So this is pretty cool. The leaves smell strongly of marzipan (and a little mint but I think that’s because it was in the sampler tube with the spearmint green sampler) but post-brewing, that smell disappointingly goes away. Fortunately, the marzipan shows up at the front of the sip (particularly when the tea is hot), then transitions to a more straight almond flavor which melds smoothly into the nuttiness of the Chinese green.
The Chinese green base in this doesn’t seem overly fancy or spectacular, but it works so great with the flavoring. As the tea cools, the marzipan sweetness fades and it becomes more raw almond and green tea, but again, the flavors meld delightfully.
Once again Kusmi surprises me and makes me like a flavored green.
Second Steep (3:00) – The flavor is softer now, predominately green tea but there is still a noticeable flavor of almond underneath it, mostly straight almond but with occasional sweet little marzipan spikes. Toward the end of the cup there was a little not-quite-bitterness, not-quite-astringency but almost thick, dark nuttiness. If it were stronger it could edge into unpleasant but as it is, it just makes it move fully away from the desserty marzipan almond and into a more natural/straight almond flavor. Honestly, it’s really tasty.
5.3g/10oz
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I’ve had an eye on this one but I can’t really imagine green and almond together…
I think because it is a nutty Chinese green it ends up working really well.
True… I’ve been focusing so much on Japanese lately that I tend to think of that flavour now when I try to imagine a flavoured green…
Mmm, Japanese greens. I haven’t decided which new sencha to open up so for the moment I am sencha-less. Or as sencha-less as one can be with 6 unopened packages.
I haven’t ever found a flavored Japanese green that stands out and makes me happy. Normally flavored greens (of any type) and I don’t see eye to eye, more so when the base is sencha.
For me it depends on what they’re flavoured with. If it’s something a bit tart it usually works the best for me. Something hugely sweet is less likely to work. I couldn’t, for example, imagine a green caramel or something like that.
Okay, trying to think of a caramel green kind of hurts my head…. Maybe I just haven’t found the right flavors!
I’ve had an eye on this one but I can’t really imagine green and almond together…
I think because it is a nutty Chinese green it ends up working really well.
True… I’ve been focusing so much on Japanese lately that I tend to think of that flavour now when I try to imagine a flavoured green…
Mmm, Japanese greens. I haven’t decided which new sencha to open up so for the moment I am sencha-less. Or as sencha-less as one can be with 6 unopened packages.
I haven’t ever found a flavored Japanese green that stands out and makes me happy. Normally flavored greens (of any type) and I don’t see eye to eye, more so when the base is sencha.
For me it depends on what they’re flavoured with. If it’s something a bit tart it usually works the best for me. Something hugely sweet is less likely to work. I couldn’t, for example, imagine a green caramel or something like that.
Okay, trying to think of a caramel green kind of hurts my head…. Maybe I just haven’t found the right flavors!