Is Genmaicha an acquired taste?

I loved it from my first try as well. But I understand why some people may find a savory tea odd. It can be a bit brothy.

As someone who only recently acquired a taste for genmaicha, I would say it depends on one’s tastebuds and how it’s steeped. I’m not a fan of roasty teas to begin with so I didn’t care for its burnt taste. It wasn’t until I got my hands on some good quality genmaicha with matcha and steeped at lower temperatures that I started liking it. I think the matcha helps takes the edge off the bitterness and gives it a fuller flavor. Because ordinary genmaicha doesn’t taste like much else besides toasted grain.

It’s an interesting idea, if some type of tea is an acquired taste more than others. One hears matcha described in this way, but of course someone could love decent matcha the first time they tried it, or maybe even lower grade matcha, or maybe something related like matcha ice cream could serve as a gateway. I would think tea mixed with roasted rice would be the opposite, the kind of thing people would like right away, and then maybe move away from once they were exposed to other teas, but any of that would really depend on individual preference.

It is an acquired taste. I first had it at a Japanese teahouse. Liked the roasted grain/ nutty flavours. Though sometimes it tastes more like noodle soup.

The 2nd Genmaicha I had was wonderful, the 1st was…ehh. So I don’t think it was quite an acquired taste for me.

The actual question about it being an acquired taste corresponds to someone needing to try it several times to like it, right? This relates to how someone wouldn’t like coffee, or beer, or scotch at first, but once they get used to these unusual taste ranges they would like them, or at least might or might not. I found genmaicha to be very approachable at first, so per my experience maybe more a good introduction, easy to like on the first try, or the opposite of an acquired taste. I mentioned matcha because people have claimed the opposite for that, that it is an acquired taste, not as natural for people to like it on the first try, or for Wuyi Yancha type oolongs, perhaps for other tea types as well.

Hojicha was an interesting opposite experience for me. I tried a couple versions at the same time and thought they were great, a new expression of tea I could really get into. By the time I had finished all of it I thought it was nice but I’d probably not get around to ever trying it again any time soon.

I’ve had times when I crave this tea and want it frequently. Then I will go long periods of time when I don’t have it. There is a strange attraction to it.

I’ve only tried a couple genmaicha teas, but since I tend not to care for green tea, I didn’t really like them. I did really enjoy Verdant’s Black Chocolate Genmaicha, and I’ve toasted rice on my own and enjoyed that. So I think it really is the green tea, or the way the flavors of the green tea and the rice interact.

i know its not for me. too food tasting for me.