Genmaicha (200g/7.05oz) Reviews

Author	Karen Kletter (United States)
Review	I'm not a genmaicha drinker but a close friend is, so I ordered this as a surprise in anticipation of a visit. He was delighted with my gift, and mentioned that during a recent trip to Japan, he'd found it difficult to find genmaicha due to the fact that most Tokyo vendors stocked only genmai matcha-iri (my own preference). My friend is fussy, so I was delighted for an opportunity to trot out my favorite vendor's wares. We opened one of the packages and observed that the leaf is a beautiful, vivid green, the rice looks to be very carefully and consistently roasted, and the smell is fragrant and mouth-watering. We then brewed a pot according to Mr. Yasui's instructions in my trusty HOHRYU (which I left in my friend's hotel room for the duration of his visit) and were both thrilled. The aroma of the tea and rice filled the room as it steeped (quite amazing, given the short duration), providing tantalizing coming attractions, as it were. This is very fine tea that yields an immediate subtle, clear, very green bite that's softened by the sweetness of the toasted brown rice; the flavor lingers on the palate between sips (I imagine that the bite could be tempered by steeping a bit longer at a lower temperature if a sweeter brew is preferred). The quality of this genmaicha is head-and-shoulders above others I've tried, which doesn't surprise me since all of my Hibiki-an purchases to date have been sublime. My next purchase of this type will be Hibiki-an's Organic Genmai Matcha-iri, which I plan to give another friend for Christmas. Perhaps Mr. Yasui would consider selling a 200g set consisting of both organic and non-organic genmai matcha-iri so that customers could compare the two...?
Rating	Very bad... Bad... Very bad... Ordinary... Good... 5 of 5 Stars!
Date	October 27, 2007

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