Hojicha

Hojicha is a Japanese tea. But unlike matcha tea, which is green and earthy, hojicha lends a brown hue and nutty flavour to food. The hojicha crème brûlée at Tarte by Cheryl Koh (tarte.com.sg) in Singapore is a lion of the genre. You’ll also find Sydney’s Black Star Pastry (blackstarpastry. com.au) using the ingredient in its Japanese Forest Cake, made with layers of hojicha sponge, so expect to see it on more dessert menus around Australia, pronto.