Matcha Outlet

Frankly, I’m too lazy to create a separate listing for my Madagascar Vanilla/Green Apple matcha cold almond milk latte blend from a couple days ago. it mostly tasted like apple anyhow (it had more vanilla, though), and was quite delicious! Sweetened it with a touch too much maple syrup. Pretty darn good!

Attempted a caramel apple matcha latte this evening, and way overdid it on the apple, so much so that I couldn’t taste the caramel at all! Even when I added an additional teaspoon of it. I also may have made the latte extremely strong, so it was a little bit bitter and in need of agave. So, next time I’ll be trying it with a pinch of apple matcha and a load of caramel!

Ok, so I clearly enjoyed my first matcha from Red Leaf Tea, the Madagascar Vanilla. But vanilla is not a terribly adventurous flavour, so for my second, I decided to branch out a little, and bought this one (found at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/green-apple-matcha.html)! I was spurred to pick this one mostly because of aisling of tea’s idea (& successful attempt) at making a caramel apple blend, which sounds heavenly to me. Of course, I don’t have the caramel yet, but it’s next on the list!

Anyways, sniffing the bag’s contents, I got pretty excited because there was a distinct green apple aroma coming from the bag. Unmistakeable. I can’t tell you whether it was a “real” green apple or green apple flavouring sort of aroma because I enjoy both, but it was delicious. So I heated up some milk, dumped some matcha in… and whisked it. Yes, that’s right! I actually did it properly this time, thanks to Azzrian’s immense generosity in sending off her travel whisk to me! (So, this was by far the highest quality latte with the fewest chunks of matcha I have ever consumed!) Anyways, I didn’t really measure out the matcha (I was going for “strong”, since it was midnight and I was headed to the lab to do some things I neglected earlier, thanks to an ill-placed nap), but had thought I’d used at least a good teaspoon or so. However, when I mixed it with the almond milk, I literally could not taste the green apple – it was completely overpowered by the almond. Easy fix – heat up a bit more milk and mix a bunch more matcha into it! This time: success!! And by success, I mean I created one of the most delicious drinks EVER! I swear they accidentally gave me the “there’s matcha in this?!” grade of flavouring… because that is exactly what I was thinking the entire time I was drinking my latte! All I could taste was delicious green apple, and creamy almondy sweetness. Zero matcha. Zero bitterness. (I did taste the matcha-mixed milk prior to mixing with the almond milk, and it tasted bitter, so clearly there was some flavour masking going on.) And… did I mention that I didn’t add a single drop of sweetener? So my delicious latte was only about 120 calories worth of amazing, assuming matcha is essentially calorie-free.

The only somewhat concern I have is the amount of matcha I felt I had to use to get a drink that tasted like green apple. I didn’t measure it (I will next time) but it felt like more than I had to use with the other matcha I’ve tried. I could be wrong though. Another thing as well (ok, I guess I have two concerns) – I do almost get the impression that because of the flavouring in this matcha, there is less actual matcha, and that’s contributing to the fact that I can’t taste “matcha” in spite of how much powder I felt I used. I don’t know how it’s flavoured, or what the matcha:flavouring ratio might be if the flavouring comes in powder form, but I have to wonder about that. But all that said…. this was absolutely delicious and gave me a much needed treat (and presumably caffeine boost) to get through my work this evening!

Having this in my water bottle today!
I’m finding it’s drying out my mouth a tad, but it tastes good so I keep going back for more! I definitely needed the energy today.
Also, my boss is on vacation for 2 weeks so we’re allowed to have drinks at the desk until she comes back… >_> sshh. it’s a secret.
haha I’m such a rebel.

uh oh, I tried that suggestion from Amanda and rubbed this all over half a watermelon- took a spoon to it and had a field day.

D-lish!

Sometimes I think mangos are my favourite fruit. Then I remember watermelon! Sweet, juicy watermelon – oh yes! Both of these fruits can share the spotlight – but only when they are ripe, juicy and flavourful! Why did I pick some of the messiest fruits to be my favourite?

Luckily, the only thing that gets messy when I whip up a cup of this matcha is my cup and whisk! (…and my white shirt. That’s a story for another time) But hey! Virtually mess free! At least it’s not all over my face… although this matcha is delicious enough that I wouldn’t mind sticking my face into a huge bowl of it. Oh yes, can you tell that I am happy with this matcha? So happy! The flavour is sweet and true watermelon flavour! I like watermelon candies, but I hate watermelon jolly ranchers (too chemically), so I was very happy that this flavour lies between a watermelon flavouring and a real watermelon. That doesn’t really make sense, but I guess you’ll have to take my word for it lol.

Making this hot with a sprinkle of sugar takes it into treat territory! Seriously delicious matcha that has me drooling just thinking about it! Another great summer treat. Chopping up some watermelon to make a watermelon puree to go with this matcha (and a splash of vodka) is definitely on my to-do list.

I prefer my watermelon fruit straight from the fridge and icy cold, so it goes without saying that my favourite way to prepare this drink is ICED. I still haven’t gotten into the habit of just mixing matcha with cold water – so I mix it up double strong with 170 F water, add ice cubes and top with more water. This gives me a perfect result every time – no clumps (if I drink it right away!) and smooth as the rind of an in season watermelon. Oh yes, I went there.

For an extra treat, I experimented with cream and tried a “watermelon and cream” dessert tea. It was delicious! Let it be known – any fruit + cream = wonder! Too bad most flavours stick to strawberries&cream or peaches&cream, because I think I’m on to something here ;)
This also went well with vanilla soy milk and plain almond milk! I’m not picky – I always buy almond milk when it’s on sale because it’s so delish, creamy, and doesn’t affect my acid reflux! That’s the joy of these flavoured matchas – delicious flavour minus the calories! They don’t need milk and sugar to tantalize my tastebuds – even the basic matcha is smooth, grassy and even creamy! And so friends, here is the link to the watermelon matcha that haunts my dreams: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/watermelon-matcha.html

Sippin’ on watermelon matcha and life is GOOD!

I chose this flavour because I just knew it would make a totally refreshing iced summer beverage! By george – it is all that and more!

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stop drinking it tonight – I need to figure out the quickest way to make this into a smooth iced tea that is portable! But maybe matcha is best enjoyed from the comfort of my home in my favourite matcha cup. :3

Iced latte with coffee cream! mm watermelon and cream is totally working – Love it!

Having the Watermelon Matcha on it’s own today… when I typed in this tea into the search here on Steepster, I noticed a combination of Watermelon and Peach… and I think that might be pretty good, so maybe I won’t finish off my Watermelon before I open a package… and I think I will open a new Matcha tomorrow because I want to have a new review up for Friday, when Red Leaf Tea posts it’s new sale. Don’t want to potentially miss out on something awesome!

Deliciously watermelon-y, this Matcha. The vegetal notes seem sharp at the moment, I am not sure why that is. It is not off-putting, but it is different, because I’m used to the vegetative notes being smoother in Matcha and they certainly were the first time I had this… even yesterday when I mixed it with the boysenberry. I must have added a bit too much Matcha or perhaps not quite enough water. It’s still very good though, just a little different.

I did it. I finally broke down and ordered some Matcha from Red Leaf Tea. I had been reading the reviews of this Watermelon Matcha and drooling – I had to try it! HAD TO!

I ordered the Distinctive flavor level with the basic grade Matcha for this … and it’s absolutely perfect. Sure, I guess a higher quality Matcha would have been nicer, but, I like this just the way it is. It is sweet, vegetal, creamy and even a little buttery. The watermelon is at the perfect level of flavor and it’s sweet, juicy and tastes very watermelon-y. This is seriously YUM! I gulped down my first chawan full of this, and if it weren’t so late in the day I’d probably indulge myself with another. This really isn’t going to last long in my cupboard!

Because I am fairly new to matcha, I have been trying samples from many different sources in an attempt to gain some experience in the area. So far, this matcha is definitely my favorite. It has truly opened my eyes to the beauty of matcha and how great it can taste!

I was initially unsure about trying a flavored matcha because I was afraid that the flavoring would overwhelm the taste of the actual matcha. I finally decided to just take a chance and order some… and I was not disappointed!

When I first opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet aroma. It smells like real grapes, not like grape candy as I had expected. As I prepared my first bowl, the grape smell became more subtle after the water was added. The familiar aroma of matcha then became more prominent. I had begun to think that the grape flavoring had disappeared altogether until I took my first sip. I was still able to taste the subtle hint of grape within the matcha. I am very pleased with the fact that the grape taste isn’t overpowering. Red Leaf Tea does offer their customers the option of increasing the flavor intensity though, if one does desires the flavoring to be more prominent.

The overall quality of the matcha is great as well! It is very finely ground and is a vibrant shade of green. It also has a natural sweetness, without bitterness, and leaves a great aftertaste in your mouth. This matcha’s quality has by far exceeded any others that I have tasted so far!

Red Leaf Tea offers such a wide variety of flavored matcha, and for an excellent price—especially when considering the high quality of their products! They also offer several customization options for each of their products, so that one is able to customize their matcha to be exactly how they want it. They offer three levels of matcha quality, four levels of flavor intensity, and even offer an excellent discount on accessories when purchased with the matcha! The grape matcha that I purchased can be found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/grape-matcha.html. When buying matcha from Red Leaf Tea, I would suggest making the additional $3 purchase for the small metal tin container because the flat pouch that their matcha comes in by default is not air tight or resealable. I am looking forward to trying many of their other products in the near future!

Okay, I’m finally getting to some of my new matchas! I really have too much tea. I don’t even know what I have anymore. Samples everywhere!

anyways, this tea. In my last order, I got some matchas that I thought would be good for making smoothies. I also happen to love mangoes. The Champagne mango is the queen of all mangoes, but alas, she knows her worth. It is every so pricy to feed my mango habit. There’s nothing like a sweet creamy mango. yumm. Even my dogs love it. They sit at my feet and give me puppy dog eyes until I give them a nibble. So cute. so anyway, this mango matcha (http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/mango-matcha.html) seemed like the perfect thing for me!

The appearance of this tea is a slightly brownish green powder. As usual, there’s a little specks of white stuff in there that I’m guessing is the flavoring agent. It’s a bit clumpy but I’ve definitely seen worse.

For preparation, I added a bit of cold water to make a paste, then hot water to make the tea!

Well, sad to say, I’m a little disappointed. The smell reminds me of plastic. Like sweet peach and plastic. The taste is similar to the smell, except I’m also getting the grassy mineral flavor of the matcha. This is just so artificial and not like mango at all! I’ve loved all the other matchas from this company so I have no idea what happened here, but this flavor is not for me. At least, not as a hot tea. I think I’ll chill this and see if it gets better cold.

Later:
Okay, cold, this is a lot better. Still not good though. It tastes oddly floral and perfumey. I can still taste the matcha base, and that is as good as always but please find another mango flavoring. :( I can’t finish this. I’m sorry.

Butterscotch is another one of those flavors that I adore. Butterscotch anything is pretty much a guarantee I buy it. I love the rich buttery-ness of it. In my drinking days, butterscotch schnapps was my go-to drink. I love it. Mix it with a bit of milk or hot cocoa…oh yes. The best, though, is around the holidays, mix a touch of it into egg nog. Ooooh, now that’s an idea, egg nog matcha. Red Leaf Tea, I will love you forever if you develop an egg nog matcha by the holidays! I can’t have real nog any more, so I’ve been hunting for a good tea substitute.

Anyway, yes. Butterscotch is love for me. It’s another Dad memory, he loves it and it makes me think of him…or maybe I’m just homesick this week. Butterscotch pudding is the only pudding I’ll touch and if an ice cream shop offers butterscotch topping, I’ll risk the dairy allergy to get a cone covered in the stuff. Liquid gold, it is. And seeing the success of Red leaf Tea’s Caramel and French Vanilla flavors, I have complete confidence in this blend being amazing. I think this definitely calls for a hot tea latte, despite it being stupidly hot outside. Am I in Toronto or back in Tennessee? These hot days are killing me…I should be able to handle them better!

No, I went for a cold matcha instead, it’s too hot out there to bother with hot drinks, though this one was made to be enjoyed hot. Hot with a touch of rum and milk. Mmm…anyway. Yes. Cold, it’s less than stellar, but it’s still yummy. Very buttery and rich, but not too rich. I want to sip on this all day, but I need to save some for when it’s cool enough to be able to handle a hot drink. It does taste like candy, but it’s not overwhemingly sweet. It’s just tasty. I’m not wowed by it like I am with some of their other blends, though. This one’s good, but I need to try it a few more times before I decide if I’m going to keep it on my shelf or not. Perhaps a warmer water temperature will help, or a better ratio of tea to water. Still, it won’t be hard at all to convince myself to drink this one! I might even be convinced to share it. It can be found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/butterscotch-matcha.html

Growing up, we had a long, gorgeous grapevine in our backyard. Concord grapes…mmmm. Is there anything finer? We had an archway that the grapes grew over, and my brother and I would just sit under it for ages, eating the grapes and spitting out the seeds. Mom would make grape juice and grape jelly and all sorts of grapey goodness…there are few things in this world as delicious as homemade grape juice.

When my wife was searching for a house for us while I was still living in the States, I didn’t have a whole lot of input. I mean, I could see pictures and such, but really the decision was out of my hands. One day she called me and told me she’d found it, she’d found a home for us. The house itself is kind of small, especially since we rent out the basement, but the backyard…gah, the backyard. It opens up behind the garage into a sort of fairytale….including a long grapevine snaking around the edge of the garage. When she told me about that grapevine, I was sold. This house is our home. We’re hoping it will survive when the garage gets torn down.

So grapes, as you can see, bring up crazy amounts of memories, and I’m very eager to see which kind of grape flavor this matcha yields. If it’s concord, I’ll be in heaven. Heck, I’m already in heaven, I love grape flavoured anything!

Oh yum. The scent as the bag opens is very much in your face grape. Grape, grape, grape. Guh, it smells so good. The first sip is amazing, like pure grape skittles in liquid form. It doesn’t taste like realy grapes, unfortunately, not to me, at least. But it does taste like grape candy, which is almost as good! Remember grape mentos? It tastes like those…yum. Iced, this is amazingly refreshing on this hot summer day. Is it officially summer yet? I think so….anyway, yes. This is a wonderful matcha blend, and if you’re a grape fan, it’s one you need to try (found here:http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/grape-matcha.html). Need. The smell alone makes it worth it, it smells so amazingly good. I’m so glad they put together a grape blend, I know I’m in love with it. It is totally one of my favorites that I’ve tried so far and despite having a horrible day, it’s putting a smile on my face, so thank you, Red Leaf Tea.

Now, when I was in college, I worked in the campus library. Said campus library also contained a coffee shop where I got an employee discount, so I lived on sugary coffee drinks. I loved them, especially anything mixed with caramel. I learned how to brew coffee at home (yes, it took me until college to learn this), but it was never quite the same, so day after day I bought coffee after expensive coffee. It turns out, my body takes issue with both caffeine and dairy, so eventually I had to give up coffee. Have you ever seen a librarian strung out on coffee? Scary stuff. But considering I only liked it with extra sugar and way too much cream, it was probably for the best. Now, every once in a while my father in law will brew up a two cup pot when we’re at his house and offer me a cup, but I just don’t touch coffee anymore. Haven’t since I started drinking looseleaf tea about two years ago. But occasionally, I miss it. Occasionally I just want a big cup of creamy coffee goodness and I have to tell myself no.

So when I spotted this matcha, I had to have it. The caffeine in matcha doesn’t affect me the way the caffeine in coffee does, and so I am very, very eager to try this. Maybe I’ll even sprinkle in a bit of caramel….next time.

When the package is opened, the smell of coffee hits you square in the nose. Mmm, I miss that smell. That smell only grows stronger as the matcha is brewed…mmm, it smells yummy. Okay, so, it’s love at first sip. It tastes like strong, sweet coffee. It is lovely…there’s even a hint of chocolate! I can’t wait to try this in latte form with some Caramel Matcha…maybe even the English Toffee to bring out the chocolate in both. Definitely begging to be mixed with vanilla soy milk. If you’re a coffee fan, or an ex-coffee fan like myself, this is a matcha to try (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/orange-matcha-clone.html). It’s so, so good. It’s like an expensive coffee from Starbucks without the too high price tag and the horrible side effects of coffee! The aftertaste is almost one of roasted barley, which I like. Coffee always tasted burnt to me. But this is lovely. I see a happy future for me with this matcha at my side.

Now, full disclosure here: I’m not a cherry fan. I’m just not. Cherry is one of those throwaway flavors that they include in a pack of candy just to tease the kids who don’t get the good flavors like strawberry or grape. Now, bing cherries are delicious, but maraschino need to stay far, far away from me. But my wife loves them. Cherry anything, and she loves it. So this is a “tempt her to the dark side of matcha” purchase, as she doesn’t like matcha much. Today we’re trying all three I bought for her…and then feverishly cleaning the house while hopped up on matcha goodness. But I am interested in seeing if it tastes like a real cherry or a cherry flavoring. And if it’s a real cherry, which one? Bing? Black? Sour? Maraschino? The world may never know…because my cherry palate is about as refined as a brick. I should have bought the chocolate matcha and made her a cherry chocolate milkshake…she’d be sold in a minute! Maybe I’ll find some chocolate soy milk…yeah…

Regardless, I’m looking forward to trying this! A whole new world and all that. What’s life without a few new experiences? Holy cherry, batman! It is very, very cherry. I mixed a full scoop with 200 millilitres of chocolate soy milk for the wife, but had a sip or two of it straight before I mixed in the milk. Mmm. If I liked cherry, I would be all over this. The taste of the matcha isn’t lost at all, but cherry is definitely the frontrunner. It is a maraschino cherry flavor, but according to my wife, this is far from a bad thing. I can smell it from across the room and it smells amazing. Kind of like a cherry slushie without all of the horrible syrup and artificial flavoring. I think iced, this would be an incredibly refreshing treat…it makes me want to try making matcha popsicles. Maybe matcha fudgicles, or cherry chocolate pudding. Definitely going to experiment with this little beauty to make various different treats for that wife of mine. Maybe I’ll order the Cola matcha with the next round and mix it with that…mmm. Now that one I can get behind. Or cherry vanilla….yum. This matcha just inspires me to play around a bit and try new flavors. Maybe cherry is one that I’ll keep around, if only to experiment with (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cherry-matcha.html).

I know, I know. These reviews are nothing but memories, but I can’t help it! If I can drink a tasty drink that is good for me, gives me energy, and makes me think of happy things, well, why wouldn’t I? This one is all my grandmother and my father. Every Thanksgiving, my grandmother would let us drink cranberry juice mixed with ginger ale, and we felt so grown up. So grown up! It’s still my preferred way of drinking cranberry juice, and when the cranberry ginger ale is released around the holidays, all I do is think of her. Her son, my father, is a ginger ale memory for me too, it’s his favorite soft drink. Vernor’s, if you’ve got it, or Schweppes, but Canada Dry will do in a pinch and make him think of me anyway. When my wife is ill, it’s ginger ale, if you please, not lemon-lime anything. You know that old adage that girls always search for someone like their father? It’s so true in my case…my wife and my father are amazingly alike. So when I spotted it on the Red Leaf tea website, I had to grab it for my campaign to get her to like matcha. Who knows, I might convert my dad with it when he comes up to visit next (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/ginger-ale-matcha.html)!

This is wonderful. Ginger and I are not the best of buddies, but I’m coming around to it. This reminds me of a local ginger ale found only in Middle Kentucky called “Ale-8-1”. It’s full of ginger flavor, but in a very good way. If you get this one, don’t be put off by the overwhelming ginger smell, it’s not nearly as strong as it smells, which is a good thing to me. It would definitely be a matcha I reach for when I’m headed into work with an upset stomach, but need a pick me up. I don’t think it’s one I’ll keep in stock, but it’s not one I’ll be actively trying to swap away either. I’m excited to try it with the cranberry. If you’re familiar with ginger ale brands, it’s more of a Vernor’s than anything else. Lord have mercy, I spend way too much time with ginger ale, apparently. But if I can talk my Dad into trying matcha, this will definitely be the one I lead with. Who knows, my father in law greatly enjoyed the French Vanilla matcha from Red Leaf Tea, maybe my dad can be won over as well!

Now, I have to say, I am wildly impressed with Red Leaf Tea. With the sheer amount of matcha I’ve been getting through this promotion, I was starting to feel like I was taking advantage of their goodwill and resolved to hang up my reviewing hat, saying that I had tried all the flavors I wanted to try. Imagine my pleased surprise when I mentioned this in a review and they responded to let me know they were releasing new flavors soon and encouraging me to keep trying new ones and keep reviewing! I know they read all reviews posted and I’ve received wonderfully kind responses to my reviews and emails to them. Their customer service is stellar and it makes it so that I want to recommend their teas to everyone I meet (and I do!). And while yes, I have gotten a ton of matcha through this promotion, I’ve also gained an adoration of matcha that will keep me coming to them long after I really do stop reviewing their product. But by now they know me, and they know my reviews and they’re just wonderfully kind to me. When I received my package yesterday, I found a little matcha spoon included with my order! I don’t know if it’s a promotion I just didn’t see, or if it was for me specially, but it certainly made my day!

I don’t know an awful lot about English toffee, but what I do know, I like. I got this one to try with my wife, in an effort to get her to like matcha. We’ll see how it goes!

When I opened the package, (found here:http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/english-toffee-matcha.html) it smelled a lot like the Caramel Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, which is very promising. I love their Caramel matcha. Brewed up, it still smelled like caramel, but with a hint of chocolate. And that’s exactly what it tastes like, caramel mixed together with tasty, tasty chocolate. I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but this is very, very good. Very sweet too, but not overwhelmingly so. But then again, I like my teas sweet. But when I see pictures of English Toffee, this is what I think it would taste like, so yay! I love that it even tastes like that crunchy caramel….mmm. This would be a very good starter matcha for those who like sweet things, English Toffee especially. I might even win my wife over with this one!

Staying at work until really late at night has made me a bit of a grouch lately… Thankfully I have delicious tea at home to get me smiling again! Today was particularly exciting because my Red Leaf Tea order made it all the way to Ecuador! Yep, the entire box (I made a decently large order) made it! I am finally at home sipping my first cup of matcha and smiling as I type. What a great way to end a stressful day on a positive note!

I have always had a soft spot for vanilla, so this was an evident first choice. When placing my order, this went into my cart automatically. Admittedly it took me a few days to decide everything else I wanted to get, but this was where it all started! Each of the flavors comes in a little golden pouch and a pamphlet is included that explains how to make matcha (just in case you are new to it).

I did a bit of research to find out what the difference between Madagascar Vanilla and French Vanilla is. Apparently Madagascar Vanilla originates from Madagascar and is also known as Bourbon Vanilla and is supposed to be the creamiest of the vanilla beans. French Vanilla refers to a preparation of cream, egg, and vanilla rather than an actual type of vanilla bean. Also, on a side note, I read that vanilla is supposedly proved to increase production of catecholamines (which are naturally produced in your body, for example adrenaline!). It is thought that it may be mildly addictive because of this effect. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone addicted to vanilla… But I must admit that vanilla is my chocolate! I love it!

I opened the little package carefully. I was really curious to find out what exactly Madagascar Vanilla would smell like. It was creamy and smooth. The scent was stronger than I expected. I liked that it was prominent. The color of the powder was a pastel green. I quickly got some into my teacup. I was so afraid to spill something that smelled so delicious!
I added a bit of hot water to froth it up. It was fluffy in seconds after whisking! I added a bit more water to it and took a sip. The first thing I noticed was that it was super smooth. Next I was hit with delicious green tea flavor and rounded off with creamy vanilla. The texture and flavor worked so well together that it felt like drinking a vanilla milk shake with matcha in it! I love it!! I am afraid it will need to be re-ordered very soon…

You can read more about Madacascar Vanilla Matcha and purchase it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/madagascar-vanilla-matcha.html

Sipdown!

A perfect match for mixing with caramel, I will miss it!

Granny Smith is my favourite kind of apple! I love how in a candy apple, it peeks out and holds its own with a juicy tartness! The flesh is refreshing and never mushy as with some unnamed Red/yellow varieties. Second only to the Granny Smith is the Crab Apple! Ohhh Crab Apple trees of my past, how I miss you! How is it that each of these flavoured matchas reminds me of my childhood in some way? Haha way to be Matcha, way to be.

When I opened up my matcha package I was greeted with the strong scent of apple! I knew my only challenge with this tea would be making it tart instead of just sweet. It’s easy to sweeten a tea – just add sweetener! Has anyone tried the Hibiscus Matcha from RLT? I am really curious to see if it is tart – because it would be the PERFECT addition to this apple tea!

I used my usual 175 degree water – ah, perfectly smooth, vibrant green and SO much frothy foam. Of course I’m not surprised by this – I’ve come to expect this level of quality with my Red Leaf Tea orders and, as usual, am not disappointed. The scent is strong (I went with the normal amount of flavouring) and very apple-y. It is akin to an apple candy, but not super sweet like you would expect it to be. Actually, it’s more in between a Granny Smith apple and an apple candy (minus the tartness). I added a bit of sugar and drank it down – my matcha cup is always empty before I can blink it seems!

I would be lying if I said I didn’t buy this solely to mix with the Caramel Matcha. Inspired by the infamous aisling of tea who came before me, the Caramel and Apple matchas were meant to be together. Now Red Leaf Tea has a great system where you can order your own mix of flavours! I’m tempted to make an order of Coca Cola and Cherry – it may just make my summer matcha list ;) That said, I probably still would have ordered these two teas separately. I like the option of playing with my own ratios and finding the perfect combo! I definitely have enough of these teas to play to my heart’s desire. Now if only I could find an easy way to add a tartness to this matcha – that would add the perfect 3rd dimension to the caramel apple matcha mix! You can find this Green Apple matcha here at Red Leaf Tea: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/green-apple-matcha.html

One last note about this tea – as I’ve said before, I’m collecting fruit matchas for all of my smoothie needs. I’ve tried this one in a few different combos. So far it goes really well with both Blueberry and Mango. I can’t wait for my next order, where I will most certainly try out some tropical matchas and find my paradise gateway matcha. Hello vacation in a glass, momma’s coming for you.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh MOMMA

1 tsp banana matcha
tiny bit of water
whisk-a-roo

add one ice cube

top with chocolate milk

Banana Chocolate Heaven Y’all!

Banana!!! I am going to tell you a (probably too long) story about my relationship with Bananas. I think it’s important to see my thought process that lead to choosing this matcha! Haha bear with me.

Bananas and I have a curious relationship. I don’t particularly enjoy them. Or their flavour. But sometimes I do. I crave them! What?! I loooathe those banana marshmallows, and banana runts were my least favourite! But that was when I was a kid – now I crave them! I despise the texture of eating a mushy banana, but I have fond memories of a Banana Curry I once had in Tonga. Sometimes I crave a peanut butter banana sandwich on soft white bread – oh, and I always love banana bread of any kind! I slather it with butter, yes, but I always love it! Bananas Foster in Cuba – that is also on my good list. Banoffee Pie? Yes. Frozen Banana from the fair? Yes. Banana in a smoothie? No. Somewhat strange and phallic cheesecake/phyllo banana dessert? Absolutely.

Phew – there’s my banana history in a nutshell. So I like bananas sometime! That’s the moral. Anyways – I was very curious about Red Leaf Tea’s Banana Matcha. I wondered what the flavouring would taste like – more like a banana-bread or more like a banana candy? Either way – I’ve been on a fruit flavoured matcha kick, and I knew I would prefer throwing some banana matcha into a smoothie as opposed to a real banana. Or even both – maybe I wouldn’t mind a real banana in there if there was some matcha too! A delve into the confusing workings of my mind x_x

Well! I do conclude that it leans more towards the sweet candy side of bananas – and for that I am a very happy camper! It smells so so sweet, just like the banana marshmallows I’ve come to crave – but the genius part is that you are in control of the amount of sweetener you add. Drinking a cup of this won’t have the same effect as eating a giant bag of candy marshmallows – although you will get a different kind of energy from the matcha :D
As always, you can find this matcha at Red Leaf Tea! ( http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/banana-matcha.html )

This matcha is amazing on its own, but I’m a masochist so I like to add just under a tsp of sugar. JK. It’s a perfectly acceptable amount of sugar and I do what I want. ;) As with most matchas, my favourite way to enjoy is in a hot latte. I’m still figuring out the logistics to a perfect iced latte or frappaccino, but when I do rest assured I will take a ton of pictures and blog it immediately :D

Banana Runts! In Matcha form!
I find myself reading about 52teas flavoured matchas with sadness because I missed them. This one for sure! SO I knew I had to try it from Red Leaf.

Oh my gosh I’m so happy with this tea. It’s totally a candy tea with sugar added, but I’m thinking of saving it for smoothies to add a sweetness without needing sugar… if that makes sense! Plus a green smoothie always makes me think it’s healthier. haha!