If you want a green tea that does not taste like every other green tea on the shelf, start with Genmaicha. It is a traditional Japanese blend of green tea leaves and fire-toasted brown rice, and the cup comes out nutty, aromatic, and genuinely satisfying.

At Beantown Tea & Spices, Genmaicha is one of those everyday greens people finish faster than they expect. Here is what it is, where it comes from, and how we like to brew it.

What Genmaicha is

Genmaicha (玄米茶) pairs Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice (genmai). Scoop it and you will see the story in the tin: green leaves mixed with small pieces of toasted rice, some of which pop during firing like tiny popcorn kernels — which is why you will sometimes hear it nicknamed "popcorn tea."

Our Genmaicha uses a high-grade Sencha and Gyokuro green tea base from Shizuoka Prefecture. The leaf keeps the fresh, vegetal character of Japanese green tea; the rice softens the edges and adds warmth.

A thrifty blend that earned its place

Genmaicha is often described as the tea of thrifty households. A widely told account says Japanese families added toasted rice to stretch their tea further when leaf was expensive, and the combination became a beloved drink in its own right — especially through the early twentieth century.

A popular folk legend tells a different story: a servant named Genmai accidentally dropped rice into his master's tea and gave the drink its name. The legend is charming but undocumented. Either way, what began as a practical blend is now enjoyed on its own merits, not as a compromise.

What it tastes like

The roasted rice does a lot of the personality work. It brings a nutty flavor, a bakey warmth, and a hint of natural sweetness. That is why Genmaicha works so well for people who find plain green tea a little sharp or grassy.

In the cup you should get a light golden liquor with:

• Toasty, nutty aroma

• Soft green-tea freshness underneath

• A gentle, almost chewy finish from the rice

• A little umami complexity from the Gyokuro in our blend

It is a natural partner for Japanese meals — miso soup, onigiri, tempura, or ramen — and a mellow after-dinner tea. It is also a friendly introduction to Japanese green tea if you prefer a warm, savory cup to a bright grassy one.

How to brew Genmaicha

Keep the water below a full boil so the leaf stays sweet instead of bitter.

Per 8 oz of water:

• Amount: 1 heaping teaspoon (about 3 g)

• Temperature: about 180°F (175–185°F / 80–85°C)

• Steep time: 2–3 minutes

Adjust to taste. If the cup feels sharp, cool the water a little or shorten the steep. If you want more body, add a touch more leaf.

Shop Genmaicha

Ready to try it? Visit our Genmaicha product page, or browse the full green tea selection if you want to compare Japanese greens side by side.

Whether you drink it with dinner or as a quiet afternoon cup, Genmaicha is one of those teas that earns a permanent spot by the kettle. Happy steeping from all of us at Beantown Tea & Spices.

Cold brew tea has been showing up everywhere lately, and I get why. It tastes clean and refreshing, and there's a health angle too. So let's talk about what's actually in the glass: the health benefits of cold brew tea, how it's different from a regular hot-brewed cup, and why the brewing process and temperature matter so much.

Most of the good stuff in tea comes from its antioxidants and phytonutrients. The big three are catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigens. These compounds are behind benefits like better cognitive function and help with weight management.

Polyphenols are one of the most important antioxidants in tea, and they carry a lot of health benefits. Here's where cold brew gets interesting. It ends up with more polyphenols than hot tea, simply because of how it's made. Cold brew steeps at low temperatures with little to no heat. Hot tea steeps in hot water, and that heat can bring the polyphenol level down. Polyphenols have been found to have some real potential benefits, like reducing inflammation, preventing damage to DNA, and lowering the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Catechins are another antioxidant in tea with plenty of benefits, but they're a little fragile. Heat them and they can break down, which means you get less out of them. That's the catch with hot-brewed tea. Cold brew stays at a low temperature, so the catechins stay intact. Studies have shown the catechins in cold brew tea can reduce the risk of heart disease, improve cholesterol levels, and lower blood pressure.

Then there are theaflavins, a third antioxidant tied to a whole range of health benefits. Studies have shown they can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can lead to chronic disease. They've also been found to reduce the risk of cancer and improve liver health. Because cold brew is made at a lower temperature, you get more theaflavins than you would from hot tea, and more of the benefits that come with them.

Thearubigens round out the list. Like theaflavins, they've been shown in studies to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. They also have antiviral activity and can improve blood pressure. And once again, there are more of them in cold brewed tea than in hot, thanks to that lower brewing temperature.

So that's the case for cold brew. It's an excellent source of polyphenols, catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigens, all antioxidants linked to a long list of health benefits. Since the water never gets hot, those compounds are less likely to break down, and more of the good stuff makes it into your glass. Honestly, it's one of the best ways I know to get the health benefits of tea.

Earl Grey is one of the most recognizable teas in the world. One sip and you know it: a black tea scented with oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit that tastes somewhere between a lemon, an orange, and a grapefruit, with a bright, floral edge.

It's also one of the most-searched teas on our site, so it seemed right to tell its story. The short version: the name comes from a real British prime minister, but much of the rest is legend.

Who was Earl Grey?

The tea is named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, who served as Britain's prime minister from 1830 to 1834. He's best remembered for the Reform Act of 1832, which overhauled Britain's voting system, and for the abolition of slavery across most of the British Empire during his time in office.

The legends

There are a few popular stories about how a prime minister ended up with a tea named after him.

• The grateful mandarin. The most famous tale says a Chinese official sent the earl a gift of bergamot-scented tea after one of Grey's men saved the official's son. It's a nice story, but there's no evidence for it, and Grey never traveled to China.

• The hard water. Another story says a Chinese tea master blended the tea for the Grey family home, Howick Hall in Northumberland, using bergamot to balance the taste of the local water. The family's guests loved it, and Lady Grey served it in London society.

Several British tea merchants have claimed to have the original recipe over the years, and nobody has been able to prove it.

What the record actually shows

Tea flavored with bergamot was already being sold in Britain by the 1820s, sometimes to make lower-grade tea taste like a more expensive one. But the name "Earl Grey" doesn't show up in print until the 1880s, decades after the earl's death in 1845. So the honest answer is that bergamot tea came first, and the famous name got attached to it later, probably as clever marketing.

What is bergamot?

Bergamot is a small, fragrant citrus fruit grown mostly along the coast of Calabria, in southern Italy. The fruit is too sour to eat out of hand, but the oil pressed from its peel is wonderfully aromatic. It's used in perfume as well as in tea, which is why a good Earl Grey smells so lovely the moment you open the bag.

Earl Grey today

Modern Earl Grey is almost always made with black tea, though you'll also find green tea and rooibos versions. Our classic Earl Grey blends premium black tea with bergamot oil, citrus peels, and blue cornflower petals. It's bright and refreshing, and it's lovely with pastries and cake. It comes in a sample size (about 5 cups) as well as 4 oz, 8 oz, and 1 lb bags.

If you like the classic, try one of its cousins:

• Cream Earl Grey, smoothed out with a touch of vanilla.

• Decaf Cream Earl Grey, for an evening cup.

• Lavender Earl Grey, with a soft floral note.

How to brew Earl Grey

• Use 1 rounded teaspoon of loose leaf (about 2–3 grams) per 8 ounces of water.

• Pour freshly boiled water (205–212°F) over the leaves.

• Steep for 3–5 minutes, then taste and adjust.

Earl Grey is great on its own, with a slice of lemon, or with a splash of milk. For iced Earl Grey and a homemade London Fog latte, see our guide on how to brew Earl Grey three ways.

Two centuries after Charles Grey left office, nobody can say for sure how his name ended up on a tin of tea. But it's easy to see why the tea itself stuck around.

Tea and coffee are the world's two favorite ways to get a gentle lift, and both owe it to the same natural stimulant: caffeine. Caffeine is the same molecule whether it comes from a tea leaf or a coffee bean, but the amount that ends up in your cup, and how it feels, can be quite different.

Here's how the two compare, and how to pick a tea that matches the kind of energy you want.

How much caffeine is in a cup?

According to the Mayo Clinic's caffeine chart, typical amounts per 8-ounce cup look like this:

• Brewed coffee: about 95 mg

• Black tea: about 47 mg

• Green tea: about 28 mg

These are averages, and real cups vary a lot. Still, a cup of tea usually has roughly half the caffeine of a cup of coffee, or less.

Wait, don't tea leaves have more caffeine?

By weight, dry tea leaves can actually contain more caffeine than coffee beans. The difference is how much you use. A cup of tea takes about 2–3 grams of leaf, while a cup of coffee takes roughly twice that or more in ground beans. Coffee is also brewed in a way that pulls out more of its caffeine, so the cup ends up stronger.

What changes the caffeine in your tea

• Steep time. The longer the leaves sit, the more caffeine comes out.

• Water temperature. Hotter water extracts caffeine faster, which is one reason green tea, brewed cooler, often ends up lower.

• Amount of leaf. More tea means more caffeine.

• Leaf size. Broken leaves release caffeine faster than whole leaves.

• Re-steeping. The first infusion carries the most caffeine, and each one after that carries less.

• Matcha. Because you whisk and drink the whole powdered leaf, matcha tends to be on the higher end for tea.

The color of the tea isn't a reliable guide on its own. Some green and white teas made from young buds can be fairly high in caffeine, while some black teas are mild.

Why tea feels different

Tea also contains L-theanine, an amino acid found almost only in the tea plant. Research suggests that L-theanine and caffeine together support a calm, focused kind of alertness, which may be why many people find tea gives them a smoother lift than coffee. We dig into that research in calm focus in a cup.

Teas for every energy level

• A strong morning cup: English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast.

• A focused afternoon: Sencha or Gyokuro.

• A lighter lift: Hojicha or Kukicha, which are generally lower in caffeine.

• The evening: Decaf Cream Earl Grey or one of our herbal and fruit teas, which are naturally caffeine-free. See more ideas in our caffeine-free tea guide.

How much is too much?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says up to 400 mg of caffeine a day is generally fine for most healthy adults. That's several cups of tea. If you're pregnant, sensitive to caffeine, or taking medication, check with your doctor about what's right for you.

Coffee and tea both have their place. If you'd like a gentler, steadier lift with a lot of flavor to explore, tea is a wonderful choice.

White tea is the most lightly handled of all teas. It comes from the same plant as green, oolong, and black tea, Camellia sinensis, but the leaves are simply withered and dried. There's no rolling, no pan-firing, and no steaming, which is why the cup tastes so soft, clean, and naturally sweet.

Here's what makes white tea different, the main styles to know, and how to brew it well.

How white tea is made

White tea traditionally comes from Fujian Province in China. Growers pick the unopened buds, sometimes with one or two young leaves, in early spring. The fresh leaves are then spread out to wither slowly, losing moisture and oxidizing just a little, before they're dried. Because the leaves are never rolled or broken, they stay whole, and many of the buds keep the fine silvery down that gives white tea its name.

The main styles of white tea

• Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen). Made only from downy buds, this is the most celebrated white tea. Our Silver Needle brews a clear, glowing cup with a delicate fragrance.

• White Peony (Bai Mu Dan). Made from a bud and two young leaves, it's a little fuller and fruitier. Our White Peony is soft and velvety with gentle jammy notes.

• Bud-and-leaf teas like Snowbud. Snowbud is bright, crisp, and mellow with floral hints.

• Aged white teas. Some white teas are stored for years and grow deeper and honeyed. Try Aged Silver Needle.

• Flavored white teas. White tea's light base pairs well with fruit, as in Peach White Tea and Blueberry White Tea.

What does white tea taste like?

Expect a pale gold cup that's light, smooth, and lightly sweet, with notes that can run from fresh hay and melon to honey and flowers. It's rarely bitter, which makes it a lovely tea for people who usually find green tea too grassy.

Does white tea have caffeine?

Yes. All true teas contain caffeine, white tea included. It's often said to be the lowest, but that isn't always so. Bud-heavy teas like Silver Needle can hold about as much as some green teas. How you brew matters more: cooler water and shorter steeps keep the caffeine on the gentle side. If you want no caffeine at all, an herbal or fruit tea is the way to go.

White tea and your health

Because it's so lightly processed, white tea keeps plenty of the plant's natural polyphenols, including catechins, the same antioxidant family found in green tea. Researchers are interested in these compounds, but most of the evidence so far comes from lab and animal studies, so it's best to enjoy white tea for its flavor and treat any health perks as a bonus, not a treatment.

How to brew white tea

Our product pages suggest this general guideline for Silver Needle and White Peony:

• Use 1–2 teaspoons (about 2–3 g) of leaf per 8 oz of water.

• Heat the water to 170–185°F, well below boiling.

• Steep 3–5 minutes, then adjust to taste.

The fluffy leaves are bulky, so don't be shy with the scoop. Good white tea can be steeped two or three times. It also makes a beautiful iced tea, and you can try it cold brewed. For water temperatures across every tea type, see our brewing temperature guide.

Find your white tea

Every white tea we carry comes in a sample size plus larger sizes, so it's easy to taste a few before you pick a favorite. Browse them all in our white tea collection, or start with the White Tea Sampler Pack.

Water temperature is the easiest way to make your tea taste better. Too hot, and delicate greens and whites turn bitter. Too cool, and a black tea or oolong comes out thin and flat. Match the water to the leaf and the same tea suddenly tastes the way it should.

Here's a quick guide to water temperature for each type of tea, based on the brewing tips on our product pages. Treat these as starting points and adjust to taste.

Water temperature at a glance

• Japanese green tea (like Sencha): 160–175°F, 1–2 minutes

• Gyokuro: 120–140°F, about 2 minutes

• Most other green teas: 175–185°F, 2–3 minutes

• White tea: 170–185°F, 3–5 minutes

• Oolong tea: 185–205°F, 3–5 minutes

• Black tea: freshly boiled, 205–212°F, 3–5 minutes

• Herbal and fruit teas: freshly boiled water, 5–10 minutes

Green tea: keep it cool

Green tea is heated soon after picking to stop oxidation, so it keeps a fresh, vegetal flavor. Very hot water pulls out its bitter compounds quickly. Steamed Japanese greens like Sencha do best around 160–175°F for just a minute or two. Shaded Gyokuro goes even cooler, 120–140°F, which brings out its sweetness and savory umami. Most other green teas are happy at 175–185°F.

White tea: warm, not hot

White tea is only withered and dried, so the leaves are delicate. Water at 170–185°F and a 3–5 minute steep bring out its soft, honeyed sweetness without any harshness. Try it with Silver Needle or White Peony, and learn more in what is white tea.

Oolong tea: hotter water, many steeps

Oolongs are partly oxidized and often tightly rolled, so they need hotter water, 185–205°F, to open up. Lighter, greener oolongs like Iron Goddess (Ti Kuan Yin) sit at the lower end, while darker, roasted styles can take the top of the range. The same leaves can be steeped several times, and each cup tastes a little different. Read more in how oolong tea is made.

Black tea: just off the boil

Black tea is fully oxidized and sturdy, so it wants freshly boiled water, 205–212°F, to draw out its full body. A classic like English Breakfast takes 3–5 minutes. Some lighter black teas are nicer at 195–205°F with a shorter steep. For more, see our tips for brewing black tea.

Herbal and fruit teas: boiling is fine

Herbal and fruit blends aren't made from the tea plant, so there's no bitterness to worry about. Use freshly boiled water and give them time. A fruit blend like Red Orange takes 5–10 minutes to get its full flavor.

How to get the temperature right without a thermometer

• Use a variable-temperature kettle if you have one. It takes all the guesswork out.

• Bring water to a boil, then let it rest with the lid off. After a few minutes it drops into green and white tea range.

• Add a splash of cool water to boiled water to bring the temperature down quickly.

• Watch the bubbles. Tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pot mean the water is still well below boiling, and a rolling boil means it's ready for black or herbal tea.

Every tea page on our site lists its own brewing tips, so check there for the best starting point. Find your next favorite in our green, white, oolong, black, and herbal and fruit tea collections.