So as soon as this was reblended, I immediately snagged three pouches (though not all for me), and this past weekend, I was finally united with them! Upon opening one of the packages to split it up between the girls and I, I noticed a funky aroma. It did not smell like the Marshmallow Treat that I was used to… something was off. This has been the case with both of 52teas’ genmaicha blends that I’ve tried recently – something is just off. Browncoat Genmaicha was undrinkable because of it, and the Banana Cheesecake one was not great either. Anyhow, Sil was kind enough to let me have the remainder of her bag (from the previous reblend) in exchange for the new reblend, so in case my picky tastebuds didn’t like it, at least I had some of the “good” version to drink.
So yes. I was left with a single full packet of this new reblend, and with much apprehension, I decided to brew it up tonight. There was a similar odd flavour from the packet, but with some “airing out”, it seemed to dissipate a bit, and I brewed up a cup. Thankfully, I get to report that this tea, although not quite the same as my other packet of MT, is okay. The vanilla is stronger (possibly because this is quite freshly blended), and I’m getting a teensy bit of bitterness from the toasted rice (doesn’t happen with the other blend), but other than that, it tastes fairly similar, and I can breathe a sigh of relief. This will likely be the packet I take from for my travel mug, and I’ll leave the others for evening cups. I am wondering, though, if the genmaicha base was changed, because there’s definitely something different about all these teas. I have S’mores Genmaicha “on deck”, and am hoping that I like it, as I have an entire pouch of it as well.
I’m scared to try mine…!