Hojicha has gone from a sleepy corner of the Japanese tea market to one of its fastest-growing categories — thanks, in part, to the hojicha latte. But most "hojicha" in Western cafés is dusty powdered offcuts. The leaf-brewed cup from a serious roaster is a different drink: caramel-sweet, clean, and nearly caffeine-free.
This list is ordered from everyday picks to specials. Every one ships internationally.
1. Ippodo — Kanro
Best first gyokuro. Kanro is Ippodo's entry gyokuro from Uji: silky, sweet, and forgiving if you brew it a few degrees too hot. Gyokuro rewards patience — low temperature, long steep, tiny cup — and Kanro is the one that will not punish you while you learn that.
2. Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro
Best traditional Yame gyokuro. Yame, in Fukuoka, is the other great gyokuro region, and 'dentou hon gyokuro' means it was shaded under traditional straw rather than synthetic sheeting. The result is the deep green, almost broth-like liquor that gyokuro is famous for. This is the pick when you want to understand what the fuss is about.
3. Maruyu Seicha Karigane
Best value (gyokuro stems). Karigane is the stem tea left over from processing gyokuro, and Maruyu Seicha's is made from gyokuro stems specifically. You get most of the sweetness and umami at roughly half the price — the sensible way to drink gyokuro-style tea every day rather than on occasions.
How to brew any of them
This is where gyokuro goes wrong. Use 50–60 °C water, a lot of leaf (about 10 g for 60 ml), and steep for two minutes. Pour out every drop; the second and third steepings are shorter and hotter. Brewed like sencha it tastes like seaweed. Our gyokuro brewing guide walks through it step by step, and the temperature chart covers the rest of the cupboard.
New to gyokuro?
Start with Ippodo Kanro and a thermometer. Once the low-and-slow method clicks, the Yame is a different drink.
Read our gyokuro guide →