Genmaicha Extra Green (with Matcha)

Yum. Genmaicha has been one of my favorite teas since my macrobiotic diet days. I also drank a lot of twig tea by Choice Organic; I need to get that again someday.

Anyway it’s been a busy weekend, I’m studying for a copywriting class I’ve been taking so I’ve had a little less free time than usual. I felt like I needed a little bit of ooomph to get me through the rest of the evening, but not too much. Thanks to Incendiare, I have genmaicha on the brain!

This is quite a tasty tea from Den’s. It’s very green due to the matcha element, which also adds a bit of sweetness to the mix. You definitely get that savory sort of nuttiness that just seems very soothing and gentle. I like this one and will definitely be wanting more when my bag runs out… see previous notes for more info.

I hope all my Steepster friends are having a good Sunday night!

Got back late last night from my trip to Michigan where I sadly had hardly any tea. So what better way to get back into the swing of things than to drink my favorite tea.

Oh…and some good news…I’m engaged!!

I’m not gutsy enough to put boiled water over matcha, so that didn’t happen. But I needed a caffeinated pick me up to drag me through the rest of the day, so what than genmaicha with an extra dose of matcha for good measure.

The matcha adds a gentle sweetness that compliments the nutty roastiness of the genmaicha. It’s very slightly brothy, but not quite as much so as I was expecting.

The matcha flavor in this one isn’t as potent as American Tea Room’s Genmaimatcha, which is my typical go-to genmaicha with matcha, but it is a slightly sweeter matcha. At just over half the price though, I might have to swap my go to genmaicha in this direction.

I’ve had a very stressful week traveling for work. No sleep. Working with annoying people. Argh!

I took a bunch of tea with me to try. While I didn’t have ideal brewing conditions, I was still able to make a few awesome cups. This one was great! I produced a lovely murky green. And it tasted so rich and toasty. And smooth and green. Genmaicha has always been a homey comforting flavor so it’s hard to go wrong with it. This one however, is comforting and delicious. I usually prefer mine without matcha, but it works in this one.

Story time:
a colleague I had been traveling with had been eying my teas with distrust for days. I’ve been drinking super bright Japanese and korean greens. Finally, he commented that my tea was really green. I offered to let him try some but he declined saying that all teas were the same. " I’m having some right now." he show me the no name green tea bag provided by the hotel. I had tried it and it was truly terrible. How can you say all teas are the same when you yourself stated how different they looked? I am baffled!

I also room temp brewed a bunch while traveling. Easier than getting hot water all the time. My colleagues were so amazed. “are you just soaking your tea leaves?! The water is not hot.” they looked super skeptical when I explained about cold brewing. No one wanted to try any. Sad.

I got one colleague to try a coconut rooibos by adding cram and sugar. She liked it! Finally, a success story.

Yum! I made a small pot of this, and my espresso drinking husband even requested some: “a big mug of it, please!” So I guess I’ll be making another small pot by the end of this evening. :)

I really do love this tea. I’m a big fan of Genmaicha in general. When I finish up this batch, I’m going to give Samovar’s Ryokucha a try. I’m looking forward to seeing how the two compare.

Yay, genmaicha! I’m trying this using one of the filters they provided in my sample kit, which is très convenient because the matcha isn’t settling to the bottom of my mug.

The bright green colour of the dry leaf is lovely. Looks and smells fresh.

The addition of matcha here makes this a little more vegetal, and maybe a touch sweeter too. The rice is as toasty as ever, which balances out that extra green vegetal vibe.

Very well done, Den’s Tea. Although I’ll admit that I’m old-fashioned and still prefer my genmaicha on the toastier side.

I’d read about certain green teas having a post-apocalyptic, glowing green color — the sort of color that makes me think of some of those post-apocalyptic games I played (can’t now remember, was it Fallout? Half-Life? Doom? All of them?) but I’d never actually seen a tea that color. Until tonight. Whoa. Amazing green!

This is the last tea in my sampler, and the fine, very green dusting of the matcha over the leaves and rice is pretty cool looking. It looks like bright, lime-green powdered sugar over long pointy/twisty leaves. It smells juicily vegetal.

I steeped according to the pamphlet instructions: 30 seconds/boiling. The liquor color is a glowing green, not as lime-like as the dry leaves. More tending toward avocado.

The aroma is classic toasty rice, a smell which to me is somewhat similar to the way the old maids in the popcorn bag taste if you chew on them as I’m prone to do. It’s the primary taste as well, with a fresh green tea underlay.

I like the flavor of genmaichas whenever I drink them. I don’t often sit around thinking that they’re just the thing that would hit the spot, though. This is a good, solid genmaicha and I can see ordering it again, but I think the others in the Den’s sample were more suited to frequent drinking as far as my tastes go so I ranked this one a bit lower than the others.

Still working on my limited sample supply – going to run out soon and need to place an almighty order from Den’s. I do love Den’s Tea!
This is my second steep tonight and just as wonderful.

I’m trying this blend in its teabag form, although I did get some of the tea loose-leaf aswell as part of the Green Tea Beginners sampler-thingy. The tea bag was just covered it matcha and the tea turned the water a bright green shade that looked very much like watered down matcha tea. The taste is an interesting mix of the matcha’s grassiness and the genmaicha’s roasted, malty flavours. I think the matcha has the edge in this tea, especially as you get down near the bottom when some of the powder has settled.

This seems to be a similar idea to Samovar’s Ryokucha, but I think the Samovar version is superior simply because it has more complexity and depth of flavour and because the malty genmaicha is the dominent flavour note.

Opening up the sample packet, I’m struck by the bright green color the matcha lends to the ensemble. Amazing that tea can be so, so green. Fantastic aroma of roasted grains and vegetables. The first steep (boiling, 30 seconds) was also bright green, and sweet. The toasty and vegetal flavors are holding hands in the middle of the room, making googly eyes at each other. No bitterness at all, and just the tiniest hint of astringency.

2nd steep: boiling, 15 seconds. Losing some of the nuttiness in the aroma this time around. Still a really bright green liquor though. All the flavors are still there, but now they’ve mellowed with the passing of time and are content to simply be present in their own subtle way.

I think I like this one a bit more than Den’s bagged Genmaicha, if for no other reason than to enjoy the sight of the leaves as they transform under the influence of the water.