Organic "Genmaicha" Green Tea

Our organic "Genmaicha" green tea is a type of Japanese tea, made from a mixture of green tea and roasted, popped brown rice. Genmaicha translates directly as "brown rice tea" as it is typically made by roasting kernels of brown rice and mixing them with sencha green tea.

Genmaicha has been blessed with a couple of other monikers, such as "popcorn tea" because some of the rice grains pop during roasting and "people's tea" or "poor man's tea" because it was traditionally consumed by those with humbler means.

Struggling people had to be resourceful. Tea could be expensive, so to make it last longer and effectively lower the actual cost of the tea, they added rice. It worked as a filler, making this infusion more affordable to poorer folk.

Considering its humble beginnings, the traditional Genmaicha consisted of more affordable green tea, specifically Bancha, and roasted unhulled rice. These days, Genmaicha is no longer the poor man's drink, although it could still be referred to as the people's drink since it remains so popular that it has even become trendy. These days, genmaicha is made with premium sencha green tea.

What does Genmaicha tea taste like?

• Thanks to the starch and sugar from the rice, Genmaicha is known for having a warm and nutty flavor with a sweetness to it. It's pretty mild, with a pleasant cereal taste. The combination of the green tea's fresh vegetal flavor and the aroma of the toasted rice is also delightful.