This is my first experience with a genmaicha tea, and it is certainly memorable. I ordered a sample from Harney out of curiousity, and am just now getting to opening it four months later. The blend seems to be equal parts green tea leaves and a rice & popcorn mixture. The popcorn smell is very strong, particularly when the tea is steeping, and it is very evident in the taste as well.
This green is nice in that it’s not as grassy/vegetal as other greens (sencha, for instance) nor is it drying. It’s slightly creamy, slightly vegetal, and very popcorn-y. I am not super into it, but I could see being in the mood for it again at some point. I will probably do a shorter steep next time, too, to see if I like it better that way. I steep the hell out of black tea, so I tend to oversteep greens even though it’s such a short time that it doesn’t feel like they could be possibly be oversteeped.
