Popcorn Tea from Teapigs

by MrsPremise

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!

MrsPremise

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels. When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy. Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends. Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149

This post was posted in Green Tea, Teapigs

Tea of Inquiry from Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange. . . .

by SuperStarling

Fun facts about genmaicha tea:

– It’s tea cut with rice, including popped rice (“popcorn tea”).

– It’s consumed all over the world.

– It used to be associated with the lower class, because they couldn’t afford straight tea.

– It might be an appetite suppressant. People with less money would drink it when they couldn’t afford food.

– It’s DELICIOUS.

If you’re like “I want to get on board with green tea, but I can’t even begin to deal with all that GREEN flavor,” give this a try. It’s a workaround. It tastes like toast/popcorn/rice. It has a robust, grainy/nutty kind of flavor. The “green”ness is cut down significantly.

Plus, I mean, you’re getting down with the proletariat. You’re supporting the REGULAR FOLK on PRINCIPLE.

I don’t have a lot of experience drinking this new favorite type of tea. If you’re a connoisseur, I can’t tell you whether Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange’s “Tea of Inquiry” is a stellar example of the genre. But I think it’s delicious. I recommend trying it or another gemaicha today! It might be for you.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange
Description

A special Japanese blend of fine green tea and toasted rice.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Allegheny Coffee & Tea, Green Tea