A global wellness trend that shows no signs of slowing down, matcha is a superfood ingredient that has taken over social media for its vibrant colour and incredible health benefits.
Locally-based Thea was created in 2016 to shed matcha in a new light here in Aotearoa, bringing awareness to what matcha should actually taste like. Run locally by a pair of cousins, Thea is keeping up with demand by introducing the newest matcha crazes to their range such as Hojicha.
Hojicha, with nearly 50M hits on TikTok already, is the newest green tea creation with the leaves being roasted rather than steamed like matcha, giving it the earthy brown colour similar to coffee. Enna Ye, co-founder of Thea says: “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. By roasting the leaves over charcoal at 150C, this gives the powder a nutty and toasty flavour.
“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 100g and matcha’s is at 3.2g per 100g, whereas coffee has a staggering 40g per 100g. So Hojicha is a great alterative to coffee if you enjoy a morning drink but don’t want the jitters or anxiety that is often associated with it.”
That’s not all for Thea, a Matcha Latte blend, to easily enjoy a matcha latte at home and a Ceremonial Grade Matcha made from the highest grade organic matcha powder from Thea’s partner farm in Uji, Kyoto, is also being introduced to their popular collection.
All are available now from theamatcha.com.
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