Nio Teas

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.

NIO Advent Calender 2023
Last Tea! Only took me two months. And my husband wonders why I prefer to get small bags. (Unless it’s a staple like Waikato Black). There is 5gs of the in this bag. Holy smokes. Glad I saw that before dumping it into my vessel. I’ve decided to return to the Shiboridashi. We are only using 1g of this. And thus far, I think the less tea the better. Same steeping time (45s) and same water temp 65C. A very nice first steep. Slightly grassy, hay, a bit of sweetness. Soft mouth feel. Second infusion (20s). Probably could use a bit more time. After an added 10 seconds, astringency shows its head but so does a very nice umami tone.

NIO Advent Tea
Nice glossy leaves. Deep green. Umami, grassy aroma. Initial aroma of summer florals and a hint of gardenia. Going to do many quick infusions with this one. This is very gentle compared to the previous gyokuro. It says two minutes but I really felt like 1 minute was tops. When steeped longer there is a flavor I just don’t enjoy. Yes, it is also bitter but something about the flavor just puts me off. Second steeping needs very quick steeps. I guess I’m just not impressed with this one.

NIO Advent Calender 2023
Was supposed to have a class today. Except it wasn’t today… it was yesterday Japan time. I dummy. _ Luckily the lady running it is awesome and recorded it. Using m kyusu for this one. The shiboridashi needs some… excuse me… I need some education. The dry aroma is nice with hints of stone fruit and fresh grass. Glossy dark green leaves, needle-like. It’s 15 F outside. And by f I don’t mean Fahrenheit, I mean, I also do but also otherwise cause I can’t feel my face. Can we all change to Celcius, please? Soft mouth feel. Fresh cut pile of grass clippings. Maybe some corn and spinach. Slight cream. One minute is too long for this one.

NIO Tea advent calendar and a freaking sinus infection.
Had to rest up stairs for a bit. Now that I;ve done that I’m going to punch this thing with some matcha. Some very nice vegetal notes. A bit of green beans, asparagus, and maybe some pepper but also hints of cream and oat milk. I feel like I shouldn’t be tasting as much as I am considering the current state of my sniffer. Speaking of which I’m sure there is a dry aroma but my nose doesn’t really want to comprehend it at the moment. Luckily the taste is quite good.

NIO Advent 2023
A lovely looking sencha. Dark green with a bit of light green. Pleasant aroma filled with stone fruit, grass notes, and a bit of cream. I still haven’t gotten the hang of this shiboridashi but it’s so beautiful I can’t bear to let it just sit around. My first sip was a bit overboard. I could sense the vegetal, fruity, and grassy notes but the immediacy of the pairing was almost too much. Even my second steep is a bit too astringent on the tongue. Okay… This one just straight-up needs a bigger steeping vessel. Even at five seconds, my mouth is going wthecks… I reduced the amount of leaf now. That was a messy process. The flavor is a bit more palatable now, much grass, so wow.

Edit. I’m not sure if it was bc I drank this on an empty stomach or something else but I felt quite nauseated…

NIO advent tea.
I’ve come down with something. Sniffles and runny nose. I just want to sleep but kids and stuff… So matcha and some prayers are a necessary to get me through the day. The dry aroma is nice. Somewhat chocolaty and a bit sweet. The powder is meh. Which doesn’t bode well for the flavor but now that I am drinking it I’m actually surprised at the depth it has. Some good vegetal notes, great umami, and some marine notes.