Tea of Inquiry

Getting rid of some more bags!

This is toasty roasty morning goodness! It is mostly the roasty flavor of the rice, but there is just enough flavor from the grassy, mildly sweet green tea to let me know it’s not just rice

I could barely finish this stuff.
I don’t think I’m a fan of this roasted rice stuff.
I was only able to get down a few sips.
Thanks Ellen for this generous amount but this isn’t my cup of tea:(
If anyone is a fan of toasted rice teas I’m open for a swap:)

My RoT favorite. I’ve been having some serious reservations about sweet tea lately, and sweet is pretty much the last thing genmaicha is. Warm, earthy, toasted. RoT’s version is pretty tame compared to some others I’ve tried, but by itself I don’t think it needs to be any stronger. Just a super pleasant kind of woodsy toasty rice flavor. I would say to those just trying this, be prepared for a rather distinct toasted rice, or popcorn-ish flavor. In my experience with genmaicha this is usually stronger than in Tea of Inquiry, but it does not go unobserved here.

This was my first experience into the world of Genmai cha tea. I was introduced to it several years ago by a good friend who drank it all the time while we were at work at Barnes & Noble. It was hard to find, but when I finally did buy a tin for myself, I loved it! I really like earthy tastes, and this tasted like grass and rice, which I loved.

Many people say this Republic of Tea version is not the best example of genmaicha, and now that I have tasted others, I know that this one is different. I think it is easier to drink than “better” genmaichas, and I am glad this was my introduction.

If you have tried other genmaichas and found them hard to like, try this one – it is milder flavored, even if it is not “proper”.

I just got this in the mail today, and was eager to try it out. After five cups of Oolong, the sun set and it got cold, so I figured this would be a great way to warm up! As a side benefit, I’ve never gotten more than 4 good cups out of Genmaicha (emphasis on good).

This tea had all of the typical things: The toasted rice taste, the pleasant aroma (which was strong enough that I could actually smell it though my congestion). The only problem was, it was by no means unique. There was nothing to make this stand out, and the flavor wasn’t exactly strong. The first infusion I made was accidentally steeped for minutes, and yet, I wouldn’t consider it to be over steeped. I think that this is a good tea for a beginner, as further experimentation proved that it was remarkably forgiving with respect to steep length and temperature, but it isn’t a flavorful tea by any stretch of the imagination. I’ll probably keep some on hand until I find something better, but make no mistake, if something better appear at a reasonable price, I’ll snap it up.

The only one of this brand’s line that I don’t like. It has the oddest flavor – I suppose that’s the rice?

This is a traditional japanese Tea, Genmaicha. One of my favorites. Though not as good as many other brands

I absolutely love this tea—it’s one of my personal favorites. The toasted rice flavor give s the tea a warmer taste and a bit deeper flavor than just the green tea alone. It’s a bit unique and some may not care for it—but it’s one of my go to favorites!

I will keep this short. I bought some of this from a bulk bin at a store nearby as a cheap way to help me learn how to brew Genmaicha.

The plus side is I think I’ve brewed it properly. The downside is I am not too into this tea. The most distinct notes are of toasted seaweed and sesame, along with the obvious toasted rice flavor. A second infusion yielded a slightly more green taste, but drying. I am rating this tea rather low numerically simply because there are such such better genmaichas out there. This one is not indicative of good genmaicha, so if this is your first experience with it, don’t let it fool you.

I leave you with this bit of Keanu Reeves level mind-blowing wisdom from Republic of Tea.

“We’ve named ours “Tea of Inquiry” perhaps because the humble origins of Genmaicha remind us that it is from a position of humility and awareness of our universal desire for more knowledge, that our inquiries may have the greatest chance of success.”

At the coffee shop I worked at, we used to call this “Tea of Iniquity”. Because it sounds funny. There are better brown-rice / genmaichas out there, but this is the perfect one for a starter or an entry-level: to get used to the flavor and the idea. And it’s a good fall-back, too, for when you want genmai, but you can’t afford the really expensive stuff from Japan.