Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Our organic genmaicha powder has a pleasant aroma of the roasted brown rice and the natural tea sweetness from the organic matcha.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing that I noticed when I prepared this Organic Genmaicha Powder with Matcha from Shi Zen in my chawan is how much froth it produced. This is a rich, thick, fluffy froth!
I prepared this the way I’d normally prepare Matcha – in my chawan, whisking it in hot water. But as I was preparing it, a thought crossed my mind that this would also be delicious iced (just add some to a water bottle and give it a vigorous shake!) or … as a latte! The toasted rice notes and natural nutty flavors would meld with the creaminess of the milk in a really delicious way, I think! I shall have to try that tomorrow morning!
Prepared with just hot water, this is also very tasty. I get a lot of genmaicha flavor – it is sweet and warm from the roasty-toasty flavor. I am noticing some bitter tones to this which is kind of unusual for a Matcha, so, I’m guessing that the base for the genmaicha – possibly a bancha or sencha? – might have a tad of bitterness to its leaf. But it’s not an off-putting bitterness, rather, I’m enjoying the contrast between the sweet and bitter.
I love the creaminess of this. The froth is super creamy on top of the liquid, and then the liquid itself is smooth and creamy and the toasted nutty flavors complement the creaminess of the drink very well.
Another WIN from Shi Zen! I really like this.
French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Look ma: No mango this week! Instead, be prepared to be blown away by this new black tea blend. If you love our Pancake Breakfast blend, you’re going to LOVE this. It’s similar to Pancake breakfast, but a little sweeter with some cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup and yes, even a touch of butter flavors.
This is like French toast in a cup without the 600 calories you’d expect from some hot French toast drowning in maple syrup and butter. This is a brand new comfort tea and I imagine it’s going to go FAST.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum, yum, yum! I have been looking forward to trying this French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas! I adored the “Pancake Breakfast” blend 52Teas put out a while back, and I was certain I’d enjoy this one as well. And it certainly is living up to my high expectations.
It is totally YUM!
My one complaint, if one is to get picky … is that there is a tad too much cinnamon in this. I don’t mind cinnamon, not at all, and I personally am enjoying the level of cinnamon in this cup, however, to capture the true essence of French Toast in a teacup, I think that the cinnamon should be a bit more delicate. As it is, this is more like French Toast that has been made using cinnamon swirl bread … which is typically my favorite kind of bread to use for French Toast … although recently, I’ve discovered a Peach Cobbler bread and that stuff is AMAZING as French Toast … but I digress.
My point is this: when using non-cinnamon-y swirly bread, my French Toast doesn’t usually have this much of a cinnamon taste to it.
But the cinnamon rant aside, this is truly delicious. The black tea base is rich and robust. The cinnamon is the strongest note here, but, I also taste maple, butter, and a hint of brown sugar. There is also a sort of bread-y taste that brings all these flavors together and creates a taste that is very much like liquefied cinnamon French Toast breakfast in a teacup … made complete with a cup of tea to go with it.
What can I say? 52Teas does it again! This blend has already sold out, however, you can request a reblend of it by going here and clicking on the big, blue “Please Reblend” badge on the center of the page and fill out the form that follows.
Yunomi Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club: Monoucha Genmaicha from Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Recently, I had the unique opportunity to join Yunomi’s Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club, and I just received my first shipment! Yay! I received three sample sizes of three different Japanese teas, and this review will be about the first tea I sampled from the group of three: the Monoucha Genmaicha from Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Tea Description:
Sencha from the town of Monou in what is now Ishinomaki City brews into a deep forest green with a strong astringency. With a 400 year history of tea farming, the town of Monou is the northernmost tea region, and the field managed by Sasaki-san is the northernmost tea field in Japan.
Monoucha Genmaicha blends Sasaki-san’s sencha with toasted rice grains as well as rice cracker balls (plain and matcha flavored) for a uniquely toasted nutty flavor.
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Taster’s Review:
LOVELY! I’ve tasted a lot of Genmaicha tea in my “career” as a tea reviewer, and before that, as a tea purveyor. But this Monoucha Genmaicha from Ishinomaki, Miyagi as sold by Yunomi might very well be the very best that I’ve tried thus far. I can taste the freshness of the Sasaki-san Sencha in every single sip, as well as the beautiful sweetness from the toasty rice. This is SO good!
Perhaps it’s the addition of the “rice cracker balls” that are in this blend that makes it different … I don’t know for sure. What I can tell you is that I taste something different in this cup of tea. It tastes sweeter … it tastes fresher, it tastes toastier. It tastes BETTER!
When I was measuring out the tea, I noticed the aforementioned rice cracker balls and I did a double (and a triple) take, because they looked so … unusual. I mean, with a typical Genmaicha, I usually see little bits of popped rice (that look like miniature kernels of popped popcorn), but these little balls were so uniformly shaped … they looked so different from the usual popped rice that I would see in a Genmaicha … and there were a lot more of them than I would usually see in a Genmaicha too. Then I came back here and read the description and saw that there are in fact these little rice cracker balls in the tea … that explains it!
And they do make a difference in the taste. If you like Genmaicha … this is one that you really should try … taste the difference! It’s remarkable!
Matcha Infused Genmaicha Green Tea from Aiya
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya
Tea Description:
Matcha Infused Genmaicha is a traditional Japanese Sencha blended with toasted brown rice and premium Matcha green tea. The refreshing flavor of Sencha combined with the nutty flavor of toasted brown rice, plus the resilient color and mild sweetness of Matcha make this tea distinctly delightful.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Revew:
Having previously tried Aiya’s Organic Matcha Infused Genmaicha, I was happy to have this opportunity to try this: their conventionally grown Matcha Infused Genmaicha Green Tea, not only to compare my tasting notes from the two teas, but also to experience more of Aiya’s exceptionally high quality tea!
The dry leaf smells a lot more vegetative than I expected … I noticed very little of a toasted rice scent and more of a leafy/grassy green scent with notes of warm, nutty toasted rice in the background. Once brewed, however, the toasted rice notes really came forward! My kitchen was filled with the deliciously roasty-toasty scent of genmaicha, and my mouth began to water as I anticipated my first sip.
Similar to the Organic Matcha Infused Genmaicha from Aiya, I noticed that the brewed tea did not have a cloudy appearance, nor was there Matcha sediment at the bottom of the cup or the teapot. I also noticed when I measured the Genmaicha into my teapot, that there wasn’t a lot of loose powder to the dry leaf. Usually, with Genmaicha blends that have been enhanced with Matcha, there is a powdering of green dust as well as a cloudy cup of tea. This is one area where this tea from Aiya is remarkably different from other Genmaicha teas of this sort.
The flavor is so lovely! No wonder this tea won second place in the North American Tea Championship. This is deliciously sweet, nutty, and warm! Genmaicha usually evokes thoughts of autumn for me because of its warm, roasty-toasty taste, and this experience is no different. And because I am hoping for a speedy spring and summer so that I can enjoy autumn once more, my thoughts of autumn this afternoon are definitely welcome!
But there is also a freshness to the taste, courtesy of the Japanese Sencha base. The green tea tastes sweet, grassy, and has just a hint of savory bitterness that sort of perks the palate up and keeps the flavor interesting. I taste the sweet notes of the Matcha as well, and there is the slightest creamy note from the Matcha which is quite a nice complement to the warm, toasty rice flavor.
I found this experience with the conventionally grown Matcha Infused Genmaicha to be similar to that of the Organic variety, but I think that the flavors here might be a little less distinct. The tones of the rice, the savory quality of the Sencha and the sweet, creamy notes of the Matcha are less defined here, providing a more homogenized flavor that is at once sweet, savory, warm, toasty and creamy, with the toasty rice notes standing out as the strongest notes, and the savory notes lingering on the tongue in the aftertaste. And to tell the truth, I enjoyed both teas very much, and this experience was not so unlike the other that I would choose the other over this one based solely on taste alone. However, I probably would choose the organic because it is organic. Both teas are of excellent quality and superior taste!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Wabi Sabi Gaiwan from Might Leaf Tea
Product Information:
Product: Spouted Gaiwan
Where To Buy: Mighty Leaf Tea
Product Description:
The gaiwan, or lidded bowl, is a celebrated vessel for the brewing of fine green, white and oolong teas. This 4.5-ounce container is made of ceramic and will illuminate the complex flavors of any high-grade Mighty Leaf tea brewed inside. You can use to infuse loose tea and then pour into another drinking verssel, or you can drink right out of the gaiwan. The lid of the gaiwan has infuser holes built in so that you can lift the vessel to your mouth and drink the liquid while the leaves are trapped inside.
• Handmade Ceramic
• Includes lide with infuser holes for drinking
• 4.5 oz. capacity
Learn more about this tea ware here.
Product Review:
I have been wanting a spouted gaiwan for ages. I have a regular gaiwan and its a bit smaller than this one, but even still my hands are too tiny to properly secure the lid when pouring. Now I do have very small hands but perhaps the blame is really that I just don’t have the skills. Regardless, I have never mastered using a gaiwan properly.
I first found out about spouted gaiwan on steepster and I was so excited to find one! I have to say I searched, and I searched. Sure I found a few here and there but the selection was few and far between. When I did find one it was usually quite expensive and I just really didn’t want to spend too much on one until I knew that the spouted style would solve my gaiwan issues. In addition to that I do not use a gaiwan often. I truly enjoy using a gaiwan, especially now that I have this one, but I prefer to use one when I have time to sit and have a true gong-fu session rather when I am sitting at my computer working, which is what I am doing most of the time.
Alas finally, I found not only an affordable gaiwan but a truly stunning one at that!
I got this Gaiwan for myself, and a second one for a friend. We both adore them! They are so beautiful with colors of browns and greens. Some areas are marbled, some textured. To me it looks like wood and stone. My friend said the same. Truly, it is a stunning piece of work. It is so easy to handle as well. Wether you have abnormally small hands or really large hands (I saw a photo of my friends hands on Facebook – they are really HUGE!) this gaiwan works perfectly! It also has an internal strainer so you can drink from the gaiwan or you can strain easily.
A spouted Gaiwan is the way to go but I looked all over for one, found few, this one is not only gorgeous, but so affordable!
I have inserted a photo that I have taken of my own Wabi Sabi Gaiwan from Might Leaf Tea. I noticed that my friends is slightly different, which is nice to know that each gaiwan, although equally beautiful, has a personality all its own.
I would recommend this lovely gaiwan to anyone who wants a nice spouted gaiwan at a great price. Especially if you appreciate the beauty of nature because using this makes me feel like I am truly in touch with the outdoors.
