Bourbon – Mochi Truffe Hojicha Latte

Bourbon has cemented itself has one of the brands where if I see their label, I have my attention caught. The Mochi Truffe line in particular is just all sorts of delicious from what I’ve had so far, so it’s hard for me to see a flavour I haven’t tried yet and not instantly buy it, regardless of the cost. And in all fairness, these aren’t exactly cheap.

This flavour is a seasonal one, and an interesting one since I imagine most people in my neck of the woods would not know what Hojicha is, and especially not what a Hojicha latte would taste like. While it is a green tea, it is roasted usually in porcelain over charcoal, and takes on a distinct, golden reddish colour to it. It has an earthy, toasty almost caramel like quality to the flavour, largely from the roasting. And a latte would make things smoother and take the edge off some of the more astringent qualities that teas can take on. An ideal flavour for a chocolate, if you ask me.

The texture is nothing short of amazing, as most Bourbon mochis are. The outer mochi layer is very chewy, very soft and has a messy dusting of cocoa that will get everywhere if you sneeze or hold it the wrong way. Trust that the stick provided is there for a reason and use it. The ganache in the center is as always, soft, rich and a perfect compliment to the mochi skin. The whole thing comes together like a nice, rich, chewy truffle.

The flavour is admittedly a bit mild, which is to be expected from anything with latte in the flavour. The addition of milk tends to smooth over a lot of things that would otherwise be noticeable, like any notes of astringent, bitter or tart. Hojicha is usually a nutty, somewhat chocolatey flavour due to being a roasted green tea. I also find it tends to be less bitter, so when you add milk it’s no surprise that it’s a bit on the tame and mild side.

The beauty of these is not in just the texture, or just the flavour, but rather the combination of the two. The texture is top notch but it would be unfair to say the podium goes to it. This really is a case of shared podium because the rich, soft ganache also carries itself in a very delicate way in the flavour, making a cohesive experience that “tells a story” to be posh and snooty about it.

All this to say that I think this has solid potential to be a mainstay in their flavour arsenal. I don’t think it is though, which is a shame because seasonal flavours mean less people get to experience this overall, and to me that’s a crime.