Hojicha is made from fresh leaf plucked in the summer, which is called bancha. The leaf is carefully roasted to impart a warm, hearty, caramelized flavor. Hojicha is delicious as a cold weather chill-chaser and is also refreshing as a cool beverage in the hot weather months.
Because of the roasting, the caffeine content within the leaf is reduced and in East Asia folks young and old enjoy this tea beverage morning, noon, and evening. We here at Tea Trekker love it as a minimally-stimulating beverage late in the day.
Note: Hojicha is very bulky, so be sure to use a fairly large volume of leaf so that it can show off its incredible flavor!