I am a sucker for all flavored genmaichas. I don’t come across them very often, but when I do, I just can’t say no. I eagerly and greedily devour these blends whenever I can.
Strawberry Genmaicha from Socra Tea Detroit is no exception. Start off with a gorgeous bed of green tea with toasted rice and huge and I mean HUGE pieces of strawberries. And these are freeze dried strawberries to boot. So they are simply gorgeous. The blend itself is stunning while you look at it in your tea pot, brewing with water freshly prepped right around 195F. The recommendation is to allow the tea to steep for 2-3 minutes and that is exactly what I did.
This tea delivers on all accounts. Fruity, vegetal, with a side of tart and that familiar roasted toasted goodness only genmaichas can delilver. Unlike a lot of flavored teas, the strawberry flavor is not lost in this blend. I can’t say the strawberry flavor is the star but its standing proud for sure. What I am really loving is this wonderful marriage between the tart semi sweet strawberries and the toasted green tea flavor that genmaichas are known to yield.
A beautifully well balanced flavored genmaicha that will appease all of your senses. I found myself lost in the moment while drinking the tea, just enjoying the tastes and experience of the tea. That’s a sign of a gorgeous tea blend.
Well done Socra Tea Detroit. . well done. . .
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Socra Tea Detroit
Description
Here, the characteristic Japanese genmaicha is supported wonderfully by a smooth green tea. The added strawberry pieces perfect the creation.
Ingredients: green tea, peeled rice, flavoring, freeze- dried strawberry pieces.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
D’s Teas– Pancake Breakfast, Marshmallow Treat, Graveyard Mist from 52Teas . . . ..
If you missed the announcement in my previous post, our beloved and super-talented tea-blending friends at 52 Teas have recently launched a permanent line (yes friends, you heard me correctly) of teas! D’s Teas features all of the ultimate fan favorites from 52 Teas over the years: Pancake Breakfast black tea, Marshmallow Treat genmaicha, and Graveyard Mist green tea. If you’re curious about the history behind these beloved blends, check out my previous post. If you’re ready to hear the low-down on their delightful sip-ability, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s chat about each one individually:
Pancake Breakfast: is where we start. A robust black tea with calendula petals offering a lovely, maple-syrup-y variance in color, this tea smells like straight-up starchy, delicious pancakes. When my samples of these three arrived, this was the one that I could smell through the package. THIS was the one that my dark-and-malty-tea-loving fiance was ready to tear into at a moment’s notice. It brews up beautifully strong, almost like an English Breakfast, with syrupy maple notes perfectly balanced alongside the starchy, bread-y flavors of cooked breakfast cake. There’s something magical about 52 Teas’ flavors: a maple tea is never just a one-note maple tea. Sure, you can add maple to a black tea and call it a day, but this blend harnesses all the nuance of a true pancake (sweet, bready, starchy, slightly savory, fully syrupy, a little buttery) and packs it all into one cuppa. This one, I’m happy to say, makes an incredible tea latte, sweetened with a hint of– you guessed it– maple syrup.
Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha: As a fairly new fan of genmaichas– roasty, toasty, popped-rice greens– I was eager to dive into this one. How would the flavors vary from the few standards genmaichas I’ve begun to dip my toes into? First things first– this one boasts the addition of marshmallow root, my favorite creamy-herbal addition to tea, kicking the flavors to next-level sweet n’ creamy. Still harnessing the traditional toasty-green that I’ve come to love from genmaichas, this one uses a matcha-infused genmaicha (as Anne explained in our interview) that gives this green the perfect vegetal kick to round out the sweetness of the marshmallow-y notes. I drank this one straight, but I’d love to see what a touch of foam on top does for that already-present creamy factor. Yet again, D’s Teas knocks it out of the park!
Graveyard Mist: Oh, this tea. This delicious, magical tea. I’d been lucky enough to give this one a try before, when Sororitea Sister Nichole aka CuppaGeek- shared a sampling from her precious stash. I’d heard Nichole rave about this one– minty, creamy, green, fresh– so frequently that she practically had me salivating. This tea truly lives up to the sense of place set by its slightly spooky name– picture a foggy, chilly morning, mist rolling in across a centuries-old stone graveyard– yup. If that mist had a flavor, it’d be green tea-meets-marshmallow-with-some-spearmint-for-fun, yah? Yeah. This tea is crisp and bright, with a pillow-y vanilla mouthfeel that is unmatched by any green I’ve ever had. It’s minty, sure, but it’s a more delicate, fresh, and vanilla-y mint than say, a traditional peppermint. Think those green star mint candies as opposed to the red. But better. This one is as spectacular on ice as it is hot, and defies all logic to be perfectly appropriate morning or night, any season, in any mood. It’s one of those tea, you guys– simply magical.
It’s clear why these three are the teas that Anne and her team chose to bring back permanently. 52 Teas devotees and newbies alike can now stock up on some of the blends that make this brand such a crowd favorite! And if these three are any indication, I’d recommend you stock up on as much as you can find. Even permanently-stocked, these are bound to be snapped up quickly.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
Every once in a while, we craft a very special tea – well, we think all our teas are pretty special! But sometimes, one is so special that it’s beloved by our customers and requested for reblends on a regular basis.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cotton Candy Genmaicha from 52Teas. . . .
I am a sucker for 52 Teas flavored genmaichas. Their Marshmallow Treat stole my heart long ago and I have yet to turn back. Not to mention, some flavors just call to me when I am ordering teas. Things that scream “sweet” and “dessert” almost always catch my attention and Cotton Candy is at the top of that list. That is why the minute I opened the email advertising this Cotton Candy Genmaicha tea, I started building a cart. I was quick but not quick enough because the large packs of this tea were gone before I even opened the site.
Looking at the tea, I can see the immediate appeal. Besides the mouthwatering name, this tea is lovely, with its amaranth petals and adorable purple heart-shaped sprinkles atop the typical genmaicha base loaded with popped rice. Before even trying the tea, I am won over. Thank goodness too because I might have stocked up without even giving this a taste.
Alright…the moment of truth…how does this lovely tea taste? Well, like genmaicha. A little vegetal from the green tea base and the matcha and a lot roasty from the popped rice. How does the cotton candy play into this than? This is sweeter than the typical genmaicha, and I suppose that makes sense because at the end of the day cotton candy is just sugar. It is not overly sweet though which is both good and bad. Good because it means one can drink this more often without feeling like they are developing cavities. And bad because when you think cotton candy you think over-the-top sugar and I am just not getting that here.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Campfire Strawberry from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Basically all of the A Quarter to Tea offerings sound awesome and I have yet to come across a Monthly Subscription Box that didn’t have at least one tea that got my mouth watering. However, June’s Box is a true winner. Each tea is like a dream mixture of my favorite flavors. There is Blueberry Vanilla Peach, Raspberry Coconut Cheesecake, and Hummingbird which is a black tea with banana, vanilla and pecan praline. In addition to those and the sample of Watermelon Agua Fresca, there is also this tea, Campfire Strawberry, a genmaicha and lapsang blend with strawberries, graham crackers and marshmallow. Take that in for a second. STRAWBERRIES…MARSHMALLOWS…GENMAICHA…CAMPFIRE.
Okay, now that we got that out of our system….on to the tea! The smell is a whole lotta smoke and though that definitely comes through in the flavor, the strawberry provides the perfect fruity/jammy contrast. The green tea base of the genmaicha also counters the smoke with a more vegetal note to keep things natural while contributing a roastiness that bridges the gap between the two bases. I will say, despite a slight sweetness, the marshmallow component is not as prevalent as I would hope, though with so much else going on, I suppose something’s gotta give. Also, my filter had a giant piece of graham cracker in it but I am not getting much from that either.
If you like smoke, this is a nice take on a lapsang. It has a lot going on so it is interesting and yet the flavors all compliment each other beautifully. I would never have thought to pair strawberries, lapsang and genmaicha but it works. This is a unique flavor and though it is not one I will be drinking daily, it is certainly one I am happy to have around.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Toasty genmaicha and lapsang make the base for this tasty treat that conjures up images of campfires and s’mores.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut Flan Genmaicha from 52Teas. . . .
So I am only about half a year late but I am getting into the 12 Teas of Christmas. This particular tea, Coconut Flan Genmaicha, was from the 4th night of Christmas and unfortunately that means it is no longer available. However, in case it comes back, I will probably try snatching some more of this up because it is a tasty tea.
I have never had flan personally but my understanding is it is a gelatinous custard with a caramel top (drizzle? coating?). So if I am wrong about what flan is I am sorry but that is what I am basing my interpretation on and based on that, I would say this tea is pretty true to its name.
The first thing I notice is the almost thick and creamy custard quality. A little bit eggy and a little bit sweet. In fact, a caramelized sweetness floats atop the sip. Underneath the custard, the genmaicha – a pop of roastiness to keep everything else in check. It is both desserty and like cereal which makes this tea great as either a nighttime treat or a morning pick-me-up.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for green teas that are.