Hojicha Hot Chocolate With Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate leads the first sip, then hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea, brings its toasted taste. For this hojicha hot chocolate, use 0.7 oz (20 g) chocolate, about 1 tsp (2 g) powdered tea, and about 5 1/2 fl oz (160 ml) milk. Allow 11 minutes for one cup.

We choose pieces of dark chocolate over a presweetened powder so each ingredient can be measured. If you don't want chocolate to lead the first sip, other hojicha drinks include cups without cocoa.

• Preparation 5 minutes
• Cooking 6 minutes
• Total time 11 minutes
• Servings 1 serving of about 7 fl oz (200 ml)
• Tools a fine sieve, a small bowl, a spoon, a knife, a small saucepan, a spatula, a kettle, and a cup

Ingredients for one cup of hojicha hot chocolate

• about 1 tsp (2 g) powdered hojicha
• about 4 tsp (20 ml) water at about 185°F (85°C)
• about 5 1/2 fl oz (160 ml) whole milk
• 0.7 oz (20 g) dark chocolate with 70% cocoa
• About 2 tsp (8 g) sugar

Melt the chocolate, then add the tea

1. Sift about 1 tsp (2 g) powdered hojicha into a small bowl.
2. Pour about 4 tsp (20 ml) water at about 185°F (85°C) over the powder.
3. Work the powder with a spoon until it forms a smooth paste.
4. Chop 0.7 oz (20 g) dark chocolate into small pieces.
5. Heat about 5 1/2 fl oz (160 ml) milk with about 2 tsp (8 g) sugar in a saucepan for about 4 minutes, without boiling.
6. Add the chopped chocolate to the warm milk.
7. Stir for about 2 minutes, until the chocolate melts.
8. Take the saucepan off the heat.
9. Stir the hojicha paste into the hot chocolate.
10. Pour the drink into a cup.

We add the hojicha paste once the chocolate has melted: the tea spreads more evenly in a smooth liquid. If the bottom of the saucepan starts to catch, lower the heat instead of cooking longer.

Hot chocolate or hojicha latte?

Chocolate makes this cup denser and sweeter. A hojicha latte keeps the roasted tea in the foreground of the milk, without chocolate. Both recipes use a powder that stays in the drink.

Which hojicha should you use here?

We choose our Hojicha Terre to mix with dark chocolate. Use about 1 tsp (2 g) of the tea alongside, not instead of, 0.7 oz (20 g) chocolate. If you want a cup without cocoa, choose the latte instead.

Our tip. Use a spoonful of warm milk to scrape the hojicha paste from its small bowl, then pour it back into the saucepan. The powder won't stay at the bottom.

Allergens. Milk in the base recipe; the chocolate may also contain milk or soy, depending on its label.