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How Japanese Roasted Tea Became a Global Café Favorite Amid Matcha Shortages and Rising Demand – Firstpost
If the internet’s three-beverages theory began as a meme, it has now quietly evolved into a lifestyle philosophy. And somewhere between the emotional-support water bottle and the caffeinated sweet drink, one contender in the “bevvy” trifecta has quietly emerged as a new favourite: hojicha.
the key to productivity is always having three potable liquids available to you. a caffeine source, a classic water, and a wildcard.
— bobby (@bobby) February 10, 2020
Origin and Appeal
Hojicha is not new. It has been part of Japanese tea culture since the early twentieth century, when tea merchants began roasting leftover green tea leaves, stems, and twigs to create an inexpensive everyday drink. The roasting process caramelises the leaves, completely changing their character. The result is a warm, toasted flavour that feels mellow and slightly sweet, which makes it taste less like green tea and more like something you’d want on a cold evening. Since much of the caffeine burns off during roasting, it is often served in the evenings in Japan and is associated with calmness more than stimulation.
What is new is how widely the drink is now travelling. In the past year or so, hojicha has appeared on café menus in cities across the globe, often repackaged as lattes or dessert-like specials. Unlike matcha, a drink that many new consumers still find grassy, intense, or intimidatingly ceremonial, hojicha feels instantly familiar. It tastes roasted rather than vegetal, mellow rather than sharp. For a generation raised on coffee and malted nutritional drinks, hojicha fits right in.
Supply Pressures and the Practical Appeal
Another factor nudging hojicha to the front is a global squeeze on matcha supply. In 2025, record heatwaves hit Japan’s tea-growing regions, cutting harvests by more than 20 per cent. At the same time, global demand remains surging, driven by viral social media traction. Shrinking harvests paired with higher demand have pushed matcha prices to record highs, forcing some exporters to ration supply. Unlike matcha made from tencha, young, shade-grown leaves that are highly susceptible to climate variations, hojicha is made by roasting older, lower-grade green tea leaves, stems, and stalks, which are more resilient and less in demand for other specific tea types.
Why Cafés are Turning to Hojicha
This combination of practical availability and rising curiosity has caught cafés’ attention. Urvi, co-founder of Hinoki, a slow-brew matcha bar in Delhi, says the demand didn’t appear suddenly. “People had been asking for hojicha for months before we introduced it,” she says. The café waited for winter intentionally, a season that suits the drink’s profile. “It’s a roasted tea, tastes like chocolate, nuts, caramel. For many people, it just feels like a winter drink.”
Her observation tells a larger story. Hojicha’s rise isn’t only the result of café innovation or internet trends; it’s also a response to what people are craving right now: warmth and low-caffeine comfort. Urvi also notes that even those initially sceptical have become regulars after trying a well-balanced version, which shows that the trend is organic, not hype-led. “Roast level makes all the difference,” she explains. When done right, it becomes a drink that appeals even to people who don’t like matcha.
Hojicha’s rise is partly a café-driven phenomenon. Instead of responding to demand, cafés are creating it, with weekly specials and quiet off-menu experiments. At Matcha House, only around five to ten percent of their sales come from hojicha, but the curiosity around it is far higher. Damayenti Ayekpam, a staff member at the café, says most customers still need an introduction to it, yet some become unexpectedly loyal. “There’s a customer who comes every two or three days just for the strawberry hojicha latte,” she says, referring to a drink that isn’t even on the menu. It’s a small example, but it shows how hojicha is moving one person at a time, not through hype, but through discovery.
A Growing Taste
India is still early in its hojicha moment, but it’s beginning to peek into metropolitan menus, not trying to replace matcha, but offering an alternative for those who want something gentler. Young drinkers who enjoy tea culture but don’t resonate with the ceremonial precision of matcha find hojicha approachable. It aligns with a cultural moment in which rest, slowness, and comfort have become desirable, even aspirational.
Interestingly, the trend also shows how internet trends flatten geography. A roasted tea developed in Kyoto’s tea shops is now part of a global moodboard connecting winter comfort, “three beverages” memes, and slow-living culture. And if the trajectory continues, we might soon see another Japanese roasted drink appear in the global rotation: mugicha, barley tea, which is already a summer staple across Japan and Korea.
For now, hojicha has moved from a background beverage in Japanese homes to a global staple, appearing on café menus around the world and even on shelves for people to brew at home. What started as a simple roasted tea is quietly becoming part of daily routines, quietly crossing borders and taste preferences alike.
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