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Unlike the affordable luxury it had become today, tea was historically a pricy commodity. The Japanese peasants found it difficult to afford much tea, and would mix it with roasted rice, which was abundant and cheap. Thus, they were able to squeeze more cups from the same amount of leaves. A recipe born of poverty, Genmai Cha had now acquired an uptown chic. This tea had outgrown its humble origins to become a favorite of many urban dwellers in both Japan and the West.
Story from Adagio.com
Scent:
I think that this tea's scent is out of this world. I've never experienced anything like this before, haha. It smells exactly like what it's supposed to be. Popped rice and popcorn, although it's not buttery like the popcorn you're used to. It's more of a fresh popcorn smell with a little green-ness accentuating it.
Taste:
This tea has a very interesting taste. Once again, something I've never had before. It comes in with a full rush of green tea taste surrounding that will be a slight hint of smokiness (or toasti-ness?) of the rice and popcorn in your mouth. At the back-end of this tea, there's a strange "freshness" to it? It's hard to describe.
It leaves your mouth and I get this soothing feeling. It reminds me of that feeling I had with the silver needle tea at the back-end once you finish drinking. It doesn't leave an incredibly dry feeling in your mouth either, which I've encountered in some teas and never noticed until now.
Overall:
I didn't think that I would like this tea at first right after brewing it, but I really really enjoy this tea. I would definitely drink this while watching a movie, which I might do in a bit. This tea would be great in the afternoon or if you want to stay up late watching something good on television or on your computer.
It might not be the cup of tea for everyone because everyone has a different taste in tea. I can see people being turned off by the toasti-ness of the flavor in this tea. I'm sure the feeling of having a popcorn-like flavor in your mouth by drinking tea might put off a few. Just make sure that you don't over-steep this tea, it will definitely be too overpowering by then.
Rating:
4.3 out of 5
