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 a tall glass, add 1 cup ice cubes. Then, add ¾ cup milk.

To sweeten your drink (optional), add 1–2 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup or your choice of sweetener. Set aside the milk glass for now. In a separate container, measure 2 Tbsp hot water at 175ºF/80ºC.

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.

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.

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 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.

Cover firmly with the lid and begin processing.

Grind the tea leaves for 3 minutes, without stopping, until the leaves turn into powder.

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.

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.