for Hojicha are roasted, they don’t need to be made from the sprouts, they can be made from the older leaves and stems of the tea plant. This brings the price of the hojicha down, and the stems actually roast differently than the leaves, giving the tea more complexity in its roasted flavor.
Find the right sencha and hojicha
When you are looking for a sencha, you first need to ask yourself what flavor profiles you tend to prefer. If you like these more dry and citrusy tastes, we recommend you go for an unshaded sencha like the sencha isagawa. If you prefer these smoother and sweeter flavors, you may want to look into the long shaded kabuse sencha teas.
It is the same with hojicha vs sencha. Hojicha teas fall on a spectrum between these darker coffee flavors and these sweeter milk chocolate flavors. If you want something in the darker direction, go for the kuki hojicha. If you prefer a roasted tea that is a bit sweeter, you may prefer the lightly roasted Noike Hojicha
Final conclusion regarding the difference between sencha vs hojicha
So there you have it, sencha vs hojicha. Both of these teas are great to drink, but depending on the time of day and what you’re in the mood for flavor wise, they can have separate advantages and disadvantages. We recommend you switch off between these two teas to keep your palate fresh. If you are getting too used to the grassy and steamed vegetable flavors of sencha, try challenging your palate and switching to hojicha for a few mornings. If you are getting tired of these warmer flavor profiles, wake up your taste buds with a bright and fresh sencha tea!
