Who can resist the idea of Popcorn Tea, especially when the label has little film reels on it for your next movie showing? Teapigs isn’t the first tea company to package genmaicha under the pretense of popcorn, but they have some of the cutest packaging.
Genmaicha is a type of green tea blended with puffed rice. This makes it so that the dry leaf and the brewed tea has a distinct toasty popcorn smell. It is a unique tea, sometimes slightly savory, but always supremely cozy. I highly recommend trying green tea with puffed rice at least once and see how it goes. Teapigs Popcorn Tea is a great place to start.
The overtones of the tea are warm bready notes, the roasted grain flavors of the puffed rice leading the way in scent in taste. Beneath that first burst of popcorn, the green tea comes through with slightly more vegetal notes like gentle celery or bok choy. Alongside the puffed rice, the tea pleasantly reminds me of sauteeing green vegetables in sesame oil.
I love drinking this tea in the late afternoon (or maybe even before a movie in the evening!). With lower caffeine than black tea, Popcorn Tea makes for a warming and soothing pick-me-up on a busy day. Even if you can’t snuggle in under a quilt with a bowl of popcorn, this tea can help you imagine you’re there.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Genmaicha
Where to Buy: Teapigs
Description:
This tea has flourished from humble beginnings – Japanese peasants used to mix green tea with toasted rice to make it go further. It is now celebrated in its own right as Genmaicha tea, or Popcorn tea. “Sugar Puffs in a cup” – a truly unique blend with an almost nutty undertone.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea of Inquiry from Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange. . . .
Fun facts about genmaicha tea:
– It’s tea cut with rice, including popped rice (“popcorn tea”).
– It’s consumed all over the world.
– It used to be associated with the lower class, because they couldn’t afford straight tea.
– It might be an appetite suppressant. People with less money would drink it when they couldn’t afford food.
– It’s DELICIOUS.
If you’re like “I want to get on board with green tea, but I can’t even begin to deal with all that GREEN flavor,” give this a try. It’s a workaround. It tastes like toast/popcorn/rice. It has a robust, grainy/nutty kind of flavor. The “green”ness is cut down significantly.
Plus, I mean, you’re getting down with the proletariat. You’re supporting the REGULAR FOLK on PRINCIPLE.
I don’t have a lot of experience drinking this new favorite type of tea. If you’re a connoisseur, I can’t tell you whether Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange’s “Tea of Inquiry” is a stellar example of the genre. But I think it’s delicious. I recommend trying it or another gemaicha today! It might be for you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange
Description
A special Japanese blend of fine green tea and toasted rice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea with Popcorn? Oh yes please! #DAVIDsTea
Growing up in my house, popcorn was revered. It was The Ultimate Snack. I have the fondest, most sensory-specific memories of helping my mom toss kernels into the hot stir crazy machine, watching them circle around in sizzling oil until they were all popped and fluffy. We’d flip the machine upside down into its handy attached-bowl, and when we REALLY wanted a treat, we’d smother it in melted butter and big flakes of crunchy salt. HALLELUJAH.
Or when we’d travel to my family’s cottage up north, we’d swing by the upstate Piggly Wiggly to pick out our traditional Midwestern-cabin-snack-food of mini cereal boxes (not having to share Lucky Charms with my sister was the ultimate luxury) and– you guessed it– Jiffy Pop. And of course, there would be an all-out throwdown over who got to be the one to vigorously shake it over a fire until the pan was unnaturally puffed and full of oily, salty, puffy goodness.
All of this to say? I know my popcorn, you guys.
So I’ve been eyeing this selection from David’s Tea for a long time, but abstaining– what if it didn’t meet my strict popcorn-sommelier standards? Finally I had a free tea reward and decided to take the plunge. And– spoiler alert– I’m so glad I did! First things first, this tea SMELLS divine. Like roasty, toasty, buttery popcorn, with just a touch of that kettle corn sweetness. The internet tells me that this tea is a green with apple bits, popped corn and a touch of maple. Now, I’d be hard-pressed to believe you on the “green” thing until it’s actually brewed– the bag mostly looks like apple chunks and popcorn pieces, but sure enough, the leaves emerge as you steep. Brewed, the flavors really come out. A touch of honey helps the popcorn flavor emerge even further, though it doesn’t necessarily make it all the more sweet. I get a little vanilla, a little apple, a little green and a hint of maple– and while the popcorn flavor isn’t overwhelmingly there, that roasty, buttery flavor is predominant, and that’s good enough for me. I might not be making popcorn daily with my mom anymore, but this tea is the perfect replacement for that salty nighttime ritual. Just don’t make me share any with my sister.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTea
Description
This blockbuster blend mixes green tea with apple and real popcorn.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pop Corn from Dammann Freres. . . .
Back on January 19 aka National Popcorn Day, my teas finally arrived from the States. Since my father lives in LA, I often route tea orders through him to save on shipping. Well, apparently the orders built up because the box that arrived was HUGE! Some of the teas inside were from a Dammann Frere group order. Of course, as soon as I saw the popcorn tea I just couldn’t resist given it being National Popcorn Day and all.
Popcorn tea, in theory, is a fancy name for genmaichas. However, instead of the traditional green tea base, this uses black tea. The black tea is a touch malty but also quite smooth. It also provides a depth that is not normally found with lighter green tea bases.
Moreover, perhaps it is the base or maybe it is the power of persuasion but this is more buttery than the typical genmaicha blend, which is really helping to create the illusion of popcorn. There is a hint of roastiness but more so than anything is the rich popcorn flavor similar to that of Jiffy Pop. The flavor is more on-point than expected so I am really impressed with this tea. Yum!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Dammann Freres
Description
If you love popped cereals, you simply must experience this tea. It is unusual and completely unpretentious – we’re sure you’ll agree that it’s well worth tasting! The light yet indulgent flavour is perfect to help you relax during a tea break or quiet evening in.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
