Genmai Tea Infused Jasmine Rice Horchata

Soak the rice in 3 cups of water for 2 to 3 hours, stirring two or three times during the process to make sure all the grains are steeped. Microwave your tea bags for 30 seconds and steep the tea in the mixture as well. (your tea bag staples will be just fine in the microwave for that short amount of time). (Microwaving the tea blooms the flavor and infuses the cold liquid more quickly than if you hadn't heated the tea.)

Remove the tea, put the rice and water in a blender and blend, starting on low, and then eventually moving to the liquefy setting. Blend at the liquefy setting for 20 seconds or so.

Stop the blender, add the remaining ingredients including the other 3 cups of water, and blend (again starting on a low setting and moving to the high setting to avoid splatter) for a good minute or so.

Pour the content of the blender, including the rice, into a pitcher (including the tea bags if you'd like more tea flavor) and cool in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

You can either strain the horchata through a fine sieve or china cap before or when serving or you can just keep the rice in the pitcher and just allow it to settle to the bottom like silt. Keeping the rice rather than straining allows the rice to continue to add flavor and body to the horchata as it settles, and you'll have to problems pouring the horchata into a glass without accompanying rice particles.

Enjoy!