Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Handmade Tea
Tea Description:
Hempmaicha is a Handmade Tea variation on the popular Genmaicha-style tea. Hempmaicha begins with a smooth Chinese green tea base. The blend then introduces roasted hemp seeds for a nutty, sweet flavor. Lastly for Genmaicha authenticity natural popcorn (no oil, no butter, and no salt) is added to the blend. Originally blended for the month of June. ’14.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Handmade Tea’s blend of the month subscription here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been a fan of Handmade Teas for quite some time. So every once in a while I check out their website to see what they’ve been up to. The last time I went to the website, I noticed that Hempmaicha was their June 2014 blend, and I decided that I just HAD to try that!
I have been a big fan of hemp for many years now. In my college years, I was a very vocal advocate for the legalization of hemp because I feel that it would be very useful. Hemp fibers can be used to make fabric that is soft, breathable and durable, paper that requires no bleaching and is therefore better for the environment and the seeds are very nutritious. Some of the first automobiles were built to run on fuel made of hemp.
So when I saw that this blend from Handmade Tea was created Genmaicha style, but instead of using toasted and popped rice kernels, roasted hemp seeds and popcorn was added to the blend. Interesting and very cool, indeed!
I’ve tried several of Handmade Tea’s blends in the past, but this was the first time that I tried their “mini” size. The full size of Handmade Tea’s blends included a large tin of the blend, plus three small (sample size) tins of the components in the blend.
For example, with the Balché blend that I reviewed previously, I received a 3-ounce tin of the blended tea and three smaller tins with the individual components: a tin of Yunnan Black Tea base, a tin of Guajillo Peppers, and a tin of Cacao Nibs and Cinnamon blended together. (Click here for part one of that review, and click here for part two.)
But for this purchase, I decided to try their mini size and see what that was like. The mini size is a mylar-lined, kraft stand-up pouch that holds 1.5 ounces of the blend. You also get the nifty little envelope that’s been wax sealed and includes information about your blend. This size is really ideal for me, because as much as I do love the full size and all the tasting components of the blend, I’m a “taster” and 3 ounces is more tea than I need. I would love to see the “mini” incorporate a small sampling of each of the components as well (like the full-size does), maybe in smaller pouches, because I do like that feature, but for a taster like me, the 1.5 ounces of tea is much more agreeable to me and my overflowing pantry of tea.
So the first thing that stands out about this blend for me – other than the name and the “hemp” factor – is that the tea used is a Chinese green tea rather than a Japanese green tea. Genmaicha is a Japanese tea, so I was a little surprised that this was crafted using a Chinese green. But that’s OK, this tea is more about the hemp, I think – at least for me it is – than it is the type of green tea used for the blend.
The blend looks exactly like the photo above because, well, I took that photo. Yeah, I’m no photographer. But it did manage to capture the green tea, the popped kernels of popcorn and if you look closely, you can see the toasted hemp seeds too. I was happy to see that there were quite a few hemp seeds in this. The blend has a very strong nutty aroma. It smells sweet, nutty and warm.
And it is really good. It’s a bit nuttier in flavor than a typical Japanese Genmaicha. It is sweet and toasty in flavor. It’s perfect for this afternoon, because we’re just now starting to experience some autumnal type weather. It’s not unbearably hot outside although it is still quite warm as I type this, but it’s not so uncomfortably hot and humid. And with the slightly cooler temperature, I find myself wanting that warm and cozy sort of experience from a tea and this tea delivers that.
The green tea base is sweet and lightly grassy. It has a slightly creamy element to it – not quite ‘buttery’ but maybe a little bit – and this melds nicely with the nutty hemp notes. The hemp adds a sweet nuttiness to the cup, and it tastes roasty-toasty which I like. I don’t know how much of the popcorn I’m actually tasting here.
It’s really tasty. It’s sweet with a certain savory element, warm, and toasty. I am really glad I decided to grab this blend while it was still available. As I write this, there are still “nine” of this tea in stock (I’m not sure how many of the 1.5 ounce mini packs are available versus the 3 ounce full-size packs.) So if the idea of a re-imagined, re-interpreted version of the classic Genmaicha using a Chinese tea base and hemp seeds instead of rice appeals to you – you should try this! I think that it’s close enough to the original idea of Genmaicha that those who love Genmaicha would also enjoy this, and those that are looking for something just a little different would also like it!
It gets a peace sign of approval from me!
Hemp Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Hemp protein has some rather controversial origins within the seed pod of the well known cannabis sativa plant. In spite of this, Hemp protein does not have the drug inducing side effects of its mother plant but is in fact nature’s highest source of natural fiber, protein and vital fatty acids. This means that, it has been documented to contain up to 10 necessary amino acids and has proven itself as a fundamental source of natural fiber.
Learn more about this Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
In college, I was a big-time hemp advocate. No, that’s not my way of saying that that I smoked cannabis sativa. Believe it or not, I never have smoked the stuff, and I really have no interest in it. But, I do believe that marijuana’s cousin, hemp, is a very beneficial product that could do so much to help save our environment.
While that speech belongs on a different blog, I mentioned my “history” with hemp briefly to explain what lead me to order this flavored Matcha.
Anyway, with my last bowl of Matcha, I ended up breaking my chawan (ack!) and my other chawan, I believe to have been raku fired and I am unsure of it’s safety for food use, so I have stopped using it. Better safe than sorry. So … I am now using a small bowl that is constructed of a very thin china-like porcelain material, I love this bowl, but I don’t know how ideal it is for Matcha. I guess I’ve just become so accustomed to the feel of my pottery bowl, I think I am going to have to get another one soon.
This Hemp Matcha is really tasty. I tend to make my Matcha a little thicker than a typical usucha, although I don’t know if what I’ve made today would be considered koicha and I am sadly not as knowledgeable about Japanese Tea Ceremony as I would like to be. I just sort of eyeball it when I make Matcha. I scoop it out, sift it, and then add water and whisk until I’m satisfied with how it looks. Then I drink it.
This is rich and creamy and smooth. No chalkiness at all. It is a deep jade color, not quite as bright as some Matcha teas I’ve tasted, but, then, I didn’t expect it to be. I typically order the “basic” Matcha when I order the flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – and let me just say that I LOVE that I can specify what quality Matcha as well as the level of flavoring that is used in the making of my flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – and I ordered the basic this time too. I usually order the “distinctive” level of flavoring but I did not do that this time, as I wanted a more subtle hemp flavor.
And I think that again, I hit the nail right on the head with the choices here. This tastes fantastic. It has a sweet, vegetative taste (as I would expect from a Matcha), with a pleasant buttery undertone. It is thick and creamy. And the hemp adds a hint of nutty flavor to the tea that I find very enjoyable.
Also, an intriguing side effect, I notice a slight numbing of the tongue as I drink this. It doesn’t last long, if I hold out between sips until the numbing sensation disappears, the elapsed time is not even two full minutes. I don’t know if this is because of the tea, or because of the hemp… or if it’s the combination of the two. I just know that I experienced it. It was not an unpleasant experience though, it was just a bit unusual.
Because I waited in between sips to further explore the numbness, I found that my tea had cooled somewhat before I finished the bowl. Some of the matcha had settled to the bottom, so a quick swishing motion of the bowl (or alternatively, a quick whisk if you happen to have your chasen handy), helped redistribute the Matcha. But even with the thicker “bottom of the bowl” Matcha, I will say that it didn’t taste chalky. It was a little thicker, but it did not have a gritty texture either.
This was a very pleasurable and unusual Matcha experience from start to finish. I’m really glad I got to try this Hemp Matcha.