Matcha Outlet

I really, really appreciate the free monthly samples that Red Leaf Tea is offering. It’s giving me a chance to try things I might have otherwise put off or ignored completely.

Hmmm, this was delicious but it tasted very similar to the caramel matcha. It was creamier and maybe even a little sweeter, but a bit less buttery. It definitely had that burnt sugar caramel/toffee note going on, though. I didn’t really pick up any chocolate like others are mentioning, but with the sweetened vanilla almond milk I tried with it, I definitely got a delicious nutty toffee flavor.

While I really enjoyed this one, I think the caramel inches it out as the better dessert matcha for me (And the acai one is still my favorite overall).

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Thank you Roswell Strange for the chance to try something delicious and new. I finished this off in a mango smoothie because I really enjoyed it the last time I had it. It comes out creamy, summery, and oh so refreshing. It was great while it lasted but I don’t know if this is one I would order again. I think perhaps I would order pear for the fruity route over this one.

I have been putting off drinking this because my soda stream is trapped in a box somewhere in my basement and milky watermelon beverages just sound weird. However, today I was prepping a smoothie and had to use frozen mango since I am out of bananas and for some reason, a mango watermelon smoothie sounded awesome. The result? A smoothie that is creamy, fruity, and very, very thick. Apparently frozen mango makes for an incredible thick smoothie while the mango is giving it a sweet, fresh, summery taste. Thank you Roswell Strange

Thank you Roswell Strange (and aisling of tea) for sharing this with me. I was planning on making this as a matcha milk only to chicken out at the last second and decide watermelon soda sounded more appealing.

I am actually happy I went this route because it turned out to be a pretty refreshing drink. The watermelon flavor is sweet and fresh and would probably be super awesome in the summertime and/or in a tea cocktail perhaps (though a girly, fruity cocktail of course). Plus, it is flavorful enough to distract from the carbonated water taste that I usually find difficult to get past. Oh, and no vegetal base so I am a happy, happy girl.

Since this is my third straight day of a matcha after lunch, I am thinking this might be a new habit. I got cheesecake in a sample size from Red Leaf. I don’t love the little envelopes they come in, but that’s a minor inconvenience.

I had already read the reviews here, and liked the review from a person who added raspberries to hers, so I did that. It’s really good! I did 1/2 t matcha, 8 oz. milk, about 6 sugar cubes (this is a stand in for dessert after all), and somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of frozen raspberries. Since they were frozen, I didn’t add ice cubes, which I would normally do. Buzz in the blender and voila.

It’s nice. I don’t know if cheesecake is enough different from caramel for me to have them both on hand though. I think if they arm wrestled, caramel would win. But this is a nice stand in for a fruit smoothie.

As an added bonus, the raspberries made this a nice pink shade, so if you have someone who gets the ickies from the green, this is a nice way to trick them. I’m sure strawberries would work too.

outrageous!!! this smells outrageous!

like Strawberry Quik, only better. the strawberry has a fruity freshness that blends perfectly with the fresh cream. here again, i must reference my beloved Strawberries ‘n Cream Oatmeal by Quaker. obviously, it’s not exact, but it’s reminiscent of this strawberry flavor, which is such a comforting thing. i’m really loving strawberries as of late.

it all started with Ahmad’s Strawberry Sensation (black tea) which is absolutely divine. then Nina’s Paris Demain, a light & buttery green tea with an abundant yet delicate strawberry flavoring. Now this matcha. i am sooo in trouble.

i ordered the large size, royal (premium grade) with distinctive flavoring. so glad i did.
i must make a cup, tout de suite!

Decided to bust open the matcha package sent to me by Roswell Strange. Thanks so so much! You sent a ton for me to try, and I can’t wait to put together my rlt order.

I went with this one first because it seems to be a flavour associated with spring and summer, and although it feels anything unlike it outside, I’m still desperate to bring it about. This had an odd smell in the bag—not exactly chemically, but just…different. There was watermelon, but also something else. Actually, it sort of smelled as though a bottle of perfume had “turned”, and although that’s not the most appetizing description, it nonetheless stands. Not to be deterred though, I whipped it up in some milk. And the taste was definitely creamy watermelon, although like others have said it’s more of a candied watermelon than an authentic one. It tasted fine, but I found the whole thing to be a bit underwhelming. That being said, I downed the glass like it was no one’s business, and will have not a single problem either finishing off the sample or sending the last serving onto someone else who’s curious.
Bottom line: a good flavored matcha, although not my favourite.

Having as a cold latte today. Two chasaku scoops dissolved in 175F water, added 8oz of cold light soy milk and shook it like a madwoman.

I’m unsure about this kind of preparation. The matcha taste is dimmed down by the coldness of the milk, but the raspberry is almost amplified. Interesting.

Having this with a teaspoon of hot chocolate mix and coconut milk. Interesting. Definitely still get the raspberry, but the chocolate overpowers the matcha. This isn’t my favorite hot chocolate mix so I may try it again with something different. Also not sure how much I’m liking the coconut milk.

Smells strongly of raspberry, and has a good amount of the flavor too. The chocolate note is very subtle, and I’d like more of it but I’m also a big chocolate lover. Creamy as a latte, not too sweet, and still has that matcha taste after the initial hit of raspberry.

Royal grade matcha, distinctive flavoring. 2 chasaku scoops sifted and mixed with about 2oz of 175F water, then 8oz of warm original rice milk added to make it a latte. Loving the addition of rice milk more than the unsweetened almond milk I was using.

I have a bit of a confession to make. This blog, specifically its devotion to teas, might be one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only do I get to try wonderful teas from around the world, I have met some amazing people, and have been told many times that my descriptions paint pictures in my reader’s minds and have led them to discover new favorite teas. This blog fills a part in my life I felt was missing, I feel like I found my true calling. Everyday my views increase, and this is such an honor. I am so very thankful to everyone who reads my blog, tea companies that send me samples to try, and just the tea community at large. You guys rock!

Today’s tea is part of the Red Leaf Tea Sampler Pack, lucky number 14, Roast Ti Guan Yin from Fujian, China. Ah, Ti Guan Yin, my first ever Oolong and the tea that really got me into appreciating tea as more than something you quickly chug to relieve thirst. Specifically it was a roast TGY that I tried first, so this will be a nostalgic trip for me. The aroma of the rolled leaves is fairly mild in the roasted department, like toasted rice, with that hint of sweetness you get from rice. There is a heady floral aroma blending strong orchid and delicate honeysuckle, meaning this tea is extra sweet smelling.

Into the basket the leaves go! At the time of writing this tasting note in my notebook I did not have my gaiwan yet, so it will be for a Western Style steeping. Once steeped the leaves become much headier, the orchid notes become almost overpowering. The roasted notes from the dry leaves also become stronger giving the tea a bit of a toast aroma. There is sweet honeysuckle as a finish. The liquid is honey sweet and gently roasted, much subdued in comparison to the wet leaves.

Fun side trivia, this was the first tea I steeped using my electric kettle I got as an early birthday present, so yes this tasting note is from mid October. The taste is sweet, like honeysuckle nectar and roasted chestnuts. The sweetness stays with you from beginning to aftertaste with the honeysuckle and chestnut fading in and out. As a first steeping it is mild and refreshing, a promise of more intense flavor to come.

With the second steeping, the leaves are more unfurled and have a much sweeter aroma with a nice hint of mineral. The aroma of the liquid strong chestnut with an accompaniment of honey and orchids. The taste is very sweet, not only is there the floral honeysuckle nectar flavor, there is also a honey flavor that is quite intense. The mouthfeel is silky smooth, almost oily in its smoothness. The floral sweetness fades to a mineral aftertaste.

The aroma of the leaves on the third steep is still sweet, but there is also a strong mineral note, like spring water and pennies. The liquid has no mineral notes, it is all sweetness and flowers. The first thing I noticed when sipping this tea is the mouthfeel, it went from being silky to creamy and thick. It no longer coats the mouth it explodes into it filling the mouth with sweet honeysuckle and orchids. Like the previous steep the finish is mineral, but what happened to the roasted notes?

Onto the fourth steep! The leaves have a more buttery vegetal, like green bean, aroma with only a faint floral sweetness. The liquid’s aroma is mostly notes of chestnut with a very faint hint of flowers. The taste is winding down now, only a faint hint of floral and strong mineral taste. It is very much so like drinking spring water or licking a piece of limestone. There is an aftertaste of chestnuts.

I really wanted to put this tea and my new kettle through its paces! The fifth and final steep’s leaves are fully unfurled and barely any aroma left. Just the ghost of flowers and honey. The taste is like mineral water with a hint of chestnut and honey. The most amusing thing about this steep is that the mouthfeel is still really creamy. I enjoyed this tea, I think that is blended its floral and roasted notes well, even though the roasted taste faded pretty quickly.

For blog and photos (including a great side by side leaf comparison of wet and dry, always fun) http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/04/red-leaf-tea-roast-ti-guan-yin-tea.html

Thank you ashleyelizabeth for trading this tea with me. I love pumpkin :D I’m in an orange colour theme mood, I had my hair cut short today and I toned it myself to an orange colour with the hopes of eventually going super bright orange. And well pumpkin is very orange and this tea was my craving as a before dinner tea. I’m just loving orange right now. _

I made this as a late with no additional sweetener but it does have a sprinkle of chocolate on the top. It smells a little like pumpkin but softly, oh I should mention my strength is ‘robust’.

In flavour I can taste lots of cinnamon and spice but also subtle pumpkin with a touch of natural sweetness. Each sip is full of flavour and it truly does have a pumpkin pie feel about it.

I’m gulping this down with delight so I think I’ll have another one in a moment too :)

I actually received a sample of this from both KittyLovesTea and adagio breeze. Thanks ladies!

This one smelled really good, very much like raspberry truffle. I added 1 tsp to my 12-16 oz DAVIDsTEA to go mug and topped it off with milk. The first few sips were great! It tasted like raspberry truffle. It brought back good memories of their mint chocolate matcha I loved so much. The flavour level was distinctive, but it was just too much so that it became nauseating after the first few sips. The chocolate was detectable but just barely so. The raspberry flavour turned into more of a licorice, floral, perfumey flavour.

I was thinking it might be better if I cut it with plain matcha, so I will try that, but my hopes aren’t high because I don’t think the flavour will change, it will just be lighter. I am soooo glad I was able to try this as it was at the top of my list and I would not want to purchase a whole bag of this now.

Sadly, out of the 4 Red Leaf matchas I’ve tried, I’ve only liked the mint chocolate matcha. The others were always good the first few sips, but the flavours were just so strong and artificial that I become sick of them very quiclly. I have a sample of caramel matcha sitting in my fridge, that will be next. I really want to find another one that I like because I loved the chocolate mint and would like to make an order.

This sample from CrowKettle. You, uhh, gave me a lot of tins! A lot! Tins! :)

So, it’s pumpkin SPICE matcha for sure. Mostly spice. Not so sure about pumpkin.
http://instagram.com/p/mTi5pUx5BF/

I think it would be best as a milkshake, with some extra additions… like rum. Yep.

Just shaken with milk? Uhh… not really for me. I think I’m going to put this in the blender with some frozen banana and a drop of vanilla and maybe some other things if I can find anything interesting.

This is my favorite flavor of matcha I have tried so far. As an existing fan of coconut drinks, it was a no brainer to give this a try. I have tried it cold with half milk/half water, warm with half milk/half water, and warm with strictly water. I enjoy it each way, but cold with half milk/half water is by far the best. It makes for a refreshing afternoon drink. I have heard of others using coconut milk in place of regular milk, which is my next option. As you can tell, I LOVE THIS TEA. The flavor isn’t overbearing, and it isn’t strong enough to be a turn-off. It has a nice hint of coconut that actually seems to build in intensity the more sips that are taken. It’s not too overbearing and not too subtle, just a happy medium of coconut flavor. The only very minor complaint I have is that the recommended size of ½ teaspoon seems to be too small for my liking so I bump it up to a full teaspoon for my 8oz mug. This is strictly my preference, but may be too strong for other drinkers as I like a fuller bodied cup of tea. I am still working on my first small bag, but will definitely be buying another bigger bag next time around.

Sipdown! (194)

I’m thankful that Sil shared some of this with me, but I think it was too subtle a flavour for me. It just tasted like sorta sweet milk? I guess it was creamy too. I liked it, but wish it had more pow! (And that was distinctive, so I think that means this one isn’t quite right for me). Still, that strikes this off the list and with x-blllion flavours of matcha out there, that’s helpful. :D

This matcha sample came to me via the ever lovely and generous sil, who blessed me with a small suitcase of tea just because she’s lovely.

I have to say, however, that out of all the three flavoured matchas I’ve tried, I like this one the least. And I don’t even dislike it at all, actually. I found it to be a thick, creamy cup of deliciousness that I inhaled in under two minutes. But it was just rather nondescript. Creamy and full, for sure, but not distinctly cheesecake or really distinctly anything else for that matter. Absolutely worth a try, and I can see why a lot of people would like this one, but for me, it takes a back seat to banana and cream, and French butter cookie. Especially banana and cream, my gosh!

Thanks again, sil!

I highly recommend Royal Matcha from Red Leaf Tea! It tastes excellent, and your dollar goes the furthest with this unflavored Matcha, so you will not be disappointed! It also tastes like green tea ice cream and has a relatively strong, vegetal taste (not as strong as Imperial Matcha, though)! I drink it iced all the time too. Make it by the pitcher to make it last longer. Use one tablespoon of Royal Matcha per full pitcher of water, and one teaspoon of it for one big glass of water (add ice after stirring it in the glass). When making a pitcher of Royal Matcha, stir it thoroughly with a whisk after mixing it with water to mix in all the remaining clumps of dry Matcha. If you wish to sweeten it, I recommend doing so with sugar because it is less sweet when sweetened with Sweet N’ Low. Like any Matcha, it will be more flavorful when made hot by stove, but do not boil it too much, because that degrades its flavor. Turn off the stove as soon as small bubbles rise to the surface of the water, and then remove it from the stove immediately. Furthermore, when you buy a flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, you can make it even better by choosing the “Royal Matcha” option. Royal Matcha is my go-to Matcha because it is wallet friendly but still high quality! You can buy Royal Matcha at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/royal-matcha.html.

This was my first real experience with matcha. I didn’t really know what to expect. I opened it up and got a pleasant smell of caramel and the fresh fragrance of green tea. It dissolved quickly and nicely into the warmed milk as per the instructions and didn’t leave any sort of chalky taste that i would have expected from a powder. Defintiely has peaked my interest toward other matcha powders. Not an everyday thing definitely a treat, but a great tasting one at that:)

Because I was a bit disappointed with the almond buscotti tea I’d had earlier, I decided to whip myself up some matcha milk before heading off to work. I’m getting close to a sip down on this one! It tasted delicious and buttery, although again, in the wake of the banana and cream matcha, I don’t quite know if it really stands a chance in featuring in my next order. This cup was also slightly tarnished by the fact that my magic bullet blends such that I get all this foam that settles at the bottom of the glass, and I don’t like it because it kind of has this dry mouth feel. If I blend for longer, this doesn’t make it go away, so I think I’ll just resign myself to the fact that there’ll be a bit of flavoured foam at the bottom of each glass that I shouldn’t try and sip because I won’t like it. Ah well, you can’t have it all can you?
Delicious treat. Thanks so much, Courtney!

I had the most ridiculous day at work today. Got to work, and not an hour into the day, my computer just decided to up and stop talking. Everyone who knows anything about blind people knows that our world really does come to a grinding halt when the computer stops talking: we just sit there staring dumbly at the screen, jabbing uselessly at various keystrokes in a fruitless attempt at bringing the speech software back to life. Restart and repeat, and same problem. Got on the phone with technical support, and bless her heart, the person helping me stayed on the phone with me for literally two hours trying to solve my problem before escalating it to a senior technician who will hopefully get back to me within a day or so. But the problem still remained that I was at work without a talking computer. So I talked to my boss about it, and then went home because Mr. Keychange has a desktop computer that is thankfully in tact so I used that instead. What an ordeal, eh? And how funny it is that technology can be so helpful but simultaneously render us so dependent on it.

But this matcha. Whipped it up with some milk and chickened out again (ugh why do I always do that?) and let Mr. Keychange have the first sip.
“Mmmm.”
That was all I needed to hear. Grabbing the glass back, I set to work and began my own chugging. The likeness to a butter cookie is spot on. It tastes thick and baked, and only manages to make the milk taste more creamy and milk-like than it already does. I think it’s incredibly delicious, and this is at the delicate flavouring level! And, most importantly, no grass taste! I imagine that it is very likely this will feature in my matcha order, although I have more to try here and Roswell strange is very kindly sending along more for me to try! But honestly, I’m on a roll with this stuff. Thanks so much, Courtney! You’re wonderful. You led me into the world of matcha, yo!

RedLeaf’s cheesecake is the best! It’s so creamy and smooth. A little bit of cream and sweetener really rounds out and amplifies the taste. Super good!