Genmaicha: Roasted Rice in Your Cup

Looking for a Japanese tea whose aroma suggests roasted rice? Genmaicha blends that rice with green tea. In leaf form, you steep and strain it; as a powder, you mix it with water and it stays in the drink. Check which form you have before reaching for a teapot or whisk.

We'd first taste a leaf infusion if we wanted to distinguish the rice from the vegetal tea beneath it. For a latte, the powder is better suited to mixing. Japanese teas with toasted notes don't all get them from the same ingredient.

What's in genmaicha?

The rice is roasted before being blended with green tea. Traditional genmaicha tea can start with bancha green tea, sencha or gyokuro. The cup changes with the tea base and the share of rice. The name genmaicha doesn't describe one fixed recipe.

Read the ingredients before choosing on the idea of “rice tea” alone. If you like rice to lead the flavor, a blend with a stronger rice note may appeal to you. To recognize the vegetal base, taste leaf sencha if your genmaicha contains it.

What does genmaicha taste like?

Roasted rice brings a toasted note. Green tea can stay in the background or take a larger role, depending on the blend. Some cups feel rounder, others more vegetal. None of those descriptions applies to every package.

We'd begin without sugar: the rice can already give an impression of sweetness. This blend is less suited to you if you like a decidedly vegetal infusion. To compare two teas, keep the water volume the same and actually taste them.

How do you prepare leaf genmaicha?

For a first try, use about 1 1/2 tsp (4 g) of leaves in 7 fl oz (200 ml) of water at around 203°F (95°C) for 30 seconds. Strain it completely after steeping. This starting point brings out the roasted rice; follow the package directions if your blend calls for a different method.

We'd shorten or extend the steeping time before changing the amount of leaf. That way you'll learn what time adds to the taste. The right setting may change with another tea base.

Do you prepare genmaicha powder the same way?

No. Its particles stay in the drink; they aren't steeped like leaves that you remove. Our Genmaicha Présent powder is meant to be mixed with milk in a latte. It won't satisfy a wish to watch leaves and grains steep in a teapot.

When the flavor needs to carry through milk, we'd choose the powder. For a clear infusion, we'd stay with leaves.

Does powdered genmaicha become matcha?

No. Genmaicha remains a blend of green tea and roasted rice. Tencha, a leaf grown in shade, becomes matcha when milled. A powdery texture alone doesn't make two teas the same.

We'd read the ingredients if two green powders look alike. The name, the material and the preparation tell you more than color alone.