Morinoen is the best shop for Hojicha

Nestled within the Ningyocho neighborhood of Tokyo, an area which has retained a strong feeling of the Edo period and is proud of its shitamachi (old town) flair, you'll find the Morinoen 森乃園 Tea Shop and Sweets Salon. Very soon after Morinoen opened for business in 1914, it made a name for itself in Tokyo and throughout the country as experts in hojicha, a then new style of enjoying green tea by roasting the leaves in an oven, lending them a wonderful aroma, a rich reddish brown color and a toasty, slightly caramel-like flavor when infused.

The aroma of Hojicha will draw you in

Morinoen is not hard to find. Just let your nose lead the way. The inviting aroma of home-roasted hojicha tea will soon lead you there.

The Sweets Salon is on the second floor

If you're coming from Amazake Street, you'll see the side entrance leading up to the second floor.

As you can see from this Instagram sign, their Hojicha sweets are very popular these days. It's no surprise. They are just as beautiful to behold as they are to eat!

Climb up the stairs. You may need to wait a little while at the stools provided. The Sweets Salon is a popular destination.

The Menu of Sweets

While we waited for a seat to open up, we were given a menu. The first page was all about Hojicha, their house specialty! The first and most popular item listed is the Hojicha Zukushi, a triple whammy of Hojicha flavor, beginning with their famous Hojicha Parfait, followed by a hojicha zenzai (sweet porridge of azuki beans and mochi rice dumplings) and finally hojicha warabimochi (sweet bracken starch jelly coated with kinako roasted soy flour).

Hojicha Zukushi (1,580 JPY)

We ordered the Hojicha Zukushi and the friendly staff gave us a hot cup of their famous hojicha tea, roasted in house and infused fresh each time. After only a few minutes, our sweet trio of treats arrived...

Let's take a closer look at the Hojicha Parfait!

In case you were wondering what was inside, this delicious Hojicha Parfait contains hojicha ice cream, vanilla ice cream, hojicha-infused whipped cream, molasses, hojicha-flavored kanten (sweetened agar-agar jelly), hojicha-flavored shiratama (small round dumplings made with fine rice flour), gyuhi (soft mochi), monaka wafer sandwich filled with sweet azuki beans, brownie cubes, hojicha pudding, mandarin orange and candied chestnut.

The hojicha zenzai was surprisingly good, although quite sweet, the caramel-like flavor of the hojicha tea blending nicely with the azuki bean porridge.

By contrast, the hojicha warabimochi was less sweet and offered a refreshing change of pace with its soft consistency and a coating of powdered hojicha mixed with kinako, and just the right amount of syrup drizzled on top.

Other dessert options are Matcha parfait, Tokujo Parfait (both matcha and hojicha together), as well as several varieties of anmitsu (880 JPY to 1,260 JPY).

Hojicha Latte (850 JPY)

As we were thirsty, we ordered an iced Hojicha Latte (also available hot). It wasn't too sweet and had a nice hojicha flavor, making it the perfect drink after our trio of sweets. It also came with two skewers of house sweet dumplings. Alternatively, we could have also ordered hojicha beer, a popular and original Morinoen drink (960 JPY).

Morinoen Hojicha Tea Shop

On the first floor, you can peruse Morinoen's selection of fine teas, and of course, hojicha.

You can also buy different kinds of hojicha-flavored sweets such as these hojicha dorayaki cakes.

Takeout ice cream

If you don't have time to sit down at the Sweets Salon but still want a taste of something with hojicha in it, buy a scoop of hojicha soft-serve ice cream (JPY 350) from the takeout stand!

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Morinoen Hojicha Shop Details

• Name: Morinoen Hojicha Shop ほうじ茶の店森乃園
• Address: Morinoen Bldg. 2-4-9 Ningyocho Nihonbashi Chuo-ku Tokyo 東京都 中央区日本橋人形町2-4-9 森乃園ビル
• Closest Station: Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line Ningyocho Station
• Tel: 03-3667-2666
• Sweets Salon Hours: 12:00 ～ 18:00 (L.O. 17:00)
• Credit cards accepted
• Morinoen Hojicha Shop Homepage
• Morinoen Hojicha Shop Sweets Salon homepage