Genmaicha玄米茶
Sencha or bancha blended with roasted rice. Less leaf per cup makes it lighter, and the rice adds a warm, popcorn-like aroma. Brew hot and fast, and drink it while the aroma is still up.
How to brew
- Leaf
- 6 g (for two — generous)
- Water
- 260 ml
- Temp
- 95–100°C / 203–212°F
- Steep
- 30 sec
- 2nd
- Boiling, 20 sec
How it is made
Rice is soaked, steamed, then roasted, and blended with sencha or bancha at roughly one to one. Grains that pop during roasting become the white 'flowers' you can see in the blend. Matcha-iri genmaicha, with powdered matcha added, is widely sold too and gives a greener cup.
Flavor
The toasted rice arrives first and the tea follows behind it. With rice making up part of the blend, it is light in astringency and tends to be lower in caffeine than the same weight of sencha. Easy alongside food and easy at any hour.
Where it comes from
- Nationwide
Worth knowing
The rice aroma is lifted by heat and lost quickly. Cool water or a long steep leaves the aroma behind — hot and fast suits it best. If it tastes thin, add leaf rather than time; steeping longer costs you the aroma.