Dripdash — Kyoto-Style Coffee

Japanese aesthetics are all about precision and perfection — even when it comes to a simple cup of coffee.

Palo Alto-based Dripdash brought that sentiment to the United States this year with its Kyoto-style, cold-brewed, slow-dripped coffee.

How slow? Apparently, only one drop of water per second gets poured over the grounds in a process that takes 16 hours.

The glacial-pace process makes for a highly caffeinated brew. And the taste?

I had a chance to experience it for myself when I was sent samples.

This is one incredibly smooth coffee. The pronounced acidity I’ve often found with other cold brews is decidedly missing here. Instead, what you get is coffee that tastes more balanced, with tempered bitterness, a silkiness on the palate, and a long, soft finish. If coffee can be somehow relaxing and invigorating at the same time, Dripdash nails it.

The 6-ounce bottles are available on GoodEggs for $3.99 each. Or in a six-pack on the Dripdash site for $37.

Or if you wait until January 2020, you can buy it in a most adorable limited-edition 5-ounce bottle ($10) that looks exactly like the soy sauce bottle you find on tables at your favorite sushi restaurant.

Adagio Teas For The Holidays

If you — or someone you know– drink tea every single day, then Adagio Teas’ unique Advent Calendar ($29) is the perfect gift for you or them.

This clever December calendar features 24 slots, one for each day leading up to Christmas. Each day, open one to reveal a different tea bag to enjoy. How fun is that?

You’ll find holiday-inspired ones such as “Gingerbread,” as well as more classic offerings such as Chamomile, and new taste sensations such as “Blueberry White.”

It makes counting down to Christmas all the more fun.

If the tea aficionado in your life takes their leaves more seriously, Adagio also offers a new collection of Masters Teas, all hand-processed and in limited productions so once they’re sold out, that’s it until harvesting starts up once again.

Adagio lets you buy these teas in a sample size (enough to make 5 cups) for $5 to $11, depending on the variety or in a 1.5-ounce bag for $15 to $34. Sampler boxes are sometimes offered, too, such as the “Masters Zhejiang” set, so you can try a grouped collection to compare and contrast.

I especially enjoyed the Shincha Sencha in the “Masters Japan” box sample I was sent gratis to try. From Shizuoka, this sencha has an elegant grassy nature and an unexpected lingering, dreamy taste of apricots on the finish.

For someone who really appreciates the finer points of tea, the Masters Teas make for the ideal sip.