Genmaicha: Green Tea Leaves and Roasted Rice in One Small Pot
Use one set of numbers from start to finish: 4 g of leaf, 200 ml of water at 95°C, and 30 seconds of infusion for two people. Then pour the tea into the cups a little at a time and evenly, down to the last drop.
Look at a spoonful of genmaicha before it goes into the pot and you will see two things mixed together: green tea leaves and small brown grains of roasted rice. Ippodo lists the ingredients of its genmaicha as green tea and roasted rice. Fukuju-en describes genmaicha as a tea made by adding roasted rice to sencha and similar teas.
This article doesn't show you how to roast rice or blend the tea at home. It starts from ready-made loose-leaf genmaicha, the kind sold already blended, and brews it in a kyusu (a small Japanese teapot). The method follows a single guide: the genmaicha brewing instructions in ITO EN's Ocha Hyakka ("tea encyclopedia"), which are written for two people. The guide has four steps: put the leaf in the pot, pour the hot water straight in, let it steep, then share the tea evenly between the cups.
Other tea makers publish their own genmaicha numbers, and they don't match ITO EN's. Those versions appear in a comparison table further down, but they are not mixed into the method here. Each maker's numbers work as a set.
Ingredients and Equipment: Two Servings
There are only two ingredients, and both quantities come from ITO EN's guide for two people. The blend is the ready-made tea as sold. The guide doesn't give a leaf-to-rice ratio or name a tea or rice variety, so don't add extra rice or other tea to it.
Equipment
| Item | Role |
|---|---|
| Kyusu (Japanese teapot) | Holds the leaf while it steeps |
| Pot of hot water | Pour from this straight into the kyusu |
| 2 teacups | You share the tea evenly between these |
| Small dish and teaspoon (optional) | For setting out the measured leaf before it goes into the pot |
The 200 ml (about 6¾ US fl oz) at 95°C (203°F) is the amount of water you pour in. The guide doesn't say how much tea you end up with, so don't expect exactly 200 ml in the cups or exactly 100 ml in each.
ITO EN's page covers both genmaicha and hojicha, and the hojicha row calls for 4 heaping teaspoons. For genmaicha, the guide gives about 2 teaspoons (4 g). Make sure you read the genmaicha row.
Method: Leaf, Water, Infusion, Pouring
The guide gives 30 seconds for the infusion but doesn't say when to start counting. It also doesn't give a total time for the whole process.
Quick Checks Before You Pour
These checks keep the brewing conditions aligned with the selected guide.
| Check | What to verify | Guide instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf amount | That you used the genmaicha row, not the hojicha row (4 heaping teaspoons) on the same page | 4 g (about 2 teaspoons) |
| Water | That the temperature and the amount both come from this one guide | 200 ml at 95°C, poured straight from the pot |
| Sharing | That you poured into both cups a little at a time, going back and forth | Pour evenly into the cups, a little at a time |
| Last drop | That no tea is left in the kyusu | Pour down to the last drop |
Other Makers' Versions: Compare, Don't Combine
Several Japanese tea makers publish genmaicha brewing guides with their own numbers. The table shows each one as its maker wrote it, so you can see how they differ. They aren't steps for this recipe, and averaging them won't give you a "standard" method.
| Maker | Servings | Leaf | Water | Infusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITO EN (used in this article) | 2 | 4 g (about 2 teaspoons) | 200 ml at 95°C | 30 seconds |
| Ippodo | Not specified | 10 g | 240 ml at 100°C | 30 seconds, counted from when you start pouring |
| Fukuju-en | 3 cups | 10 g | 350 ml boiling water | About 30 seconds, then pour evenly into the cups, down to the last drop |
If you'd like to try another maker's method, take all of its numbers together: leaf, water, temperature and time. Changing just one of them gives you a mix of two guides.
About the Blend
The tea makers' own descriptions agree on the outline: genmaicha is green tea with roasted rice. Ippodo lists green tea and roasted rice as the ingredients, and Fukuju-en describes it as roasted rice added to sencha and similar teas. Beyond that, these sources don't establish where genmaicha came from, how it got its name, or a single "correct" blend or method. That's why this article doesn't cover history, home roasting or blending ratios.
For more dishes from the same country, see recipes from Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the 30 seconds start?
ITO EN's guide doesn't say. Ippodo's own guide counts from when you start pouring, but that's another maker's method, with different leaf and water amounts. This article doesn't decide the starting point for ITO EN's 30 seconds.
How much tea ends up in each cup?
The guide doesn't specify. You pour in 200 ml of water, but the guide gives no finished amount, so don't expect exactly 100 ml per cup. What the guide does say is to pour evenly, a little at a time, down to the last drop.
Can I use more leaf or boiling water?
Other makers do use different numbers. For example, Ippodo uses 10 g with 240 ml at 100°C. If you want those conditions, follow that maker's whole guide instead of changing one number in this one.
Can I steep the same leaves a second time?
ITO EN's guide doesn't cover a second infusion, so this article doesn't give one.
Can I make genmaicha from raw brown rice at home?
This recipe starts from ready-made genmaicha. Roasting rice and blending it with tea at home aren't covered.
How should I store the leaf?
No storage duration is established for this article. Follow the instructions on your package.
Sources
- ITO EN, Ocha Hyakka, "玄米茶・ほうじ茶のおいしいいれ方" (How to brew genmaicha and hojicha). The only brewing method used in this article (genmaicha row: 2 servings, 4 g of leaf, 200 ml of water at 95°C, 30-second infusion, even pouring down to the last drop); the same page gives a separate hojicha amount. https://www.ocha.tv/how_to_brew/nihoncha/genmai_houji/
- Ippodo Tea, genmaicha 80 g bag (product page). Ingredients listed as green tea and roasted rice; the shop's own brewing guide (10 g, 240 ml, 100°C, 30 seconds from when you start pouring). Used for the blend description and the comparison table only. https://www.ippodo-tea.co.jp/collections/all/products/bancha5060641
- Fukuju-en, "宇治茶について" (About Uji tea), genmaicha section. Description of genmaicha as roasted rice added to sencha and similar teas; the shop's own brewing guide (3 cups: 10 g, 350 ml boiling water, about 30 seconds, poured evenly down to the last drop). Used for the blend description and the comparison table only. https://www.fukujuen.com/shop/pg/1instruction/
