Genmaicha - „popcorn tea”
What is genmaicha tea?
What makes genmaicha green tea so special? It's the addition of roasted brown rice, which gives it a truly distinctive flavour that stays with you long after the last sip. Moya Genmaicha is Japanese sencha blended half and half with grains of organically grown rice. It has a slightly nutty, sweetish flavour combined with the refreshing bitterness typical of green tea. The infusion delights with the pleasant aroma of roasted rice, and its colour is typically straw-yellow. Genmaicha tea is hugely popular, and you'll often find it served in Japanese sushi restaurants, since it's recommended to drink alongside food. Where does the name "popcorn tea" come from? Sometimes, during the rice-roasting process, a few grains pop open, resembling popcorn. This rarely happens with a high-quality genmaicha though, such as Moya's, grown organically on the island of Kyushu.
The history of genmaicha
Legend has it that when a shogun's servant from Hakone was serving him tea, a few stolen grains of rice fell out of his pocket and landed in the tea, right under the shogun's nose. Such an offence deserved the harshest of punishments, so the servant was executed. However, the shogun found the rice-infused tea absolutely delicious, and went on to make it a permanent part of his diet. A less legendary, but more likely true, story says that this Japanese rice-infused green tea was actually invented by members of poorer social classes.
They would stretch out their supply of dried tea by bulking up the infusion with rice. The flavour turned out to be so delightful that genmaicha was soon being enjoyed regardless of social status. Interestingly, you can try putting together your own genmaicha at home. Simply toast some short-grain rice in a dry pan and add it in the right proportion to sencha tea.
The properties of genmaicha
It's no surprise that genmaicha green tea, like other green teas, has plenty of health benefits. Drinking it helps clear toxins from the body and lower cholesterol levels, while its antioxidant and catechin content helps slow down the ageing process. Genmaicha has a lower caffeine content, due to the smaller proportion of tea leaves, which means you can happily enjoy it in the afternoon too. It's most often drunk during or after meals, as it has a positive effect on appetite and digestion. Buddhist monks, during long periods of fasting, are known to rely on genmaicha to help them through. There are plenty of reasons to reach for this Japanese rice-infused green tea, which is why we're proud that our online shop offers genmaicha of such high quality.
