Matcha Outlet

My friend wanted to try matchas so I decided to let her pick one (she went for Cookies & Cream) and I would make one of the ones I know has flavor just in case she was not a fan of hers. So I went with French Butter Cookie because it was the first one I grabbed that I knew had a taste other than sweet matcha milk. Sipping on it now it is buttery cookie goodness as usual. Smooth and vanilla flavored and oh-so-yummy.

My roommate has always felt that matcha should not be flavored. She is sort of a purist that way but she was happy to choose one for me to drink since I was having an indecisive evening. She selected this and so I prepped it as usually, in a glass of cold milk.

I handed her the cup and she was shocked it was cold. Then she took a sip and quite enjoyed it. Now she is planning on trying plain matcha prepped the same way and got excited at the prospect of using different flavors of almond milk to make matchas.

As for the taste, this was delicious as usual. Expertly captures the flavor of French Butter Cookies. I think in the future, I might forgo any vanilla flavors in favor of this one.

I actually really like this one. Despite being delicately flavored, it is actually detectable as a french butter cookie matcha.

A friend of mine fell in love with Red Leaf Matcha and so we decided to split an order. We went with the buy 5, get two free package and went with the following options:
Size: Small (30g)
Matcha Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Matcha Type: Regular
Flavor Level: Delicate

When my package finally arrived, I opened it up to find this matcha was slightly open. Consequently, I decided to try this first. I used half a teaspoon of matcha mixed with 8 oz. of milk. Even at the delicate flavor level, it is pretty accurate to the real thing. Immediately I noticed a vanilla creaminess that was delicious but not exactly reminiscent of a cookie. However, as I continue the sip, the baked goods flavor creeps in and I am left with the aftertaste that is 100 percent cookie. Moreover, the more I drink, the more I notice that it is not simply a vanilla creaminess but rather the sip starts off tasting of butter. This is definitely a matcha I would consider getting again because what I first wrote off as just another creamy vanilla matcha turned out to be a flavorful cup of liquefied French Butter Cookies. It takes me back to the time when I was younger and reminds me of the excitement I felt when I opened the tin of butter cookies to actually find cookies inside and not the sewing equipment my grandmother liked to store in them.

This delicious treat can be found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-butter-cookie-matcha.html

Backlog:

This Matcha makes a great latte. I like it better as a latte than prepared traditionally, somehow the creaminess of the milk enhances and elevates the flavors to give it more of a pie-like taste.

I can’t say that I’ve ever had a butternut pie. But I figured that butternut pie had to taste a lot like pumpkin pie, right? And it does … but I taste more of a butternut squash flavor … there’s less of the spice that goes along with pumpkin pie, and that’s where the real difference lies, I think.

There’s a nutty flavor to this, as well as a pastry-like flavor that is slightly buttery. I think that the natural buttery taste of the matcha plays well with the pastry notes. I can also taste the sweet, vegetative tones of the matcha.

A really good Matcha. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/11/29/butternut-pie-flavored-matcha-red-leaf-tea/

Backlog:

This flavored Matcha may just be my favorite yet that I’ve tried. It’s certainly up there in the top five … maybe even top 3. It is creamy and delicious.

Usual specs for this one: classic grade of matcha with a distinctive level of flavoring.

I can taste the fresh, vegetative notes of the Matcha, as well as the subtle cacao notes and hints of butter from the Matcha. And then there is the French Vanilla – and it is so deliciously creamy and smooth and … YUM!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/11/19/french-vanilla-flavored-matcha-red-leaf-tea/

Courtney wants to try this, so I figured i should open the package up to try it before sending some off to her. Keeping in mind that this package was opened today, I was slightly disappointed in the whole opening process today. Unlike most Red Leaf Packages, when I open them, i’m usually hit in the face with that particular flavour. I’m not sure if it’s because this is distinctive level or some other reason entirely but i got none of my usual WOW when i opened this.

I made this up as a latte today and while it was decent enough, i never once got the feeling i was drinking peanut butter flavoured anything. I didn’t dislike the drink, but i’m not sure if anything about this screams PB.

So courtney, fair warning, that this is coming your way regardless, but if you also have issues, maybe see if you can steal some of cavo’s to see if it was maybe my batch or flavouring level :)

Woot! Came home to this awesome new interface. I want to play… :)

Thanks to Sil for sharing this with me, I’m really glad you were able to part with a bit of matcha for me to try.

I smelled just the normal matcha smell opening up this bag as well as during mixing. It’s Distinctive-level flavoring, so I guess it could go either way. I do eat a LOT of macadamia nuts, so I was really looking for that flavor. What I got however was a strong buttery taste, followed by a nondescript nut flavor. That was it. Boo. I did play with it a bit (matcha and liquid) and this was the volume of water and amount of matcha that it tasted the best at, for me. Still yummy and delicious, however I wanted macadamia nut praline, darn it! :)

Incredible. That’s all I have to say about this.

Frothed in cold almond milk. :)

This was January’s free sample of the month. All of Red Leaf’s matchas I have tried have been amazing and this is no different. If you like French vanilla ice cream this one’s for you! I made this one in plain cold almond milk.

Thank you to Dexter3657 for sharing this with me!

Did it up like I did the other (eggnog) today, which was perfect: 1/4 tsp matcha, 1/3 cup heavy cream, a granule or two of sweetener. And… I got nothing. Zero smell, or flavor, nothing. Added another 1/8 of a tsp of matcha – still nothing. Another 1/8 of a teaspoon, and I can tell it’s matcha, however there’s zero tropical anything, for me.

Methinks this needs a stronger flavoring; I’m assuming it’s distinctive here. It’s good – hell, it’s matcha! – however it’s not tropical anything, sadly.

Mmmmmm! I got this during BF. As a child I loved the chocolate bar donuts filled with Bavarian cream as well as eclair a and cream puffs. In highschool when I started my own cupcake company to help with senior year costs and save up for college, beside my red velvet cupcakes, my Boston cream pie cupcakes were a huge hit! I loved working with the Bavarian cream, though it took so much to not devour the whole batch of freshly made Bavarian cream! Ha ha. In college I worked at a French bakery in Monterey as a Bautista and server and oh man I fell in love with Napoleons! Mmmmm puff pastry, Bavarian cream and white chocolate swirled with dark chocolate. Mmmm mmm good.
Anyways this matcha takes me back. It reminds me of those pastries and desserts!
This matcha definitely has the creamy buttery richness that Bavarian cream holds. This is definitely a keeper!!! Top of my list so far.

Wowza do I love this matcha. Perfectly eggnog, and devoured in mere seconds I’m a bit embarrassed to admit. Does anyone know what flavor level the samples get blended at? I’ll definitely need to order more, once I find that out.

Heaping 1/4 tsp in 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Got a tiny sample pouch of this – can I just say that I LOVE the sample sizes? They’re more than enough for me to try, especially when I’m having mini cups.

Opening the bag is like smelling sweet eggnog right off the bat. Oh, yay! Made it with 1/4 tsp matcha, 1/4 cup whipping cream, and a grain or two of sweetener. Hm. Definitely got the eggnog in here – it’s delicious and bang on – however it’s… too much of something. Maybe somewhat chemical-tasting? Added cream to the 1/3 cup mark, and that’s PERFECT. Tastes identical to eggnog in every way possible. Perfect marks, because it’s perfect.

Robust level, from Dinosara. :)

Soooo… I made this as a matcha soda. Umm. I’m not so sure about this. I dissolved some sifted matcha in a little warm water, then added ice and club soda. It mostly tastes of club soda and grass.

This one might be better with a more recognizable (to me at least!) matcha flavour. Maybe some sort of citrus would go well with the club soda. Because I’m not loving this. Which is weird because I love club soda…

Holy moley! Dinosara sent me a HUGE package! O.o Thank you SO much, that was entirely unexpected. I love the bags you packed everything in.

So because I still have a migraine and I need to head to work now, I thought I’d start with this. Hot, in almond milk, with a little honey.

Doesn’t smell as good as Redberry Tonic from DavidsTea, which is my other “Sea buckthorn” sniffing experience. It’s really green. Green grassy. I’m guessing some of that will be the matcha.

Whisking it into water, it didn’t froth nearly as much as other flavours have. In fact, it was difficult to get any froth. Interesting…

Actually, I don’t need the honey. This is a sweet, grassy, almond milk latte. I know that to some that sounds unappealing, but I’m quite enjoying it right now.

Thanks again!

Just as perfect as last time, although I must have mixed it poorly. As I drank it, it felt like I was inhaling black hazelnut matcha dust. Still delicious… I obviously cared so little and wanted to enjoy it that I kept on drinking. ;)

Heaping 1/4 tsp in 1/4 cup heavy cream.

I decided to do a bit of a taste test today, with Sil’s distinctive flavoring of the hazelnut matcha in the traditional base, and then Dinosara ‘s robust flavoring in the black base. I was so excited to try this earlier – it’s my first ever black base matcha (and I’ve had thousands of cups of matcha in my lifetime, so this is really saying something).

Mixed 1/4 tsp of matcha with 1/4 cup of whipping cream (again, needing the high fat content due to some medical needs) and the teensiest amount of pure stevia. It smells strangely of traditional (green) matcha, which surprised me. I was a bit worried the smell would translate into the flavor, to be honest – I wanted this cup very different than the distinctive green I’d just had prior. Luckily, I had zero to worry about. THIS is perfection. THIS is sublime. It’s like I’m actually eating hazelnuts that have been pureed and somehow fluffed into liquid whipping cream. Robust flavoring is perfect here, and the black base really makes the nut shine.

Oh my goodness. Sil, you are magic. Really. Thank you SO much for sharing this with me!

Mixed with 1/4 tsp of distinctively-flavored hazelnut matcha, 1/4 cup of whipping cream (I’m currently on an extremely high fat diet for medical reasons) and the tiniest possible amount of pure stevia (maybe an eighth of a pinch, if that)… and this is hazelnut creamy deliciousness. I could drink this all day. It is perfect, and the only thing I can say I want more of is hazelnut flavoring – which came about in my next tasting note!

Sipdown!(154) I love this one!
Thanks again Sil!

And no, I could taste the nutmeg, but it wasn’t too strong or anything for those asking.

Sil passed this on to me and I am quite grateful. The flavouring in this is great. It’s not too strong, but mixed with cold milk I get that familiar eggnog flavouring that I crave.

I think if I bought it I’d probably do 30g instead of 60 because it’s one I would crave more in the winter months…

Thank you!

I finally tried some of this today. Actually, I made two cups of it, because the first was… ick. It smelled like crisp green grass (which yes, I’ve eaten), almost like wheatgrass. Much stronger than normal matcha, and just shy of chemical. Really odd smell, I must add, it’s a new one to me.

I mixed it as I normally do, in a chasen with a small amount of liquid, then adding 6-8oz of liquid, mixing again, and sweetening to taste. I want to love it, I want the flavors to just work for me, as they did for the sample I sent VariaTEA from this batch, and yet it leaves me much to be desired. I dumped it, and tried again.

Less matcha, more liquid, more sweetener. Still the icky taste is the first thing I get, although it does blend into something more palatable, and that’s the flavor I understand VariaTEA tastes – apple pie à la mode. I only found it for a second, and after a good five or six sips, I just had to dump it too.

I do wonder however if I overleafed, as I’m still feeling the rush from the matcha hours later. I rarely feel this jazzed when drinking matcha anymore.

Leaving off the rating, because I need to play a teensy bit more.

I ordered this sample from Red Leaf back in December, but I’m just now getting around to making it. I’ve been curious about the flavored matchas for a while, so I’m excited to finally get to try one!

This was prepared as a cold latte following the directions sent with the tea. It’s ok, but it needs some sweetness. After adding a teaspoon of raw sugar I can say that this is really nice! Definite eggnog flavor. It’s creamy with a strong vanilla custard flavor and a strong nutmeg finish. Wow, I could get used to drinking these.

Now that I understand what all the fuss is about I’m off to see which flavors I want to try next.

I’m very grateful to Starfevre for letting me try some of this. It has always been on my “holy crap this flavor sounds amazing I must try it someday!” list, but with the mixed reviews I’ve been scared to invest in a whole package.

This morning I whipped some up as a hot latte with honey. This matcha smells AMAZING. Exactly like it is described, it smells like a macadamia praline! Now, why can’t it taste exactly like it smells? There IS something a touch artificial tasting about it. It is drinkable, but definitely not something I would purchase in the future. I don’t have many flavors of matcha laying around right now, so I will easily finish this sample though. It’s a nice change up and will tide me over until I can order a better tasting nutty flavored matcha in the future! :)