82
drank Genmaicha by DAVIDsTEA
16374 tasting notes

Genmaicha is just about the only straight green tea I’ll willingly drink, so I’ve been taking the opportunity to get different Genmaicha teas. Currently, I have the version from McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee Merchants, this one and Genmai Hojicha from DAVIDsTEA, Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha from 52Teas, and will be receiving the Butiki take from a swap. To me that seems like a fair bit of Genmaicha to get through, so I thought I’d start tonight.

The only other Genmaicha I’ve tried that wasn’t from a restaurant was McQuarrie’s version, and comparatively the leaf in this one seems to have a more equal ratio of brown rice to green tea leaves than the McQuarrie’s version did. McQuarrie’s version seemed to have more leaf and less brown rice. As far as the smell of the leaf goes, this is just a touch less seaweedy in smell – so already this is loing fairly promising.

For preparation, I’m using 1 tsp. of leaf in 8 oz. of water that’s roughly 70 degrees celsius. I left it to steep for three minutes. The smell of the steeped liquor is very toasty, and a nice pale yellow.

As far as the taste goes, I get little green tea (which is nice) and lots of toasted rice! I’m heavily reminded of straight puffed wheat. It’s a very nice, comforting cup. No bitterness, either. It’s been awhile since I had my McQuarrie’s blend, but just going on memory I think this is just a touch better? Both are readily available to me, but the McQuarrie’s blend is cheaper. Hmm, I think I’ll need to have the McQuarrie’s blend later tonight or some time tomorrow so I can do a more accurate comparison.

Also, I’m fangirling so much right now! I’m watching Doctor Who and Andrew Garfield is in this episode! Eiiii! I love him so much!!! :D

EDIT: Resteeped the leaf right away – I just needed another cup of toasty goodness. The second steep was ok, but significantly greener in taste. If memory serves, I think I prefer the second steep of McQuarrie’s version to the second steep of the DAVIDsTEA version. Hmmm…

EDIT: Ooohhhh :( Well, that didn’t last long. Poor, sweet, cutie pie Andrew Garfield’s character Frank with the lovely Texas accent just died…

EDIT: Urghhhh… This episode is an emotional roller coaster. Turns out the pig things hadn’t killed beloved Andrew yet! Eeeiii! More Andrew Garfield <3

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Bio

Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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