Genmai-matcha Matsujirushi

GCTTB6

Thank you Ubacat for adding this to the box. I never had one of the Steepster teas before but this was a great introduction. Check out my review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2017/03/22/genmai-matcha-matsujirushi-from-steepster/

this is an awesome tea :D

when i smell the tea dry, it smells sweet and like popcorn.

when i smell the tea wet, the smell is intensified.

when i smell the brewed tea, it smells sweet.

when i taste the brewed tea, it tastes sweet with a hint of popcorn

many thanks to toad thomas for this sample :D

Backlog:

This may just be the best Matcha dusted genmaicha tea that I’ve yet to taste. I’ve tried quite a few … this one (at this point) tops the list.

Roasty-toasty warmth with delicious nutty notes and a strong freshness of green tea flavors. The Sencha tea offers a good balance between sweet and contrasting bitter notes. It’s light and flavorful, and the matcha gives the cup a nice body and a slight creaminess which highlights the nutty flavors.

Really good. Delicious hot or iced.

this was quite a nice genmai-cha with matcha! one of the more delicately flavored version i’ve tried – sometimes they’re a little heavy on the matcha, a little light on the genmai, if you know what i mean. nice cuppa, duplicated later in the day and just as good!

When steeped longer this tea reveals a strong green with heavy rice flavor. Very nice every day tea.

Steepster sample 2 of 4

My first thought on opening the package: it’s cute! Something about all the toasted rice and little clouds of popped rice, and the matcha coloring everything green, just looks cheerful. Because of the matcha, I brewed in a transparent glass to see the green color, which did not disappoint.

This tea tastes just like it should—toasty and delicious like a rice snack. It does smell a bit like nori (dried seaweed). I was concerned by all the seaweed comments by other users at first, because for some reason my mind immediately went to…fresh kelp or something. But fortunately the actual aroma is quite pleasant.

(1st steep: 2 min) I have been looking forward to this tea all day. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The blended aroma of cut grass and toasted rice grains is solidly presented in this tea. The cut grass carries over into the flavor, and is well balanced with the toasted grain and bread flavor from the rice. Also, there is a brightness brought to this tea from the matcha powder. It adds weight and a chewiness to the tea which makes it filling. I would be happy drinking this tea any time of the day.
(2nd steep: 2 min 30 sec) There is less of the grassy notes in this steeping. I believe this is due to the lack of matcha powder in this steeping. However, the toasted rice has taken on a malted barley aroma. It is sweeter than the first steeping. Some of this sweetness carries into the flavor, but not enough to where I can be more specific. The flavor in the tea has turned more herbal than grass. However, I am having trouble placing it due to the toasted notes from the rice. As the tea cooled, the herbal flavor is clearly similar to seaweed, and goes well with the tea.

This is my favorite tea I’ve had so far! The flavors are really strong and delicious!

I was very excited to find a genmai-cha in my Select box this month, as they are my absolute favorite type of green tea. This tea is a perfect example as to why I enjoy them: the nutty roasted rice perfectly balances the fresh grassy notes for a well-rounded flavor. I especially enjoyed the malty sweetness that appeared as the tea cooled. A perfectly complex and interesting tea, perfectly refreshing for a warm day. 9/10

My expectations were this: Lotsa matcha, notsomuch genmaicha. I was completely and totally wrong. It’s got a strong genmai flavor and only a hint of the matcha. I steeped this guy for so damn long, too—because I subconsciously ignored the timer—and it didn’t ruin it. Gotta like that.