Sencha Kasugaen Asatsuyu Tea Tasting (Nio Teas)

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Sencha Kasugaen Asatsuyu Nio Teas Tea Adventures

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Spring has arrived in Belgium so I wanted to drink a tea that is appropriate for the season. I went for the Sencha Kasugaen Asatsuyu from Nio Teas. They sent me several teas a few months ago and this is one of those teas.

Sencha Kasugaen Asatsuyu

This is a deep-steamed sencha, which means that the steaming process was longer than regular sencha and is one of the main reasons some of the leaves are rather small. The steaming process is usually 2-3 times longer and affects what the leaves look like.

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This sencha comes from Hioki City in Kagoshima, a warm and subtropical region in Southern Japan with lots of rainfall.

Tea tasting

  • 5g for a 200ml kyusu
  • 70°C water
Sencha Kasugaen Asatsuyu Nio Teas Tea Adventures

The leaves have a bright green color and it’s a mix of small leaves and larger ones. The aroma is grassy with a slight sweetness. I’m also getting soybeans and something floral. It smells like a spring breeze! It reminds me of the first nice day in spring and you feel nature is waking up after a long and cold winter.

Infusion 1 (60s): it has a bright green color so it’s what you can expect from a fresh Japanese sencha. I’m getting a shot of umami, followed by sweet and roasted soybeans towards the finish. This carries over into the aftertaste and stays around for a while. It feels fresh and deep at the same time. After a few minutes, grassy flavors become dominant in the aftertaste.

Infusion 2 (20s): the color of this one is darker green, even though the infusion was only 20 seconds long. The roasted soybeans have disappeared and it feels a bit floral. The undertone of this infusion has some floral notes to it. If I close my eyes, it’s as if I’m in the middle of a house cleaning on the first day of spring. It has aromas and flavors typically used in cleaning products to make your house smell fresh (in a good way). After a few minutes, the aftertaste becomes sweet.

Infusion 3 (30s): this one feels a lot sweeter again. Less grassy and it has more roasted soybeans. I’m even getting a slight hint of caramelized sugar on top. It’s a mellow infusion but the flavors are full and satisfying. The aftertaste of this one is really sweet! Even sweeter than the previous infusions.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for fresh green tea to drink during springtime, this might be your best option. It’s a fresh tea that starts out with strong notes of umami and roasted soybeans but changes into a floral brew to keep you company for a couple of hours with an impressive aftertaste. The freshness of the first infusions transforms into a long-lasting and sweet aftertaste.

I’m happy I drank this tea today because it was such a pleasant experience. I’m always careful when choosing Japanese green tea, but this one felt just right.

Sencha Kasugaen Asatsuyu

This is a sweet deep steamed sencha from southern Japan. The first steeping is very light and sweet, with a pleasant note of edamame towards the end. The second steeping becomes more bold and full-bodied, with the sweet corn note from the first steeping subsiding and the edamame note beginning to develop more and more. 

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