Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
We blend powdered green Matcha into our Genmaicha. It has been a hit at our tasting room with a brilliant green liquor and toasted notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! The roasty-toasty character of Genmaicha just screams AUTUMN to me, and I love the added sweetness of the Matcha in this blend.
The flavor is light yet comforting. It’s the kind of tea that you like to have with you when you’re curling up under a warm, fluffy blanket. The toasted nut flavor speaks of fires roaring in the fireplace and roasting nuts over the open flame.
But beneath it all is a delicious freshness that whispers reminders of spring. The gentle sweetness of the green teas that are just barely vegetative in the presence of the the stronger nutty and toasty notes.
This is really good (and very refreshing!) served as an iced tea, although I do prefer it hot, if for no other reason than the comfort factor. It’s one of those teas that is wonderful to enjoy no matter the season. That’s what I love most about a Matcha infused Genmaicha like this Matcha iri Genmaicha from Harney & Sons. It’s simple and delicious … like tea’s answer to your favorite comfort food.
Genmaicha Chai from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Genmaicha Chai has delicious toasty rice notes dappled with green tea and a lively spice finish. It is a ceremonial tea union of Japan and India.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love spiced chai, and I adore Genmaicha … so it doesn’t surprise me at all that I am loving this tea.
The Genmaicha is sweet and toasty, and the roasty-toasty taste of the genmaicha works so deliciously well with the warm chai spices. The spices are not overpowering or even what I’d call spicy, at least not spicy-hot. They are warm and comforting and well-balanced. I taste notes of ginger and pepper – I find that these two spices in particular work in unison, providing a gentle, peppery heat. I also taste the warm, sassy notes of cinnamon as well as the cloves and cardamom. A hint of coriander ties all the flavors together in a very pleasing way.
And even though the spices are strong, they do not overwhelm the soft sweetness of the Genmaicha. The roasted rice adds a satisfying level of sweetness to the cup so if you like a semi-sweet cup of chai but don’t like to add sugar to your tea, this chai may be just the ticket for you. The buttery tones of the green tea add a hint of creaminess to this as well, providing a smooth quality without adding milk – which I typically do not add to green teas. I suppose this blend would be quite good with milk, although I’d recommend steeping it at double or even triple strength before adding the milk to avoid overthrowing the delicious flavors of this cup.
Culinary Teas never ceases to impress me with their high quality teas, not to mention their reasonable prices. Their products are fresh and delicious, and they are a really nice company too – I like that they have an online presence.
When I drink tea from Culinary Teas, it’s is like enjoying tea with dear friends!
Cherry Cheesecake Genmaicha from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
After the success of our Malted Genmaicha and Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha, we’re back at it again. Here’s a blend of Japanese Genmaicha (sencha green tea and toasted rice) with real freeze-dried cherries and natural cheesecake and maraschino cherry flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I tore open the pouch, I could recognize the cherry cheesecake aroma immediately. I could even smell the graham cracker crust! The brewed tea offers mere hints of what I experienced with the dry leaf, but it is enough to inspire one to deeply inhale before taking a sip to enjoy the sweet, delicious fragrance of cherry cheesecake.
I steeped this tea using a low temperature (170°F) for two and a half minutes in my Breville One-Touch. The flavor is quite nice, but, not really what I had hoped for. I expected a WOW! – This is cherry cheesecake kind of flavor but I didn’t get that. Yes, I taste the individual notes of cherry cheesecake: I taste the sweet and tart notes of the cherry, I taste the creamy, tangy flavors of the cream cheese, I even taste a slight buttery tone that melds well with the toasty flavors of the genmaicha to form a sort of crust-like taste. I even taste the sweet, fresh flavors of the green tea.
But, somehow, these flavors aren’t coming together in a seamless fashion to create the flavor of cherry cheesecake for me. It’s kind of like one of those gourmet deconstructed dishes where all the elements of the cherry cheesecake are represented but they aren’t put together in the usual way.
Don’t get me wrong, it is still a very delicious cup of tea, and I’m enjoying it very much. It is just different than what I expected.
I do notice that as the tea cools, the flavors do come together a bit more than when served hot, so I would recommend serving this one as an iced tea … I think it’s much better that way. I also found that the tea yields at least two infusions, which is nice, and I enjoyed the second cup just as much as – if not more than! – the first cup.
So, overall, it is a very enjoyable tea, but, I don’t know that I would consider this an adequate substitution for a cherry cheesecake. Delicious yes, but, not quite that delicious, if you know what I mean.
On The Sixth Day of Christmas, 52Teas sent to me …
Wow, already halfway through this sampler box! It seems weird to me that Christmas is less than a week away. Time flies. This is going to be a very strange holiday for me. Without going into details and making this a sappy, sordid story, I will just say that it is going to be different, and I’m glad that I have tea and the fun of this sampler box to make things a little easier.
So… for the sixth day of Christmas, 52Teas sent me this tea:
MARSHMALLOW TREAT FLAVORED GENMAICHA
I was one of the “lucky” customers that managed to get a pouch of the very first batch of this that Frank blended. His later batches were not mixed with mini-marshmallows and instead have marshmallow root. In addition, his later batches (including this one) did not include Uji-Genmaicha (Genmaicha with Matcha).
And that certainly does make a difference from the Marshmallow Treat tea that I reviewed back in June. The green tea flavor is softer, as is the marshmallow flavor. I find that as the tea cools slightly (still hot, just not fresh from the teapot hot), the marshmallow flavor develops a bit, and as I continue to sip, it develops even more. But, it doesn’t ever really become quite as memorable as that first batch was for me. The overall cup is lighter in flavor, and I think that this has just as much to do with the lack of Matcha as it does the lack of real marshmallows, if not more.
That being said, this is still really good.
Mandarin Balsam Oolong Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Product Description:
The flavor and fragrance is based on the contrast between the syrupy vanilla sweetness of Peru balsam and the floral citrus of yellow mandarin, which marries beautifully with this full-bodied tea. This organic Wuyi oolong tea, with its slender tightly curled leaves, has a deep oxidized, roasted rice aroma and nutty flavor. Producing Wuyi Oolong tea is labor and time consuming: sun wilting, room wilting, shacking, dehydrating, roasting, rolling, cooling. The procedures occur repeatedly over days. Wuyi Oolong is even more aromatic after aging. Provides up to four infusions retaining their fragrance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really impressed with the teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier Perfumed Teas, so when we were approached to try their latest creation, I was very excited.
This tea is really good. The vanilla tones of the balsam provide a really rich, creamy flavor and texture to the cup, and when combined with the deep, toasty flavor of the Wuyi Oolong, it is sublime! It reminds me very much of rice pudding, only in a teacup and without the fat and calories!
The mandarin contributes a sweet and slightly tangy flavor which contrasts well with the creamy vanilla rice notes. The floral tones are only slightly sharp, but it is enough to help cut through some of the sweeter tones to keep the tea from becoming too cloying for the palate.
It is a very elegant and luxurious kind of tea, but even so, I don’t think I’d classify this particular perfumed Oolong as a feminine tea. The more rugged qualities of the Wuyi give the tea balance.
What I like best about the teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier is this: they don’t try to cover up the flavor of the teas that they use. Instead, they embrace the natural qualities of each tea, and find the flavors that will accent and compliment them. I think that this latest creation from Aftelier exemplifies this, with the way that the deliciously creamy tones of the balsam accent the sweet, roasted notes of the Wuyi, and the mandarin coming in to brighten up the cup just so.
This is more than just a cup of tea, it’s a work of art!