It is sencha with toasted brown rice - I wonder who thought that up? This provides a little heft and cracker-like flavor to this green tea. I'm rating it in 2018, but I liked it a little more in some prior years.

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Alex Zorach wrote: on April 19th, 2018

I've read a lot of different sources about the origins of genmaicha, but I'm not quite sure what to believe. I've heard a number of different stories or explanations, all of which sound plausible...including that it was a way to make stale tea taste better to help drink it up, that it arose from or was inspired by the practice of dunking toasting rice cakes in tea, or even that someone's rice cake fell into their tea accidentally and it tasted good. I've also heard that it was a way to "extend" tea, making it more affordable to poorer people. But all of this seems like hearsay, it's always presented as "There is a saying that..."

I've also had the thought that genmaicha is pretty natural given that Japanese already brew barley tea, an herbal tea made of toasted grain. It seems a very small leap to move from that to doing the same with toasted rice, and then another small step to blend that with green tea.

Perhaps I could research this more and add the material to our article on genmaicha!

At any rate I always like these blends, they're pleasant, although I like some more than others.

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