Matcha Outlet

I seem to be the only person who didn’t like this. I was so excited when a friend got it for me for Christmas but it tastes like mud to me, added sugar and it tasted like slightly sweetened mud. I did make it into a latte and I see most here did not. I’m tempted to try it that way but I hate to waste more that could be swapped.

It seems like good.

For the first time in ten days, I not only got my full eight hours of sleep but I also got to sleep in! It felt blissful, and I woke up feeling so relaxed/refreshed. I do work today at DAVIDsTEA, but I’m enjoying having the morning to myself to just eat a nice, home cooked breakfast and drink some tea…

I finally invested in a milk frother after what seems like ages of meaning to get one; and by “invested in” I mean one of my coworkers bought a new one and gave me their old one. Regardless; I am now in possession of one! So I’m drinking some matcha almond milk, and that milk frother is the fucking bomb. Seriously; I’m in love already! It was easy to use, and now everything is light, frothy and fun. I even have a frothy matcha milk moustache as evidence!

And of course it tastes great too; definitely sweet but a particularly “bubble gum” flavoured sweet as opposed to a simply sugary sweet. The almond milk flavour is strong as well, so my bubble gum drink has nutty undertones – but it’s not bad, just maybe a very slight bit weird to be tasting the bubble gum and the almond milk. I think I’ve done this pairing (or cashew/coconut) before though, and that’s usually the case anyway. It’s just sticking out to me a bit more today than it normally would.

Sipdown (178)!

This matcha is listed in two different places, and apparently I’ve written one review under this listing (other than this review) and then the review from last night under the second listing. Blah. I don’t know which is the ‘proper’ listing, but since this is the one I had in my cupboard then I guess I’ll just stick with this one.

Anyway, here’s the link for my review from last night – I don’t particularly feel like deleting it and reposting.

http://steepster.com/roswellstrange/posts/216355#comments

I prepared this in cold milk again today, since I really enjoyed it that way last night. Same preparation exactly, although this finished it off. Now that I’ve found a way I really love this, it’s a little harder seeing it go.Maybe once I’ve found enough flavoured matcha that I love I’ll be able to justify putting in an order, and perhaps this will make it into that order.

Thank you VariaTEA and consequently, Cavocorax for the sample!

Just got home from work and microwaved the stir fry that Tre ordered me last night but I was too full to actually eat. I was trying to think of what to pair it with, are green tea seemed like the best idea. Except, I don’t really like green tea and the only unflavoured green I have in Genmaicha which seemed a little light in taste to pair with this. So, I decided to try one of the matchas I haven’t dug into yet. Initially I was going to go with Pineapple, but Tre said this sounded more unusual so I went with this instead.

I decided to try it out as a tea soda, so to prepare it I mixed 1.2 tsp. of powder into about an oz. of hot water which I mixed it into the dissolve. I then let it cool off and finally poured in a can of club soda. The smell is only faintly bubblegum (both dry and mixed up) so I’m wondering if maybe I should have mixed more in? All the other matchas I’ve encountered have smelled very strong in flavour.

Taste wise, I get bubblegum but only a little. Mostly, I taste very vegetal green tea (which is weird carbonated). It’s drinkable, but I definitely don’t enjoy this as much as either of the last two matchas I’ve tried (orange and eggnog). I’m not sure if I’ve tried any matcha that I feel like I need to order, and this is no exception.

Overall, just mediocre. Regardless, thanks VariaTEA for sending a sample my way! I’m slowly learning more about matcha thanks to everyone’s generosity.

I highly recommend Imperial Matcha! It is two grades higher than Classic Matcha (the lowest grade Matcha at Red Leaf Tea) and one grade higher than Royal Matcha, meaning it is more flavorful and better than both of them, but it is one grade below Connoisseur’s Matcha and two below Emperor’s Matcha (the highest grade matcha available at Red Leaf Tea). It also has a strong taste that is similar to Izu Matcha. Furthermore, it is extremely nutritious because it is full of antioxidants and even helps control weight. I prefer it iced and make it by the pitcher to make it last, using one tablespoon of Imperial Matcha per pitcher (makes 3-4 large glasses). Like all other matcha’s, be sure to stir your glass, cup, or pitcher of Imperial Matcha with a whisk to make the little dry clumps of matcha dissolve because they taste very bitter. If you like it sweet (that is how I like it), it tastes better and sweeter with sugar than Sweet N’ Low. If you buy a flavored matcha from Red Leaf Tea like Caramel Matcha, you can choose Imperial Matcha to make it better. I will definitely buy Imperial Matcha again (it is my favorite matcha so far), and you can buy it at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/imperial-matcha.html.

Backlog:

I LOVE this Matcha. This quickly became one of my favorites from Red Leaf, because I love the sharp contrast between the tart and somewhat bitter grapefruit to the sweet, vegetative notes with buttery undertones of the matcha. The two just … WORK together very well.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/15/grapefruit-flavored-matcha-green-tea-red-leaf-tea/

Classic base, default flavor.

This is lovely, but I honestly wish the flavor was stronger. I probably made this wrong – I just whisked a teaspoon of the match into a mug of heated almond milk – so if anyone has any suggestions on how to prepare this that would be awesome.

This is sweet, creamy, but I’m not getting the burnt sugar caramel flavor that I associate with creme brulee.

Also, I need to get a sifter. I whisked it fairly well but there are still some small lumps and those are bitter.

ETA: Okay, 1 teaspoon was too much. I had to toss the mug when I got about halfway done because it was too bitter.

This sample was near perfection. I got this as part of my Black Friday purchase. This was the December sample:) and a great one at that!
I made this with whole milk a tad of sugar and a handful of ice and in my ninja pulse blender it went:)
I sware this could pass as the real deal egg nog except for the color and the texture of course ha ha.
The flavors here were spot on. The nutmeg, the cinnamon, the creaminess!
This is genius I say! Pure genius! This one tastes just like the eggnog tea I had last week! I think it is amazing how spot on some teas can be! If you haven’t tried this and love egg nog I highly recommend it! This sample was delicate flavor intensity, if I had the money I would so love to try the intensifies versions of this or maybe a white matcha version of this!
Ooooooh yummy I’m just drooling at the concept. Ha ha. Anyways…
LOVE THIS! End of story. I may have to splurge and purchase just this one.

I was initially doubtful that this could become an eggnog replacement for me, but yet again I was proven wrong. This has a delightful creamy texture to it, that while not nearly as thick as eggnog, comes pretty close if you use whole milk and a blender to froth it up like a latte. You may have a slightly different texture if you’re using skim milk since it has significantly less milk fat. I also think this is best served cold. I don’t know about you, but the thought of warm eggnog doesn’t appeal to me. I can’t even get behind eggnog lattes at the coffee shop, no matter how hard I try. What I can get behind is the sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon they put on top, that ended up being a great addition to my eggnog MATCHAccino.

The only thing I think this is really missing is the alcohol. When I make eggnog from scratch I generally put a good dose of brandy in it, although others prefer rum or bourbon. In my shortsightedness I didn’t even think to order a package of alcohol flavored MATCHAccino to experiment with. Next year I fully intend on picking up small packages of both brandy and rum to see what kind of results I end up with. My love of experimentation combined with the extensive custom flavor list offered by Red Leaf just may put me in the poor house.

You can read the full review over on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2013/12/17/tuesday-tea-eggnog-matchaccino-red-leaf-tea.html

Thanks to KallieBoo! for a sample of this in our mystery swap!
I don’t drink matcha very often even though I have 2 flavours from Red Leaf. I guess it is because I am not the biggest fan of green teas. However, I find flavoured matchas to be quite lovely.

This one is kind of weird. It tastes very much like bubblegum, the kind that I used to chew as a kid and blow huge bubbles with. But….it is super weird to drink bubble gum.

My matcha was composed of the following:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Distinctive

I adore Creme Brulee…but it is one of those desserts that is so VERY hard to find done well. The custard inside needs to be just right or the texture doesn’t allow me to fully enjoy the creamy carmelised sugar and the overall wonderfulness of the tea.
I tend to prefer Red Leaf’s creamier flavours so i figured i would pick this one up in one of my orders. Since I am sending this off to CHAroma, i figured i’d better at least try it haha. It’s late but i figured a small serving of this should do too much damage.
Opening this, I don’t get much in the way of creme brulee aroma. Instead it just smells vaguely creamy. I whipped this up in latte form, since that’s pretty much how i drink 90% of my matcha in the winter and took an initial sip.
Final verdict on this? it’s creamy…and reminds me of the custard flavour in creme brulee…but it’s missing the delicious burnt sugar taste that i love. I also think this would be one of those flavours where the Robust level flavouring might really make it pop. I can see that Tastybrew loves it, but hers is Robust. over all this reminds me more of the memory of creme brulee than actuall eating creme brulee. It’s like the faintest whisper reminding you of the dessert you had the other night. I’d give this another shot though in a stronger flavouring so that makes it ok by me! :)
Buy it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/creme-brulee-matcha.html

(also…yay for sipdowns!mwahahaha)

I’ve never had eggnog before but this matcha was amazing! I made it into a Hot Latte using vanilla soy milk.

Matcha of the day…..

I am hooked. I am currently planning my next order, and I think it will mostly be English Toffee Matcha. I am just waiting to see the February free sample. I have so much French Vanilla in my possession, I don’t need to sample it.

My daughter is finishing up the Caramel Matchachino, and I needed to determine if the additional cost for the matchachino mix is worth it to her. She likes her matcha frothed up in milk with something to sweeten it, and no ice. She did decide that the matcha with me adding splenda was good enough. This makes my decision easy. The math nerd in me figured out that the way we drink the flavored matcha, we get 20 servings out of a small, and 40 servings out of a large. There ends up being a huge cost difference in going from a small to a large per serving, and from a large to 2 larges get a small free. After that, to the next level, it just works out to a few cents a serving. Since it is not super shelf stable (like my black teas!), I think the buy 2 larges get a small free ends up being the best choice for how we drink it. Also, I am not sure the tins make sense for me, either. My only matcha equipment has been a standard measuring spoon and a personal blender. I have just been keeping the matcha in the pouches they came in, in the freezer. The cost per serving for the matchachino is more than how a small match works out.

Anyway, I think I will order robust in this when I do order. We have distinctive and it would be good just a little stronger. I find distinctive plenty strong for the French Vanilla, though.