Genmaicha

In Japanese, Genmaicha means ‘rice tea’. It is a unification of the two crops central to Japanese culture - tea and rice.

The tea is a blend of genmai (unpolished brown rice), and cha, or Bancha, tea.

It was once considered a cheap peasant beverage where poor Japanese farmers added rice to bulk out the tea. Now, it is one of the most widespread tea in Japan drunk by all segments of society and is considered a delicacy of a tea. 

The steeped tea leaves results in a roasted and nutty flavour of toasted rice reminding us the taste of popcorn (some call this the popcorn tea).