Home made Genmaicha Tea

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This is part of Tea Focus on Genmaicha

Different Tea Comparison: Commercial Brand; Microwave; Stove Method

While it’s simple to go to the shop and pick up a pack of tea, like purchasing a packet of biscuits, there’s always something satisfying in making something yourself. Genmaicha tea is quite simple to make at home- though one area to take care is when preparing the rice, as it can burn easily. When purchasing brown rice, ensure it actually does have a husk on it (it will be a smooth pale brown colour, with a smooth surface), as some brown rices can have this partly removed (which shortens cooking time). White rice won’t give the flavour required, as it is missing the husk. I personally prefer the flavour of organic brown rice. As you’ll be able to see from the picture (left), the result will not look the same as commerical Genmaicha, but still taste delicious. Using a stovetop will give a toastier flavour with more depth but microwaving is quicker, easier, and gives a far better ‘popcorn’ appearance.
Ingredients
50 gm brown rice
50gm sencha green tea
Method
Stove
1. Place the brown rice into a saucepan, and place onto a medium heat for 4-5 minutes (approx)
2. Give the rice a ’swirl’ either by moving the saucepan by it’s handle, or stir with a wooden spoon every minute or so, and more frequently as the rice starts to darken (Step 3 continues below)
Microwave
1. Place the brown rice into a microwave safe bowl, and place onto a medium heat for 3 minutes (approx, depending on microwave)
2. Every minute or so, stir the rice, and monitor the heat of the rice- in the last 30 seconds the rice will start to darker quite quickly
3. The brown rice will start to darken gradually, and some pieces will ‘pop’ as the heat bursts the grain. This adds to the picturesque appearance of the tea, so do not discard the popped grains. The rice will also release a lovely toasted smell. You want the rice to look medium dark brown, but not chocolate ‘burnt’ brown (see picture)
4. Cool the rice once it’s brown, and add the green tea, mixing the two together. Store in an airtight container.
5. Use 1 tsp of tea per person to make the tea, I prefer to use water that has cooled for a minute or so after boiling, and brew the tea for 3-4 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Happy Valentine’s Day to all. For many it’s a day of love and happiness, for others a day of crass commercialisation. With £1 in 6 being spent on chocolates it’s likely a lot of people out there are sitting on the couch now relaxing after dinner and opening a box to enjoy. There are  many teas to enjoy with chocolates but in honour of this special day, I’m enjoying some Thé Rose Ancienne that a friend gifted me after a trip in France. Another beautiful option is an infusion of rose buds, so pretty in the cup and said to have soothing qualities- perfect for the end of the evening.

Breakfast Churros

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Some Sunday mornings when it’s grey outside and drizzling with rain, a rich and decadent breakfast is required to start the day. On days such as this, a detox needs to be put to the side, and such diet recommendations remembered as: 80% health / 20% decadence. In this spirit I decided that making churros would lift our spirits and start the day on a high (even if that high was predominantly based on sugar). Having never made churros before, but enjoyed them on numerous occasions, I dug out my stack of food magazine and tried the best looking recipe. I won’t name where I found the recipe, as the version was not ideal- the pastry so thick I could barely stir the mix around the saucepan with a wooden spoon, blisters starting to form on my hand (choux pastry had nothing on this mix!). The end result however was delicious if a little stodgy, and paired with the rich chocolate sauce and strawberries was indeed a heart lifting way to start the day. Memories of wandering around orange tree lined Seville in the sunshine with a fresh bag of churros from the nearby ‘la churreria’ came back, and boosted our spirits. Initially I was unsure of what tea to serve with such a rich breakfast. It’s not as common in Spain to consume tea as a beverage, and churros are not usually consumed with tea. An infusion such as peppermint or fennel would have been ideal for serving after, to counterbalance the richness of the breakfast, but these flavours would not complement the actual consumption of the dish. While Darjeeling always works well with dark chocolate, this morning I tried an Earl Grey Supreme from Tea, which not only looked beautiful with it’s blue flower petals, but tasted delicious with the citrusy notes, and rich ceylon tea subtly fragranced with the bergamot. This was a lovely match with the mix of flavours highly complementary. Add the Sunday papers and you have a highly recommended way to start the day!

Genmaicha Tea by Eteaket

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Eteaket is a tearoom based in Edinburgh who sell a range of teas, tea accessories and a range of delicious food products. This tea is one of their large range of green tea blends.
This tea has a distinctive minerally/grassy smell to it when opening the cannister with a faint aroma of brown rice. The sencha green tea aroma continues to develop when brewed, with the characteristics present when dry becoming more apparent. This tea is slightly more distinctive than other ones tried, the leaves appear large and mature, with other parts of the plant such as small stems/branches also present.The savoury flavour of the brown rice presence is far more subtle due to the green tea being , which would appeal to those who find this component of the tea overwhelming.
Tea Origin: Japanese tea
Ingredients: Sencha green tea, roasted brown rice
Bag/leaf: leaf
Recommended preparation: Steep 1 tbsp per cup of hot water (80 oC) for 3 minutes approximately.
Packaging: loose tea within a plastic packet, within cannister

This tea would be an excellent match with all types of Japanese food, as well as afternoon tea.

Genmaicha Tea

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As we come out on January and into frugal February, a perfect tea to drink at this time of the year during winter is Genmaicha. ‘Popcorn tea’ as it is often known, is a Japanese green tea mixed with roasted brown rice. It’s a perfect winter tea, giving a warm toasty flavour.

Genmaicha was traditionally an inexpensive tea option, known as ‘the people’s tea’ being drunk by the poorer members of society. The tea was bulked out with the brown rice, and made with Bancha leaves, which are from a later harvesting (Sencha leaves being the first plucking). Bancha is accordingly a less expensive larger leaf tea. Some Genmaicha teas are now made from the Sencha leaves, which have a more subtle flavour, and the tea is priced accordingly.

Genmaicha has a toasty aroma with the brown roasted rice contributing much of the flavour. The liquor is a pale yellow colour, and is best served after being brewed for up to 3 minutes. Unlike many green teas, Genmaicha is best used just once, further brewings lose the rich toasty flavour that makes Genmaicha so distinctive.

This tea due to its toasty flavour pairs very well with food, and is a perfect match with flavoursome spicy food, and complementary to dimsum.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to try a range of Genmaicha teas, and also see how successful a home made version could be!


 

Time for tea

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As the days start to become longer and January draws to an end, now is the perfect time to plan the year ahead, and realistically think of resolutions for the year. January is for hibernating, finishing the tins of biscuits and Christmas relics, and cooking simple inexpensive casseroles. Once January starts to come to an end, it seems possible that the sun might warmly shine again in the near future, and healthier options start to resemble realistic choices. I find that green tea is a good all year round tea, but is perfect for drinking as part of a detox program, being a widely recognised source of powerful antioxidants.

At the moment, I’m enjoying an organic Darjeeling green tea from L’Ilot Thé. Darjeeling is known as the champagne of tea and the green version of this tea is light and fragrant with subtle aromas.  Darjeeling green tea would be a perfect way to rediscover green tea for those people who have been deterred by stronger varietals such as gunpowder green tea. Like it’s black tea version, green Darjeeling is best enjoyed plain. As this tea is so delicate and fragrant, it is a perfect choice throughout the day with all meals (and of course afternoon tea for those still enjoying some decadent treats).