I love my genmaicha tea and if I can find a flavored one, its an automatic impulse buy. I can’t stop myself. Which is what happened when I laid eyes on this blend, Honey Mead from A Quarter to Tea. I knew I didn’t need any more tea, but I HAD to have this one. I mean just listen to the description:
Sencha and toasted rice make a toasty and sweet base for apple, buttered rum and honey flavors (which are accented further with honeysuckle).
This tea had me at toasty sweet base.
Brewed up by the recommended parameters, I set about trying my first sip of this tea. After allowing the tea to settle and cool for a moment, I came away with this gorgeous silky honey flavor that reminded me of a sweet wheat beer. There definitely is a note of “mead” and I can see why this blend is called Honey Mead.
In each sip you are greeted with this amazingly balance honey toasted flavor that mingles very well with the apple buttered rum flavors. All in all, an amazing blend that I had every intention of sharing with some of my sisters but found myself devouring teapot after teapot of this blend until it was gone.
Every time I have A Quarter To Tea I am blown away by how amazing their blends are. This is one of those companies that you know you will not be disappointed by the teas you pick up. I adore the unique flavors they offer that you can’t get anywhere else. One of my favorite companies for sure!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description:
Sencha and toasted rice make a toasty and sweet base for apple, buttered rum and honey flavors (which are accented further with honeysuckle). Comforting and revitalizing.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#MusicAndTeaMonday: Laoshan Chocolate Genmaicha
It’s #MusicAndTeaMonday and I hope you will join us by posting on your favorite social media! #MusicAndTeaMonday
Today’s #MusicAndTeaMonday pairing is: Laoshan Chocolate Genmaicha from Liquid Proust Teas with song choice of Have Faith In Me by A Day To Remember.
Liquid Proust Teas tend to have unique and inspiring blends that are quickly becoming a favourite of mine. Generally speaking I’m not a flavoured tea fan but if it’s blended well it can be heavenly. From the small collection of LP teas that I have I chose Laoshan Chocolate Genmaicha as it’s sweet, rich and nutty which pairs with my feelings for my chosen song and band. I am a music fan and attend festivals and concerts when I can, A Day To Remember have been a favourite of mine for a few years; and not just because I swoon over the singer.
With the lingering sweetness and rich quality of the Laoshan Chocolate Genmaicha it mimics the lyrics:
“I said I’d never let you go, and I never did
I said I’d never let you fall and I always meant it
If you didn’t have this chance then I never did
You’ll always find me right there, again”
Sipping the tea whilst listening (and looking) at such beauty creates a warmth inside that feels like a hug. The impact of the tea sips making me want more each time until I’m left with a chocolate and dry, nut aftertaste and an empty mug. A sigh follows before I’m back with reality yet I still feel that when Jeremy McKinnon says he will always be there I believe him and that leads to a smile.
I hope you enjoy my #MusicAndTeaMonday pairing!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea and Oolong Tea
Where to Buy: Liquid Proust Teas
Description:
Ingredients: Laoshan gongfu black tea, Laoshan roasted oolong, jasmine rice, wild rice grown in Minnesota, cocoa nibs
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
S’mores Genmaicha Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I reblended this tea to fulfill part of our start-up Kickstarter campaign’s add-on offers! This was part of the Genmaicha 3-Tier collection – a yummy blend of Matcha infused Genmaicha green tea and chocolate and marshmallow flavors. I added cacao shells & nibs, mini vegan chocolate chips and marshmallow root to the blend. This is yummy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This gemaicha is a perfect tea for the weather out there today! I’ve battened down the hatches and hunkered down, because the outside world has turned completely white. I’m living in a surreal ghost town of powder. It certainly doesn’t help that the wind keeps whipping up the 3 feet of snow that has already fallen. I can’t even open my front door! And to think it was almost 70 degrees yesterday. That’s Denver spring for ya.
I can’t believe I have already finished this package! I received the 3-tier genmaicha tin set from 52Teas’ initial kickstarter not too long ago. At first I didn’t care for the flavor, especially with the chocolate pieces. It’s a personal pet peeve of mine to have chocolate chips in tea. But I love the flavors of marshmallows and graham crackers, and I did not want to allow these chocolate abominations to keep me from enjoying this tea. So I just picked out and straight up ate the chocolate chips. May I just say that they are a great compliment to the tea – better than if they were in the blend, fusing to the sides of my teapot and creating an odd sludge.
I quickly became addicted to this blend. I think I drank nothing but this tea for about a week straight. It’s so on point – each flavor is well developed and distinct, from the smooth and mellow marshmallow to the crisp and sweet graham cracker right up to the vegetal grassiness and toasty rice flavor of the genmaicha. I love flavored genmaicha, and this blend is a great combination of a funky flavor idea and the classic Japanese green tea.
Houji-Genmaicha Green Tea from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Tea Description:
Houji-Genmaicha consists of the two harmonious yet slightly contrasting taste components. It is a good alternative to sweetened coffee. It offers a comfortable toasty aroma both from roasted leaf and brown rice. The Genmai (roasted brown rice) sweetens the roasted Bancha leaves.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Sometimes, it’s hard to get what you want in this world. Sometimes, I want genmaicha at 10 o’clock at night, but I also want a good roasty, toasty, houjicha. Thank goodness for Den’s Tea. They truly have thought of everything. Now I can have my tea and drink it too.
I used my 12oz tokoname kyusu for this one. Probably overleafing it, I intitally used my typical green tea temperature at 175, but at 3 minutes, the flavor was a bit muted. I punched up the temperature to about 190, taking care to not scorch the leaves by leaving the lid uncovered. Three minutes later – I was in tea bliss. The usual clover honey sweetness and toasted barley notes of the houjicha blended so well with the rice, I couldn’t tell where it ends and I begin. There was a touch of cinnamon spice warmth to round out the cup. I should have known that a little hotter water could coax out the houji from the cha.
This tea is really the best or both worlds. It’s got the fresh-toasted rice flavor from the genmai, and it’s got the roasty flavor of houjicha. To be honest, the bancha used is not the best houjicha base I have ever tasted, but paired with the toasted rice, it makes for an amazing pairing to almost any meal, and as a great bedtime sipper.
Strawberry Genmaicha Green from ESP Emporium
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: ESP Emporium
Tea Description:
Here, we have two green teas, which were combined to an exceptional premium tea blend. The characteristic of Japanese Genmaicha is supported wonderfully by our smooth green tea. This creation is perfected by the added strawberry pieces and a finely balanced flavor composition.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Since I’ve tried a few ‘unconventional’ Genmaicha blends lately I wanted to do something different with this one, which is why I cold brewed it. I’m not even sure if I’ve ever done that before with a Genmaicha blend; I can’t easily bring an example to mind.
I have to admit it was a little weird tasting a cold brewed Genmaicha; the green tea wasn’t anything exceptional nor was it disappointing but the strong, drawn out notes of roasted brown rice – which took on a near barley taste, were more intense than I would expect from Genmaicha. More like a good mugicha than anything else, to be honest.
The strawberry certainly is not the most vibrant strawberry flavour though. I wouldn’t even call it all that realistic to be honest; what it does taste like it strawberry candy. Some kind of cross between those fluffy strawberry marshmallow five cent candies you see in gas stations and a really nice strawberry gummy candy? I like the taste itself, but the pairing with the green tea/roasted notes doesn’t work for me.
So overall; I’d say there were definitely high and low points to this tea and if I revisit it I’ll definitely be trying an alternative prep method (perhaps something more traditional) than revisiting this one. It’s not worth a second taste.
