So, does it smell toasty? Yes, yes it does, it is like a campfire with notes of marshmallow, toasted bread, toasted corn, loam, and a slight umami note from the toasted rice. Yes, it is rather fascinating, the black rice is not as sweet as the rice you get in the usual genmaicha, it has a savory note more similar to Basmati rice.

Ok, clearly someone took the essence of autumn and distilled it down into a cup of tea! It is loamy, toasty, smoky, grainy, and sweet, all in one! It is not as sweet as Kyobancha on its own, but it does still have the toasted marshmallow and loamy notes, but now they are mixed with toasted bread and rice, and a nice finish of smoke. It reminds me of eating rice crackers (not the seaweed ones, but the more Gluten Free alternate to crackers, ones) while drinking a toasty cup of more savory Kyobancha. This tea pleases me on a taste level and a feeling level, since it reminds me so much of my favorite parts of autumn.

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