Genmaicha

I drink a lot of iced tea every day even in colder months, and my consumption pretty much doubles in the summer. I really can’t afford to ice all the teas I’d like to since the bf and I go through about half of a very large pitcher a day—even some of the cheaper blends I like cold like Bangkok would cost an arm and a leg over the course of a hot NYC summer. So, I need a cost-effective tea to make, preferably one that I take no sugar in so I’m not ingesting a truckload of extra calories. I’ll be honest, I like most of my iced tea sweet, even blends that I wouldn’t sugar hot. To me, nothing screams refreshing like genmaicha, so when I saw a 400g packet of this in one of the asian groceries for $4 I absolutely had to get it. Ends up costing about 7 cents a day (15g per a pitcher cold-brewed), not bad at all! Plus no sugar… I can’t even imagine sugar in a straight genmaicha (though I did put it in the strawberry cheesecake one).

This is SO GOOD. Cool, refreshing, crisp and light from the green tea, earthy and nutty from the rice. I think cold brewing it brings out the green base a lot more, as hot this particular blend ends up being all nutty toastiness (which is nice and all, but I like it better with a bit more balance). Yup, definitely going to be drinking this alllll summer. It’s already 95, not really a great sign of things to come, but with the AC blasting and a glass of this in hand I just might survive.

EDIT: Seems like we actually went through an entire pitcher in a day since I just drank the last glass… seems like our cost will be raised to a whopping 15 cents a day!

Now this is my ultimate staple in my household. I’m on my second 400g bag and will keep on going. I originally fell in love with Genmaicha when I’d go out for sushi with friends and family. The wonderfully roasted aroma and taste of the tea was always an added bonus to the meal. Just had to get some for home and found this for dirt cheap.

And hey, despite it being so cheap, it’s freaking good. There is a perfect balance between the rice and tea. I’ve steeped this for several different lengths of time, in different temperatures, etc. Hot, iced, it’s fantabulous. I’m always up for trying samples of Genmaicha from other companies, but ultimately, I will always be satisfied with this one. I’d also say that out of all the Genmaichas that I have tried, this one has delivered the toastiest flavour.

Thanks Alphakitty

It’s looks like your typical Genmaicha but it has a less intense aroma, I think. Plus, I think the flavor is a bit more vegetal-juicy and a tad less popped rice and popcorn flavor than others I have tried but REGARDLESS this is darned tasty! Maybe because it seems a bit more buttery than some of the others or a combo of all the less is more type flavors – not sure – but it’s very YUMMY!

YAY!
I have been wanting to get a tea to cold steep for the summer, but most teas would end up costing an arm and a leg to make them strong and flavourful for making large amounts of. With all you wonderful Steepsters drinking this up like crazy I had to track some down!
I put 1.5 tablespoons in warm water, then stuck it in my fridge for a while (4+ hrs). The results? Delicious! I am so very happy I found this. Sweet green tea taste with a nice toasted flavour. Staple for summer! I just hope it shows up sooner than later as it’s been raining cats and maybe dogs, but definitely cats, for way too long.

EDIT: Alright, so I’ve had at least 4 cups of this in half an hour. My stomach is so full, but I can’t stop drinking it >.<

Loose
Appearance: small leaf, lots of sorghum seed, some popped rice
Aroma when Dry: buttery, nutty
After water is first poured: buttery, creamy, nutty, grassy, faint earthiness
At end of steep: harsh grass
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: grassy, clear
Staple? Type yes, would not use brand again
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first: harsh grassiness, slight rice and butter notes hinted at
As it cools ? Harshness lessens, creamy notes surface
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No

Lingers? Yes, harsh at first, slight buttery grass notes close

Yummy! I’ll have to test out different proportions of leaf and water, and different steep times to get it just right. Very rice-y.

My family received a 400g bag of this tea (along with a gigantic bottle of honey and a big box of ramen) from our pastor when he decided to retire and leave the God-forsaken town of Nome, Alaska.

Anyway, I’ve had trouble keeping this tea in the bag. The bag itself is really not that sturdy, so I definitely suggest putting the contents into another tin or jar for storage.

The tea itself is really nice — when brewed accordingly to directions, it’s nice and balanced, with a light popcorn/popped rice taste over a warm green tea base. I’ve had Takaokaya’s genmaicha before, and I like this one more. It’s toasty and warm, but there’s no powdery taste. I’m having it with rasmalai and oatmeal, and it sounds weird to pair it with those, but it works.

I like to pull this tea out when it’s cold and snowing and icy and windy, which is the normal Nome weather. It’s like I associate this tea with Nome. …I wish I didn’t do this. Nome is horrible, really. If you can take one thing away from this review, it’s that you should never go to Nome.

Super toasty and nutty flavoured. You mainly get the ricey taste and not so much of the green tea. This is a great one to go with food and for the colder weather and you can easily get quite a lot of infusions out of it (the instructions on the bag recommend 20 sec steep times). On the other hand because it is SO toasty, it’s not something I can stand the taste of every day…

This is one of my comfort teas I drink daily. You can equally taste the green tea and the roasted rice. It’s very vegetal, grassy, nutty with hints of roasted seaweed flavor.

Comforting. Is a great substitute for my morning coffee. Roasty, light to med body. Not too sweet, earthy, slightly vegetal and smoky. Fairly clean aftertaste. A favourite!

Mmmm a very nice tasting and affordable genmaicha! I have been drinking this for years. Everyone tells me genmaicha is the Japanese “poor man’s tea” but who cares it tastes great and I love the roasted rice flavour!

Genmaicha is my favorite tea thanks to Collette and Liz introducing me to it 8 years ago. My stepmom brought me back a bag of it. Soothing!

One of my favourite teas.
It have a special body, texture, a strong ricey taste and it’s so diggestive.

It tastes great with brown sugar.

I drank the last of my Genmaicha today and will have to buy some more. This tea reminds me so much of the first time I ate sushi with my dad in a little sushi place in bridgeland that had beautiful wood fired mugs that I am reminded of that time every time I drink it.

Fantastic smooth genmaicha, it also lasts a long time without getting too bitter…a good choice if you don’t want to drink all your tea right away.

I drank this at a sushi place and really enjoyed it. It’s more of less my first experience with genmaicha, and even though this is a pretty basic grocery store brand (I asked the server) I’m quite impressed.

The roasted grain flavour is distinct but at the same time it doesn’t overpower the food it’s paired with. If anything it enhanced the taste of the sushi.

This is one of my favorite teas. I can always rely on Genmaicha to taste great and smooth. I love the warm rice taste to it.

I drink this daily… It has a nice robust flavor and is smooth.

Usually drink this in a stainless steel tea mug, and steep at least 2-3 times before changing the leaves.

This tea is very inexpensive. As it is a blend of approximately 50% tea and 50% toasted rice, it is low in caffeine and may be enjoyed anytime. The comforting and familiar taste of toasted grain mellows the grassy taste of the green tea leaves. This is tea for the common man. I have been hooked from the first sip.