This is the feed of all reviews of teas from Yamamotoyama on RateTea.http://ratetea.com/brand/yamamotoyama/33/http://ratetea.com/review/7125/http://ratetea.com/review/7125/Wed, 05 Nov 2025 22:04:02 ESTYamamotoyama still packages this tea in the same box shown in the original image, which is at least 15 years old. Oddly, I got it on discount at a Safeway in Hilo, for less than I've seen it at Asian stores in the mainland. So I drank about half the box while staying near the volcano, and am finishing the balance after returning home. Whether on filtered rainwater of my rental house there, or well water of my own here, the in-cup flavor and taste have been quite consistent across various brewing tim...http://ratetea.com/review/6383/http://ratetea.com/review/6383/Thu, 07 May 2020 23:43:09 ESTI really like this genmaicha. Aside from tea in Asian restaurants, this is the only genmaicha that I've ever tasted. The kind that I have (I'm not sure if they've changed the recipe or not) has sorghum in addition to rice. It has a great, nutty, roasted flavor. There isn't much caffeine to it. I'm amazed that this tea has kept so long because I got it quite a long time ago. I imagine it would be even better if fresher. But, I think it says a lot that it still tastes good after so much time. I've tried b...http://ratetea.com/review/6278/http://ratetea.com/review/6278/Wed, 12 Feb 2020 22:21:09 ESTStandard decaf green tea. I would not distinguish this as a special "sencha" one might look for. I was hoping Yamamotoyama's decaf sencha would taste like sencha, but it just tastes like standard chinese decaf bulk cheap teabag tea. The taste of every decaf green tea I have tried is the same. The process of de-caffeinating it must yield the same result in taste, be it Chinese or Japanese green tea. If this variety is common near you, it is may be affordable. For me, I specially ordered it. Locally, I will ...http://ratetea.com/review/6019/http://ratetea.com/review/6019/Sun, 24 Feb 2019 11:42:12 ESTI picked up this tea at a grocery store on a whim. The tea bags appear filled with dust. There is much better tea out there, but this is drinkable if nothing else is available. I may have to bring this to work to share with folks who might like it more. :-)http://ratetea.com/review/5438/http://ratetea.com/review/5438/Sun, 07 Jan 2018 10:33:36 ESTI've only tried and reviewed a few jasmine greens so far, but Yamamotoyama's is the first whose jasmine aroma (dry bag and wet cup) clearly stood as vastly stronger than the flavor. The jasmine taste was detectable, no mistaking it, but couldn't deliver on the promise made by the smell. The aroma took me back to warm nights with southeast winds in one of my childhood homes, when a neighbor had a blooming jasmine vine growing through a chain-link fence in the far part of his yard. I found one packaged ...http://ratetea.com/review/5088/http://ratetea.com/review/5088/Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:23:29 ESTThis decaf certainly smells delicious. The dry teabag smells just like a sencha should. It's fresh, grassy, and a little seaweed. The tea is fine fannings, almost dust. The tea steeps a bright green. The aroma, though a bit muted, is vegetal, like raw green beans. The first taste is a strong, but pleasant bitterness. I normally steep decaf greens with boiling water for four minutes in order to get as much flavor as possible. Since this tea is more flavorful than I expected, I can probably use cooler ...http://ratetea.com/review/4768/http://ratetea.com/review/4768/Tue, 04 Oct 2016 08:38:26 ESTThis is a very special tea. Its aroma and flavor transport you to magical places. I love this tea.http://ratetea.com/review/4662/http://ratetea.com/review/4662/Thu, 24 Mar 2016 23:31:38 ESTThis was surprisingly good. The flavor had a nice soothing aroma and taste in a "ah, this is the kind of food adults like" sort of way. It strikes me as a particularly good tea for certain brisk days. The fact that I like it and that I got a decent size bag of loose leaf for about two and a half dollars makes it one of the highest values I've found in tea. Even if you aren't usually into hojicha, this one is worth a try.http://ratetea.com/review/4651/http://ratetea.com/review/4651/Mon, 14 Mar 2016 09:59:04 ESTSuper cheap and - if you can get it (try H-Mart or other Asian grocers) it's a good bagged Genmaicha option. Refreshing in summer with a roasty-toasty aroma. Grassy notes - and also a sweetness (I do not get a "Honey Smacks" note). Can even be OK over ice.http://ratetea.com/review/4365/http://ratetea.com/review/4365/Tue, 05 May 2015 14:02:08 ESTI buy this in 16 count boxes of well sealed individual pouches from my (more or less) local Asian supermarket. It's amazingly inexpensive, dependable, and it reminds me of Honey Smacks. I get that smacks are puffed wheat instead of rice but tell that to my brain. When I'm not looking for an adventure of some kind and just want to idle on tasty, I pick this green tea and enjoy the toasty goodness. The tea itself is mild and vegetable, perfect for when you're looking to simply hydrate and stay tea-headed...http://ratetea.com/review/4258/http://ratetea.com/review/4258/Sun, 08 Mar 2015 05:13:06 ESTI remember drinking tea like this in Japan. It was never my favorite, unfortunately, but this didn't seem to be a bad sample of it. It has a sort of baked-like flavor that can be very hit or miss with me. Adding honey helped.http://ratetea.com/review/4170/http://ratetea.com/review/4170/Sun, 01 Feb 2015 21:15:44 ESTI usually dislike green teas because they taste smoky, but there's no smokiness here. Weak, vegetable-like aroma, with a rich, nutty, vegetable flavor that's strong and yes, a bit bitter. I put a touch of sugar in and it was very good. http://ratetea.com/review/4109/http://ratetea.com/review/4109/Thu, 08 Jan 2015 11:16:16 ESTI was very intrigued by this tea. I dislike green tea, but this had toasted rice and bits of popcorn in it. It's very interesting-looking, loose. I was really interested in how it tasted. It smells like popcorn or rice cakes and cooked greens - maybe spinach or kale. Not a bad aroma, but not one I associate with tea. The flavor was vegetable and toasted (not smoky, a big difference). I think, in percentages, there's little actual tea in the composition. It appears to be mostly rice, and when boiling wat...http://ratetea.com/review/3920/http://ratetea.com/review/3920/Sun, 02 Nov 2014 09:46:16 ESTThanks to Brytta Sopword for the sample! A low-grade sencha that is remarkably enjoyable for what it is. Flavor is bold, a pleasant bitterness (easily becoming too much if oversteeped), and slight sweet, sour, and savory qualities. Aroma toasty, with a strong warming quality, but also with vegetal notes and faint accents of mint. Surprisingly complex aroma for such an inexpensive tea! Normally I think of sencha as something I like more in the summer, but this is a perfect winter tea: hearty and ...http://ratetea.com/review/3897/http://ratetea.com/review/3897/Sun, 26 Oct 2014 13:10:23 ESTA good genmaicha for a low price, a great everyday tea. Dry leaf has a lot of popped rice kernels in the mix, and has a mild, pleasingly toasty aroma. Brews up a full-bodied cup with a bold flavor, with a light bitterness, light savory (umami) presence, and slight sourness. The base tea comes through a bit in the aroma of the brewed cup, and it smells like a typical bancha. Finish is pleasantly astringent. Like all of Yamamotoyama's loose-leaf, this stuff is inexpensive and pretty good. It's not ...http://ratetea.com/review/3830/http://ratetea.com/review/3830/Tue, 30 Sep 2014 11:22:43 ESTI found this at $5.75 for a 7 ounce bag, making it some of the cheapest loose leaf tea I've ever found. Excellent value! That said, unfortunately, the tea goes bitter far too easily. The leaves are cut very small, allowing it to diffuse quickly. At the bottom of my cup are dark green fannings that couldn't be strained out, which I think is what is causing the tea to increase in bitterness over time. For these reasons, I've found it best to keep the steep time to about 30 seconds and to try to drink it r...http://ratetea.com/review/3824/http://ratetea.com/review/3824/Sat, 27 Sep 2014 23:26:59 ESTThis is not a tea of kings. Genmaicha originates from Japanese peasants using additives to make their sencha last longer--but this particular additive evidently caught on, since it's still consumed today. Though weaker than a typical green tea, this has a hearty, satisfying flavor that seems particularly palatable for children, and is easy to consume on any casual occasion.http://ratetea.com/review/3326/http://ratetea.com/review/3326/Wed, 16 Apr 2014 00:37:36 ESTMy coarse palette can fortunately enjoy only strong green tea, and these tend to be the cheap ones. It's a good thing I can get a 7 oz bag of this stuff online for $3.50, since I drink a big thermos of it everyday. I boil water in a teapot, then turn off the heat and toss the leaves right in, and let them steep for 3-5 minutes. Strong but not bitter. Gets me through the day. http://ratetea.com/review/2568/http://ratetea.com/review/2568/Sun, 28 Jul 2013 18:46:24 ESTThis is a solid loose-leaf hojicha that would be my go-to brand for the dark roast stuff, if it weren't so hard to get my hands on it. Pretty heavy roast for a hojicha. A good mix of stem and large leaves...brews a very dark color with a strongly roasty aroma...woody/twiggy but without being at all smoky. There's a faint suggestion of vanilla in the aroma, like a lot of good hojicha. Flavor is moderately bold, with a little bitterness and a little sourness. Crisp mouthfeel, with a little up-front ...http://ratetea.com/review/2316/http://ratetea.com/review/2316/Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:55:39 ESTI was craving coffee the day that I had it and felt like it was a suitable replacement! It smelled and tasted roasted, and I felt like it was a little thicker than your average tea - especially surprising for a green. Overall I really enjoyed this tea and would have it again, especially if coffee is not in sight!http://ratetea.com/review/2290/http://ratetea.com/review/2290/Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:55:47 ESTThis tea is good. I'm surprised, because I usually feel indifferent about hojicha, but this tea tastes less green than usual, and it has a rich, crisp flavor. I added cream and sugar.http://ratetea.com/review/2258/http://ratetea.com/review/2258/Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:34:27 ESTThis was my first time trying roasted green tea. It is definitely a unique aroma and flavor. It is smokey and rich, crisp and savory. It reminded me a bit of coffee. This is the kind of tea I would like to come home to on a cold winter day. I will be back for more!http://ratetea.com/review/2120/http://ratetea.com/review/2120/Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:57:33 ESTThis tea is pretty good. It has a nice roasty flavor. I added cream and sugar. http://ratetea.com/review/2010/http://ratetea.com/review/2010/Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:34:26 ESTThe aroma of the tea vaguely reminds me of a lower grade Oolong and is very pleasant. It is not an overpowering aroma and has a tendency to fade pretty quickly. The taste is great, Hoji-cha might be my favorite tea from Yamamotoyama Teas. The subtle smokiness with the rich taste of green is an excellent blend of flavors. Great for an Autumn day, I find the flavors evoke the smoky quality of the air, the crispness and the color of the leaves. http://ratetea.com/review/1872/http://ratetea.com/review/1872/Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:33:01 ESTThis review is old and since I wrote it, I have tried other Genmai cha's. For the price you pay, you're getting a pretty good quality product. The tea is a decent quality, slightly sweet sencha while the rice adds this warm nutty flavor to it. This is more of a winter tea for me, but it would go great with chicken stew.