Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets
Price: $16.99 /lb

About This Tea: This tea is another one that I picked up from Wegmans, and I'm not sure how well it matches up with the Ito-en offering of a matcha coated genmaicha. The price at wegmans was almost $1/oz, whereas the Ito-en version is closer to $3/oz.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a large amount of rice and is heavily coated in matcha. The tea has a very strong rice aroma, although it has a very dry sense to it. The matcha coating has a very dull pale color to it. It feels almost like it's washing out the color of the tea.
1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 185F, 1 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a rich rice aroma that is mixed with a certain driness. The infusion is a murky green color. The flavor is light and sweet. It primarily sticks to the front of the tongue. It is dominated by a very present rice taste, which is not surprising considering the rice:tea ratio present in this tea. There is not that much of a tea flavor in this infusion.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 10s, 185F

2nd Infusion: The tea is still murky, which is surprising for a second infusion of matcha coated tea. The aroma has a dustiness again. The flavor is light and clear, but there is not much flavor in general.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This is not a terribly impressive genmaicha, but it's significantly lower price makes it a lot more attractive. This tea may have been better with a longer first steep and steeped only once. At it's price point I would not feel bad about doing this. I'm a little disappointed by the dusty aroma to this tea, this aroma is most likely due to the matcha coating, and the tea may be better served without any coating at all.

Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 400 Yen / 100g
Vendor Description: One of the more popular banchas, genmaicha is a mixture of yanagi and roasted genmai (a variety of brown rice). The genmai is roasted at two different levels: lightly roasted and deeply roasted until the rice grains puff. The result is a unique savory flavor and a strong popcorn-like aroma. The quantity of genmai is purposely kept to a minimum while there is an ample amount of leaves with a light bitterness. This provides a perfect balance between the roasted aroma of the genmai and the refreshing aftertaste of the yanagi.

Leaf: The leaf consists of large uneven leaves. The rice is very lightly toasted and in a relatively low concentration. Most genmaicha that I have seen recently have been much more rice:tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 90s

1st Infusion: There is a heavy bancha aroma to this tea, it is a very distinctive bancha sharpness. The infusion has a light murkiness with a light yellow color. The flavor is best described as empty upfront with a certain sense of smoothness. There is a bit of bitterness on the backend. Due to the low concentration of rice, the rice flavor isn't very prominent. There is a smoothness ot the flavor of the tea, it seems like that's about all that the rice component could add. The elaves are mostly expanded on the first infusion, having opened rather rapidly for this tea. Considering the 1g:1oz ratio, this is a rather light / weak flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 2 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a mucher darker yellow color. The aroma was more distinctively bancha in nature. The flavor had a much more rounded front end, but there wasn't a very disticntive flavor in it. There was a light sense of bitterness, but it feels like the tea only added color and texture to the tea rather than a disticntive flavor.

Rating: 2/10

Conclusion: This is definitely not one of the better genmaicha that I have had, but there is one thing that is going for it, at its price it is a very price conscious tea. Unfortunately ordering from Ippodo involves expensive shipping from Japan. The tea itself is ok, you would probably enjoy it if you like bancha.

Houji Genmaicha

Tea: Houji Genmaicha
Vendor: Den's Tea
Price: $4.00 / 2oz
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Houji-Genmaicha consists of the two harmonious yet slightly contrasting taste components. It offers a unique toasty aroma both from roasted leaf and brown rice. The Genmai (roasted brown rice) sweetens the roasted Bancha leaves and stems. It is a perfect alternative to sweetened iced teas or hot ciders and cocoas.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a mix of brown hues. The color of the hojicha leaves mixes and matches with the lighter brown of the toasted rice. There is the distinctive aroma of the hoji leaves, mixed with a lighter smell of the rice.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 208F, 2 min

1st: The tea has a sweet caramel aroma to it. In this aroma you can smell the rice and the houji roasted aroma, both independently and mixed as one. The tea itself has a rich rice flavor. It's more bodied than most hojicha. There is a stronger genmaicha flavor than a hojicha flavor in this tea surprisingly. Based on the color one would imagine that it was more akin to a hoji. The flavor is very crispy with a light astringency to it.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea really surprised me. I was expecting a hoji that was drowning out the genmai flavor, but it was actually the opposite. There is not a strong swing to one side or the other though, the flavors are well in balance with each other. This is a very inexepensive tea, but it was unfortunately light in flavor. This is compensatable with more leaf, but it raises the per cup price of the tea. All in all though it is an interesting mix of two types of Japanese green tea.

O-buku-cha

Tea: O-buku-cha
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 500 Yen / 100g
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: Bringing good luck for the New Year

The O-buku-cha tradition began over 10 centuries ago, during the Heian period.

In 951, a serious epidemic swept through Kyoto. In an effort to relieve the suffering, Buddhist priest Kuya distributed tea to those in need. It has been said that to share in these virtues, Emperor Murakami ushered in the New Year with a special cup of tea.

Since then, it has become a Japanese tradition to drink O-buku-cha (literally, great happiness tea ) during the New Years season. The O-buku-cha offered by each tea shop differs depending on the shop. At IPPODO, we are pleased to offer a special time-limited, high-grade genmaicha as our O-buku-cha. Packaged in the traditional festive colors of red and white, we hope that our O-buku-cha will bring renewed health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

Leaf: This tea consists of mostly larger thin pieces. There is a light amount of rice, some stems and some flatter leaf mixed in as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 185F, 5 oz, 90s

1st Infusion: This infusion had a yellow green hue to it. The aroma was very crisp with hints of the rice aroma. The aroma reminded me very much of a pure bancha with a crisp almost stinging aroma to it. There are hints of a sencha like sweetness in the aroma as well. The flavor has a definite bancha bitterness and tang to it. This is paired with a light rice flavor and a noticeable starchiness. The tea finishes with a light sense of astringency and a clean and refreshing feeling.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, No steeping time, immediate pour.

2nd Infusion: This time the infusion was a lighter green color with a yellow brightness to it. The aroma was sweeter and had a more mellow starchiness to it. The flavor was definitive bancha flavoring, with a light almost metallic taste to it. It seemed to have an astringency which was primarily on the sides of the mouth.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea isn't bad for the price. The problem is that the price to ship this over from Japan is quite significant. I'm curious to see how this tea stacks up against their regular genmaicha. I don't consider this to be a particularly great genmaicha, but it is acceptable at it's price. I was somewhat hoping for a genmai based with sencha rather than bancha when I read the description of this tea.

Genmaicha Satsuki

Tea: Genmaicha Satsuki
Vendor: Den's Tea
Price: $3.75 / 2 oz.
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Genmai Satsuki is an interesting and flavorful blend of tea leaves with Genmai. It provides roasted flavor and aroma. Den’s Tea strongly recommends Genmai Satsuki to new green tea drinkers transitioning from coffee or black tea.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was huge leaf. It is probably the large that I have ever seen for a genmaicha. There was a moderate amount of popped rice. The toasted rice has a few more roasting protrusions than normal. It seems like the rice was roasted a bit longer than most other genmaichas that I have tried. This would result in the increased amount of popped grains and the small protrusions.

Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 1 min, 185F

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a pale green color. The rice aroma was very prominent. The flavor was very crisp and characteristic of a genmaicha. The flavor was light all around, but was in good balance. If anything the flavor was shifted a bit toward the side of the rice flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 1 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a bolder yellow hue to it. The rice aroma was greatly reduced and the flavor was quite light. There was a bit of a starchiness in the flavor on the mid-end transition of the flavor.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This is a good example of a genmaicha. The flavors are present and appropriate. In both infusions the flavors were a bit weak. In later experimentation with this tea I found that it was a better tea when infused with more leaf / water. The price is good for this particular tea. There is nothing particularly outstanding about this tea though. If you want an example of the flavors in a genmaicha this may be a good one for you to try.

Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Tao of Tea
Price: $2.75 / oz.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: A traditional Japanese favorite. Also known as 'Brown Rice Tea', Genmaicha is blend of Sencha 'steamed green tea' and two varietals of rice. One kind of rice develops a golden color and toasted flavor, whereas, the second varietal of rice used is known as 'Mochi-Gome' and 'pops' into white kernels. The fresh vegetal flavor of the green tea is carefully balanced with the toasted, nutty flavor of the rice. Green tea is known to contain high amounts of anti-oxidants that promote a healthy lifestyle. Low in caffeine.

Leaf: The leaf for this had lots of very flat leaf for a sencha. There wasn't as much rice in it as other genmaichas. The rice that was there had a much lighter hue to it than many other genmaichas that I have been having recently. There was a surprising amount of stem in the mix as well, and the tea as a whole smelled similar to a bancha, and not of the typical rice aroma.

1st Infusion: The tea has a lighty yellow green color. There is a light sense of the rice aroma coming from the tea as well, but there is a lack of a tea aroma coming from the tea. The tea tastes thick on the front end with a light amount of rice flavor on the back. The middle of the flavor has a surprising amount of bitterness and a flavor resembling that of bancha.

2nd Infusion: This infusion is lighter green in color. The roasted rice flavor is prominent on the front end, but aside from that there is not much flavor to be found at all.

Rating: 2/10

Conclusion: This genmaicha was not very interesting. It lacked substantial flavor for the tea and the rice flavoring, it only held up to one infusion anywhere near well, and it's price is too high for the level of quality of this tea. There are many other much better genmaichas out there.

Genmaicha (Organic)

Tea: Genmaicha (Organic)
Vendor: Lamyx
Price: $8.95 / 3oz
Vendor Description:

Toasted rice kernels are blended with tea leaves to produce a sweet, nutty brew.

Leaf: The leaf for this genmaicha looked a bit drier than most genmaichas I have been drinking recently. There is a lighter color to the rice, and a light floral aroma to the leaf. The leaf itself though has a very light color to it.

1st Infusion: The tea had a very light and clear yellow-green color to it. The toasted rice had a very light aroma, and at the same time there was a very sweet aroma to this tea. The flavor matched the aroma as well, being light and sweet. The flavor of the rice was definitely noticeable as a distinctive flavor to it. There was a medium sense of astringency and the tea finished with a bit of a starchy aftertaste.

2nd Infusion: The flavor was still very light, and had a medium sense of astringency. The tea did finish with a very clean feeling, but there was not much flavor due to the rice in this infusion. It feels as though most of the flavor was used up in the first infusion.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: This genmaicha was not particularly interesting. I'm curious how much the organic nature of this played into the less than stellar performance of this tea. At it's price though, it's not a particularly expensive genmaicha, but most genmaicha is not particularly expensive. I guess if you are looking for an organic genmaicha this could be a suitable choice. Personally I would look elsewhere.

Brown Rice Tea with Matcha

Tea: Brown Rice Tea with Matcha (genmaicha w/ matcha)
Vendor: Maeda-en

About this tea: This is another tea that I picked up during shincha season, but don't have much information about now. It is essentially a genmaicha extra green from Maeda-en, 2008 shincha crop.

Leaf: The leaf for this had a lot of small pieces to it. There was a very surprising amount of rice in this tea, normally a genmaicha has a fraction of the rice that this one does. The leaf was all rather uniformly small in size, it is fairly uniformly sized and there is a hefty coating of matcha over the whole thing.

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a very murky green color to it, very much expected for a matcha coated tea though. It was surprisingly dark though for a genmaicha. The tea had an almost dusty aroma to it with a light toasted rice aroma. The flavor was very smooth and sweet. The rice was very prominent, almost a bit too prominent. The sweetness from the tea and the matcha had a medium bodied effect and left with a light sense of astringency.

2nd Infusion: Surprisingly this infusion was still a murky green color. The tea took on a bit more of a brown-green color. The flavor of the tea itself was quite light and had a light bite to it. The astringency had increased in this infusion.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: The first infusion of this tea was quite good. It was a bit strong on the rice though, the rice:tea ratio was a bit on the high side. The second infusion was a bit more of a lackluster showing. The flavor was enjoyable though, but not spectacular.

Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Dragonwater Tea
Price: $6.00 / 4oz.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: Genmai-cha Tea. A famous blend of Japanese green tea and brown rice.

This is a specialty Japanese green tea that is blended with fire-toasted rice. A good grade Japan sencha is blended with the toasted rice. The fresh vegetative character of the green tea is imparted on the cup but it is tempered with the bakey-like character of the rice. There is a natural sweetness and almost chewy character to the finish of this tea. During the firing of the rice, it is not uncommon for rice to ‘pop’ not unlike popcorn, hence the pet name ‘popcorn-tea’

Legend has it that during the 1400’s an important samurai warlord in Hakone on the Izu Peninsula of Honshu Island (the Izu Peninsula is near the Shizuoka area) was having tea in the morning discussing a battle strategy with his patrol leaders. A servant by the name of Genamai was serving hot tea to the group. Leaning over to give tea to the warlord, rice that he had surreptitiously taken for a morning snack fell out of his pocket into the steaming hot tea. Some popped upon hitting the hot tea. The warlord was incensed, jumped up brandishing his samurai sword he promptly cut of Genamai’s head in one fell swoop. He then sat down to continue the meeting. Despite the fact that the tea had been tarnished he drank it anyway. The flavor was very unique and he enjoyed it tremendously. In honor of poor Genamai he pronounced that this rice and tea be served every morning and be called ‘Genmaicha’ (cha being the name of ‘tea’ in Japanese).

Leaf: The leaf for this genmai had quite a bit of rice in it. The aroma of the leaf was not very appealing though it had a sense of staleness to it.

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a very typical genmaicha aroma to it. It had an almost overpowering rice aroma as well. The tea was a light yellow green color. The flavor of the tea was almost overwhelmed by the rice, it wasn't a very good balance. Most of the flavor of the tea itself was masked by the rice flavor. There was a light crispness, to it.

2nd Infusion: The second infusion was darker yellow in color. This time matching the color the flavor was heavier on the rice flavor. It was bitter, like the flavor of burnt rice. The flavor felt empty with just a hint of astringency on the back end.

Rating: 1/10

Conclusion: I did not particularly enjoy this tea. The flavor was overly dominated by the rice flavor, almost as though they thought they could make the tea better by adding more rice. Stale flavored rice at that. If they were going to go that far, why not just go so far as just remove the tea altogether and make a beverage using just rice. There are much better genmaicha teas out there.

Genmaicha

Tea: Genmai cha
Vendor: Sugimoto USA
Price: $12.50 / 80g.
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Genmai cha radiates inviting taste perfection that delights and warms your senses. Developed about 70 years ago, Genmai cha is quite famous for its unique roasted flavor. Its distinctive smooth and mild flavor come from a harmonious blend of young tea leaves, roasted brown rice, and powdered tea leaves called Matcha.

Enjoy this gourmet green tea with a balanced flavor of green tea leaves and brown rice. Our Genmai cha flavor is never dominated by the roasted rice. The subtle touch of Matcha (the ground tea leaves traditionally used for formal tea ceremonies)bestows a natural sweetness, as well as a satisfying sheer green color to your brewed tea. We use only the finest Matcha grown by an artisanal tea company with a 70-year history.

About this tea: Hearing about this tea was the what caused me to first take a look at Sa for teas. This particular tea won 1st place at the world tea expo for the best blended/flavored green tea.

Leaf: This tea had a higher non-leaf:leaf ratio than many genmaicha teas that I have had in the past. There was quite a bit of rice, and the leaf had a coating of matcha mixed in with it. At first glance the tea did not seem like it would be anything particularly different from any other genmaicha teas.

1st Infusion: The tea had a very murky green color, primarily due to the matcha component. The shade of green was a very vibrant and brilliant color, not dark and murky like some matcha coated teas are. The flavor was very fresh and crisp. The rice popped into mind with a sweet flavor like senbei (Japanese rice crackers). There was a light sense of astringency, to tail off on the mild and smooth flavor of this tea.

2nd Infusion: Having washed off the majority of the matcha powder, the tea took on a lighter and clearer color. It was still mostly green in color. The infusion did not taste quite as sweet and flavorful as the first infusion, the matcha component having been removed in the first infusion. There was a light bitterness to the flavor to leave it acting more like a sencha.

Rating: 10/10

Conclusion: So far this has been the best genmaicha that I have had to date. The flavor was very well defined and really brought out the sweetness of the toasted rice. It did not simply show that facet of the flavor, but still balanced with the flavor of the tea and the richness of the matcha. I can see why this tea won first place at the world tea expo for it's category.

Japan Genmaicha

Tea: Japan Genmaicha
Vendor: Tea Gschwendner
Price: $4.84 / 50g.
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: A very popular Green tea blend in Japan, made by mixing roasted whole grain rice with fresh Sencha. Milder, and less strong in the cup than pure Sencha, it has a pleasant aroma of toasted rice.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was about what I would expect from a genmaicha. The leaf was matte in color with color variations throughout the leaf. There was the characteristic aroma of the puffed rice from the mix. The leaf was somewhat unimpressive in its size and shape from rolling. The leaf was more twisted and contorted than regular for sencha, and was not rolled into the fine needles like some senchas are.

1st Infusion: There was a normal light green color and the infusion was fairly transapernt. It had a very characteristic fresh crisp aroma from the puffed rice. It had a very clean fresh tang to it. The flavor was very smooth and sweet, there was no astringency or bitterness. The flavor was very crisp on the front of the tongue, and produced a very good and distinct genmai flavor.

2nd Infusion: This infusion produced a more yellow colored infusion. The flavor was more muddled and not nearly as crisp. The front of the tongue flavor was definitely duller. It had a very rich and full flavor this time, with a very full bodied flavor spreading throughout the mouth smoothly. There was no bitterness and a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: It was a bit disappointing how much the clean and crisp flavor of the first infusion disappeared with the second. The leaf had a bit of a disappointing appearance to it as well. It is to some degree to be expected of a genmaicha, but not necessarily the way it would have to be. As a genmaicha though, this was a very good contender.

Genmaicha Extra Green

Tea: Genmaicha Extra Green
Vendor: Den's Tea
Origin: Shizuoka and Nishio, Japan
Price: $4.25/2 oz.
Vendor Description: Genmaicha Extra Green (with Matcha), Den’s Tea special blend of Genmaicha with Matcha powder tea is a slightly sweet and highly aromatic tea. Match contributes its natural sweetness to the full body flavor of the Genmaicha.

This tea is a combination of genmaicha and matcha. It is genmaicha that has been rolled in matcha. The liquor itself has a brilliant green color with a certain cloudiness. I was a bit surprised at first to see the color of this tea because I wasn't expecting something with quite this shade of green to it.

The tea itself is slightly sweet and very smooth. It is a very mild tea with a light taste of the toasted rice. The toasted rice flavor is not nearly as prevalent as with other genmaichas. It has a very light astringent taste to it that is mild enough to leave the mouth with a slight sense of cleanliness, but not so much that it is highly noticeable.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This is a very unusual combination of Japanese teas, it is sweet and at the same time very mild. It is not a particularly expensive tea, and I think it would be well suited for a daily tea. My favorite part of this tea is that it is somewhat mild.

Genmai cha

Tea: Genmai Cha
Vendor: Adagio
Location: Japan
Cost: $8.00 / 5 oz.
Vendor Description:Green tea from Japan that is the 'snap, crackle, pop' of teas. Genmai Cha is an exotic Japanese recipe that combines popped rice and popcorn with tender and delicate green tea leaves. First used by peasants as a cost-saving measure, our 'Genmai Cha Pop' tea is now equally popular with modern urbanites. Both groups enjoy a refreshing cup that's both sweet and nutty.

First off let me say that I am somewhat biased against genmai cha. I've never been a big fan of it, primarily because of the roots of it. Genmai was originally a way to make lower grade tea more palatable by adding the popped rice and popcorn to it. This mellows the flavor, thus hiding the flavor of the actual tea. My primary reasoning against it is that it does not pair well with foods and I started to dislike it more and more when I was served this in restaurants when I would order food.

In reference to this specific genmai though, I was actually a bit surprised. The flavor of the popped rice in this one was much stronger than most other genmai that I have had, where the popped rice has a stale flavor and you can taste that. The freshness of the popped rice reminded me a lot of senbei (japanese rice crackers). This freshness while very overpowering is a very welcome flavor to this tea, as the one food that pairs almost perfectly with tea is senbei.

The tea has a very high level of astringency to it, more than I normally desire. I rarely let the level of astringency affect my enjoyment of the tea unless it is to an extreme. While this tea isn't quite to this level it is high and pushes the limit of how I like that.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: While I am not a big fan of genmai, this is a particularly good and fresh genmai. Fans of this type of tea would do well by picking some of this up. It's relatively inexpensive nature makes this a good daily tea.