525 Tasting Notes
I’m kind of a matcha noob, mostly because matcha is so expensive, but Red Leaf seems to have matcha at good prices. I’ve only had maybe two different matchas in my life so this Starter matcha is perfect for me. It’s kind of like how California Rolls are a perfect starter sushi. It’s pleasant and mild and hard to dislike. There’s better stuff out there, sure, but you want to get acquainted with what it is before you get too adventurous.
Anyway, even lacking the traditional matcha utensils, I think I still made a pretty good cup with a mug and a fork. I made it pretty thick at first, thinking I could water it down to suit my taste if necessary. It started out thick and foamy. Decadent! I took a sip of it in this thickened state and it was a bit too strong and bitter, so I added some water. The foam died down considerably. It’s got a nice creamy consistency even if it is thinner. There’s also a bit of chalkiness, but it’s not unpleasant. It’s a nice dark olive green. Very pretty. The taste is not too exciting, to be honest. It’s just green and mild. It’s got none of that sweetness or even oceanic flavor some matchas seem to have. It’s also a tad more bitter and the teeniest astringent than some other matchas I’ve had.
I suspect this would make a really good candidate for lattes since you don’t have to worry about hiding delicate nuances of flavor. It’s just a nice green creamy drink. This would probably also be good in a banana and almond milk smoothie. Or pancakes. nummy. In fact, this matcha reminds me a bit of Starbucks’ green tea lattes. Of course, their green tea lattes are only barely matcha tasting since they’re conserving the expensive powder, so having control over your own proportions is extremely awesome.
Overall, this is a pretty good matcha for the price. This is the lowest quality matcha they sell so I’m thinking it only gets better if you buy the other kinds. I can’t wait to try the royal matcha or vanilla matcha. While this particular matcha might be better used as a flavoring or a latte, I’ll bet the other ones are good for just drinking straight.
Also, wow, the caffeine kick is instant! I’m half done with my mug and I need to stop. Gonna heat up some milk and make a latte for the husband. :)
Later: The latte was well received!
You find this matcha here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/starter-matcha.html
Mmm… yummy! I’ve been wanting to try this tea since foreeeever and I finally got to thanks to MadelineAlyce!
The dry leaves smell so good. I can totally smell the rose petals. They remind me of the little baskets of dried roses petals my mom used to put in my room when I came home to visit. Roses grown by my dad! Alas, the rose bush is gone now, due to a barbeque fire last summer.
But anyway, it also smelled a bit like tart strawberries topped with cream. Mmm…strawberries and cream…with rose petals! This is summer. It is not summer without dad’s roses and a strawberry short cake. Not necessarily together. So hopefully, dad has a new rosebush for this year!
After brewing, I was a bit surprised at the color of the tea. So green and powdery on the bottom. Seemed like it was matcha-ed. And now that I read the description, I see that my suspicions were correct. Brewed tea smells amazing. Just a tad of vegetal flavor coming through to freshen up the strawberry flavor. And it’s all smoothed over with vanilla. Not as decadent as strawberry shortcake, but refreshing and a bit naughty, like a strawberry and coconut milk smoothie with a pinch of vanilla sugar.
I’m enjoying this quite a bit. I really need to get an order in to Lupicia cause everything I’ve ever tried from there has been super tasty.
I bought this because I was stuck at work with no decent tea and I was sort of desperate. It’s not convenient for me to prepare looseleaf at work and I have very few teabags at home. So I got this at a nearby Korean market.
The sachet is really pretty. Dark green tea leaves, pink rose petals, and little white bits of apple. Brewed, the tea does, indeed, smell and tasty apply. It’s reminds me of red delicious apples-floral and likable. The tea base is pretty good despite being cut up. I would say the base doesn’t match the flavor too well though. Tea is a bit vegetal and earthy for the delicate apple flavor. Lots of little leaf bits escape the sachet, which is fine by me. I love the look of the leaves even as they steep. You can see the colors in layers because of their density. Leaves on the bottom, petals in the middle, apple bits on top.
Overall, a nice tea. I get about 3 steeps out of each bag, though I use a smallish mug. I even get a little buzz from it. It costs a bit much, but I was lured in by a new flavor. Next time, I’ll stick with a classic genmaicha.
First! hehe So I got this nice little tea from QueenofTarts. Thanks!
I’m always looking for a nice caffeine free evening tea and I’ve had many positive experiences with honeybush, so this seemed like a winner when I saw it on her swap list. I’m pretty happy with this. There’s a subtle chocolate flavor. It tastes a bit roasty and a bit caramelly. I wouldn’t say it’s a replacement for dessert, but I haven’t tried it sweetened yet. Usually I only sweetened blacks and spice teas, though not always. I’m beginning to find the rooibos and honeybush take well to sweetener as well. Though my default is still unadulterated tea.
anyway! I’ll try it with a bit of sugar and milk when I get home and report back!
I’m rather fond of vanilla so I had high hopes for this tea. Vanilla is a good complement to almost any flavor. I even had vanilla tomato soup at a fancy French restaurant once and it was quite tasty.
I think that the flavor is well done here. I sort of wish it was a little stronger. It also reminds me a bit of 52teas’ famous Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha, only not toasty and with a lesser quality of leaf. The quality of leaf here is quite subpar. With a subtle flavor like vanilla, I’d think you would want a good quality leaf since it’s flavor would show through pretty clearly. The mouthfeel is nice though. A bit creamy and a bit bitter to balance the sweetness of the vanilla.
Overall, this is comforting and enjoyable, but I think I’ll use this to blend with other teas or for baking and cooking. Vanilla green mint tea? Vanilla green pancakes? Vanilla green lemonade? Vanilla green hot chocolate? Could I pulverize the tea in my food processor and use stir the powder into cookies? Looks like my weekend will be filled with experiments. :)
Many thanks to MadelineAlyce for the generous sample of this tea.
Preparation
After reading the…um…opinionated reviews on this tea, and seeing that Tazo has, once again, added citric acid to the ingredients, I steeped this for only 45 seconds. It was 45 seconds too long. This tea is not worth drinking on its own. There’s probably a way to doctor it up so that it tastes palatable, but as it is…blegh.
I do enjoy the bright orange color. It makes me feel like a kid. Reminds me of those colored drinks in those little plastic things that look like barrels. 25 cents from the corner store! I think those things taste better than this. Though to be fair, my short steep probably didn’t allow any flavors to develop. The tartness would have been unbearable if I let it go any longer though.
I’m revisiting this tea for the first time since I had it in college. I didn’t much like it then, and I like it even less now. It smells as fruity and yummy as I remember, but it is far more sour. It goes beyond the usual tartness of hibiscus. For some reason, Tazo saw fit to add citric acid to the ingredient list. WHY??? The sour is now at a harsh chemical level. I can’t even taste anything else except for how sour it is.
that sounds painful
I guess they expect you to sweeten this a great deal, but I’m usually a fan of sweetened tea unless it’s a chai or something desserty.
By itself, bleh. Mixed with orange juice, you get something that tastes like guava juice. I bought it to mix with lemonade for one of my daughters who liked it at Starbucks.
Thanks to Uniquity for the generous sample of this tea. :) it was enjoyably fruity though a bit strong on the honeybush. I think red honeybush and rooibos really do better with more desserty or robust flavors. You need a green honeybush or rooibos for a fruity blend. Whatever raspberry there may have been is completely overwhelmed by base. I taste a bit a lemon grass a vague fruitiness, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you what fruit. Still, it’s not bad. I can drink it. And it allows me to appreciate well thought out blends all the more. :)
I’ve yet to meet anyone who can actually taste raspberry in this…I always expect it will get discontinued, but I think it might be one of the ones that people new to tea like to buy. I was certainly “new” when I first bought it!
Well, it’s pleasant enough but not worth rebuying, so I guess you’re probably right. :)
