Thea Hojica is a quality matcha crafted from roasted matcha leaves
If you’re already a fan of the superfood ingredient that is matcha, most commonly recognisable for its vivid green hue, prepare to have your summer options expanded with the new matcha kid on the block – Hojicha.
Hojicha, with nearly 50 million hits on TikTok already, is the newest green tea creation – except, it’s brown. With its leaves being roasted rather than steamed like matcha, Hojicha has an earthy brown colour similar to coffee.
Self-confessed matcha obsessives, Enna Ye and May Chen, are more invested than the average Kiwi matcha drinker in the ingredient. The pair, who are also cousins, co-founded Thea to put an end to their frustrations at the lack of good matcha in New Zealand.
“If you’ve tasted matcha before, you may be thinking that the benefits sound great, but it tasted bitter and grassy,” says Enna.
“The truth is, you’ve probably tried a culinary grade matcha, which is intended for cooking. If you try a premium quality, you’ll be able to taste the difference – smooth and delicate, with a delightful umami or savoury, full-mouth rounded flavour. The way matcha should be.”
The Kiwi pair have been curating Thea Matcha since 2016, bringing quality flavours and a touch of matcha education to the market. Used commonly as a drink (hot, cold, and even in cocktails) in smoothies and baking, matcha has become quite the darling of social media channels, but not every matcha experience is a good one. Like all things in life, quality is key and this is where Enna and May retain their passion and drive for Thea and sourcing matcha they are proud to showcase.
Sourced directly from a prestige green tea farm in Kyoto (with organic certification with the Japanese Agricultural Standard), Thea Matcha is undoubtedly high quality and May says the difference in taste is obvious.
“With no bitterness and incredible health benefits such as boosting your immunity, being extremely high in antioxidants and a great alternative to coffee, Thea Matcha offers people the chance to take quality matcha as it should be.”
Thea Matcha is a spring harvest that uses the young leaves found at the top often called first flush or ceremonial; the second flush is found just below.
“Hojicha is fairly different to matcha even though the leaves are from the same green tea plant, as it’s a roasted powder finely milled from the organic green tea leaves. Roasting the leaves over charcoal at 150 degrees Celsius gives the powder a nutty and toasty flavour,” says Enna.
“Once roasted, the leaves are finely ground into a silky powder that dissolves easily in water. I recommend making your Hojicha with milk to make it a creamy latte, but it is traditionally drunk as a tea with just water.
“One of everyone’s favourite things about Hojicha is how low it is in caffeine. Hojicha’s caffeine is contained at 1.7g per 100gm and matcha’s is at 3.2g per 100gm whereas coffee has a staggering 40g per 100gm. So Hojicha is a great alternative to coffee if you enjoy a morning drink but don’t want the jitters or anxiety that is often associated with it.”
Also upping the Thea Matcha stakes this summer are two additional new launches: Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha Powder (considered the crème de la crème of matcha, typically reserved in Japanese culture for special events and celebrations) and a new Thea Matcha Latte Blend (a ready-to-drink blend of premium organic matcha powder, organic coconut milk, and vanilla flavour, which can be served hot or cold).
The Thea range also includes accessories to help create the rituals of enjoying and celebrating matcha and is available online.
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