If you’re looking for a new tea to enjoy in the evening time, you may have some questions about genmaicha caffeine.
In this article, we are going to be doing an exploration on the caffeine in genmaicha, and why it might make for the perfect green tea. Genmaicha has humble origins that date back to times of economic hardship, but now it is a delicious tea enjoyed by people all around the world.
Let’s discuss why people like it so much in this article on genmaicha caffeine. ☕️
Before talking about Genmaicha Caffeine level, let's analyse what Genmaicha is
Before we talk about genmaicha tea caffeine, we first have to discuss what genmaicha is.
Genmaicha, also known as "brown rice tea," is a traditional Japanese green tea that is made by blending sencha or bancha leaves with roasted brown rice.
While genmaicha is the most popular blended tea in Japan, sencha is the most popular tea altogether.
If you want to see how these two teas compare to one another, you can read all about it in our article 👉 Sencha vs Genmaicha
Unique flavor profil
This unique blend creates a unique flavor that is nutty and slightly sweet. The technique of blending the toasted rice with the tea leaves started as a way to make the tea harvest last longer, but people still enjoy the tea to this day because of its delicious flavor. It is now not uncommon to see this tea being served at tea shops all around the world and in Japan it is the most popular type of blended tea.
So does genmaicha have caffeine?
A lot of people like to ask is genmaicha caffeinated or does genmaicha have caffeine and the answer is yes. Whenever you find yourself asking does genmaicha tea have caffeine, or does green tea have caffeine, you have to keep in mind that any drink containing tea leaves will have some level of caffeine.
The tea plant produces caffeine on its leaves as a natural defense mechanism to protect itself from insects, and therefore all true teas will contain some level of caffeine. Each tea will have varying levels of caffeine, but all teas will contain some caffeine.
Genmaicha is even on our top 8 of the Lowest Caffeine Teas. Do you know which one has the lowest caffeine level? The answer is in this article 👉 8 Lowest Caffeine Tea: from Lowest to Highest
Genmaicha caffeine content
The amount of caffeine in genmaicha tea can vary depending on the specific blend and the brewing method used. However, on average, genmaicha tea contains about half the amount of caffeine as a cup of regular green tea.
This means that a cup of genmaicha tea typically contains around 15-30 milligrams of caffeine. This is still a significant amount of caffeine, so it's important to be aware of how much genmaicha tea you're consuming if you're sensitive to caffeine.
It's worth noting that the caffeine content in genmaicha tea can vary depending on the type of green tea used in the blend. For example, if the genmaicha blend contains more sencha green tea, it will have a higher caffeine content than a blend that contains mostly bancha green tea. Additionally, the brewing time and temperature can also affect the caffeine content of the tea.
Does genmaicha tea have caffeine when prepared cold?
Some of the true tea fans out there may be wondering about using the cold brewing method to lower the genmaicha caffeine level. Cold brew green tea will certainly reduce the amount of caffeine you extract from the tea, but you will never get all the way to fully decaffeinated.
Caffeine in genmaicha is one of the harder components to extract, and it really takes a higher brewing temperature or a longer brewing time. When you cold brew any tea, you are lowering.
How to lower the genmaicha green tea caffeine
If you want to lower the genmaicha tea caffeine content, there are a few methods you can try.
Cold brew the tea
The first is to cold brew green tea, as we mentioned earlier, but the second is to actually select a genmaicha that is lower in caffeine to begin with.
Choose one made from Bancha leaves
If you want a lower genmaicha tea caffeine level, you can choose one made from Bancha leaves. Bancha tea caffeine level is much lower than sencha, because it is made from the older leaves of the tea plant.
The tea plant uses caffeine as a defense mechanism to protect against insects, and because the younger leaves are more tender and vulnerable, they produce more. This is why teas like sencha and gyokuro are higher in caffeine. The older, more mature leaves on the tea plant are tougher, and therefore they require less protection. This is why the bancha leaves have significantly less caffeine.
So, if you are conscious about the caffeine genmaicha has, you can choose one made from bancha leaves.
How to make Decaffeineated Genmaicha
There are several methods used to decaffeinate tea, including the use of solvents, carbon dioxide, and water.
Solvents
The most common method is the use of solvents such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. This process involves steaming the tea leaves, then immersing them in the solvent to extract the caffeine. The tea leaves are then rinsed with water to remove any remaining solvent.
Carbon dioxide
Another method is the use of supercritical carbon dioxide, which is a high-pressure method that uses CO2 to extract the caffeine.
Water
The final method is the water-based method, which uses water to extract the caffeine and is considered to be the safest and most natural method. It also involves steaming the tea leaves and then immersing them in hot water to extract the caffeine, before being dried again. However, it is considered to be less efficient than the other methods, and therefore, less commonly used.
The DIY Approach to Decaffeineated Genmaicha
Because all the caffeine in genmaicha tea comes from the leaves and not the rice, to make a decaf genmaicha, you just need to take the leaves out!
Of course this technically makes it no longer a type of tea, but you can purchase genmai at certain Japanese stores to make your own at home. These genmai or roasted rice can either be added to your favorite tea, or you can simply brew them up on your own.
While you may miss out on the beauty of genmaicha which is the flavor pairing between the tea leaves and the roasted rice, you still get some of these cereal flavors and a nice warm cup that is caffeine free.
So, is genmaicha tea caffeinated? When you take away the leaves it’s not!
13 benefits of Genmaicha
Let’s quickly outline some of the major genmaicha benefits in this short list:
- High in Antioxidants
- Can Lower the risk of Heart Disease
- Can Lower Cholesterol
- Can Reduce Inflammation
- Low in Caffeine
- Low in Calories
- Good for Mental Health
- Good for Reducing Stress
- Good for Digestion and gut health
- Good for the Skin
- Good for the Hair
- Very affordable
- Easy to prepare
Are you keen to learn more about the genmaicha benefits? Then this article is made for you 👉 Our Tea Expert Explains all the Genmaicha Tea Benefits
Can you pronounce genmaicha properly?
Is your genmaicha pronunciation wrong? 🗣 No panic, we have a full article about the topic! By the time you finish reading this article and listening to the audio pronunciation, you'll be able to pronounce Genmaicha the proper way. Don't hesitate to read the article 👉 Your genmaicha pronunciation might be wrong!
Where can I buy organically grown Genmaicha?
At Nio Teas, it is our mission to find the Genmaicha in Japan, grown without pesticides, and share it with people all around the world. In doing so, we strive to tell the story of the incredible farmers that produce the tea, sharing their values and insights with our community.
If you would like to try some genmaicha for yourself, you can browse our Genmaicha collection. 🍙🍃 Over the past few years, we have traveled all around Japan to meet with dozens of farmers and sample many different types of genmaicha tea. We have ultimately settled on a small handful of our favorites, and we would be honored to share them with you!
Final verdict on genmaicha caffeine
So hopefully by now we have answered the question is there caffeine in genmaicha tea and also explored the different factors that influence how much caffeine in genmaicha. If you are looking for a nice, soothing cup of tea in the afternoon or evening, genmaicha really cannot be beat.
Genmaicha also makes for a great beginner’s tea because the flavor is well liked by most people the first time they drink it. The tea can also be quite forgiving to higher brewing temperatures, so it can be a good tea to practice with as you are getting used to Japanese green tea brewing.
