Genmaicha Yamasaki Loose Leaf Green Tea

🍵 The Blend — Pan-fired Sencha combined with fire-toasted popped rice in the Japanese Genmaicha tradition, producing a full-bodied, comforting loose leaf green tea with genuine character

🍵 The Colour — A clear, pale golden-yellow infusion with a warm, toasty aroma that fills the cup before the first sip

🍵 The Character — Fresh and lightly vegetal from the Sencha, rounded and sweetened by the roasted rice, with a gently nutty, bakery-like warmth and a naturally smooth finish

🍵 The Occasion — A wonderfully grounding cup for morning or afternoon; equally welcome at a moment of pause as it is alongside food

Genmaicha Yamasaki is a beautifully comforting Japanese-style loose leaf green tea, blending pan-fired Sencha with fire-toasted and popped rice to create a cup with real warmth, body, and natural sweetness. It is one of the most distinctive green teas in the world, and one with a surprisingly rich history rooted in everyday Japanese life.

Genmaicha — whose name translates simply as 'brown rice tea' — has been enjoyed in Japan since at least the Muromachi period, when resourceful households began adding toasted rice to expensive green tea to stretch their supplies further. What began as a practical measure became a much-loved tradition. Once considered a humble, everyday drink, Genmaicha is now celebrated for its unique character and has earned devoted followers far beyond Japan. It is affectionately known as popcorn tea, a nod to the way the rice grains pop during the firing process, scattering pale, popped kernels through the blend.

The Yamasaki uses a good-quality pan-fired Sencha as its foundation. Unlike the steamed Sencha common to many Japanese green teas, pan-firing gives the leaf a slightly drier, more rounded character — gentler on the vegetal notes and a little closer to the warmth of the rice. The toasted rice is carefully fire-roasted to draw out its natural sweetness and nutty depth, and the two ingredients come together in a well-balanced, flavourful infusion that feels both familiar and distinctive.

In the cup, the Sencha contributes a clean, lively green tea freshness, while the roasted rice softens and enriches the overall character with a gently baked, almost caramel-like quality. The finish is smooth, naturally sweet, and satisfying — there is no bitterness here, just a warm, full-bodied cup that rewards slow sipping. Many people find Genmaicha easier to enjoy than plainer green teas, and it makes an excellent starting point for those exploring Japanese tea for the first time.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists, building a collection of over 350 teas and infusions from gardens and growers across the world. Bringing teas like this Genmaicha Yamasaki to our customers — teas with genuine character, real provenance, and a story worth telling — is exactly what we have always been here to do.

Ingredients: Green tea (Sencha), toasted popped rice.

Brewing Note: Genmaicha is best brewed with water that is hot but not fully boiling — aim for around 80°C. Pour 200ml of water over a heaped teaspoon of leaf per cup and steep for two to three minutes, tasting as you go. Longer steeping times can bring a little more depth from the rice, but take care not to oversteep as this can introduce a slight bitterness from the Sencha. The blend will give a second infusion with good results — the second cup tends to be a little lighter and even smoother than the first, which many people find particularly pleasant. This tea is also delicious cold-brewed: steep a generous measure in cold water for four to six hours in the fridge for a naturally sweet, refreshing summer drink.