Nio Teas

I was excited to see a roasted tea, and this was a definite winner. The flavor of toasted grains is strong but it still feels light. I’m trying to think of other descriptors, but it just gives me vibes of wet autumn leaves around a campfire. Their description says there are notes of coffee and chocolate – I might be able to see coffee just in the sense of a roasted bean. I can’t say I’m missing them though; it’s excellent.

Nio Teas advent day 5

This was definitely a richer green tea than the last couple have been, but despite the stronger profile I got absolutely no bitterness in either steep. It is smooth and even, with a profile that mostly feels like grass (and after reading their notes, I’d agree with the seaweed as well). I could see this working quite well with a meal; it seems like it would stand out even among other strong flavors but would not be overwhelming in the midst of them.

Nio Teas advent day 4

My general impression without their notes is of a lighter green tea with some grassiness that is more prominent in the scent and back of the sip, and it fades as the tea cools. It’s not bitter. I don’t have a great word to describe the dominant flavor I’m getting, so I’m heading to the website to see what they say.

Their website describes this tea as high in minerality and sweetness, and after looking more at minerality (which I guess I had always assumed was just “salty” but is apparently more complicated than that) I think that’s exactly it. I suppose I can see some natural sweetness that I would have categorized more as an absence of bitterness. They rated it med-low on vegetal and umami scales as well, which makes sense.

Very drinkable in both steeps. Probably my favorite of theirs so far.

Nio Teas advent day 3

Nio Teas advent day 2

It’s interesting to read the notes on the website about evaluating these teas. I’m hoping to learn a lot about tasting for green tea in particular. I’m not getting any of the supposedly “extremely fruity” element, either in the sip or the scent. I do get the “light and sweet” start, with a pleasant mellow grassiness in the middle. There is almost no bitterness in this first preparation where I would expect it most. I was surprised at how well the flavor held up in the second steep as well.

Nio Tea Advent Day 1

I wanted to have something different in my arsenal of holiday teas, but I’m also intimidated by the very idea of making notes on these, so we’ll see how it goes. I feel like apologizing for these before I even start.

Even at 2 minutes there was a distinct bitterness in the end of the steep, but the second round at 20 seconds was perfect. Warming, grassy, and vegetal; this was an excellent way to break up a series of black teas for day 1.

I acquired this sample months ago, but I needed a shot of caffeine shortly after getting out of bed today. I feel as if I’ve yet made the adjustment to the hour setback. Honestly, it doesn’t help that we dropped back the hour, but it begins to feel like 8pm at 5pm lately. The light completely washes away around 4:30-5pm.

Anyway, this was a good tea as much as I remember it being when I drank it. I didn’t make a note, but wanted to log it regardless.

It’s been a while since I posted a tasting note. I attribute this lack of reviews both to having a weird form of writer’s block (palate block? flavour description block?) and to drinking teas I’ve already written about. I have at least five tasting notes I need to write before I can mark some teas as sipdowns. Not having written about some teas is also one of the many, many excuses I’ve made for delaying Daylon’s package for an embarrassingly long time. (I promise it exists, and you’ll be drinking spring Longjing in November!)

Here’s another Chanoka matcha from Nio, which I think comes from the same farm as their Chanoka Silver. I don’t have enough experience with Japanese green teas to understand what’s special about the Okumidori cultivar, so this will be a learning opportunity. I steeped 2 g of matcha in a mason jar containing around 100 ml of cool water. Once again, I got foam!

The dry aroma is an unusual combination of chocolate, cream, green veggies, and umami. Sadly, the chocolate isn’t prominent in the matcha itself, though it does retain a creamy texture and hints of cocoa. I also get kale, green pepper, grass, spinach, and umami. The matcha is sweeter than most, though with a kick of vegetal astringency near the end.

This tea gets major points for its sweetness and limited astringency. I’m beginning to understand why people might drink matcha voluntarily, though it’s still not my preferred tea type.

Until October 31, you can buy two tins of matcha and get the third one free. You can also use the code LEAFHOPPER15 to get 15% off everything on the site, possibly including Advent calendars (I get a small commission when you use this code).

Backlog

This was the cleanest of the matcha teas I’ve tried thus far. I wish I wrote more…lol

A slightly darker green powder; largely vegetal notes; mildly bitter and grassy.

Sip Down

My sip down pile has been adding up, but the schedule change and lack of sleep hasn’t been exactly motivating me to write. I’ll probably spend a few more minutes trying to get some reviews in before my mind drifts into the inevitable workday.

I hoarded the last of the tea for a few months before sipping it down. I needed a little boost in the mid-shift yesterday, so this found itself in the Kyusu at my desk. Not only did the tea do the job of granting me the energy necessary to finally step away from the desk after 6 hours of little movement (excluding water refills and quick bathroom breaks), but it also allowed the opportunity to step away from desk and home, and onto the treadmill at the gym.

Back to the notes: Asparagus, unsalted and unbuttered green beans, grassy, a touch of umami, and sweet corn.

Here’s yet another matcha from my dwindling pile of Nio samples. I steeped the entire 2 g in a mason jar with about 100 ml of cool water.

The dry aroma is of sweet grass and mild veggies. Shaking the contents of the jar produced a good amount of foam, which I view as a minor accomplishment. This matcha is delicately grassy, with notes of cream, seaweed, spinach, and lettuce. Grassiness and umami predominate, though there’s also some sweetness. Bitterness is noticeably absent, which comes as a pleasant surprise.

This matcha is still intense for me, but it’s more enjoyable than some of the other ones I’ve tried. I agree with the vendor that this is a good place to start for matcha beginners like me.

Nio is having a buy two get one free sale prior to May 21, which is International Tea Day. I think there are some other items on sale as well. Take an additional 15% off with the code LEAFHOPPER15 (I get a small commission when someone uses this code).

Very smooth after first long 2 min steeping. Surprisingly no bitterness. Good to the last sip – which came quickly after relatively low 140F first steeping.

Matcha is a taste that I haven’t yet acquired, but I’m trying again this morning. Thanks to Nio for the free sample. I cold brewed my entire 2 g in about 150 ml of water in a mason jar. I didn’t fill it to the top of the jar as I did last time, so maybe I’ll get some foam.

The dry aroma is nutty and grassy. I did get some foam when I shook the matcha! I taste notes of cream, nuts, grass, snow peas, asparagus, kale, and mild umami, with a creamy consistency and not too much dust. The matcha is sweet and has a grassy, vegetal aftertaste.

I found this tea to be lighter and sweeter than the matcha I tried last winter, although it’s still pretty intense. I think cold brewing also helps dial down the feeling that you’re drinking a spinach salad. .

For an unspecified amount of time, get a free chawan, whisk, and spoon with orders over $129. You can also get up to 69% off matcha. Take an additional 10% off with the code LEAFHOPPER10OFF (I get a small commission when you use this code). I’m not sure when any of these sales expire, so check the site to see if they’re still valid.

Another morning with this lovely matcha.

Balanced, neutral. Some green notes, light bitterness balanced by savory notes. Smooth and suspended well.

Wow! Backlog on this one but it was really good.

I’ve brewed a few times. It’s like Matcha’s roasty twin. Really straightforward. Would make a great topper for a matcha latte if you’re into that sort of thing.

If you enjoy hojicha, this is a very grounding and complete experience. I would buy more, especially for the low offer price.