When this tea came, my first impression was that it smelled a lot like nori. I am a sushi fan, so this is a good thing. I finally got around to making it today and it tastes like nori, too. It’s very astringent but kind of sweet at the same time, and there’s a sort of toasty feeling at the back of your mouth exactly like the taste that eating nori sheets will give you.
I think I oversteeped this, though; the description says it’s supposed to be “elegant” but it sort of hit me over the head with gratuitous amounts of taste, like HI I’M A HIGH-GRADE JAPANESE GREEN TEA!! CAN YOU TELL??? The next time I make this, I’m definitely going to try it at just one minute. I think there’s a lot more sweetness in there that’s not coming out because I left it in too long.
EDIT 6/16/11: I’ve finally figured this tea out! I think I steeped it correctly this time and I got all the flavors. All of them.
This tea starts out kind of smooth and sweet when it hits your tongue. There’s a little vegetal kick at the back, and then when you swallow, the vegetal taste turns into delicious, toasty nori. The nori stays and becomes a whole aftertaste. This is an effing excellent tea.
I Would Certainly Consider Buying It Again.
