How Is Genmaicha Made?

Japanese green tea and roasted rice are combined to create genmaicha, also known as brown rice tea. The mixture strikes a balance between roasted rice’s nutty flavor and green tea’s astringency.

Traditionally, bancha is used to make genmaicha. However, nowadays you can find Genmaicha prepared with different green teas, especially with sencha, houji, and gyokuro. Recently, genmaicha prepared with matcha tea have also been launched on the market, recognizable by the distinctive green color of the mixture.

The roasted rice, called genmai ( 玄 米 ), is generally blended with green tea in a 1:1 ratio, although this ratio may vary depending on the recipe followed by the manufacturer.

Is Genmaicha made from brown rice?

Although the word Genmai can be translated as “brown rice,” Genmaicha is actually made almost exclusively using white rice. It seems, in fact, that roasted brown rice does not have the same fragrance as white rice, as well as too dark a color.

Traditional Genmaicha is made using mochi rice ( も ち 米), and the one made with only mochi rice is still considered the best quality rice. It is not uncommon, however, to find Genmaicha made with rice the common Japanese, uruchimai ( う る ち 米 ). Both types of rice can be used mixed.

How is roasted rice prepared?

Rice is steamed after being softened in water. After cooking, the rice is dried (usually with hot air) and then toasted. Once roasted, it is cooled and then mixed with green tea.

Genmaicha often contains puffed rice kernels (similar to popcorn). This is because, using the traditional roasting process, the rice very often burst. With modern cooking and roasting processes this no longer happens, but some puffed rice kernels are still added to make the tea more similar to traditional tea.

History of Genmaicha

The origins of Genmaicha are not certain. One theory has it that Genmaicha originated from the intuition of a man in Kyoto, who, having leftover mochi rice cake from the Japanese New Year at home, thought of adding some pieces of it to his green tea. Another theory, however, sees Genmaicha as having a Korean influence, since roasted rice tea was very common in Korea.

In any case, the custom of adding roasted rice to green tea became very popular in Japan mainly for economic reasons (green tea was not affordable). The poor origins of this beverage also explain the use of bancha (less valuable and usually cheaper than sencha) in the preparation of Genmaicha.

How to prepare Genmaicha

Genmaicha is traditionally a low quality tea, and is therefore infused at high temperatures (as opposed to higher quality green teas such as gyokuro).

Below are directions for preparing this green tea.

• Heat water to boiling temperature.
• Infuse 3-4 grams of Genmaicha per cup.
• Cover the steeped tea to keep the heat constant.
• Allow to steep for about 30 seconds.
• Pour a little at a time (just as you would with coffee) so that there is an even strength in all cups.