A young monk asked the wise tea master Lao Cha:
— Sensei, what happens when you blend wonderful, fresh Spring sencha with delicious, aromatic, and nutritious rice?
— You will get Genmaicha, a tea that is most admired and cherished in Japan.
This Genmaicha is made by first soaking, then roasting brown rice, and blending it with sencha (a Japanese green tea). With a bright yellowish-green liquid and sweet, nutty flavor, this tea has the freshness of green tea and the fragrance of fried rice.
Brown rice is rich in vitamins C, B2, and B6 and low in calories. It is rich in fiber, which can benefit gastrointestinal flora. That makes it vastly different than sencha, which is rich in tannins. Genmaicha, combining the benefits of green tea and roasted brown rice, makes a great everyday beverage and is an unmistakable exponent of Japanese culture.
Our Genmaicha Green tea combines 50% tea leaves and 50% rice. The leaves are a mix of springtime, fall, and winter harvest of the Yabukita cultivar, growing on a family farm in the Kakegawa region of southwestern Shizuoka, Japan. The blend ensures a varied and flavorful profile of this craft tea. The fragrant rice is sourced from Japan.
Our Genmaicha Brown Rice Green Tea has a dark lime color. The fragrant rice gives it a warm, nutty taste and a full, comforting mouthfeel. Due to the high starch and fiber content, it has a soothing effect on the stomach. The fresh, grassy feeling of green tea blends well with the sweet, satisfying flavor of the baked rice. Brewing it is indeed an indulging tea ritual that will delight all your senses!
Shizuoka is Japan's largest tea-producing region. It accounts for roughly a third of Japan's total tea production. Shizuoka has a rich tea history, growing tea for over 800 years. It is one of the original places tea seeds were brought from China by the Zen Buddhist monk Eisai. Many mountainous areas dot Shizuoka's landscape. The volcanic soil is rich in nutritional substances and trace minerals. They get sucked in by the roots of the tea plant and create the unique flavor profile of this specialty tea.
Initially starting as a drink for the poorer class, today, Genmaicha is a preferred drink for people from all walks of life. According to history, Genmaicha was born from Buddhist monks mixing tea with the burned rice on the bottom of their bowls. Before long, tea vendors took up on this habit, mixing tea with rice and selling it as a daily tea drink.
Unlike other green tea, Genmaicha is actually well tolerated in the morning, served as a standalone breakfast. You can equally enjoy its fuller, thick mouthfeel throughout the day.
Brewing guidelines:
175℉ / 80℃ for the first infusion; Keep raising water temperature for subsequent infusions
1g per 60ml
2min for the first infusion; then 30sec; +15 for each subsequent infusion