Genmaicha (玄米茶, roasted rice green tea)

Genmaicha smells like rice before it tastes like tea. That is its kindness. The toasted grain rises first, warm and round, then the green tea comes underneath with its clean bitterness. Nothing grand is happening here, which is why the cup is so useful on a weeknight.

The first secret is the water. Genmaicha is usually built on bancha or a sturdy sencha, so it can take hotter water than a delicate spring tea. Use water just off the boil, not because more heat is always better, but because the roasted rice needs enough heat to open its fragrance quickly. Too cool, and the cup tastes flat. Too long, and the green tea grows rough.

The second secret is the measure and the clock. Give the leaves and rice enough room in a kyusu, a Japanese side-handled teapot, or use a small pot with a fine strainer. One generous teaspoon per cup and about ninety seconds will give you a clear amber-green liquor with the smell of toasted rice and a gentle edge. This is honmono at its most reassuring: the real thing, made with care, and not at all interested in frightening you.