1134 Tasting Notes
Advent Tea 2023
A beautiful tea in appearance. Some say that the Chinese value the look more than the Japanese do but I highly appreciate the vibrant greens. This one, for example, with the contrast of light and dark greens is quite a joy to behold. The aroma is unsettling. I can’t say I like it. The same went for the flavor at first but it changed. The creamy mouth feel is quite nice. Very vegetal in flavor. Fresh-cut grass and corn husks. Like with other Japanese greens, I find I am enjoying this one more as the water cools down. There is a sweet grass note that comes out that I am finding quite enjoyable.
As much I love jumping around and trying new teas, I’ve gained a higher appreciation for those who stick to one terroir or country. When your palate sticks with one long enough you can spot the subtle differences from year to year.
The lady knew I was a picky drinker. And she found just the right teas for my palate. It was surprising to me when she pulled out this tea from South America. You don’t find many companies that have tea from there and I had not tasted one from Guatemala before. You can tell how different the terroir is by the very first sip. The dry leaf gave me a bit of a start. It kind of smells like cherry cough medicine. cringe But also very unique is this aroma. As it steeps it switches to a cherrywood with slight milk chocolate. The liquor aroma is a wow. Baileys and different woody notes and a touch of resin. Mouthfeel: Silky soomth. Very different from the other terroirs. The flavor is maybe a cherry liquor of some sort with woody notes. The wet leaf has unique pinewood, smoked pinewood, and cherrywood notes that finish with a bit of cherry liquor.
NIO Advent Tea 2023 #5?
Dry Leaf: Glossy vibrant greens. Needle-like. Broken but still beautiful. Grassy and slight stone fruit in aroma.
Flavor: Very vegetal. Bits of cream. Grassy towards the finish.
Wet leaf aroma: If mushy had a smell… Maybe it reminds me of the spinach. And cooked spinach is always mushy.
NIO Advent Tea #3 A matcha was just the thing I needed this morning. It’s kinda gloomy out there and I’m tired. The dry powder smells deeply of dark chocolate The coloring is nice. As the water is poured and the matcha is whisked, the aroma changes to vegetal and grassy notes. I suck at making foam. Despite that, the foam that I did manage to create lasts quite a long time. The flavor is a bit nutty with grassy overtones. And some bitter root veggies.
Steeped in a hotel improperly the first time. It was good but this time we’re doing it right. Hot water for 5 mins and adding oat milk halfway. The aroma from the dry leaf is just what I expect from a chai. Let’s crazy. We’re frothing the milk. A great chai. Perfect spices. Slight spiciness. Goes very well with my curry.
Nio Advent Calender 2023. #2
I saw a few names that were similar but not quite the same as this so I figured I would give it its own thing.
Ah, the aroma is lovely. Slightly grassy. Bits of hay. Sweet grass. A bit of stone fruit. The leaf is thin and needle like. Mainly dark green with bits of lighter greens. Lots of freshly but grass with the first sip. As with most Japanese greens, this one is like a two-year-old and shouldn’t be left alone. The astringency, if you do, will punch you in the face. The grassy notes dominate with each steep though I do also get some vegetal notes.
They’re always weird with their names not being the same on their packets and the website, etc lol. I think it is the same as “Fukamushi Sencha Murasaki”, but it doesn’t really matter. :P
That’s what I thought at first too! But then I was like there must be a reason they changed the name. Different producer perhaps?
On their website the listing is “Fukamushi Sencha Kagoshima Murasaki” but the package in the photo is “Kasugaen Murasaki Sencha”. (shrugs)
Do you guys start with a one-minute steep for these teas? It’s what the website recommends, but the veggies always punch me in the face.
Oh man no. I almost taste it right away and like every 10 seconds. It’s a fast one!
I usually do about 45s at 160F for sencha, but to be honest I don’t drink much fukamushicha. For the second and third steeps I usually do like 15s and 60s+.
Thanks for your feedback! I might be drinking more of these teas because my scale broke today and they’re among my only pre-measured samples.
If this is free in a hotel I will make a cup. But I will never buy this at a tea shop. Spending that type of money for this is a bit absurd. That being said this isn’t a terrible brew but it really only ranks in the decent category, The poor leaves are so small they really don’t afford you any true tea flavor, maybe a few woody notes here and there but most of this is covered up by the fake bergamot they use.
After denying myself tea for a few days because of the crazy prices in NY (I so badly wanted some matcha) I finally broke on the way out of Manhattan. I was driving but my husband said I found a tea shop. This is what we found. The lady at this store was so kind. They offer many great teas and of course, she made the mistake of letting my husband and I smell teas. I bought some and she let us smell some more while waiting and then my husband bought some. This was one he bought.
Perfectly spicy. Actually, very spicy. I think I added too much. Holy crap. I think my husband will enjoy this because he thinks nothing is spicy enough. But my mouth is spicy. The turmeric is so nice in this one. Besides the spicy, the creamy and nutty notes are complex and filling. Make with milk.
Advent Tea #1
Long needle-like appearance with jade coloring. The aroma is divine. Sweet grass and stone fruit. The flavor has heavy notes of asparagus, corn, maybe leaning more towards freshly picked corn with the husk still on. A very vegetal forward green. Does not require much steep time. In fact, I suggest you do not walk away from this session. The soft mouth feel can be easily overtaken with bitterness and you’ll be left with unnecessary astringency if you treat this like any other tea. Though generally this should be said for any Japanese green. The grassiness comes out more in the subsequent infusions.
I agree, the combination of the squash and green vegetables was strange at first. You’re right that the more you focus on a specific terroir, the better you can spot the subtleties in different teas. I’m not great at this with Japanese greens because I’ve had relatively few of them.