Genmaicha

The smell of severely burnt popcorn wafts from the tin long before water even hits it. Once water hits it, it is even worse, how is that possible? Once one gets past the disgusting smell, the taste of the tea doesn’t exist. It simply had no flavour at all. Not good, not bad, just hot water.

Advent calendar day 3. When I first brewed this tea, it smelled instantly like badly burnt popcorn. Not a good start, especially after the previous 2 advent calendar days. I brewed it for exactly 3 minutes as not to oversteep and it turns out that was the right call. I can tell that this tea would get bitter very quickly. The first few sips were a light green tea flavour with some light notes of toasted rice. It wasn’t especially great, but it wasn’t terrible either. Then, as I worked my way through the cup, the aftertaste of burnt popcorn invaded my mouth and clung to my tongue. Even after chugging water and milk, I can’t get rid of it. Seriously, day 4 has to only be better, right?

I have only had genmaicha once or twice. One was a flavored version by Nina’s called Nina’s Japon and it was excellent. I think I had one other that was bagged and I didn’t care for it.

I made this one a bit strong simply because there s a little more leaf than needed but not enough for another serving. Four of us drank it. Two didn’t like it, one said it was okay, and I really enjoyed it – quite a bit.

Maybe it was because I overleafed, but the aroma was pure burnt popcorn kernels. The tea was sweet and smooth’ though, and I loved the roastiness.

Really good stuff and a bit of a departure from what I usually drink so it was a nice switch up. Steeped a rounded tablespoon in 20 ounces water at 175F for three minutes.

Day 3 of the 2016 advent calendar! The first time I ever had this tea was on bad terms. I had it from the 2014 advent calendar and it was after I totally bombed a final so… I was not the most happy tea drinker that day. Today I’m doing a lot better though so I should enjoy this cup.

The smell is very grassy, I’m not really getting too much of the toastiness from the rice, but I’m hoping that will change when its steeped. Even when it’s steeping though, the toasty smell is way stronger, so I’m excited to sit down and relax and sit this while I study some.

Tastewise this tea is quite interesting. The green tea base is more mellow than I imagined, not that I’m complaining. I think it pairs well with the toasted rice flavor. Reading up on the history of this tea it’s quite interesting, how the Japanese working class beefed up their tea like this. Pretty clever, in my opinion.

Overall, I think this tea is a pretty nice take on the standard green tea. The next time I need to stock up on some plainer green teas I’ll keep an eye out for this one.

This tea is great if you dont want a flavored tea. I had never tried it before but I got a whole tin of it because I knew i’d like it. I have so so so many flavored teas that I needed something more subtle and unflavored. Its very interesting. You know, it tastes like puffed rice cereal. Once you brew a cup and smell it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. I am not dying in love with it. But its a great staple to have in the tea cabinet!

Was gifted to me by one of the ladies at the local store. She thought I would really like it. I do enjoy it quite a bit, but it is a little buttery for me.

If it was less buttery and more earthy instead of buttery it would be awesome.

Although the price makes me want to get a full tin.

This looks cool and it tastes pretty good too. Plus it’s a cheap tea!

A cozy, refreshing afternoon green tea. I love the taste of this ricey/salty tea for days when I feel like something warm but not heavy.

This is also really good for that 3pm afternoon wall I sometimes hit at work – or at home.

If I could only drink one tea for the rest of my life, this would be it! Love the toasty scent and flavour :)

Received in my Advent Calendar. Nice, clean toasty rice taste. Very comforting.