How to make a hōjicha latte

A hōjicha latte is roasted Japanese green tea whisked with a little hot water and topped up with milk, the way you would make a matcha latte. The roasting gives it a warm caramel and cocoa character that works beautifully with milk, and it has much less caffeine than matcha, which makes it a favourite for the afternoon and evening. New to the tea itself? Start with what is hōjicha.

• 3g of hōjicha powder
• 60ml of hot water
• 150 to 200ml of milk, dairy or plant
• A bamboo whisk or milk frother, and a sifter

1. Sift. Sift 3g of hōjicha into a warm cup or bowl.
2. Add water. Pour in 60ml of hot water. Roasted tea is less delicate than matcha, so you do not need to cool the kettle as much.
3. Whisk. Whisk briskly for about 20 seconds until there are no lumps and a light foam forms.
4. Add milk. Top up with 150 to 200ml of steamed or warm milk.

Whisk 3g of hōjicha with 60ml of hot water as above, fill a glass with ice and 150 to 200ml of cold milk, then pour the hōjicha over the top and stir. Hōjicha over oat milk and ice is one of the easiest iced drinks to love, even for people who do not normally drink tea.

Oat milk is the natural partner, because its sweetness brings out hōjicha's caramel notes. Whole dairy milk gives the richest latte. Soy is the most neutral. Coconut milk makes a sweeter, more dessert-like drink.

You can, though hōjicha is naturally sweet enough that many people do not. A little maple syrup or brown sugar suits its roasted flavour better than white sugar. Dissolve it in the hot water before adding the milk.

Raku Hōjicha is roasted tencha from Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, from a tea house with nearly two centuries of expertise. It is packed in London the week it is sold, and a 30g tin makes roughly 10 servings.