Pranjal Shah
20-Dec-2025
From creamy lattes to inventive dessert-style twists, cafés across India are embracing the warm, roasted comfort of hojicha. Here’s where to find the most interesting cups.
Hojicha has quietly slipped into India’s café vocabulary, transforming from a niche Japanese roasted tea into a full-fledged flavour trend. Across major cities, baristas are experimenting with its warm, smoky depth—spinning it into lattes, boba, dessert-style drinks and playful crossovers. The result is a new, distinctly comforting addition to India’s ever-evolving beverage landscape. Here are a few worth trying across India, as this roasted tea is gaining popularity on menus nationwide.
1. Got Tea, Delhi
Got Tea is a Korean-style bubble tea café in Delhi which transforms roasted Hojicha into a playfully modern bubble tea. It’s Hojicha Bubble Tea layers the warmth and smokiness of Hojicha with creamy milk and bouncy tapioca pearls for a lively blend of the earthy flavour.
2. Asagao, Delhi
Situated in a serene setting, Asagao’s Hojicha Latte is a restrained, crafty take on roasted tea — lightly sweetened, silky milk folded into slow-roasted hojicha powder. The drink showcases gentle caramel and smoky notes, offering a comforting, authentically brewed, and refined experience.
3. Tokyo Matcha Bar, Mumbai
Tokyo Matcha Bar pairs Japanese tea craft with Mumbai café culture. Their hojicha latte is a clean, roasted tea poured with a smooth, milky texture. This minimalist Japanese café accentuates smooth flavours and caramel warmth, presenting a classic yet contemporary cup for city tea enthusiasts and experimenters alike.
4. Sakura Matcha Bar, Bengaluru
Bengaluru’s micro matcha house, Sakura, innovates with a Dirty Hojicha, where hojicha’s toasty, smoky notes meet a shot of espresso. The result is a bold, complex drink: roasted tea’s warm nuttiness undercut by refreshing espresso, ideal for adventurous café regulars craving something new.
5. The Paris Coffee House, Delhi
The Paris Coffee House is a chic, Parisian-styled café in GK that marries the warm roastiness of Japanese hojicha with a nutty hazelnut syrup and steamed milk. The Hazelnut Hojicha is velvety, slightly toasty and dessert-friendly, melding Parisian patisserie vibes with aromatic, east-meets-west sophistication.
6. Katha Coffee and Bakehouse, Hyderabad and Mumbai
Known for Asian-inspired beverages, Katha Coffee serves a Hojicha Viet Latte, blending slow-roasted Hojicha with sweetened condensed milk—a nod to Vietnamese coffee culture. It’s rich, slightly caramelised and balanced by milk’s silkiness.
7. Madras Kissaten, Chennai
Blending cosy Japanese inspiration with local flair, Madras Kissaten’s Hojicha Latte is roasted, mellow, and nutty. Creamy steamed milk enhances its earthy warmth, making it an ideal low-caffeine comfort drink for Chennai’s humid evenings.
8. O’Fufu, Bengaluru
O’Fufu’s Hojicha Latte is a creamy, roasted sensation with nutty undertones, crafted in one of Bengaluru’s most inventive Japanese-themed cafés. This latte balances bold flavour, frothy texture, and a gentle finish, offering a toastier, less-caffeinated take on tea for coffeehouse explorers.
9. Lillies – The Boho Café, Hyderabad
Sea Salt Caramel Hojicha at Lillies is a decadent twist with roasted tea, caramel sweetness, and a faint saline finish. It is creamy, slightly savoury, and perfect for Hyderabad’s warm afternoons as an artisanal, trendy treat in a boho terrace café atmosphere.
10. Bai Mu Dan, Pune
Bai Mu Dan, a tea speciality café in Koregaon Park, lists a straightforward Hojicha Latte: roasted tea powder steamed with milk for a pure, unadorned experience. The emphasis is on single-origin teas and subtle preparation. The drink is smooth, dairy-rich, and low in caffeine, matched with the serene, contemporary setting.
11. Batter Bar, Chandigarh
Batter Bar in Chandigarh brings Japanese tea luxury north, serving a Hojicha Latte that features smoky roasted notes and a creamy finish. Their preparation tends toward dessert-style lattes with bolder sweetness and creamy milk, making it a widespread, approachable introduction to hojicha in Chandigarh’s café scene.
12. The Daily, Kolkata
At The Daily, roasted Hojicha is paired with coconut milk, creating a creamy, vegan drink bursting with nutty, toasty, and tropical notes. It is rich, smooth, and innovative—a standout offering for Kolkata’s café culture and a must-try on humid afternoons.
13. Umber Speciality Coffee, Chennai
Umber’s Honey Oat Hojicha blends roasted tea with oat milk and a honeyed sweetness, creating a creamy, plant-forward drink. It balances hojicha’s toasted notes with rounded oat texture and gentle honey for an aromatic, satisfying drink.
Cover Credits: iStock
