I have had very little genmaicha. The first I tried was a sample that came with an order, and since I didn’t know anything about genmaicha, I thought I had done something terribly wrong and burned it!
The second was a flavored genmaicha, and it was great. But, it had lots of added flavors.
So this is only my third genmaicha, and it is my first time tasting unflavored genmaicha while knowing exactly what it is! This is Japanese bancha, usually harvested in June after the Sencha has been harvested around May. There may be little bits of twig in the mix to sweeten the tea. And the critical addition is rice – brown pellets of heavily toasted rice, tiny but numerous.
The smell of the steeped tea made say, “Whoa now! Back that up!” My daughter looked at me in trepidation before sipping hers. We both sipped, and….
Aaaaaaah. This is pretty good! Way different than what we usually drink. Hearty. Roasty. No sour taste, no grassiness, no astringency. In its own roasty toasty way it reminded me of Lapsang, a tea dear to our hearts.
I can see this becoming a tea that one craves, that one associates with certain foods or places. If you grew up drinking it, I think it would be the Japanese tea equivalent of comfort food. I will never face a cup of genmaicha with trepidation again. I may even start craving it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Company
Description
Made with a little bit of luxury, ObubuÕs Genmaicha (玄米茶) or Brown Rice Tea is made with sweet mochi rice (also grown in Wazuka) combined with Yanagi Bancha.
The strong, sweet flavor of the roasted rice fills the air as the tea steeps and mixes with the sweetness and bitterness of the sencha to produce a delicious tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Genmaicha (Australia) from Blue Hour Tea. . . .
I steeped this at 190 degrees with 1stp tea and 1 cup water for about one minute. (The recommendation was 1-3 minutes, but after one minute it smelled super toasty even from across the room so I figured I’d better drink it before it got strong enough to knock me over.)
This tea does interestingly include a bit of matcha in the ingredients despite being a genmaicha, which is a great addition as far as I’m concerned. Also, I’ve never had a tea from Australia before (that I know of), so I was quite excited by this opportunity!
Once steeped, the tea was hazy and a bit cloudy, possibly from the dissolved matcha, and had a grassy but very light green color. Even in the fragrance I could definitely find the green-tea-flavor melding with the toasted-rice flavor. The liquid was a little thicker than expected, and as I took my first sip I found that it doesn’t taste quite as toasty as it smells. There was a bit more of the buttery, savory green tea flavor than I’d expected based on the fragrance, especially at the beginning of the sip. However, the overall flavor profile was nicely blended with most of the strength of the nutty, toasty flavor coming more at the end of the sip. This tea was smooth, not bitter at all, and it was somewhat astringent but not too astringent.
So the verdict altogether is that if you like genmaicha, you’ll like this tea, and if you like matcha-flavored cereal, you should try it with milk and sugar. In addition to being delicious it should also be really great for you (unless your doctor has told you not to drink caffeine, of course), since green tea and matcha both have plentiful health benefits. The only downside is that, although you can steep it multiple times, the second steeping isn’t quite the same because the match gets mostly used up in the first steeping.
I really enjoyed drinking this tea and would happily drink lots more of it if given the opportunity.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Blue Hour Tea
Description
Our Genmaicha is a combination of the fresh flavour of green tea with the undertones of roasted rice and the added richness of matcha tea. This premium Genmaicha is grown in the Acheron Valley in Victoria, Australia. There are only a handful of farms growing tea in Australia and this is one of our favourites.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
A Tea Tastes Like Strawberry Milkshakes #Lupicia
Like many other tea companies, Lupicia offers specialty teas for Christmas. This is one of those specialty teas and I was delighted when I came across this tea bag. For one thing, I have had this before and from what I remember I enjoyed it, so I was happy to revisit it once again. And, for another thing, Lupicia has some of the most adorably packaged tea bags out there (second only to Tea Trunk’s super cute elephant teabags perhaps). This particular tea bag depicts a chipmunk and a cat working together to make a strawberry shortcake so that’s pretty awesome.
Sipping on it now, it reminds me just how much I don’t love Lupicia’s black tea base. Lupicia makes delicious rooibos blends and they have some of the best flavored oolongs on the market but for some reason their black tea always tends to take over their softer and more subtle flavorings. It is somehow smooth yet astringent and creates a heaviness that is out of place next to the more delicate notes of strawberry and vanilla. Those flavor notes, however, are this tea’s saving grace. The vanilla is creamy while the strawberry is more like strawberry flavoring, the sweet and artificial candy-like flavor that is akin to strawberry milkshakes.
Ultimately, this has a good flavor to it but the base takes over and pulls out the more processed quality of this tea. I enjoyed the cup though I have had much better offerings from Lupicia in the past. In fact, I have had a strawberry/vanilla green tea from Lupicia that I recall liking a great deal. All in all, it makes for a nice cup of tea but I don’t think I will be seeking this out anytime soon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mayfair by Bruu Tea. . .A Monthly Tea Subscription Box
This tea came from the February 2017 Tea Club box from Bruu Tea. Unfortunately I got a little backlogged due to a hellish couple of months. While this tea is not for sale on the website, it may be in the near future.
Thanks to the card I have a little more information on this blend:
A careful blend of Assam and Kenyan black teas are mixed with a sprinkle of calming Safflower petals to produce a wonderful, full bodied tasting tea with a slight mellow astringency. It’s a high-class breakfast tea that should be savoured and enjoyed. Origin: Assam, India (2016 2nd flush) and Kericho, Kenya (2016) grown 6500ft above sea level.
Opening the packet I see the leaves are small and loosely chopped with bright red safflower petals scattered throughout. It bares a strong, sour wood scent.
Brewing Instructions: 1tsp – 100C – 3 minutes
Once steeped the tea is burnt red/orange in colour and bares a sour wood scent, similar to it’s raw form.
The first few sips reveal a rich body with some sourness and a dry finish. Pleasant enough without milk nor sweetener.
The dry aftertaste increases to become moderate, which is perhaps the most negative aspect of the tea. The sour wood is nice though and has some natural sweetness.
It’s a nice, strong tea but I think a splash of milk is probably for the best. It’s too dry for me but the strength is desirable so it just needs a little help to be a great tea. This would be perfect for a breakfast tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bruu Tea (Mayfair is not currently for sale)
Description:
A high-class breakfast tea that should be savoured. A luxury blend of Assam and Kenyan black tea that is produced at over 6500ft above sea level.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel from Tea and Tins. . . . .
Upon first glance, you might be thinking I’ve maybe misplaced my calendar. Or I’m a time-traveling, tea-drinking reviewer who has accidentally jumped from the winter holiday season to late spring without realizing it. I assure you– I am not. (Although HOW COOL would that be. If there’s a Time Lord out there reading this in need of a new companion: hit your girl up.) But I’m also not such a purist that a Hanukah-themed tea can’t occasionally find its way into my cup post-Daylight Savings Time, and spoiler alert: I’m glad it did!
This dry leaf, to start with, is adorable. Blue stars, glittery gold orbs, and tiny mini marshmallows round out a straightforward black tea, and it brews up quite nicely, if not a bit plainly. The brewed cup smells strongly of mini-marshmallows, and upon the addition of a tiny bit of coconut milk, it’s all I can taste. In the best way possible!
This tea is all marshmallow, all the time. I can’t get much of the caramel flavor that the description claims, but this is toasty, pillowy marshmallow goodness atop a nice robust-but-not-acidic black tea base. I’d highly recommend this tea with some sort of cream or sweet, but note that this really amps up the dessert-like quality, whether that’s what you’re gunning for or not. Overall, seasonally-appropriate or not, this is a great one to sip year round when you’re looking for a treat. Or when you’re trying to track down the nearest TARDIS to catch a ride through time and space. Either or.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea & Tins
Description
Loose leaf black tea, nicknamed Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel ! It has a spicy and warm taste (if you like “Star Dust”, you should definitely try this one!)
Ingredients: black tea with warming taste of caramel, marshmallow and Star of David sprinkles.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
