Brewing genmaicha can be a tricky business, and in this article, we're going to show you exactly how to do it. We'll show you the proper genmaicha brew time, genmaicha brewing temperature and more!
Let's get brewing!
What to know before brewing genmaicha
Before we get into brewing genmaicha, there are a few things you might want to know. First, what is genmaicha?
Genmaicha is a special type of Japanese tea made by combining roasted rice with tea leaves. Genmaicha tea has many benefits. The rice imparts a warm and nutty flavor on the tea, and the unique flavor is becoming popular all around the world!
Genmaicha is classified as a green tea, and if you want to learn more about what makes green tea so unique, you'll want to read our article 👉 What is Green Tea? Demystifying the Magic Green Elixir
Genmaicha brew time
There are 2 ways to handle the genmaicha brewing time. The first is with a rapid infusion of 5 seconds and really hot water, and the other is with a longer brewing time and slightly cooler water. When you look at some genmaicha brewing time instructions, you may be surprised to find this 5 second brewing recommendation. These genmaicha brewing instructions may work well, but we prefer the longer timed brewing method.
If you are using a lower temp to brew genmaicha, you can let the leaves infuse for the normal amount of time used to prepare Japanese green tea. We find that one minute is the perfect genmaicha tea brewing time, just enough to open up the leaves, but not too much to extract the bitterness from the tea.
By the way, if you want to become a master on steeping time, we put together the perfect guide for you 👉 How long to steep green tea for the best flavor
Genmaicha brewing temperature
The genmaicha brewing temperature can be higher than with other types of teas. If you’ve followed the earlier section of our genmaicha brewing guide, you’ll see that we recommend a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius or 175 degrees fahrenheit.
If you are a lover of Japanese green tea, this may seem a bit high for you, but just keep in mind that the leaves used to make genmaicha tend to be tougher than those used for other types of teas. This means they can withstand a higher genmaicha brewing temp without releasing too much bitterness.
If you are using the 5 second genmaicha brew time mentioned earlier, you can actually use boiling water and do a flash brewing. We don’t recommend this method as much, but as long as you are only brewing for 5 seconds, you won’t release too much bitterness from the genmaicha brewing.
How many times can I brew genmaicha?
A lot of people ask how many times can i brew genmaicha and the simple answer is 5 times. This is what is recommended on a lot of our pages, but the truth is you should brew genmaicha until you no longer like the flavor.
The flavor of this tea persists in the subsequent brewings, thanks to the additional rice. The genmaicha second brew can even be better than the first, as the tea leaves really start to release their powerful steamed vegetable flavor profiles.
Not only does genmaicha taste great, it also comes with all sorts of benefits! If you want to learn more about them, you'll want to read our article 👉Genmaicha Tea Benefits Explained by Tea Experts
How to brew genmaicha green tea without a teapot?
In case you haven’t noticed, most of the genmaicha green tea with roasted rice brewing instructions mention using a teapot, but what if you don’t have one? You can simply brew the genmaicha in a tea strainer!
When you are choosing a tea strainer, it’s best to go for one that has a wider base, as this will allow the leaves more room to expand and release their flavor into the water.
5 golden rules to respect before brewing
When it comes to brewing genmaicha green tea, there are 5 tips you will want to consider. Here they are, in no specific order.
If you want to learn how to brew the best cup of any green tea, we recommend you follow this guide 👉 How green tea tastes good, explained by tea experts
- Get good quality genmaicha
- Brew genmaicha with the right leaf to water ratio
- Finding out how long to brew genmaicha is important
- Get the correct brewing time
- Master the genmaicha second brew
These tips will make it less likely that you brew a bitter cup of genmaicha, and you’ll be able to really get the most out of your tea. Throughout the rest of the article, we will expand on each of these tips and you’ll become a genmaicha brewing master in no time!
Brewing Genmaicha Complete Recipe
