Nina's Japon

Thanks to Laurent at Nina’s Paris for this sample!

Ever since tasting 52teas’ Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha (and Cherry Cheesecake Genmaicha), I have been seeking out flavoured genmaichas, so naturally, I wanted to try this one! It’s a bit of a twist, with black tea in the blend as well, but I was hoping that it wouldn’t really be a big contributor to the flavour.

Anyhow, I opted to brew this as a green (though I regret not lowering the temperature further due to some astringency even with my short 2 minute infusion), which was probably the way to go. The dry tea didn’t have a ton of flavour that I recall, but once the water hit the tea? Instant thoughts of Marshmallow Treat, though more of a caramelly version. Which is super exciting, since MT is not being reblended as I would like, but this should be much more readily available!

I let the tea cool a fair bit before drinking it (as I always do), and at first sip, I definitely have to say that I have a bit of a tea crush, haha. It’s not as good as MT, and definitely more caramelly than fluffy vanilla/marshmallow, and I’m getting some astringency (tough to know whether that’s because I used a temp 3 degrees C higher than I should have, or because of the black tea, and sadly I don’t have enough to try again). The astringency is really the most annoying thing for me, since it dampens my enjoyment of the otherwise quite delicious toasty genmaicha/caramel blend.

Overall, I think if I ever made a Nina’s order, this would be included, though I personally wish that there wasn’t any black tea in this blend, as I don’t think it’s adding anything positive.

Thanks again for the sample, Nina’s Paris!

ETA: This one re-steeped well! So I got a tasty second cup from it today :)

This is my last sample from Nina’s to try, and based on the reviews I’ve seen so far I’m in for a treat. It’s also my first Genmaicha – woohoo! The smell of the dry leaves is wonderful – fresh green tea and sweet kettle corn. Wow, this is really good! There’s a fresh, toasty flavor and with a little sweetener the caramel and vanilla notes come out very nicely. I love the popcornish aftertaste too! Are all Genmaichas this delicious? I’ve not found a ’can’t live without you’ green tea yet, but this one may just be in the running! Thanks Nina’s Paris for the sample!

-Dry blend has green and black tea leaves with pieces of crispy rice.
-Dry leaves smell like green tea and kettle corn. Tea liquor aroma is of buttery popcorn.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Fresh toasty flavor with a vanilla caramel finish. Nice popcorn aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Wonderful light caramel popcorn flavor.

Sip down!

I am really enjoying this. I actually like this better than 52 teas marshmallow genmaicha, likely because of the increased caramel goodness in it. I actually think that I’d like to have a small quantity of this in my cupboard permanently. I think kittenna might be right though, in that the black tea doesn’t add much to the blend though.

My second last sample from Laurent and Sophie, Merci!

Le Sigh.

Seriously you guys. Banging my head on the counter. I drank this at work today, I was really looking forward to it, I knew it was going to be a crappy busy week and so I thought a nice way to start Monday would include this tea. That sentence was poorly formed but I don’t even care.

It was good, real good, for two steeps. I can’t comment on brewing method because I probably used too hot water, because for some reason i thought it was black tea, but it was still good.

Thing is, I was all proud of myself because I was drinking it and marveling at the really nice, subtle, not-too-sweet chocolate taste, in both steeps. I was all like “look at you, noticing flavor notes!” (of a flavoured tea, mind you)…. I didn’t have time to write this at work, so imagine my surprise (and head+counter reaction) when I read the description….which includes…. NO chocolate.

Ughhhhh back to the drawing board.

I’m not joking, I was tasting an unsweetened version of Cocoa Rice Krispies. What is wrong with my taste buds!? Vanilla? Caramel? Seriously?

It was good though. I’m hoping when their online shop opens up I will be able to afford the shipping fees :)

I am really surprised at myself. I have avoided genmaicha thinking I would not like it very much. I had Chocolate Delight by the Teaguys, and it has toasted rice in it I am fairly sure, but there are so many other ingredients in that blend that I wasn’t sure what made it tasty! Then I tried a bagged genmaicha and must have made it badly because it was TERRIBLE! But I think I just didn’t know how to handle it.

This one is easy, forgiving, and really tasty. My tea party guest did a double take today, almost setting her cup down after her first sip but taking it right back under her nose to sniff. “This is good!”

Indeed it is, and I recognize some of the flavor from Chocolate Delight, so I must have tasted the toasted rice after all. The caramel lends a really smooth, warm taste. The base comes off more as black tea than green to me.

This is one of my favorites from my birthday box! Thank you, SuperAnna for the tea, and Laurent for choosing!

I’ve been so busy and not able to write notes lately but I just had to write about this one.

First off, THANK-YOU Nina’s Paris for the generous samples. All the samples have been wonderful.

I don’t have a lot of experience with flavored Genmaichas but WOW this is good. I added a little extra sweeter for a sweeter treat. This has such a great toasty fragrance with caramel undertones. Definitely worth trying.

This is a sample sent to me from Laurent @ Nina’s.

This is very nice! It’s a rice crispy treat, caramel corn, granola bar!
I like the depth the black tea adds, the caramel sweetness, & really, the balance of this blend is just right!

Caramel, oh yes there is caramel! and vanilla. Followed by rice.
Hot, I wasn’t really feeling it at all. The rice aspect was overpowering in an odd uncooked way. Now that it’s cooled a bit, the flavours mesh together much better. What I don’t like now though, is the astringency! Hmph. On the other hand, its very smooth, and creamy. Will see what infusion #2 brings.

Edit: 2nd steep reminds me of marshmallow genmaicha from 52teas. If this was the first steep, I’d have given it a much higher rating!! I don’t know if I’d want to buy some for myself… mostly because I’d prefer the Frank version any day :)

Full review at 5 central on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are snippets:

When I opened by sample bag of Nina’s Japon from Nina’s Paris the first aroma that struck me was the genmaicha. That fresh popcorn smell was captivating as it always is for me when I smell Genmaicha. This was different though. A sweet caramel aroma wafted up into my nasal cavities seducing me! I could only hope the flavor was as wonderful as the scent!

It was!

The after taste is that of caramel popcorn and really so very good. I can’t believe I have taken so long to review this tea. I have had it waiting on me to try for over a month or two. This is a definite reorder once I let myself off tea buying hiatus.

Now I admit, I failed to look up brewing instructions before making this tea. I steeped it in 195 degree water for 3 minutes. I did not realize before steeping that it had green teas in the blend. Yet, not one bit of bitterness, nor astringency in this cup. Amazing, it is idiot proof!

I am really very impressed here! A big thanks to Nina’s for this sample. Request your samples too! Nina’s Paris has been more than accommodating to new customers who would like to sample their teas. You can request three samples at a time and trust me, you will want to order once you try them!

I had a dream last night of a kettle corn vending machine that would make fresh popcorn and add toppings to it like chocolate or caramel and then a bucket of kettle corn would fall out the bottom however you ordered it. I was reminded of this dream when I realized I wanted this tea this morning. It seems like it would be the tea most like kettle corn! (Though I realize that this is popped rice in genmaicha and not popped corn — still tastes like kettle corn, anyway!)

I REALLY wanted to try this one when I saw someone’s tasting note for it, and then I noticed that Nina’s was sending out samples. I love the elements here: black tea, genmaicha, vanilla, caramel. I don’t think the black tea will really show through if you have to steep it like a genmaicha, since genmaicha can be bitter if steeped for too hot or too long. So I waited for the water to cool a while and then steeped for two minutes. It’s scrumptious and I love it! It’s a toasty genmaicha with added sweetness. Just what I was hoping for. There isn’t a ton of flavor, but what is there is great. I don’t really see much black tea flavor, since you’d have to burn the green to find it, so the black tea seems obsolete, but that’s okay! I really don’t see many genmaichas mixed with other ingredients, maybe because they are so good on their own. I’d order this one if my tea stash wasn’t ridiculous right now.

Tasty and caramely and toasted-ricey. All together it tastes like caramel popcorn. All good good things. :) This is a very balanced tea with a slightly decadent and very comforting profile. I could certainly use more teas like this!

Wow I didn’t taste caramel at all in here, just vanilla. Weird. To me it was very much like genmaicha ice cream in tea form! Actually I know this company here has made genmaicha ice cream in the past…must inquire when they will do so again.

So I’m not sure what purpose the black tea in here serves, I decided to steep it like a green and sencha was definitely the predominant flavor despite how the dry leaf looked. This tea was both sweet and savory at the same time, but it’s not quite my favorite combination for that. I feel like I missed out on something by not tasting any caramel at all.

Mmm, Nina’s Japon smelled amazing before steeping!

I do like the combination of the black tea and genmaicha, plus it was creamy! Those flavors really worked well with the creamy, caramel and coconut aftertaste. I’d personally like a little less black in this blend, but I did like the extra depth it added.

This one seemed picky to steep and needs a shorter steeping time.

Full Review on my blog, the oolong owl. I did a review of the 3 samples I received! http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/ninas-paris-sample-tea-review/

1.05 tablespoons 248 ml.

The mild smokiness of the sencha is able to come through. I’m detecting a definite chocolately note near the end of the sip into the aftertaste. Roasted rice flavour closer to the middle of the sip. Vanilla overtones from the middle of sip to the end. Vanilla and caramel sweetness.

This tea really is dreamy! Caramel corn meets green tea in a wonderful carnival version of genmaicha. If I had to rename this tea, I would call it creamy caramel toasty popcorn.

Big thanks to Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s for this sample. I will definitely be purchasing this when I have a little extra $$ for tea. It will be a dessert tea staple in my cabinet.

Update: The cooler the tea gets the more caramel I taste. I bet this would be awesome iced. I MUST BUY THIS TEA!!! My cabinet demands this as a staple NOW!!

Thanks so Sophie and Laurent for sending me this sample.

I have tried many a green tea but never a genmaicha. I’ve always wanted to try one but I have never gotten around to it. I did like this one. Very much.

This one took me a while to figure out. It’s just not something I’ve ever tried before. I loved the nutty, popcornish flavor that the rice gave. It was pleasant and not something I thought I’d appreciate but I really did. There was also a lovely pop of caramel and chocolate that gave this tea the feel of a really decadent treat. I do like that it’s a black/green tea mix. The black tea complemented the chocolate in the tea and gave it a bit more maltiness.

Genmaicha is definitely interesting. It’s one that I’ve always wanted to try but never have. And I did love it. I loved the addiction of caramel and chocolate in Nina’s Japon. Kind of reminiscent of caramel popcorn…I always add chocolate chips while the popcorn is still hot. This will definitely be among the teas I order from Nina’s Tea when I eventually make my first order.

I would love to try some straight green genmaicha. Any suggestions?

Delicious tea! The mix of black and mostly green leaves with the pieces of crispy rice is amazing! It smells sweet! The brew was a bright cheery yellow. I’ve never tried flavored genmaicha before!

The taste was amazingly airy and smooth. Delicious and sweet! I love the sweet caramel and vanilla flavors. It was almost like I was eating cotton candy. I love the hint of the nutty rice flavor in the background. I didn’t think it was too prominent. It was blended very well!

This sample courtesy of Laurent at Nina’s Paris.

I grabbed this out of my cabinet without knowing what it was and simultaneously realized that it’s a genmaicha AND decided to prepare it as a black tea. Not sure what I was(n’t) thinking. So boiling water, 4 minutes.

This stands up just fine to boiling water. It smells lovely, all toasted rice and sweetness. It tastes basically like every other genmaicha I’ve had, except with a touch of sweet that I couldn’t quite place until I read that the ingredients include caramel. That’s definitely what I’m tasting here. Not picking up on the vanilla at all. The black tea is contributing maybe a touch of astringency, though I’m not sure whether that’s actually there or the ingredients list is influencing me.

Overall, this is quite tasty. Still, probably not something that I would actively seek out if other quality green tea is available. I can’t quite say why, except that genmaichas taste pleasant enough but just aren’t my favorite type of tea. Nice, but not a staple.

My last sample from laurent of nina’s paris once again i’m thanking you to be able to try this!

I’m noticing puffed rice and black and green tea leafs in this blend. The dry leaf smell a bit like a caramel toffee. I’m brewing this with near boiling water for about 3min and the result is a nice dark amber brown liquor that still smells like a toffee!

I’m hoping my tasting buds are not going to mess up my sample because i woke up today having a terrible cold and i’ve been coughing almost whole day now… anyway here we go!

With my first few marginal sips (because its to hot!) i’m noticing light vanilla taste but i’m going to led it cool down a bit more first… ok its cooled enough now and i’m tasting caramel with a hint off vanilla its a light blend with a very soft taste probably because the green leafs mixed in. I’m not really noticing the rice but hey i’m having a cold so i’m not functioning correct!

once again a tea that i would buy in the future!

I’m really tired of my body trying to get me sick. I was scheduled off today, but my doctor is making me stay home the rest of the work week because they think I might have something going on with my appendix. I hope not. I am feeling better today, but we will know more tomorrow.

So I am finally getting back into tea (even though I am having quite a steamy love affair with coffee) and I decided to break out this one. The caramel notes and the vanilla are morphing into marshmallow. I’m not sure if I got this hot enough because that is all I am tasting. I’m not really tasting any of the green tea, but I am getting a roasty feeling from the rice.

Either way it is tasty. The fiancee approves too.