Master Zhang's Genmaicha

I have only been awake for about 3 hours and in addition to breaking some kitchenware, I have also managed to throw my phone across the room in an attempt to answer it (thank god for OtterBoxes), uppercut my own nose, and stub my pinky toe which consequently caused me to hit my thigh into the corner of my desk. Basically I am convinced today is the day I die (or just get a few new bumps and bruises to add to the collection).

On the plus side, I have yet to ruin tea so there’s that. And, I realized I have an insane amount of tea I have not tried yet (courtesy of many large swaps and a bunch of BF orders). This particular cup came to me from the very generous Cavocorax. After the success of Nina’s Japon and Marshmallow Treat, I have sort of gone on a Genmaicha craze in which I want to try all the Genmaichas. Luckily Cavo was able to help me out with that plan.

This tea is so drastically different from the other genmaichas. This is more savory than sweet. The brown rice incorporates the roasted rice flavor I love but also adds a touch of maltiness while the coriander gives the tea a delicious herb flavor. Given the option, I will always reach for Nina’s Japon but when that is removed from the equation, this is a nice and unique alternative. An interesting cup for sure. Not one I would reach for often but nice to have around when I want something different. So thank you Cavocorax for the chance to taste this tea! Hopefully you are enjoying what I sent you as much as I have enjoyed what you sent me :)

Mmm this is really good tonight, resteeped it this time too and it’s still delicious. Cinnamon toast, yep, yet fresh, still savory. I actually gulped a large bunch of the first cup from being thirsty, and it was refreshing, but still cinnamon toast, so weird that something sweet can also be savory! This blend is growing on me pretty quickly, I would probably purchase this again to have kicking around. So differ from regular genmaicha, but similar characteristics. Oh, and second steep had a but more oolong. Yummy! See previous notes!

YUM! This is MUCH better than anything out of the Verdant blend club box for last month! I definitely get a genmaicha vibe from the toasted rice, but the tangy oolong is interesting and different. The coriander and cinnamon give this a curry-like vibe. Very savory, and very southeast asian :)

Another of this months Blend Club selections!

So far, this month has been spectacular! The Chai is my favorite ever by anyone and the herbal was excellent!

This Genmaicha I had some trouble with. Don’t know if it’s my own tastebuds or the blend.

The aroma is spot on wonderful! Rice, Oolong, Cinnamon! Smells great!

When I brewed the tea, all I could taste was Oolong. No spice or rice.
I do enjoy the Oolong, but I couldn’t taste the blend not even the carob (go figure that). The tea tasted like a light roast Oolong, the carob blending into the roasted characteristic along with the slight spiced cinnamon (which can also meld into the Oolong, Rice too…just poof gone).

Ah…

The adventure is ahead next month! Love the creativity of blends!

The first “Verdant Blends Club” tea that I’m reviewing! I have tried one of the others from the previous month… but can’t recall which it was, nor really what I thought of it… so I’ll have to try it again and write something later.

Of the 3 November teas, this one sounded the most interesting to me. Some of the ingredients in these blends are making me a bit hesitant – I tend to dislike a bunch of herbal add-ins that are used – but nothing here is an ingredient that I know I hate, and the previous Verdant blend that I’ve tried in which coriander was a feature ingredient was quite delicious.

Aroma-wise, I’m smelling a bit of toastiness, a creamy oolong, and definitely a gingerbready sort of aroma, which is probably the coriander (although why coriander comes off as gingerbread, I have no idea). Flavourwise, this is a delicious mash-up of oolong, genmaicha, and spice. The sip starts off with the spice, morphs into toasty genmaicha flavours, and ends with oolong and a bit of a spicy kick from… the cinnamon? I’m not really sure. Either way, this is quite a delicious blend. I’d like to compare it to… that other one with coriander (I sent some to my mom at some point, so I’m sure I can achieve this at Christmas); I’m not sure if I like the toasty oolong or green beany laoshan green better as a base tea.

blech. bah. I think i’m going to need to try this one again and then give the rest up for adoption if i don’t figure it out.

Yay getting to all of my Verdant blends in a timely fashion. I was excited about this one since I do love tieguanyin, and am really getting more into the traditional varieties lately. I’ve never been too big on genmaicha, but I can be persuaded.

MMmmm. Ok, to me, THIS tea is the one that really smells like a cookie. A snickerdoodle even! The cinnamon, the doughiness, the toastiness of a fresh baked cookie. Wow I really love this one. To me this is sweet, not savory. This blend speaks to me, haha. I want more!

I’m pretty sure this was sent to me in the Turkey Santa swap by CelebriTEA – thank you so much for this!

My new gongfu is on it’s way, and so I felt bad about having this today without it. Still, I really wanted to try it, so Western style it was.

This steeps up a pale yellow-ish green color, and smells very toasty-roasty rice-y, just like how it tastes. Some depth from (what I assume is) the cocoa, and a few other flavors I can’t quite place, but seem to round out this tea nicely. Initially I thought I’d dislike the tea because of the rice kernels, and then I started to like it, crave it even.

My four cups of this were enjoyed fully, yet quickly, and it helped me meet a deadline – so thank you for that! :)

I kinda like this one. It would be (much) better without the coriander, but the toasted rice kind of overpowers it while hot. I LOVE the toasted rice Verdant uses. So strong and toasty. :D

The Oolong is super duper floral. The floral is coming through the toasted rice, soap, and cinnamon. And sadly as it cools, the coriander is getting soapier. This would be SO good without the excess amount of coriander. Just a little would be fine, but in my bag it looks like at least 1/3 of it is coriander seeds.

Another tea I’m glad I’ve tried, but will probably be relegated to the swap pile. Between the coriander and the mint, I wasn’t super happy with the Blends Club. There are some Verdant blends that I like that I will probably purchase again soon (Sweet Cinnamon Pu’er!), and one I LOVE but just haven’t had the time to sit down and do justice (Earl of Anxi).

I love genmaicha, and was talking about it with someone, so I went digging in my sample box and pulled this out.
Hmmm ok this isn’t “normal” genmaicha – Tieguanyin, toasted wild rice, toasted brown rice, carob, coriander, dandelion root, cinnamon. I don’t always do well with green oolong, and not sure I want cinnamon in my genmaicha but if Stephanie is kind enough to send this to me – thank you very much!!! – then I’m going to at least try it.

Honestly I didn’t think I was going to like this – I am pleasantly surprised. The oolong isn’t too floral for me, the spices are really subtle way in the back – it’s a little green, it’s a little roasty/toasty the with just a hint of something (spices). I couldn’t pick out the individual spice it’s more just an impression take them out and they would be missing, but not quite identifiable.
This is an unusual genmaicha, but very pleasant and well balance for my taste.

Thanks Stephanie – I would never have tried this, and I’m really glad that I did. :))