Iced Hojicha with Cinnamon (Printable Version)

A cooling Japanese-inspired tea with roasted hojicha, creamy milk, and cinnamon spice.

# What You Need:

→ Tea

01 - 2 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea or 2 hojicha tea bags
02 - 2 cups water

→ Dairy and Sweetener

03 - 1 cup milk, dairy or plant-based such as oat or almond milk
04 - 1 to 2 teaspoons honey or simple syrup, optional

→ Garnish

05 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
06 - Ice cubes

# Steps:

01 - Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan. Add hojicha tea leaves or tea bags, reduce heat, and steep for 5 minutes.
02 - Strain the tea into a heatproof pitcher and allow to cool to room temperature. For quicker chilling, refrigerate for 10 minutes.
03 - Fill two glasses with ice cubes.
04 - Pour cooled hojicha tea over the ice, filling each glass halfway.
05 - Stir in milk and sweetener to taste.
06 - Sprinkle ground cinnamon over each glass and stir gently.
07 - Garnish with an extra pinch of cinnamon on top and serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It takes just 15 minutes from kettle to glass, making it perfect for those afternoons when you need something special but have no time to fuss.
  • Hojicha naturally has less caffeine than other teas, so you can sip this guilt-free after dinner without staring at the ceiling.
  • The cinnamon isn't just decoration—it adds warmth that somehow makes a cold drink feel more comforting.
02 -
  • Hojicha cools quickly because of its roasting—don't skip the cooling step or your drink becomes watered-down tea soup.
  • If you use really cold milk straight from the fridge, it won't blend properly and you'll end up with separated layers, so let it sit out for a minute or stir vigorously.
03 -
  • Invest in quality hojicha—the difference between good and mediocre is night and day, and since the drink is so simple, there's nowhere to hide inferior ingredients.
  • If you find yourself making this multiple times a week, brew a larger batch of hojicha tea and keep it in a glass pitcher in your fridge for up to 3 days.
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