Two small handleless ceramic cups of pale green tea on a light wooden tray, one beside a small heap of dark rolled green tea leaves and the other beside green leaves mixed with toasted puffed rice

Sencha vs Genmaicha: Which Japanese Green Tea to Buy

Published 15 Oct 20265 min read

Sencha and genmaicha are both Japanese green teas, and they answer different moods. Sencha is one of the most widely drunk green teas in Japan: rolled leaves, a fresh, grassy cup, a vivid green color. Genmaicha is green tea mixed with roasted rice, savory and rich, sometimes called popcorn tea for the grains that pop in the roaster. Choosing between them is mostly a question of whether the drinker wants the cup to taste green or toasty.

This comparison applies to Mariage Frères Sencha Matcha Émeraude and Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude in their 100-gram loose-leaf packs, with brewing numbers as Mariage Frères published them as of October 2026.

Sencha or genmaicha: the short answer

Choose sencha for a fresh, grassy green tea to drink on its own, in the morning or with light food. Choose genmaicha for a savory, toasty cup that sits well with a meal. For someone new to green tea, genmaicha's roasted-rice flavor is a different place to start from sencha's grassy one.

What sencha is

The Japan External Trade Organization's food program, JFOODO, describes sencha as known for its fresh, grassy flavor and vibrant green color, and notes that unlike matcha it is not powdered: it consists of dried whole or rolled tea leaves.

Mariage Frères' Sencha Matcha Émeraude blends a fragrant sencha with matcha, which the house says yields a rich palette of flavorful notes in the cup. Mariage Frères' brewing tips for the 100-gram loose-leaf tea call for 2.5 grams of leaf to 200 ml of water at 70°C (158°F) for three minutes; the house gives 80°C for the same tea in muslin bags and in its canister (shop Sencha Matcha Émeraude).

What genmaicha is

JFOODO describes genmaicha as a blend of green tea leaves and roasted rice, and explains its nickname: some grains tend to pop like popcorn as they roast. Its flavor is listed as savory and rich, against sencha's fresh and grassy.

Mariage Frères' Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude combines green tea from an organic garden with toasted rice and matcha. The house describes the cup as persistent and rich. For the 100-gram loose-leaf tea it asks for the same 2.5 grams per 200 ml at 70°C, but a shorter steep of two minutes (shop Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude).

Sencha vs genmaicha, side by side

Detail (100 g loose leaf)	Sencha Matcha Émeraude	Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude
What is in the tea	Japanese sencha leaves with matcha	Green tea, toasted rice and matcha
Flavor (JFOODO, by style)	Fresh and grassy	Savory and rich
Leaf per cup	2.5 g per 200 ml	2.5 g per 200 ml
Water temperature	70°C (158°F)	70°C (158°F)
Steep time	3 minutes	2 minutes
Character in the cup (Mariage Frères)	A rich palette of flavorful notes	Persistent and rich
Suits	A morning cup, light food	Meals, an afternoon cup

In loose leaf, the two teas share a temperature and a dose and differ by a minute of steeping, so one kettle and one timer serve both. The decision comes down to the flavor rows.

Brewing sencha and genmaicha in Denver

The number that matters for both loose-leaf teas is 70°C, or 158°F. Colorado State University Extension notes that water boils at about 203°F at 5,000 feet. A Denver kettle at a full boil is therefore about 45 Fahrenheit degrees above the temperature Mariage Frères gives for either tea. Let boiled water stand in an open pot or cup before brewing, or use a kettle with a temperature setting. Fellow's Stagg EKG Pro has precision temperature control and can hold water at 70°C (shop the Fellow Stagg EKG Pro kettle). For loose leaf in a mug, a steeper holds the leaf and lifts out at two or three minutes (shop the loose leaf tea steeper).

The How to Brew Sencha recipe covers the pot and the cooling in more detail.

How to brew sencha and genmaicha, step by step

Both teas follow the same five steps, with one difference in the timer.

1. Heat the water. Bring fresh water to a boil, then let it cool to 70°C (158°F), or set a temperature kettle to 70°C.

2. Warm the cup or pot. Swirl in a little hot water and pour it out, so the brewing water does not lose heat to cold ceramic.

3. Measure the leaf. 2.5 grams per 200 ml. Rice and leaf take up different volumes for the same weight, so a small kitchen scale is the reliable way to measure genmaicha.

4. Steep. Three minutes for Sencha Matcha Émeraude, two minutes for Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude, as Mariage Frères directs for the loose-leaf teas.

5. Remove the leaves. Lift out the steeper or pour off every drop, so the tea does not keep steeping past the time Mariage Frères gives.

What to eat with sencha and genmaicha

Sencha's fresh, grassy cup suits light, clean food: rice crackers, a plain omelet, steamed vegetables, fruit, a piece of shortbread. Genmaicha's roasted, savory cup suits a meal: rice bowls, noodle soups, grilled fish, anything finished with toasted sesame.

Two more Japanese greens to compare: Fuji Yama and matcha

For a Japanese green tea without the matcha, Mariage Frères' Fuji Yama is grown on the slopes around Mount Fuji, and the house describes it with notes of nashi pear, white melon and spring honey, brewed at 80°C for four minutes (shop Fuji Yama). The Fuji Yama tea guide sets it beside Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude.

At the other end is matcha itself, which JFOODO describes as shade-grown tea leaves ground into a fine powder and whisked with hot water. Matcha Midori is a powdered Japanese green tea (shop Matcha Midori).

Sencha and genmaicha: short answers

How many cups are in a 100-gram pack? At 2.5 grams a cup, forty, for either tea.

Does green tea go stale? The complete guide to green tea covers storage and shelf life once a pack is opened.

Which suits a gift? For someone who already drinks green tea every day and likes a fresh, grassy cup, Sencha Matcha Émeraude. For someone new to green tea, or someone who cooks Japanese food at home and wants a tea for the table, Genmaïcha Matcha Émeraude. A kettle that holds 70°C suits both, since Mariage Frères gives both loose-leaf teas that temperature.

Where can I learn the wider family? The complete guide to green tea covers gyokuro, hojicha and the rest (shop the tea collection).

Sencha tastes like the leaf; genmaicha tastes like the leaf and the roaster. The first rewards attention, a quiet cup taken on its own. The second rewards company, a pot on the table through a meal.

See also: gifts for Japanese food lovers, including a sencha and genmaicha set for a tea drinker.