Today, the communiTEA is drinking...

Genmai Cha (玄米茶, literally "brown rice tea") is a classic Japanese green tea blended with toasted, popped brown rice — giving the cup its characteristic warm, nutty, savory quality and one of the most distinctive aromas of any Japanese tea. Originally created to stretch short tea supplies by blending with inexpensive roasted rice, Genmai Cha evolved from a practical economy into one of Japan's most beloved everyday teas.

Also informally called "popcorn tea" in English — because the puffed rice grains that pop during roasting resemble miniature popcorn — and "people's tea" in Japan, it is warm and nutty with a lovely savory quality that is easy to combine with food. A hearty cup that is substantially less astringent than standard green tea, making it accessible to anyone who finds pure green tea too sharp or too grassy. Ideal for mealtime.