Gyokuro Sasa Hime from Nio Teas

Gyokuro Sasa Hime

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Beany, Bitter, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butter, Earth, Grass, Herbaceous, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal, Earthy, Mineral, Savory, Soil, Vegetable Broth
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
140 °F / 60 °C 2 min, 0 sec 5 g 5 oz / 135 ml

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

1 Image

0 Want it Want it

0 Own it Own it

3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “NIO advent 2023. Ah, lovely dry aroma. Sweetgrass. Mixture of wet, just cut grass, and stale summer-dried grass. Glossy, dark jade leaves. Two minutes? Dang. I don’t think I can wait that long. Ooo...” Read full tasting note
    72
  • “The first sample I grabbed today was a matcha, but I have no tools for preparing it so I put it back in the bag. I’m glad that my second pick was a gyokuro. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml kyusu...” Read full tasting note
    70
  • “Nio Teas Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 23 (1/2) Yep, two teas again today. It’s nice of them to give extras, though I’m the last person who needs them ha ha. Hmm, this is interesting. It’s not very...” Read full tasting note

From Nio Teas

The Sasa Hime is a very fine, well-balanced Gyokuro. It offers a subtle natural Umami taste that is rounded out with the grassy vegetal flavor of the tea. It has only a slight acidity. The first brewing has a note of spinach and a well-developed sweetness and natural umami taste. Compared to some of the other Gyokuros we have seen, the Umami taste here is a bit more subtle and blends in nicely with the grassiness of the tea. A slight note of hazelnut is also noticeable. The second brewing has a balance between its sweetness and a natural umami taste. You may also notice a slight acidity and a very subtle sourness.

This tea is grown in Kagoshima Japan on the small farm of the Sakamoto family. Because Mr. Sakamoto specializes in Gyokuro, he shades the tea plants for 3 weeks prior to the harvest, in order to boost the levels of theanine, caffeine and chlorophyll. This also creates a sweeter and more savory flavor in the tea. The soil on the farm of Mr. Sakamoto is incredibly soft, due to the diversity of flora and fauna on the field which loosens up the soil. This soft soil allows the roots to penetrate deeper into the ground and absorb more nutrients.

About Nio Teas View company

Company description not available.

3 Tasting Notes

72
1308 tasting notes

NIO advent 2023. Ah, lovely dry aroma. Sweetgrass. Mixture of wet, just cut grass, and stale summer-dried grass. Glossy, dark jade leaves. Two minutes? Dang. I don’t think I can wait that long. Ooo no. Don’t wait. The sips at 20 seconds are nice. Full of light and swaying grass. I feel like I am eating more of the leaves than drinking them. Highly recommend an infuser for anyone else who is going to consume this tea. The mouthfeel begins silky and switches to a bit of astringency. Ooo whee… I don’t know… two minutes is a bit much for me. maybe 1.5 at tops. The overall flavor is nice. The usual grassiness with vegetal notes of cooked spinach and frozen parmesan.
0 comments
Edit

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

70
Recommended
447 tasting notes

The first sample I grabbed today was a matcha, but I have no tools for preparing it so I put it back in the bag. I’m glad that my second pick was a gyokuro. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml kyusu using 140F water for 2 minutes, followed by several steeps of 20 seconds.

The dry aroma is of spinach, grass, and earth. The first steep has notes of spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, umami, grass, herbs, butter, and earth. I get very little sweetness and lots of bitter veggies. The next steep features edamame and umami and is still quite bitter. The final steeps have somewhat sweet grassy notes with other veggies.

I didn’t enjoy this gyokuro as much as the Gyokuro Cha Musume I had a couple days ago. It lacked sweetness and fruitiness and was quite vegetal and bitter. I was happy to try it, but it’s not the type of flavour profile I gravitate toward.

These Advent calendar samples also contain a lot of matcha. It seems dumb to buy a $60 matcha kit to make free tea, especially since I’ve never had matcha before and don’t know if I even like it. I don’t have a milk frother or blender, so those options are out, too. Hmm.

Flavors: Beany, Bitter, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butter, Earth, Grass, Herbaceous, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
140 °F / 60 °C 2 min, 0 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 120 ML
11 comments
Edit
Cameron B.
Delete

For the matcha, you could try using a regular whisk if you have one for cooking/baking. I also like to drink matcha cold shaken with water or oat milk, and you don’t need any special tools for that.

Leafhopper
Delete

I don’t have a whisk, but I do have jars and water bottles that could work for cold brewing. Do you use the same amount of water you’d use for hot matcha?

Cameron B.
Delete

I personally use about a teaspoon for 8 ounces of liquid, so quite a bit more diluted than a traditional usucha. Obviously that totally depends on your personal tastes though. Maybe start stronger and you can always add more liquid.

ashmanra
Delete

Do you have a cocktail shaker or protein powder mixing cup with the metal ball?

Leafhopper
Delete

Nope. I have relatively few kitchen gadgets. However, these things would be easy to find if I decide I like matcha and want to keep making it.

ashmanra
Delete

I got my cocktail shaker at an estate sale for cheap cheap and the protein powder was one from Vitamin Shoppe with their logo and it was also cheap but has endured like a champ. Ashman uses it several times a week to mix Instant Breakfast but I have used it for matcha lattes. Also, I have a cheap Aerolatte, and someone (maybe matchaoutlet.com or 3leaftea had them for $7.

Leafhopper
Delete

Thanks! It’s possible that thrift stores might also have cheap cocktail shakers. If I try a couple of these matchas and decide I like them, I’ll explore getting the tools. However, I already have a lot of tea stuff in my small apartment (along with the ever-expanding tea museum) and don’t want to accumulate things I won’t use.

Leafhopper
Delete

Also, watch me break this resolution and buy an entire matcha set if I decide I enjoy these samples! :D

LuckyMe
Delete

@Leafhopper if you have a jar with a lid, you can use it as a shaker to mix up the matcha. You don’t need fancy equipment for matcha. I often use a small balloon whisk from the dollar store and a rice bowl.

ashmanra
Delete

Yep, my eldest, Superanna, uses a fork!

Leafhopper
Delete

LuckyMe, this is what I plan to do, at least for now.

Ashmanra, I’m sure some people would consider that to be heresy, but it’s a great use of resources! :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

4311 tasting notes

Nio Teas Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 23 (1/2)

Yep, two teas again today. It’s nice of them to give extras, though I’m the last person who needs them ha ha.

Hmm, this is interesting. It’s not very sweet for a gyokuro, and it has a very earthy character to it. There are still intense notes of spinach and grass, with perhaps a bit less umami than I’m accustomed to in a gyokuro.

Not my favorite, with the strong mineral and earthy notes. But definitely an interesting one.

Flavors: Earthy, Grass, Mineral, Savory, Soil, Spinach, Umami, Vegetable Broth, Vegetal

Preparation
140 °F / 60 °C 2 min, 0 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
0 comments
Edit

Login or sign up to leave a comment.