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. Kaneroku Matsumoto — Wakocha
Best introduction to wakocha. Kaneroku Matsumoto is a small Shizuoka producer, and their wakocha is the honeyed, balanced style that makes people say 'this is black tea?' — no tannin bite, a natural sweetness, and it needs no milk. If you buy one wakocha to see whether the category is for you, make it this one.
2. Chiyonoen — Benifuuki Wakocha
Best for black-tea drinkers. Benifuuki is a cultivar bred for black tea, and Chiyonoen's version is the closest of the three to a classic Chinese black — think Keemun rather than Assam. Choose this if you already drink black tea and want the Japanese take rather than something that reads as 'green tea's cousin'.
3. Azuma Tea Garden — Hyakumuso
Best from a small Miyazaki producer. Azuma Tea Garden is in Miyazaki, in Kyushu, and Hyakumuso is their wakocha: baked-apple and honey notes, a little rounder than the Shizuoka teas. A good example of how much wakocha varies by region and cultivar — and a producer worth knowing for their hojicha too.
How to brew wakocha
Unlike every other tea on this site, wakocha wants boiling or near-boiling water and a two- to three-minute steep. No need for a kyusu; a teapot is fine. Drink it straight first — the point of wakocha is that it does not need milk or sugar — and read the wakocha page for how it is made and why it tastes the way it does.
New to wakocha?
Start with Kaneroku Matsumoto, brewed hot and drunk straight. If you like it, Chiyonoen's benifuuki is the next step.
Read our wakocha guide →