Green tea mixed with roasted rice may sound unusual if you've never tried it before. But in Japan, this combination has its own name: genmaicha. Its most recognizable feature isn't one fixed flavor, but its aroma. The roasted rice gives genmaicha a warm, toasted fragrance that can remind you of browned rice, rice crackers, or roasted grain. The tea underneath can vary. Some genmaicha is made with bancha, others with sencha, deep-steamed tea, or stems, and matcha may also be added. That makes genmaicha more flexible than its simple name suggests. Once you look closely, a few questions naturally come ...
