Effects of biomass types (bark mulch versus sugar beet pulp) and carbonization processing conditions (temperature, residence time, and phase of reaction medium) on the chemical characteristics of hydrochars were examined by elemental analysis, solid-state ¹³C NMR, and chemical and biochemical oxygen demand measurements. Bark hydrochars were more aromatic than sugar beet hydrochars produced under the same processing conditions. The presence of lignin in bark led to a much lower biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of bark than sugar beet and increasing trends of BOD after carbonization. Compared with those prepared at 200 °C, 250 °C hydrochars were more aromatic and depleted of carbohydrates. Longer residence time (20 versus 3 h) at 250 °C resulted in the enrichment of nonprotonated aromatic carbons. Both bark and sugar beet pulp underwent deeper carbonization during water hydrothermal carbonization than during steam hydrothermal carbonization (200 °C, 3 h) in terms of more abundant aromatic C but less carbohydrate C in water hydrochars.