Matcha Outlet

I had this first thing this morning and it’s still my favourite vanilla from the now named Matcha Outlet. Curiously I couldn’t find the cinnamon matcha on there so I wonder if they got rid of it when they moved from Red Leaf Tea to Matcha Outlet. I don’t need to order more of this just yet but it’s always on my list of creamy vanilla yumminess.

Because just one cup of matcha will not wake me up enough this morning. So I made another cup to take with me into work. Not sure what tea I will have after but I brought a few options. Work doesn’t have a variable temperature kettle and since we aren’t allowed to bring our own kettles everything I bring has to be steeped at boiling. I don’t have a thermometer and honestly I’m too lazy to use one.

This is by far my favourite out of the Vanilla matchas I have tried from Red Leaf Tea.. now called Matcha Outlet. Yeah that still takes some getting used to. I never have to add anything other than water to this since it’s so perfect. Nice and creamy and everything good I can think of when thinking Vanilla.

OH MY GAWD!!!! This is awesome vanill~y goodness. I think it just replaced the caramel matcha as my favourite…. sorry caramel! I most definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes vanilla. I’m so glad I ordered this!

Having this after my cycle to work on Mom’s old bike. I guess I can call it mine now since I went over 10km on it. I’m using my Matcha Maker from DT to enjoy it and it’s pretty cool. This is very much like a really good mint hot chocolate. I made mine iced however. Still very yummy.

Today felt like a cold latte day so I made a cup of this to take to work with me. As Mondays are perfect for chocolate minty goodness. What a great way to start the week.

A very chocolately minty yummy cup of matcha!! waaay better than mint hot chocolate by Cadbury that’s for sure! Yep this is going to be added to my winter stash for sure!

Finished off the last of this sample today. I made it up as a latte again, because I’m pretty sure last time it didn’t go so well as a result of unexpectedly expiring whisk batteries. Fortunately, that’s not today’s problem.

I used a little more powder than I usually would, partly because there wasn’t a full 1/2 tsp left (so it would be two under-strength cups or one over…) and also because it’s the delicate flavouring level, and I’m finding that I drown the flavour in milk when I use my work cup (which is on the larger side…). So that’s how it is this morning.

Also, I’m bored. I have plenty to do, but I don’t really want to get on with any of it. What I’d really like is a new job with some new challenges, but that doesn’t seem to be on the cards at the moment.

So, the latte. It’s good – it tastes like candy grape. I think the extra bit of powder has amplified that a bit, because it’s a touch stronger than I remember it being last time, although still subtle on the whole. It’s also mildly floral, which could be either the grape flavouring or the matcha itself…it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, which I think is a good thing when it comes to flavoured tea of any variety.

I’m thinking of placing an order with Red Leaf/Matcha Outlet in the next few days, and this one could well be on the list if it’s available. It’s different, and enjoyable – a good combination!

Tried this one shaken into cold water this afternoon, but I’m not sure that I’m a fan. The last matcha I tried it with was Red Leaf’s Sangria, and I really didn’t like that. I’m feeling almost the same about this one. For some reason, it seems to bring out the floral flavour of the matcha, and there’s something about it that turns my stomach.

Matcha latte? Yes. Any other preparation? Maybe not.

A sample from Roswell Strange! I’d already put my 1/4 tsp of matcha in my cup and added about an inch of boiling water before I realised that the batteries in my AeroLatte had expired overnight. I’ve not quite got to the point where I understand the relationship my whisk has with batteries. It can be fine one minute, and completely dead the next. Clearly I’ll have to start keeping a spare set in my drawer, but I don’t have any kicking around this morning.

So. So. I had to whisk as vigorously as I could with a tiny spoon, which is obviously not all that vigorously. It helped that the matcha seems quite forgiving – it seemed to absorb well of its own accord, and hadn’t clumped or formed lumps despite my lack of whisking ability. And the lack of a whisk. Anyway, we seem to have got there. Somehow.

I made this up as a latte, although I’ll definitely be trying this one cold at some point because the flavour really calls out for that. It’s pretty good – there’s a half-natural, half-candy grape flavour kicking around, although it’s pretty subtle. This is the delicate flavour level, though, so I’m not surprised about that. If I had to give it a colour, I’d say that it tastes purple, which is definitely a nod to the candy-like aspect over the true-to-life. Either way, it’s good.

I’ve stirred it pretty constantly as I’ve been sipping, and there’s not too much settlement at the bottom – no more than I’d get with my electric whisk. I’m kind of pleased that what could have been a disaster turned out okay – and that grape matcha makes for a gentle, not-too-sweet start to the morning. Perfect!

It’s the turn of apricot today. I’m coming towards the end of my matcha samples, which is incredibly sad for one special reason. I was just going to place an order with Matcha Outlet, now they stock sample packages and ship to the UK. That was until I realised that the shipping was going to cost $47, and seems to be flat rate. A few small samples of tea powder absolutely do not cost anything like that to post, and I don’t have that kind of cash to splash at the moment anyway, so that’s off. It’s a real shame, because Red Leaf/Matcha Outlet have the best flavours, and at the moment there’s nothing comparable in the UK. It’s sad face time, boys and girls.

This latte, though. I’m actually liking this a little more than I did last time, although it’s there’s still a touch of soapy floral that’s hard to ignore once you’ve tasted it. Having said that, it’s mostly apricot, and that’s all good with me. It’s not the most natural tasting apricot, admittedly, but it’s pretty good. It’s actually reminding me a little of…something. Some kind of gummy sweet? Wine Gums? Were there orange wine gums? If there were, then that’s what I’m tasting. Sweet, slightly syrupy, artificial apricot. It’s nicer than it sounds.

A sample from Roswell Strange. I made this up as a latte, drank most of it, and then brought up its page on here. It made me glad that I’d tried my cup before I read the other notes, or else I’d have been worried about it!

I won’t say this is the most natural tasting matcha in the world, because it’s not. I get apricot from it (more subtly than I expected from the distinctive flavouring level, if I’m honest?), but it’s a kind of artificial apricot that reminds me of chemically flavoured apricot things more than an actual apricot. But still, apricot. It wasn’t instalove for me, but I don’t hate it. I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that I I help out some of the RLTs by basically drowning them in milk, so they’re always creamy and never overpowering in terms of flavour. One of the joys of a matcha latte, I suppose!

So yeah. Basically, I think this is okay apricot. Now that I’ve had the phrase “floral soap” put in my head, I can kind of see where that’s coming from. There is a slightly floral undertone, which I just assumed was the matcha, and it does have a hint of soapiness about it. It’s not spoiling this one for me, though.

I’d like to try it cold at some point, maybe in milk again, or maybe just water. I felt like I had to have some matcha today, though – I’ve only been back at work two days, and I’m already feeling tired by mid-afternoon. Matcha seems to help, so it’s definitely featuring in my future one way or another.

I started drinking this late last night. I was in the mood to actually sit and watch a movie (it usually takes me a few sittings to watch a movie….my ADHD kicks in after 45 minutes).

Anyway, this was pretty solid. I turned this into a latte. It helped bring that caramel out with the “hot movie butter” flavor. Quite unique. No artificial flavors, which is nice.

Thank you, Liquid Proust, for adding this to the box.

Sipdown! Finally under 200 – now to see how long I can keep it that way :)

I finished this one off as a latte this morning. I’m feeling totally knackered at the moment, but matcha seems to improve my energy levels at least a little. More to this point, this one is delicious, and makes for a great start to any morning.

Thanks again to Roswell Strange for sharing this one with me!

A sample from Roswell Strange, who helpfully fixed me up with some flavoured matcha. Why is it so hard to come by in the UK? The first thing I have to say about this one, though, is “oh man” – it’s SO good. I wasn’t really expecting it to taste exactly like a mixed berry pie, especially since dry the scent was mostly cinnamon and vegetal green tea. It does, though! I can definitely taste strawberry, with flashes of blueberry, raspberry, and a touch of black cherry. If you imagined those berries warm, in a thick, rich red-berry sauce, encased in buttery, cinnamon dusted pastry, then you’d have this tea. It’s that flavour accurate, and that good.

I made my cup as a latte, whisking 1/4 tsp of matcha into about an inch of boiling water, topped off with hot milk. At first, I only got the berry flavour – and I’ve no complaint about that because it’s incredibly flavour accurate. As I sipped, however, I did begin to notice the cinnamon, and then the buttery “pie crust” element came to the fore. It kind of creeps up on you, until you’re not drinking berry matcha anymore, but rich berry pie matcha. Best effect ever!

There probably aren’t words to describe exactly how much I’m enjoying this one. It’s my favourite of the Red Leaf matchas I’ve tried so far, and I’ve liked a fair few so that’s a definite compliment. For the record, my sample is of the distinctive flavouring level.

Thanks again to Roswell Strange for introducing me to this wonder :)

There was a sample of this sitting in my cupboard that I finally got around to trying. I love matcha but it takes a bit more work than you average cup of tea. It smells and tastes very strongly of almond extract which I’m pretty sure was what was used to flavour this tea. Not that I mind I love almond extract – it makes me think of baking. But if you’re not a fan of almond extract this probably isn’t a matcha for you.

I prepared this matcha by sifting in 3/4 tsp of matcha powder then I added a few tablespoons of hot water just enough to help break up the clumps and then I added about a 3/4 cup of hot skim milk, and together with a drizzle of honey I whisked everything together in my mug and topped it with a few spoonfuls of frothed milk.

It’s a yummy treat on a rainy day like today. It’s absolutely pouring outside and my patio looks like a lake. I’m so glad it held off for my grad though, the actual ceremony was inside, but afterwards we all went over to one of a my prof’s houses for a BBQ

A sample from Roswell Strange, who kindly agreed to help me expand my flavoured matcha horizons. This is the second I’ve tried of the samples she sent me, and since it’s a little cold this morning it seemed like a pretty appropriate “warm up” flavour when I arrived at work. I made it up as a latte – 1/4 tsp of leaf whisked into about an inch of water, then topped up with hot milk.

The flavour is pretty good. It seemed very sweet and buttery initially, which reminded me very much of pie crust. The cinnamon emerged second, and added nicely to that effect. The apple is a little more fleeting, but there’s definitely something in the mid-sip that reminds me a lot of apple pie filling, although shop-bought rather than homemade. There’s something just a little artificial about it. The apple is sweet and floury rather than sharp and crisp, which is the opposite of my preference, but it works with the pie/baked goods theme here, and is tolerable in that respect.

I feel like I got on pretty well with this one, and I’m looking forward to experimenting a bit with preparation methods and suchlike. Thanks again to Roswell Strange for the opportunity to try this one.

This morning I had a hankering to try this cold, so I whisked 1/4 tsp into a shot glass of cold milk, as a kind of mini-milkshake trial. It’s good – I can taste the bubblegum pretty clearly, followed by the creaminess of the milk. It’s much like a latte, really, only cold, and a little more intense because of the volumes involved. The aftertaste is especially good – bubblegum is such an artificial flavour, but I was definitely in the mood for it today and I LOVE it! Thanks again to Roswell Strange for sharing this with me.

A sample from Roswell Strange! I’ve been curious about this flavour for a while, since I quite like bubblegum but don’t get along much with it in actuality thanks to an old jaw injury. I’m also pretty sure I could smell this one as soon as I opened the envelope of samples she sent me, and since it was so sweet, fruity, and delicious, it was an obvious first choice to try.

I made this up as a latte, following my usual method (1/4 tsp matcha, whisked into about an 1.5 inches of water with an aerolatte, topped off with hot milk). This is the delicate level of flavour, but the initial sip has the intense flavour of bubblegum. It’s actually a difficult flavour to describe, probably because the real thing is mostly artificial to begin with. It’s sweet, which goes without saying, and then there’s a candy fruitiness that reminds me very much of Juicy Fruit (and also Lush’s Snow Fairy shower gel, minus the soapiness). The flavour lingers well into the aftertaste. I can taste very little of the actual matcha – just a touch of grass that pokes out towards the end of the sip, and a hint of saltiness.

I’m actually thinking I might like to try this one iced, which I’ve not attempted with matcha before, so I’ll need to work out how to do that. My overall on this one, though? Pretty delicious. It’s an unusual flavour, and fun on a hot day. Thanks again to Roswell Strange for sharing this one with me!

Thank goodness for white matcha! I love green matcha but it’s too hard on my stomach. The white matcha doesn’t have that bright green flavor, rather that very delicate white tea flavor, but also doesn’t make me throw up, which is even better. I’ve been adding a few shakes of it to my favorite white teas and it blends right in.

This week’s matcha sample is – Cheesecake! I feel like I prepared the ground well enough with “normal” flavours like Strawberry and Banana, so I finally broke out one of the left-field flavours that I’ve been looking forward to forever but still slightly scared of. When I opened the pouch, all I could smell was very sweet vanilla. That had me worried for a minute, but I needn’t have doubted.

I prepared this one as a latte, which has pretty much become my go-to. I used 1/4 tsp of matcha, whisked into 1/3 cup of hot water, and then topped off with milk. The scent lost some of its vanilla as soon as I added the water, and started to smell more like baking cheesecake. To taste, it’s super delicious! It’s creamy and sweet, of course, but with a slightly salty-sour-tangy undertone that really characterises cheesecake for me. There’s still the flavour of vanilla sitting over the top, but it’s not overpowering or sickly. It also avoids tasting artificial, which is a huge bonus as far as I’m concerned. There’s nothing chemically about the flavour of this one, it’s just straight-up flavour-accurate vanilla cheesecake. The matcha is completely masked by it, which is the whole point I guess, so there’s not even a conflict of “green” and “sweet”. It’s truly delicious stuff.

I can imagine that this would combine well with other flavours to make various “cheesecake” combinations, but I’m trying not to have too many samples open at once because they’re not resealable. It’s something I’d try in the future if I manage to get hold of a larger quantity in a tin, though.

For now, I’m just really happy with this one. It’s a desserty treat on a dull work day.

1/4 tsp, boiling water. Prepared as a latte.

It’s likely that this’ll be my matcha at work this week – I got about 5 servings from my first sample pouch, so I reckon this one’ll probably be about the same. I prepared this one as a latte, no surprises there.

It’s good, but maybe not quite as good as last week’s banana matcha. It’s sweet, with a candy strawberry flavour, and just a hint of the grassy matcha coming through. It reminds me of those strawberry haribo sweets quite a bit – it has the same “I’m not really real” strawberry flavour that ultimately leaves you thinking of chemical flavouring. I’m not sure why I feel like this about it, because it isn’t particularly strong or overpowering, just a bit meh. I’m going to say it’s pleasant enough, and drinkable, but just not my favourite.

1/4 tsp, boiling water. Prepared as a latte.

This has been my go-to matcha for the last few mornings, made up as a latte. I’m enjoying the flavour, and I really do think it helps with my energy levels, so there’s nothing not to like here. The sample sachet I received says 3 servings, but I’m on that today and I’ve still got at least one and maybe two 1/4 teaspoon measures left, so maybe Red Leaf are just more generous than they think. Either that, or I’m using less than they have in mind. I did notice this morning that one of my 1/4 tsp measures is a bit smaller than the other, so that might have something to do with it. When is a 1/4 tsp not a 1/4 tsp? I’m not sure I can cope with the philosophical implications of that at this time of the morning!

All I really wanted to say in this note is – yum! Also, for those in the UK scratching around for Red Leaf pretty unsuccessfully, I got my sample selection (choose 5 plus one free) from the Red Leaf outlet on Etsy. They offer a limited range of flavours, and it seems to vary a bit from week to week, but it’s an opportunity to try some sample sizes at a fairly reasonable cost.

The next thing turned out to be matcha. Also good for keeping me awake, or so I’ve come to realise. I picked out banana simply because it appealed to me the most, but it was a close-run thing between strawberry and cheesecake. I used 1/4 tsp for my cup, whisked into boiling water and topped off with hot milk as a latte. I think this is basically going to be my go-to method of matcha preparation, because there aren’t many other ways I can stomach it. I still find it a bit odd, because generally speaking hot milk isn’t my thing either. Still, what works works.

I’m pretty impressed with the flavour here. It’s candy banana rather than fresh, but that’s rather appealing in its own way. It reminds me of those foamy sweets I had as a child. The added bonus for me is that it covers up most of the green tea flavour, except a very little bit which actually works with the banana flavouring rather than against it. That slight “greenness” is a bit reminiscent of under-ripe banana, and that’s okay with me. It didn’t turn my stomach even at this early hour. This one’s a win with me.