I let my daughter pick the teas we would drink together during our visits. She loves chai, she loves marshmallow treats, and she loves tea so this was a natural choice out of my box for her to try.
When she started making it, I hadn’t seen that it was a Genmaicha, so when the water hit the infuser basket I thought, “Oh no! Someone must have left coffee in the pot!” Ah no! It was the roasty scent of genmaicha, that comforting burned aroma that smells like warmth in winter time, like a campfire on a late fall night, like a warm mug clutched by frozen fingers.
Add to it the scent of chai spices and you have a real comfort food vibe. This tea has a lot of whole or large spices in it, so stir it up to distribute them according to your liking. We love cardamom and this had lots, giving it a lovely lemony flavor.
The funny thing was that almost together, as I was about to say that these were very pleasant chai spices, one daughter said, “Oh, it’s so cardamom-y!” at the same time the other said, “It tastes like marshmallow!” I think we each picked out our favorite flavors and focused on them.
And the good news is that it resteeps like a champ! Since these are almost all limited edition teas, you want to get all you can out of your favorites.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
FarmHouseTeas-Tropical Genmaicha Green Tea
Hello to my wonderful tea friends! It is finally March and we are starting to see a bit of a reprieve from the crazy cold winter we had. This month is actually pretty special to me because, well, I turn 40 in just a few weeks. I’m really not all that wrapped up in age, it just seems like this year is going to be a pretty big year for my family. I’m turning 40 and my kiddo is becoming a freshman at high school. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked him to stop growing (he is taller than me). Sigh. . . .But at least I have a fun tea to chat about from my monthly subscription plan with Farmhouse Teas (aka St. Fiacres Farm).
This month it was like my friends at FarmHouse Teas just knew what I would like because it is like they flavored up a genmaicha just for me. . . .Tropical Genmaicha Green Tea is this month’s blend. I’m a sucker for a solid genmaicha and couldn’t wait to see what FarmHouse Teas had come up with.
This genmaicha flavored blend is a bit different than other flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past. Most of the flavored genmaichas I’ve had in the past were dessert like or sweet sugary. I was excited to check out a tropical genmaicha.
Brewed up with freshly prepped water at 180F and allowed to steep for well, a bit- I sort of got distracted with a work project and forgot I had tea brewing. I am happy to report though that this blend tastes fabulous, even though the steep was a bit longer than it really should have been, especially since there is hibiscus in the blend.
This blend is delicious and a perfect tea to drink today to enjoy this warm spell hitting our Midwestern area. The tea is a bit tart but that is more than likely my fault due to the oversteep. Beyond that, the tea is fresh with all of the beloved roasted toasted flavors that only a genmaicha can deliver with fresh pops of berries and a sweetness that I’m not entirely sure where it is coming from. There is stevia in this blend but the sweetness doesn’t taste like stevia. I’m wondering if the sweetness isn’t coming from the large peach pieces in the blend.
All in all, a pretty unique take on a flavored genmaicha. As I look at the ingredients, I’m thinking this blend would be an amazing cold brew- hibiscus, lemongrass, coconut flakes, goji berries, peach pieces, and stevia. I’m a bit worried how the stevia will be in a cold brew but hopefully there is just a smidge added so it won’t be identifiable. (Not in the stevia fan club)
Each and every month I so look forward to my FarmHouse Teas package. Last month I wasn’t crazy about the blend, but the blend was completely out of the box and I appreciate the effort (plus the tea was coated in cocoa powder and I’m not a huge chocolate fan). Highly recommend their monthly tea service if you are in the market for a hand blended unique blended tea each and every month. I know I’ve been a subscriber for a while now and I don’t see myself cancelling anytime soon. Especially if they keep making blends like this one.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: FarmhouseTeas
Description
This blend is part of the month subscription plan. Click below to hear more about FarmHouse Teas plan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Popcorn Tea from Teapigs
Who can resist the idea of Popcorn Tea, especially when the label has little film reels on it for your next movie showing? Teapigs isn’t the first tea company to package genmaicha under the pretense of popcorn, but they have some of the cutest packaging.
Genmaicha is a type of green tea blended with puffed rice. This makes it so that the dry leaf and the brewed tea has a distinct toasty popcorn smell. It is a unique tea, sometimes slightly savory, but always supremely cozy. I highly recommend trying green tea with puffed rice at least once and see how it goes. Teapigs Popcorn Tea is a great place to start.
The overtones of the tea are warm bready notes, the roasted grain flavors of the puffed rice leading the way in scent in taste. Beneath that first burst of popcorn, the green tea comes through with slightly more vegetal notes like gentle celery or bok choy. Alongside the puffed rice, the tea pleasantly reminds me of sauteeing green vegetables in sesame oil.
I love drinking this tea in the late afternoon (or maybe even before a movie in the evening!). With lower caffeine than black tea, Popcorn Tea makes for a warming and soothing pick-me-up on a busy day. Even if you can’t snuggle in under a quilt with a bowl of popcorn, this tea can help you imagine you’re there.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Genmaicha
Where to Buy: Teapigs
Description:
This tea has flourished from humble beginnings – Japanese peasants used to mix green tea with toasted rice to make it go further. It is now celebrated in its own right as Genmaicha tea, or Popcorn tea. “Sugar Puffs in a cup” – a truly unique blend with an almost nutty undertone.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Marshmallow from 52Teas. . . . .
When I saw the name of this blend, I was really excited! I had no idea what a ‘maple marshmallow treat’ tasted like, but if it had maple in it, it had to be good! Visually, the dry blend was very pretty, with the yellow calendula petals, green tea leaves, and popped brown rice. The blend smelled earthy, grassy, and slightly sweet.
While the dry blend smelled more earthy and grass-like, a nice roasted brown rice aroma developed after steeping. I’m not sure how, but the pale yellow liquor tasted like maple syrup! It was reminiscent of a sweet flaky dessert that was covered in in the sweet syrup. The roasted brown rice taste surfaced at the tail end and lingered in the mouth.
This tea would be great if you are having a craving for something sweet (or enjoy maple syrup)!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available. . click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mango Sticky Rice Genmaicha from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Green teas, popped rice, mango, toasted coconut, toasted sesame seeds and all-natural flavors
This tea is no longer available but check out the amazing teas available now from 52Teas.
Taster’s Review:
Alright, raise your hand if you backed 52Teas Kickstarter. Now keep your hand raised if you picked the Mango Sticky Rice Genmaicha as one of your teas for the incentive. . . .if your hand is still raised, consider yourself one of the lucky ones!!
This tea is simply amazing, bright, and full of vibrant flavors. A tea that completely took me surprise by how much I liked it and one that I’m sad to say that I will not be able to buy more of unless this is a reblend.
Anne of 52Teas has been hitting it out of the park lately. Such creative and unique blends. I think each time I try a new blend I declare that blend to be my new favorite and I’m about ready to do it again.
Brewed up with the directions on the canister, this tea is a gorgeous blend of mango, coconut, and genmaicha with a slight toasted sweetness that I will not forget anytime soon. First sip in after brewing and allowing the tea to cool, you get that mango sweetness mixed with a slightly toasted note and an element of tartness here and there. I am not a huge fan of coconut in teas, but in this tea, it just helps give an added depth that I just adore! The coconut helps the mango provide this really lovely unique fruity flavor that just mixes with that toasted goodness.
Highly highly highly recommend this tea. I’ve had it cold brewed, hot, and iced and each session delivered an amazing flavor that my hubby and I just gobbled up. We adore this tea and can’t get enough of it. This might be of those teas that I beg Anne to make more of! It was that good.
Another amazing tea!