Cup of Yum
1. Gather all the ingredients. I used hojicha powder from Hojicha Co. here. If you‘d like to make hojicha powder from scratch, see the instructions at the end of the recipe.

To Make the Iced Hojicha Latte

Cup of Yum
1. To a tall glass, add 1 cup ice cubes. Then, add ¾ cup milk.
2. To sweeten your drink (optional), add 1 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup or your choice of sweetener. You can always add more later. Set aside the milk glass for now. In a separate container, measure 2 Tbsp hot water at 175ºF/80ºC.
3. Into a bowl with a pouring spout (I use a matcha bowl called a katakuchi), add 1½ tsp hojicha (roasted green tea) powder. Then, add the measured hot water. Optionally, you can sift the hojicha powder first to remove any lumps. Tip: Why hot water? Hojicha powder does not mix well into cool/cold water.
4. With a bamboo whisk (chasen) or flat whisk, mix the tea powder and hot water briskly back and forth, drawing a letter W. Mix until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds. The hojicha mixture should be smooth and a little foamy. If it‘s not fluid, you can add a tiny bit of water (a teaspoon at a time) until it‘s a pourable consistency. Tip: Use as little water as required to make a fluid suspension that you can pour into the iced milk. We want to keep a rich, concentrated flavor by limiting the amount of water we use.
5. Pour the tea mixture into the ice-filled milk glass. For a beautiful presentation, I like to serve this beverage with the amber-colored tea mixture floating above the creamy iced milk below. Your Iced Hojicha Latte is now ready to stir and enjoy.

To Make Hojicha Powder (optional)

1. To make hojicha powder from scratch, weigh 1 oz or 30 g of hojicha leaves. I used hojicha from Ippodo Tea, which measures roughly ¾ cup (12 Tbsp) per 30 g; however, every brand of hojicha is different, so please weigh your tea. Next, add the tea leaves to a small-capacity food processor or spice/coffee grinder. I used the Nutribullet here.
2. Cover firmly with the lid and begin processing.
3. Grind the tea leaves for 3 minutes, without stopping, until the leaves turn into powder.
4. Tap the carafe on the counter a few times to release any powder attached to the lid. Then, remove the lid. The texture of the tea will resemble a fine grind size.
5. To make it superfine to use in a beverage, further grind the hojicha powder by hand. Add 1 Tbsp of tea powder to a mortar and grind it with a pestle until it‘s ultrafine. Transfer to a container. Continue hand-grinding the remaining powder, 1 Tbsp at a time. You‘ll get about 5 Tbsp of superfine hojicha powder. Store the hojicha powder in an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dark place (or refrigerator if you live in a hot, humid environment) for up to a month.