Exact quantities, then the method.
Genmaicha, or popcorn tea, is Japanese Green Tea blended with roasted brown rice, and that toasted rice is where the nickname comes from: a warm, nutty, popcorn-like aroma sitting under the soft green tea. Teapigs make it as a whole-leaf temple.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the How to Brew Genmaicha (Popcorn Tea) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/frozen-pops-for-kids/how-to-brew-genmaicha-popcorn-tea/
Treat it like any good green tea. Use water off the boil at around 80C, never a rolling boil, which scalds the leaf and turns it harsh, and keep the steep short, two to three minutes, since green tea turns bitter quickly. It is best drunk plain, with nothing added.
You'll need
- 1 Teapigs Popcorn Tea temple
- 200ml freshly drawn water (used at 80C, off-boil and stood 2 minutes)
- 1 thin curl of unwaxed lemon peel (optional, the citrus oil amplifies the vegetal notes; never use lemon juice)
Method
- Bring the kettle to a boil, then take it off the heat and leave it to stand, lid open, for about two minutes to drop to roughly 80C.
- Pre-warm a small cup with a little hot water, swirl, and tip it out. A small cup holds the heat better than a big mug.
- Drop the tea temple into the cup and pour the 80C water over it.
- Cover the cup with a saucer and steep for two to three minutes, no longer.
- Lift the temple out and discard it, without pressing, as pressing squeezes astringent tannins from the saturated leaf.
- If you like, twist a thin curl of lemon peel over the cup to drop a little citrus oil on top, then drop it in. Use the peel, not juice; lemon juice curdles the catechins in green tea.
- Serve straight away, while the toasted-rice aroma is at its strongest.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
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Brewed with: Teapigs Popcorn Tea, 15 Tea Bags 37.5g
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