Uji Genmai Cha / 宇治玄米茶

Genmai Cha is more like a casual tea. In Japan, making Genmai Cha is also one of the ways to sell the low-end green tea. However, we decided to produce a premium Genmai Cha that is meant for the tea connoisseurs. What would you think a premium Genmai Cha is? Some companies blend matcha powder or Gyokuro in Genmai Cha. However, these attempts do not solve the problem that the aftertaste is mild.

 

Genmai Cha that gives very strong after taste

Our definition of a premium Genmai Cha must contribute to a long-lasting aftertaste when we drink it. The most important element in making premium Genmai Cha is the quality of green tea used to blend with the brown rice. We decided to use Uji Sencha Jubuzan as the base green tea. This tea is grown using natural farming practice where no pesticide and no fertilizer are used. With this practice, the tea trees always lacks sufficient nutrition supply, therefore needing to spend much longer time to grow. As a result, the tea produced are very rich in minerals where you will sense a clear and smooth drinking feeling with long-lasting sweetness; plus, you may notice that the taste of this tea is thick.

 

The rice is often used to reduce the cost of Genmai Cha

To produce Genmai Cha, the blending ratio of rice affects the price of tea. As a matter of fact, the cost of rice is cheaper than tea. So, the more rice is used, the cheaper the price of Genmai Cha will be. However, the addition of too much rice produces a tea with less flavour and taste. We set the blending ratio of rice based on the tasting. Hence, we use much more Jubuzan Sencha leaves than the rice. With our blending ratio, the brewing omits the roasted rice aroma and a toasty flavor, and when you drink you will be able to enjoy the clear leafy taste of the sencha follow by a lasting taste of tea down the throat.