Matcha Outlet

My first matcha experience! Success! Dexter3657 sent some of this my way, thank you!!

I was so excited to try it but was clueless as to how to go about it. I knew I wanted it cold, a la Starbucks green tea frap. Now I don’t like the taste of milk but if you mask it, I’m fine. Those frappuccinos are all milk based and I gobble them up. So I used a small amount of this, less than 1 tsp, for just under a cup of cold milk. I dissolved the matcha in about 2 Tbsp of hot water, and I used one of those cheap frothers, a handheld battery operated one. It says Bayley’s on it, I can just imagine what it’s for. Then I poured the milk into a glass, added the matcha “solution” and sipped. Needed sweetening, tasted milky. I didn’t want to make simple syrup and there was no way any rock sugar or turbinado would have melted so… Maple syrup to the rescue! (Note to self: Really good but need a full tsp of tea next time.)

Oh and this morning I made a smoothie with it, I was thinking about the “mind over matcha” from booster juice, we love that. So I made my own version with banana. Basically dumped matcha, banana and milk in a plastic pitcher and put in the handheld blender I use to blend soups. It was also very good but didn’t taste much green apple. I thought maybe it was because of the banana but tonight I’m also not tasting apple. Matcha yes, apple no.

Red leaf tea order on the horizon. Never bought matcha but from what I’ve been reading here I know it’s expensive and you get a lot of it, almost too much to drink before it goes stale or whatever. I think my milk consumption might go up also. The dairy farmers of Canada I’m sure will be thankful to red leaf tea :)

This marks my second order and review for Red Leaf Tea. Again, I couldn’t be more satisfied with the service and amiability of the company. However, I think I made the real mistakes here again. I ordered the Sugar Buster matcha made with white matcha and the “robust” concentration. I have never tried gymnemna before and I probably should have just to feel it out. I just went for broke with this one because I kind of have problems with my sweet tooth sometimes. When I opened the package the smell was very potent, a little bit like mulch. It reminded me of many times where I went to go do yard work with my father. The color was interesting because it was a light brown which is like white tea of course. I didn’t get any white tea smell I think. When I put the water into the matcha bowl, the matcha didn’t quite react the same as other times. It seems like it separated from the water, perhaps it was the herb powder. When I finally tasted it, the taste of the herb was at the forefront of all the tastes, and it was very similar to dirt. It did have some of the subtleties of white tea in the aftertaste however. Overall, I think I should have chosen a green matcha, perhaps of higher quality with a less concentrated flavor of sugar buster.

Made this one as a warm latte (the milk was not as hot as I thought it was). It is actually much better this way. However, I did still mix it half and half with regular matcha and also added a tsp of white sugar. There is still an artificial peach/fruit flavour, kind of waxy, but it is much less so than when cold shaken. Mostly like drinking gently sweetened warm, frothed milk with a hint of fruit.

This was a disaster yesterday, so I thought I would try again today. Made it cold yesterday, smelled delicious, tasted disgusting. It felt like I was drinking chemicals. At first I thought the matcha may have somehow been contaminated from the time I got the scoop from the package to my cold shake tumbler. But on further thought, it really tasted like what I imagine perfume would taste like. So I thought maybe the robust flavouring was just too strong.

To start today, I thoroughly cleaned my tumbler. I am very much a “rinser”. Since I drink cold matcha every morning, I mostly just rinse the tumbler and let it air dry in between. It gets washed maybe once or twice a week and when I change flavours I soak it with a denture tablet to make sure I get all the flavours out. So I did the whole denture tablet thing and let it air dry overnight. Then I blended equal arts of peach matcha with regular matcha and added a sprinkle of white sugar.

This is much more drinkable now. It still smells of delicious candied peaches. The taste is much more subtle. It tastes like matcha with slight artificial peach flavour. Slightly sweet. There is still a tiny chemical aftertaste but it is not burning the lining off of my mouth this time and I would describe it as more astringent. There is a bit of a waxy taste to it. At least I can drink up what I bought now.

I would suggest that this one would be best with a delicate flavouring vs the robust that I ordered.

Ok. Something happened here.

I was quite excited to try this me. I purchased it to mix with some other matcha flavours. When I opened the package it smelled like delicious juicy peach. More on the candied side. To me, there is another fruity kind of smell mixed in it that I can’t quite place. Can’t wait to taste it.

I did cold shaken, 1tsp for 8 oz with a tiny bit of white sugar. It was robust flavouring.

Yuck! I am not sure what happened. But the smell does not transmit to the taste. I get a super chemical taste. It is actually burning my soft palate and back of my throat. Not like spicey burn, but like chemical burn. There is no fruity taste at all. Not mich matcha taste either. Super bitter. I wonder if there was some kind of contamination from the time I got the scoop from the bag to my matcha glass. I read a few of the reviews and it sounds like I am not alone on this one. I will try again tomorrow, will try to dilute it with some plain matcha and see what happens…

Oh, this is so easy and delicious. My husband keeps asking me when we are going “to order the giant-sized bag” of caramel matchaccino. Apparently we need to stockpile it in the kitchen somewhere. To be fair, it really is quite an experience and easily substitutes for a much higher calorie sweet treat. I haven’t reviewed the others yet, but the french vanilla and cheesecake matchas from Red Leaf were lovely as well. I need to get caught up on tasting notes!

I only had a sample size of this, but my husband and I both loved it as an afternoon iced latte. We made it according to the instructions with 2% milk as the base. The matchaccino powder blended right in without any fuss and it made the kitchen smell like creamy caramel goodness in the process.

The latte itself was a beautiful bright jade green, very attractive color. When I first sipped it, I was kind of braced thinking the caramel might taste artificial. I shouldn’t have worried though, it was delicious! This was my first matcha experience and it was a good one. For my household, this could easily substitute for dessert, though I am sure it will also be a sweet matcha treat whenever the mood hits. Yum!

The scent of this tea reminds me a little bit of caramel mixed with the woody red matcha base. It smells very sweet, but actually doesn’t offer much as far as the crème brulee is concerned. From across the room, I do smell more of a buttery, vanilla frosting.

Sipping… the first thing I notice is the red matcha. It seems like it would be a difficult thing to hide as it seems so much more concentrated in a powder form. I love the taste: woody & sweet. There is a tiny bit of bitterness that lingers in the background and I’m not sure if that’s from the rooibos or the flavoring. It’s been relatively consistent in Red Leaf Tea’s red matchas.

The rooibos fades into a kind of creamy sweetness that reminds me more of vanilla than crème brulee. It really does remind me very much of the French vanilla red matcha from Red Leaf Tea. Not a bad choice, really, but I was hoping to pull more of that crème brulee flavor out! Still, this drink is creamy and makes a very soothing drink.

I’m going to give this a try with milk as I’ve found matcha to pop a bit more with milk. I have faith that I will get more crème brulee flavor the more I experiment. You can order some crème brulee matcha for yourself here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/creme-brulee-matcha.html.

i’ll admit, i wasn’t super excited about trying cotton candy flavored anything. but this was way fun and i stand corrected. i don’t think i loved it as much as some other people, but hell who doesn’t want a sweet sweet treat for breakfast as a finale to thier birthday weekend?!?! only a crazy person that’s who.
thank you for the carnie treat without the sticky fingers and face CHAroma!

Oh, this is so dangerous! I haven’t been loving hot matcha lately — it’s been thin and lacking flavor for me, but this is something different! I mixed some of this up with some soy milk and ice — it’s SO tasty. I feel like this is what people have been talking about when they rave about caramel & matcha. It’s sweet, creamy and has the perfect touch of caramel. The matcha flavor itself is definitely hidden, but comes out at the end of the sip. Maybe I should try making my regular caramel matcha with milk instead of water… This matcha is definitely better when had cold, blended and with milk and ice.

I do like that there are not too many calories in this mix, but there is quite a bit of sugar for a serving. It’s not something that I should drink multiple times in a day, but it does make a nice, sweet treat every once and a while. I need to buy more of this… it’s just truly that good! Here’s the link to purchase some of this matcha mix – http://www.redleaftea.com/matchaccino/caramel-matchaccino.html

I had an awesome matcha whisking session today! No clumps at the bottom of the bowl, with some decent froth going on. Success!

I used three scoops of matcha whisked in 175F water, then poured it into a cup with frothed warm milk. It was such a pretty cream green colour.. and then it was gone in less than a minute. Now I feel positively buzzed, and am already missing that beautiful green. I’m deeply regretting the self-imposed evening matcha curfews right now, but I think I want to sleep tonight. Maybe. Not.

Flavour-wise this one’s quirky. I think it tastes like typical plain old matcha to me, with a bit of a sweet-sour taste to it.

I don’t know what influenced me to pick up this flavour. I hadn’t seen that episode of Tatami Galaxy yet. (http://www.thiseuphoria.com/anime/tatami36.jpg)

my BIRTHDAY matcha!!
mega delicious!
i mean, how could it NOT be!?!?!?
thank you CHAroma for this super decadent treat!
i took today and tomorrow off work.
let the birthday staycation commence!

I absolutely love this stuff. It’s like every tea lover’s crack. Not that I’ve ever tried crack before, but…you know.

The only way this could be better is if I had gotten a higher grade matcha (I got the lowest). There is a little bit of an earthy/pungent aftertaste, but other than that it is EXPLODING WITH CARAMEL.

Plus, I’ve always had a guilty love for frappes and this is the perfect alternative. I bought this on a whim because it was on sale and I will definitely be buying more Red Leaf matchas in the future. Probably not the Matchaccino next time just because I want to experiment with my own sweeteners. :)

I usually blend this with unsweetened vanilla coconut milk and a few ice cubes. If I’m feeling a little crazy I add things like kale, a peeled aloe leaf, hemp powder, and/or a chunk of frozen banana!

Second attempt at making matcha. Thank you, Ninavampi for this sample! I think I preferred the amaretto flavor. I added a little milk to this one, which helped, but the spiciness in the pumpkin pie flavor seems to be taking center stage. It’s drinkable, just not something that I would ever prefer over a nice cup of strong, malty black tea. Maybe I’m not making it correctly, even though I looked up directions on making matcha. All of the lattes and things that everyone makes with matcha sound so good, but I think I prefer a simple cup of tea where I just pour hot water over some leaves. I think I am just not a lover of matcha, sigh.

-Dry blend is a powdery green matcha.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of cinnamon. Tea liquor aroma is of spicy pumpkin pie.
-Tea liquor is a thick dark green color with foam on top.
-Vegetal flavor with a strong spicy finish. Light pumpkin pie and clove aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Fair tea. Very strong spicy flavor with just a hint of pumpkin.

I’m determined to finish this by Saturday morning! This took longer than I thought!

Sample# 9:
Color, texture, and smell of powder: lighter green, not very clumpy.Seaweed smell, but nt overwhelmingly so.
Notes: Mixed up well. No seaweed taste or chalk. No bitterness.
Sample# 10:
C olor, texture, and smell of powder: Similar to 9, slightlyclumpier. Smells stronger of. Seaweed
Notes: A littlechalky. Slightly bitter. 9 was better.

Sample #4
Powder Color: Bright green
Powder Smell: Seaweed
Powder Texture: Fine, slightly clumpy
Liquor Color: Olive green, froths up well
Tasting Notes: Few to no clumps. Darkly vegetal & not overly bitter, but has a sight metallic taste. After milk & honey added, it’s exceptionally smooth & creamy.

Sample#5
Powder Color: Light olive
Powder Smell: Vegetal
Powder Texture: Fine, not too clumpy
Liquor Color: dark green
Tasting Notes: Not so frothy, but mixed well. Tastes of bitter dark greens- Bitter even after milk & honey added, but metallic taste is gone. Slight chalkiness, but unpleasant.

Sample #6:
Powder color: Similar to 4, light olive
Powder texture: Very fine, not clumpy
Powder smell: light seaweed
Liquor color: Dark camo green, mixes well
Tasting Notes: Dark bitter greens, but surprisngly very little metallic bite. Chalky to the taste. With milk added- pleasantly vegetal- like pea soup! No chalk after adding more milk & honey, however I can see the Matcha starting to separate.

Sample #7:
Powder Color: Bright electric green
Powder texture: Super fine, slightly clumpy
Powder smell: Hay w/a little seaweed
Liquor color: Dark Green, but not olive. Took longer to mix in.
Tasting Notes: Bright, fresh, spring greens with just a touch of bitterness. Coppery Bright aftertaste w/a bit Of sweetness. Lovely fresh quality to it once milk & honey added. Slight chalkiness is the only distractor.

Sample #8
Powder Color: Similiar to #7, even brighter
Powder Texture: Similar to #7
Powder smell: hay & spring greens
Liquor color: A lovely emerald, a very fine froth- the teensiest bubbles! Very pretty matcha & I admit I’m having fun whisking this one.
Tasting Notes: Powerfully bitter on the first taste, But not metallic. After milk & honey, a pleasant Collared greens taste. Not as chalky as I would have thought- it stays mixed in. Might need to play around with the proportions when preparing this one. This one has some potential!

I created a listing to keep a log of the un-named Red Leaf samples I got. Feel free to join in under this listing if you’re doing it as well. I tried the first 3 this morning!

Sample # 1
Powder Color: Medium Green , just a slight brown
Powder Smell: Seaweed
Powder Texture: Fine, not clumpy
Liquor Color: Dark green
Tasting Notes: Mixed one teaspoon with a few ounces of hot, but not boilinng water. Mixed in fairly well, but there were just a few little clumps. The liquid smells and tastes much like the powder- like seaweed. I am not fond of this particular green tea taste. This matcha had a bitter, almost metallic bite to it too. After trying it straight, I added Coconut Almond Milk and it frothed up even more when I whisked. Also added a little honey. This helped to take away the bitter sting, but the seaweed taste is stll too strong for me.

Sample # 2:
Powder Color: A little browner than #1, almost a shade of olive.
Powder Smell: grassy with a tinge of seaweed
Powder Texture: Slightly finer than #1
Liquor Color: Dark Olive, No clumps
Tastng Notes: Prepared the same way as #1. Mixed extremely well, no clumps to see, very frothy. Powerful matcha! I don’t even know what I’m tasting on the first sip, but I know it’s strong. After it settles I taste dark, bitter, grassy greens with an almost citric aftertaste. After diluting with a little coconut almond milk, it is less bitter and more grassy. I dilute it even further to with the milk- the texture is just the slightest bit chalky. The taste is pleasantly grassy. Decide to add just a touch of honey. It tastes very good this way, but the slight chalkiness is getting to me.

Sample # 3
Powder Color: Medium Dark Green, almost camo
Powder Smell: Seaweed!
Powder Texture: not as fine, clumpy
Liquor Color: seaweed green
Tastng Notes: I was afraid from the powder smell that it would be overwhelmingly seaweed like #1, but the smell fades away slightly in the liquid form. Taste is of dark, collared greens and has a slight metallic bite to it, but less so than #1. It is too chalky even after adding the coconut almond milk and honey. It has a better taste than #1, but not #2. As it sits for a while, it starts to settle at the bottom a lot.

Sipdown! (332)
Thank you Sil for sending me a sample of this. I have only previously tried one of the flavored Matchas from Red Leaf, Caramel I think, & I didn’t really care for it as a hot tea, as a latte, or as a smoothie.
I followed your suggestions for a smoothie, & actually it is pretty good that way.

Well darn. I was always so confident that I’d love this. I mean, it’s chocolate! How could I not like it… right!?
So… Guess what? I don’t love it. Nooooooooooooooo!
Sighs. Sad sad sighs. How could it be? Was it something I did?! Did I offend the chocolate gods?
It just doesn’t taste like the true, intense, cocoa that I expected. Yeah, I can see how it tastes similar to chocolate. But still, it is not chocolate. It’s too floral for that. Not in a bad way, once I accepted it for what it is. Still, I’m super disappointed.
In my smoothie, it lent an element of that smooth truffle centre. Not chocolate per se, but getting there.
Overall, not bad. I’ll enjoy the rest of my packet with no issues, though I still feel as though the next time I look on the site to place an order, I’d find something labeled “chocolate” that’d hit it on the nose for me and send me into daily matcha chocolate comas!
No matter, there are plenty of other matcha flavours I love. It’s a learning process :)

Still moving through some matcha that I have in my collection. When I saw this flavor pop up, I knew that I had to give this a try. Bavarian cream! Sounds too good to be true! Plus, I love that you can add your flavor to RED matcha. Red matcha is so difficult to find, so I’m really enjoying trying it paired with all of these different flavors.

So far I’ve had the french vanilla red matcha and the cheesecake red matcha. I think that I actually prefer the red matcha more than the classic green, but that’s just my preference, I suppose. This flavor surprised me… I was expecting something creamy, yes.. but something more…. custardy, sort of like vanilla pudding? I honestly tasted a creamy citrus flavor instead! How strange. I don’t think that bavarian cream has lemon or orange in it.. so it came as a surprise. It’s not a bad flavor, though, just not what I was looking for in a “bavarian cream matcha”. I’d like to have something more like vanilla custard. Again, it’s not bad, but there’s a little bit more tangy fruit in here than I’d like. I still think that it fit the creamy note nicely, especially when paired with the frothy rooibos base.

I’m looking forward to trying more matcha teas from Red Leaf. If you’re interested in this blend, you can purchase the tea here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/bavarian-cream-matcha.html. I suggest the red matcha base for something a little different!

Backlogging review on Red Leaf’s matcha – Mint Chocolate
My matcha was composed of the following:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Distinctive
Those who know me, know that i am a HUGE fan of mint chocolate. Jr. Mints are my movie treat of choice in terms of chocolate. This was one of the flavours i picked up as part of a buy 3, get one free pack. As a result, i opted for the distinctive level of flavouring as i’ve had some bad luck with robust on fruit flavours that i bought with it.
This is a great matcha for lattes! I really like how the chocolate and mint are blended together. I wasn’t as much a fan of the belgian chocolate matcha, so i was happy to find that the chocolate flavouring in this one is fairly smooth and lacks that weird artificial, fake chocolate sort of taste. I don’t know that i would drink this without milk, as i find the creaminess in the milk helps to really bring out the minty chocolate goodness. My only complaint? This is a matcha i want to drink in Robust flavouring! I found that every time i had it, i wanted just a bit more intense flavouring. So this WILL likely be a re-order but in Robust flavouring! Thanks Red leaf!
Buy it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/mint-chocolate-matcha.html

Sipdown! place holder log at the moment as i don’t have time to do a final review of this one yet. I’ve added the rest to a package for the canadian travelling tea box since there’s been interest in trying a few matchas.

Had another smoothie with this in the morning. Still a delicious treat, though I maintain that this is one that robust flavouring would be the way to go for me :)

oh man…having a smoothie of this one today while i deal with work crap on my day off! I really want this one to be more intense in flavour. This is one that can benefit from Robust Flavouring. This will for sure be a re-order as well whenever i get through some of the many…many…flavours in my cupboard at the moment! lol