Wholesale Japanese Tea for Cafés: Hojicha Powder, Sencha and Gyokuro

For cafés, retailers and brands

Japanese tea beyond matcha, sourced the same way

The teas that sit next to matcha on a good menu come from the same hillsides. We supply hojicha powder, loose-leaf Uji sencha and organic gyokuro from Japan by the kilogram, chosen with the same tasting standards and from the same kind of growers as our matcha: a historic Edo-period tea house in Uji, a fourth-generation family farm in Wazuka, and a single family estate in Kakegawa, Shizuoka.

Every grade starts at 1 kg, most can be sampled first, and they all sit on the same wholesale price list as our matcha, so one order can cover the whole menu.

Hojicha powder

Hojicha for lattes: the drink that sells itself in autumn

Hojicha is green tea roasted until it turns a warm amber brown. Ground to a fine powder, it whisks or blends straight into milk for a hojicha latte: toasty, rounded and gentle, with none of matcha’s vivid green and a flavor that people who don’t like “grassy” tea tend to love. It is also lower in caffeine than matcha, which makes it an easy afternoon and evening option on a café menu.

We carry six hojicha powders from Uji and Wazuka, Kyoto, so you can choose the roast and the price point that fits your drink:

Everyday latte base

Classic Roast and Deep Roast

Roasted first-flush tencha stems and bancha leaves from an Edo-period Uji tea house. Classic is warm and comforting; Deep takes the same tea further, for a bolder, caramelized roast that stands up to sweeteners and syrups.

Made from tencha, not bancha

Pesticide-Free and Organic Uji

Roasted shade-grown tencha leaf and stems from a fourth-generation farm in Wazuka: a deep, dry smokiness that fans of kyobancha will recognize. One is grown pesticide-free, the other is JAS certified organic.

Premium and dessert

Premium and Platinum Grades

Smooth, nutty and caramel-rich hojicha from an award-winning Uji blender. The Platinum grade is made from the leaf flesh only, with no stems, refined enough to anchor a premium latte or a fine dessert.

Most cafés start with a sample of two roasts side by side, made the way they will serve it: the same milk, the same sweetness, the same cup size.

Loose-leaf Uji sencha

Sencha for the teapot, the iced-tea jug and the gift shelf

Sencha is Japan’s everyday green tea: steamed, rolled and dried leaf, brewed rather than whisked. We supply four spring-harvest Uji sencha, all loose leaf:

  • Uji Sencha Classic — light, refreshing and clean. A dependable daily tea that works just as well hot or iced, for food service and tea by the pot.
  • Uji Premium Sencha — a balance of flavor and fragrance you can steer with water temperature: hot for depth, cooler for a softer cup. Suits cafés, gift sets and specialty retail.
  • Uji Select Sencha — our most refined sencha, chosen for its mellow mouthfeel and elegant fragrance, for tea houses, specialty shops and high-end gifts.
  • Uji Sencha, Single Cultivar — your choice of Okumidori, Yabukita or Zairai, grown without pesticides on a fourth-generation Wazuka farm. Works hot or cold-steeped, and for private label.

Organic gyokuro

Gyokuro: shade-grown, deep-steamed, certified organic

Gyokuro is shaded before harvest, like the tea for matcha, then steamed and rolled as a loose leaf. Ours is a JAS certified organic fukamushi (deep-steamed) gyokuro from a single family estate in Kakegawa, Shizuoka. Deep steaming makes it extract easily and gives a notably greener, more vivid cup than sencha, with pronounced umami. It suits loose-leaf service, premium retail and food service.

In stock and available now; ask us for the current lot.

How ordering works

From sample to delivery

  1. Sign up for the price list. Leave your email on our wholesale price list page to see every hojicha, sencha, gyokuro and matcha grade with its price per kilogram, packaging options and minimums.
  2. Order samples. Add the grades you want to taste to your sample list on the price list and we invoice you. Samples ship by DHL and usually arrive in 2 to 4 days.
  3. Place your order. Every grade starts at 1 kg. Grades held in stock as 1 kg bags ship within two days of payment. Packed and labeled orders usually take 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the size of the order and the time of year.
  4. Delivery. Orders ship from Japan by DHL. For the EU and UK we can also ship duties paid (below).

For the EU and UK

Delivered duties paid

We can ship your wholesale order DDP to the EU and UK: we handle customs clearance and import duty, and your order is released without you paying anything to the courier. Available to VAT-registered businesses — send us your VAT number and EORI with your order and we’ll quote it. Import VAT is accounted for by you in the normal way; it is not charged by us. DDP to other countries on request.

Common questions

Wholesale Japanese tea, explained

What is the minimum order for hojicha, sencha or gyokuro?

1 kg per grade. You can mix grades and teas in one order, including matcha from the same price list.

Can I taste the teas before I order?

Yes, for most grades. Add them to your sample list on the wholesale price list and we invoice you; samples ship by DHL and usually arrive in 2 to 4 days. A few grades can’t be sampled yet; the price list shows which.

Which hojicha is best for a hojicha latte?

All six powders are made for lattes. Start with the Classic Roast for a warm, rounded house latte, the Deep Roast if your drinks are sweetened, or the Premium and Platinum grades if hojicha is a signature drink. Taste two roasts side by side in your own milk before you choose.

Do you have organic or pesticide-free options?

Yes. The Organic Uji Hojicha Powder and the Fukamushi Gyokuro are JAS certified organic. The Pesticide-Free Uji Hojicha Powder and the Single Cultivar Uji Sencha are grown without pesticides. We can send the JAS certificates with your order.

How long does an order take to arrive?

Grades held in stock as 1 kg bags ship within two days of payment and travel by DHL. Packed and labeled orders usually take 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the size of the order and the time of year.

Can you supply these teas under my own brand?

Yes. The same packaging and labeling service we run for matcha covers these teas. See private label tea for how it works and the minimums per format.

Build your tea menu with one supplier

Hojicha, sencha, gyokuro and matcha, all sourced in Japan and all on one price list.

Get the wholesale price list Wholesale matcha