What is the name of the Japanese roasted green tea?

The Japanese roasted green tea is hōjicha (often written hojicha). Hōjicha is distinctive because the tea leaves, stems, or both are roasted at high heat after processing, giving the finished tea a reddish-brown color and a warm, nutty aroma.

Hōjicha is commonly made from bancha, a later-season or everyday Japanese tea, although sencha and kukicha can also be used. Historical accounts often associate its development with Kyoto in the 1920s, when roasting lower-grade or leftover tea created a more appealing drink.

The roasting changes hōjicha’s flavor profile: grassy and vegetal notes become toasty, caramel-like, and mellow, while bitterness and astringency are generally reduced. Roasting also lowers its caffeine content, though it does not make the tea caffeine-free.

A common mix-up is with genmaicha. Genmaicha is green tea blended with roasted rice; hōjicha is defined by the roasting of the tea itself. Matcha, by contrast, is shade-grown green tea ground into powder.