Unlike matcha, which has a creamy vegetal taste, the roasting process to create hojicha leaves behind a rich nutty undertone with  a smooth  roasted chocolatey flavor, without any bitterness.
 
Houjicha is a traditional style of Japanese green tea made with pure bancha tea leaves from the autumn and winter harvests. Its uniqueness comes from an additional hot roasting step that transforms bancha tea leaves into light to dark brown leaves resulting in an amber-red infusion brew. It is soft on the palate with a balanced, delicate finish.