Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Mania
Tea Description:
Rice tea is a specialty of Northern Thailand. The tea is similar in taste to Genmaicha but is produced fundamentally different. Genmaicha is made by steamed green tea which is enriched with roasted rice. Originally, this was done to stretch the expensive green tea. Nowadays, this days Genmaicha is a popular specialty in itself.
In contrary, for our rice tea we use is green tea from Doi Mae Salong which is enriched with a wild-growing Thai herb that resembles the taste of jasmine rice. The green tea itself is Chinese-style roasted and then rolled into beads like Oolong. The tea can be infused several times and keeps the typical rice aroma till the end.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Rice Fragrance Santikhiri Green Tea from Tea Mania is a really unique tasting tea! Yes, it is quite similar to Genmaicha, although I can taste differences between the two.
Perhaps the biggest difference to me is that this tea has a softer flavor. Genmaicha tends to have a more “roasty-toasty” kind of flavor, owing to the popped rice, perhaps? Sure, I still taste hints of a toasty note here, but, this tastes more like a sweet rice. It kind of reminds me of the cereal that I make of left-over rice.
After I’ve made a batch of rice, there is usually a little bit left over, and rather than allow that to go to waste, I save it and then reheat it. First I “rehydrate” Craisins with a little bit of water, and zap it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until it’s hot and the Craisins have absorbed most of the water. Then I add the left-over rice and reheat the rice. The remaining water that hasn’t been absorbed by the dried cranberries helps hydrate the rice. Then I add a little bit of milk and cinnamon. It’s quite yummy, reminiscent of rice pudding but easier to make!
That’s what this tea tastes like, except that I don’t taste any Craisin or cinnamon flavor! But I taste the sweet rice notes and it’s quite delicious.
I taste subtle vegetative notes from the green tea – which has been wound into little pellets resembling a green Oolong. In fact, had I not known that this was a green tea, the appearance of the dry leaf would lead me to identify this as an Oolong tea. The vegetative notes are quite delicate here, and if you are one who tends to shy away from green teas because you don’t care for that “green” flavor, I do believe you would find this tea to be agreeable.
I also taste distant jasmine notes which further enhance the rice flavor. Such a sweet and unique tea. It really is AMAZING. I’d recommend this to all tea lovers, if for no other reason than because it is truly exceptional. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a tea quite like it, and I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to try this!
Organic Genmaicha Green Tea Blend from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
We’ve started with a premium Sencha green tea, added toasted hulled rice kernels and as twist… added popped corn.
We are very proud of this unique organic tea offering of a tea staple.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been really impressed thus far with the new Organic line of teas from Kally Tea, so I was looking forward to tasting this Organic Genmaicha Green Tea Blend.
And it’s an excellent Genmaicha. It has all the flavor that I’d expect from a top quality Genmaicha: a Japanese sencha green tea that is both sweet and savory and that produces a soft brothy mouthfeel and the sweet and warm roasty-toasty notes from the toasted brown rice.
I enjoy Genmaicha all year round, but, there’s just something about Genmaicha in the autumn. The toasty flavor of it just fits the season. The warmth and the taste of freshly roasted nuts are very autumnal, and the hints of fresh, leafy sencha evoke thoughts of the summer season that has just flown by.
This is one of the nicest Genmaicha teas that I’ve encountered in a while, and I’m not sure if it’s just that I was in the mood for a delicious, roasty-toasty tea or if it’s that this is just an amazing Genmaicha … but I’m thinking that it’s a little of both! It’s a very cozy, comforting cuppa, and I love that it’s organic!
Organic Genmaicha Powder with Matcha from Shi Zen
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.
Yunomi Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club: Genmai (Toasted Rice) from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantation
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: It isn’t a leaf at all, it’s toasted rice!
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Tea Description:
Genmaicha or brown rice tea is made by combining genmai (toasted rice) with our Yanagi Bancha. However, we know genmaicha fans may already have their favorite, higher grade senchas, so we sell our genmai separately to allow you to create your own combination. The genmai also makes a delicious garnishing for miso soup, salad, or as a simple, healthy snack.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Yunomi’s Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club here.
Taster’s Review:
The September monthly mystery tea sampler’s club from Yunomi offered subscribers a very unique opportunity in this month’s package. Instead of a package of pre-blended Genmaicha, I can customize my own Genmaicha experience using Genmai (Toasted Rice) from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantation! Awesome!
In addition to the packet of Genmai I received in my September package, I also received a packet of Houjicha and Bancha, so I decided to start with these two teas to customize my own Genmaicha. Then I decided to try something a little bit different … and try some Genmai with a black tea. But before I did that, I brewed a small amount of Genmai to try on its own … just to see what this brewed toasted rice tastes like!
Genmai from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantation
The aroma of the toasted rice is really delightful. It smells a little bit like freshly roasted nuts, but with a grainy sort of fragrance to it too. It smells delicious. And the flavor is remarkable! If you drink a Genmaicha because you love that roasty-toasty flavor … you really should try the Genmai on it’s own! Sweet, deliciously roasty and toasty with a lovely rice note. This sort of reminds me of horchata but without the cinnamon and the creamy consistency. And I LOVE horchata!
Custom Genmaicha made with Bancha
To make my custom Genmaicha with Bancha, I used the organic Autumn Bancha from NaturaliTea which was also in September’s mystery tea sampler’s club package. I used 1 part Genmai to 1 part Bancha which I measured using a teaspoon. Mmm! I like this a lot. There is more Genmai to this than in a typical pre-blended Genmaicha, so I get to really experience the sweet, toasted rice flavor. I taste the light, vegetal taste of the Bancha and I love the way the natural nutty tones of the two components accentuate each other. This is one of the very best Genmaicha teas I’ve ever tasted.
Custom Genmaicha made with Houjicha
Oh wow! Totally yum! To make my custom Genmaicha with Houjicha, again, I turned again to the teas that were included in September’s mystery tea sampler’s tea club package, and used 1 part Genmai to 1 part Autumn Houjicha from the Takea Family. This is my favorite way to enjoy the Genmai. This is total roasty-toasty goodness … so autumnal, so perfect for this chilly evening. So comforting and cozy to sip. I love how TOASTY this tastes! Absolute awesomeness!
Custom Genmaicha made with Hawaiian Black Tea
I also wanted to try the Genmai with some black tea … but what black tea to use? I wanted to use a pure leaf, and my first thought was a Lapsang Souchong as I was imagining how the toasty notes of the Genmai would taste with the smoky Lapsang Souchong. But, I don’t have any Lapsang Souchong at the moment, as it’s not something that I keep on hand generally … I generally just go for sample sizes of the smoky teas like Lapsang, because I’m not a huge fan of it. But what I did have is a Hawaiian grown black tea (I won’t tell you where I got this tea since I didn’t get it from Yunomi). The black tea isn’t a smoky tea; it is a sweet, caramel-y tea with rye bread-ish type notes.
I’m liking how the roasty-toasty flavor from the Genmai meld with the sweet, burnt-sugar caramel. These two flavors seem made for each other! I really like the black tea Genmaicha … if for no other reason than it’s different … but really, there’s a lot of reasons to love this tea. Sweet, smooth, rich … toasty, delicious flavor. YUM! (Oh … and just for point of reference, I used the same 1:1 ratio.)
In Summary…
I really enjoyed all the different ways that Genmai allowed me to experiment. My favorite, as I said, is the Genmai with the Houjicha, but, I really enjoyed it with the other teas too … as well as on its own! Tasting it on its own like this evokes thoughts of using the Genmai for something like a simple broth with some green onions and wontons. I really, really like this product a whole lot!
Razzleberry Flavored Genmaicha Green Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Following the success of our Razzleberry (Raspberry & Blackberry) blend and iced tea, I thought we’d give it a try with our genmaicha. And I am not sorry!
Here’s our toasty Japanese genmaicha considerably cheered-up with the sweet and tart flavors of raspberry and blackberry. This is a unique summertime blend of genmaicha, and the combination of the sea-sprayed Japanese sencha, toasty brown rice and berry goodness makes me think of a picnic on the beach.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum! This Razzleberry flavored Genmaicha Green Tea from 52Teas is really tasty! It’s got the toasty, nutty flavor of Genmaicha, together with the tart notes of raspberry and the sweet notes of blackberry. It’s quite a treat for the tastebuds.
The first flavor that I notice is that of the Genmaicha – I notice that sweet, nutty flavor of the toasted and popped rice, and the slightly grassy notes of the green tea. Just before mid-sip, I start to notice the sweetness of the berries coming through. The tarty notes of the berries starts to emerge close to the finish, and linger in the aftertaste, providing that “tingly” tart sensation on the tongue that you might experience if you were to eat a fresh raspberry.
This tastes good hot … but really, this is so much better iced! It’s so refreshing – and the fruity taste translates so well with an iced tea.
I know I mentioned this before … but it bears repeating: Please take a moment to watch the videos here and consider donating to help Zoomdweebies – a cool tea bar in Wichita, Kansas – reopen it’s doors!