On this cold Sunday morning as we anticipate the arrival of wintry weather tonight, I have prepared a cup of Japanese Genmai Cha tea . As you can see from my photo, it is a blend of Japanese sencha (green) tea and roasted brown rice. This particular type of tea came about from necessity rather than invention. During a time when tea was an expensive luxury to the average person, roasted brown rice was added to green tea to make more of it. What resulted was and is today a delicious nutty, toasty brew with lower caffeine. Sometimes, the brown rice pops and the tea is decorated with what looks like small popcorn.

The liquor is a pale yellow and the toasty aroma makes me feel all warm inside. The mellow nuttiness the roasted rice imparts to the tea smooths the pungency of the green tea, making an excellent blend of flavors. If you’ve never had Genmai Cha before, I recommend it highly as an afternoon refresher when our circadian and ultradian rhythms are at their lowest point. Enjoy!