Matcha Outlet

This has definitely aged but it still okay. There isn’t much caramel left to it, but there is still a dark almost burnt caramel undertone to the whole thing. Made as a hot latte.

Decided to wile away my evening with some matcha, black matcha because that’s what I have on tap at home, all my unpacked green matchas are at work.

Put in about twice as much matcha in this as usual, as an experiment. A bit more sugar than usual too, though it’s hard to tell when I’m just using a normal spoon to scoop it. It’s not bad, but I think I like it better with the usual amount of matcha in it, about 2/3 tsp, or since I have a little ‘perfect matcha spoon’ here a rounded one of those. It’s not bad though, just not perfect.

Drank a couple sips of this tonight before realizing that I hadn’t added sugar yet. Was alright, but not quite what I wanted. Then I added a bit of sugar and MMM so sweet! This is an absolutely delicious dessert matcha and although it’s actually before dinner because my first attempt at dinner went in the trash, I’m quite enjoying this sweet little treat.

Decided to try out my other matcha that I have here at work before I go home for the day. Maybe the amount of caffeine in 2 matcha lattes (black) will actually affect me in some way. So far it’s just making me vaguely headachey.

I just licked the spoon I was using to stir the little bit of sweetener I put in and mmm this is going to taste so good. And it totally does. The caramel flavour comes across really well (although I DID use the robust flavour setting so it might be that too, this is from my first order at Red Leaf Tea and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so that seemed a safe way to try out matcha for the first time. Playing it safe with both the black matcha base and the robust flavouring level.

This one for some reason doesn’t have that little bit of bite that I’ve started to associate with black matcha, it’s much smoother and nicer. This is really really tasty. I haven’t tried it with regular matcha yet, but I think that might be on my list for my next order (I have 2 orders not even unpacked and I’m planning my 4th order already, I think I may have a problem).

At any rate, this is wicked tasty and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try out flavoured black matcha because it’s just about perfect.

You can find it at:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

I got this in a trade with Alphakitty from a few months ago, just got around to opening the envelope. I need to find a good way to mail matcha though, because I can’t use a normal sized baggie if it’s going to adhere to all the sides and take up all the matcha that way. Going to have to think on that.

I made this as a latte at work. Frothed it up as much as I could with some hot water and a fork, added hot milk to it. It’s a nice inviting hot chocolate type colour, so that’s nice. It certainly smells like it will taste good.

This still has a slight bittery aftertaste like the other black matcha I tried but it fades quickly so that’s alright. The upfront flavour, though, is fantastic. I can definitely taste the raspberry and the chocolate in this and it tastes really good. This is a good one to have with the black base, I don’t know that I would like it nearly as well with a green one.

I needed something to warm me up… I know it’s spring but I just had a post workout smoothie and my hair is still wet from my shower and I’m ccccccold.

So I made some of this, hot latte style.

I am bumping up my rating a bit from 67, ‘cause though it’s not my fave of the ones I’ve tried, it’s still good. And definitely mapley. T’is the season! When in Rome!

I also turned on the heat, because this is canada, yo.

Been dipping into my Red Leaf matcha stash lately, I have some still unopened in my freezer from before I got pregnant. This one had been opened, I have no idea how long they should stay fresh but like I said they’ve been in my freezer and still taste yummy to me!

I believe this was the delicate flavor level, because I have an unopened bag of the same flavour in “Distinctive” in my freezer, I seem to recall buying that at one point after I determined the delicate wasn’t cutting it for me.

But that being said, I enjoyed this. I made it as a latte with steamed (microwaved, let’s be honest) milk and my trusty milk frother, after first of course frothing the matcha with hot water to mix it up in order to avoid the dreaded green silt at the bottom of my cup.

I guess I’ve cut down on sweets a fair bit because I find this fairly mapley compared to last time. I guess my taste buds have morphed. I didn’t add syrup to it this time and I’m sure I did in the past. I am interested to see how the Distinctive level compares. This one is still very green/vegetal, the maple is there but definitely more subtle.

I needed a pick me up tonight, but I’m not sure it worked.
I was going to go continue to watch House of Cards season 2 on Netflix but I possibly may be too wiped to wrap my head around the politics. I don’t do well with political jargon.

Wow. It looks like I rated this 26 last time I had it. That seems harsh, I must have been in a bad mood! It’s not my favorite RL matcha but it’s still much better than a 26!

This is my third matcha from Red Leaf. I had a huge internal struggle trying to decide which to order (previously I’ve bought French Vanilla and Caramel, both at the ‘Delicate’ level of flavoring) and I wanted a third flavor along with my Caramel Matchacchino order (that stuff is also awesome!).

Anyhow, I decided on this, ultimately, because I love maple everything. Also I had tried a sample before and enjoyed it. I believe the flavor level was ‘Distinctive’ though.

It is tasty, and I can tell that there is a sweetness within which takes the edge off the matcha and adds some creaminess to it, however I find it disappointingly short on mapley goodness.

I guess I personally wish that there was more flavoring within the matcha for the ‘Delicate’ option, because honestly I barely taste anything aside from a mild sweetness. Based on other reviews I know this is one of the more popular offerings from Red Leaf, and I can see most people have ordered the ‘Distinctive’ or ‘Robust’ level of flavor. I found the French Vanilla lacking in flavor also, at the ‘Delicate’ level. The Caramel, however, was good; perhaps the caramel flavor used is just stronger to start with compared to the others.

I think it’s unfortunate to have to pay $6 extra to taste the maple; it should be noticeable in the ‘Delicate’ level and if you want it to blow your mind and completely hide the matcha taste, THEN pay extra to go up a level or two. I’d rather the price of the ‘Delicate’ option go up a couple bucks and have more flavor added to that to ensure it is noticeable, rather than have to pay so much more to bump up to the next level. I understand the need to have different levels available to please customers, but I definitely think it’s a problem for the base level to have such a weak taste to it.

As a disclaimer, I am a person who likes to be smacked in the face with flavor, but unfortunately it’s not in my budget to pay the asking price for Robust and even Distinctive, in size large, which I prefer to buy to make it last since shipping is so pricey to Canada. (Canadians love to drink maple syrup, didn’t you know??)

I made this as a latte, and I enjoyed it, as I said I am just a bit let down by the lack of discernible maple taste. I do plan to put in another order before the end of the month for Cheesecake and another flavor to be determined, I will have to pay for the ‘Distinctive’ just in case, as I don’t want to have another large bag of matcha where the flavoring is weaker than I’d like.

I love these products, I think Red Leaf has tapped into a unique market and there’s certainly no flavoured matchas available in my city. I plan to always have some in stock, I love to have a latte in the morning and I am looking forward to trying many more flavours as my finances allow.

Will I drink all of this with pleasure?? Of COURSE! I just find it kind of crazy that the ‘Delicate’ option for one flavor (Caramel) could be so much tastier than another flavor. Kind of inconsistent, though I realize this would likely be the flavoring used more so than anything, but I wish more flavor would be added accordingly to compensate. The ‘Delicate’ option should taste like its namesake for all of the matcha flavours, and I don’t feel this one does.

Luckily, being the proud Canadian that I am I always have a bottle of pure maple syrup in the house so I can easily jazz this up to my tastes.

Get yours here: (I’d just recommend Distinctive level at least)
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/maple-syrup-matcha.html

Hug thanks to Shakirah1984 for the chance to try this (and a couple others).

I’m aware of my typo above but decided to leave it because these samples are totally worthy of a hug.

I got these in the mail today and I happen to be home, so of course I made it immediately, awesome! I followed Red Leaf’s directions for a matcha latte, and I should note this is the first homemade matcha I’ve ever had, let alone the first flavored one.

It. Is. So. Good.

I can taste the maple, but it’s not overwhelming. I don’t really know what else to tell you because I have no basis for comparison, it’s tasty, you guys. That is all.

I’m really sad because now I have to buy some at some point and that means I will have a long wait because this stuff isn’t cheap.

I’m even more excited to try my other two samples, Bavarian Cream and the illustrious Cheesecake.

Thanks again Shakirah1984 (rather, curse you!) :)

Got this one as my first matcha. It’s basic grade, with distinct flavoring.
I have been flip flopping/experimenting with this one for a while now, but I think I’ve finally come to a conclusion:
I’m not a big fan. Kind of disappointed.

The watermelon isn’t what I was expecting. Instead of juicy, fruity, and realistic, I’m getting artificial, slightly chemical, and rather bland.
I’ve tried it iced, warm, hot, in a smoothie, in milkshakes, with sugar, using less matcha, using more, etc… I don’t know. I always get the artificial taste. Maybe my taste buds are off?

That being said, it isn’t what I’d call horrid. I’ve kinda gotten used to it. I can drink it (I prefer it with warm water) without feeling sick… but I don’t crave it, and I’m never really excited about it. It’s just more of a, “Hey, I have that matcha to get rid of, and I could use some caffeine…”.
I was hoping for a lot more out of this one… hopefully I like the Blueberry/Strawberry custom mix I have waiting to be opened. Once I finish this one off, I’ll dig into that.

My first ever flavored matcha and I am in love.

I got—

Size: Small (30g )

Matcha: Classic

Flavoring: Distinctive

My first task was getting the powder into the tin, no easy task and I’m very glad I put a sheet of newspaper down first. Once that was accomplished I put some water on to heat to 175 and about 6oz of coconut milk(my preferred latte base) in the microwave. I used my electric frother to mix the matcha into 2oz of hot water then mixed that into the coconut milk.
I took a tentative sniff and wrinkled my nose. It tasted, well simply it tasted like burnt caramel. I was getting nervous but I bravely went on bringing the cup to my mouth.
Then came the moment of truth…
WOW this is good! The flavor is round and true with the sweetness of the carmel. Not a hint of the burnt flavor I was smelling all sweet corn and butter and sweetness. This would make an awesome iced drink I think. Yesterday I went to a cafe that had coffee ice cubes so your iced coffee didn’t get watered down as they melted and I think that would translate well to iced matcha. Of course before i go making any iced drinks I suppose I better get some ice trays.
But I digress. This is delicious. I was a bit nervous trying a flavored matcha so I went with what I felt like was the safe rout of making it into a late but I think this would stand up by itself as a good wake up drink.

Find it at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-popcorn-matcha.html

Not quite sure what I did to this today, but it’s quite bitter, even with about twice as much sweetener as I originally wanted to use. Will have to pay more attention next time. Maybe froth more? Drink faster? Use less?

Used 1 teaspoon to make one 10 oz mug.

I think I made this one correctly, and if so that would be a first for me. I added a little bit of hot water to stir up the matcha with and then filled the rest of the mug with hot milk. It isn’t frothed because I don’t have the capability at work, but it is mixed pretty well. This one mixed much better than the other samples I have tried.

On to the matcha. I first tried this one unsweetened and while it is good and I could definitely drink it, I don’t pick up all that much chocolate flavour. Perhaps it’s just my tastebuds because really, I do sweeten everything that is sweeten-able. The black matcha is quite tasty, a deep and rich flavour that I wasn’t expecting. It isn’t bitter at all, even without sweetener.

With sweetener (and this is with robust flavouring) and the flavouring starts jumping out. Yum, chocolate. It’s not quite smooth on the tongue, there is a touch of something I’m not sure I can identify as coming from either the base or the flavouring that is sharp and slightly tingly, but it’s not so much that I can’t enjoy this matcha. This is not my favourite matcha so far, but as the first example of a black matcha I’ve tried, this is pretty nice.

You can buy it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/belgium-chocolate-matcha.html

I have to say, I’ve probably had too much tea today but that didn’t stop me from wanting to finally break down and try the Cola flavoured matcha that I purchased a little while back.
Now, since I switched over to drinking tea last year, I only occasionally drink pop now and it’s typically a treat. Part of the reason I wanted to try this matcha was because i really like the taste of cola but i don’t want all the sugar in my diet anymore, and don’t even get me started on "diet’ or zero calorie versions. So i thought that i’d try out this matcha and see how it compared.
I ordered the Distinctive flavour of matcha, with the standard green base. When i opened the bag it was exactly like those Coke bottle gummies – which coincidently are also some of my favourites :) Now for those of you that know me, you know that i never really drink my matcha straight. 99.999% of the time it’s with milk in a smoothie or latte form. Today though? I opted for the water bottle method that many people on steepster use. I added a sifted teaspoon to one of my bottles with water and some ice and shook! When i took my first sip it was pure delicious coke bottle goodness! I wouldn’t call this coca-cola, rather it’s more that generic “cola” taste, which is exactly what i’d prefer. I added just a touch of sweetener to the bottle and it was perfect! I will for sure be drinking this more in the spring and summer on my bike rides for that extra bit of yum!

You can order it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coca-cola-matcha.html

Ok, I’m sitting here with two cups of Red Leaf Matcha sitting in front of me. Eggnog and Irish Cream. I’ve been sipping from one and then the other, comparing the flavours (sometimes with a sip of peppermint tea in between to cleanse my palate). The strange thing is, I can really notice the difference in the taste of the two more when I compare them this way. I think when I drink them on different days, my brain tends to blend them together more.

Anyway, on to the tea. I was not thrilled with the smell of the dry powder at all. It smells kind of funky to me. I must have different olfactory senses than the reviewer who loved the smell but not the taste as much. To me it tastes way better than it smells.

I got the classic grade of matcha with the robust level of flavouring from http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/eggnog-matcha.html. I mixed a bit into almond milk, as I usually do. It does have a light, creamy, eggnog taste to it, but even in the almond milk it’s a bit thin-tasting (if that makes sense) for eggnog. My brain wants it to have a thicker consistency. I think I may experiment with adding this to my protein shakes so it has more body.

Not my favourite matcha, but still pretty good. It’s the closest to eggnog I’ve been in years (I don’t drink milk or eat eggs), so it’s a nice treat.

Ok, it’s too late to be drinking matcha, but I’m doing it anyway. I was just going to backlog this one from memory, but that doesn’t seem right. So, it’s 8pm and I’m having a cup of Cheesecake matcha. Poor me. lol

I had to smell the powder a few times before I decided that it really does have a cheesy smell. Not a yucky, blue cheese type smell, but a good, creamy cheese smell.

I threw a tsp in the blender with 3/4 C of vanilla almond milk, which has become my preferred way to drink flavoured matcha. I actually can’t picture drinking this one hot, although I’m sure a lot of people like it that way. Cold, it’s really good.

I got the classic matcha with robust flavouring at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html. As I’ve said in my other reviews, I’m glad that I got the stronger flavouring. I’m mainly using the matcha mixed with other things, so I think a subtler flavour would get lost.

Drinking it, it’s very smooth and creamy. I don’t get a strong cheese taste (which is a good thing!). It’s a very nice dessert matcha. If it didn’t have caffeine in it, I could see drinking it after supper instead of dessert. As it is, I’ll just have to have it as part of my breakfast. Again, poor me.

I smell the richness of chocolate when I open up my tin of Belgium Chocolate matcha. Boy it smells good. Typically chocolate flavoured teas are a real disappointment for me. I think that’s likely because you steep it in water and then strain it, so all you’re left with is a watered-down chocolate taste. Not very tempting. Matcha solves this problem, as you consume the tea and the flavouring without filtering anything out.

I bought the classic grade of matcha with robust flavouring at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/belgium-chocolate-matcha.html. As with all the other Red Leaf matchas I’ve tried, I’m glad I got the stronger flavouring. I can definitely taste the chocolate in it, which is what I wanted. As another reviewer stated, this is an adult’s chocolate, not a kid’s milk chocolate taste. Just what I was looking for.

This doesn’t displace the caramel matcha as my favourite, but I can see this one as being more versatile. I think it would mix well with a lot of different flavours, and I may have to experiment with adding it to some desserts in the future. I make my own chocolates, and I think this would be a great addition to that.

Oh, and the little tins you can buy for the matcha are great. I love the screw-top lids and the fact that they don’t take up much space.

I’ve been on a huge coconut kick the last couple of years. Coconut milk, coconut water, coconut oil, coconut flakes, coconut sugar, and of course, coconut teas! It was a no-brainer for me to order coconut matcha.

I honestly was a bit worried when I smelled the dry matcha, as it doesn’t smell like coconut to me. I think more of the true matcha smell comes through. It’s not a bad smell, just not exactly what I was expecting.

I shouldn’t have been afraid. I’ve had it a few times now, blended up with some vanilla almond milk. I keep meaning to try it straight up with water, but I love it so much with the almond milk I keep choosing to go that route. I love the froth the blender creates. Much better than my hand-whisking produces. It has a really nice, almost creamy coconut flavour to it.

I got mine at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coconut-matcha.html, and took advantage of the buy 5, get 2 free deal, which was awesome. I got the classic grade of matcha with the robust flavouring. I’m glad I got the stronger flavouring, as I think the taste would have been too mild for me otherwise. The hardest decision now is deciding which one to drink in the morning.

When I received my package of Red Leaf matchas, this and the Caramel flavour were the first two I tried. I just knew that they would be my favourites. I was SO RIGHT! I love the Maple Syrup flavour!

I ordered the classic grade of matcha with a robust flavour level. I’m so glad I got the stronger flavouring, as while I like green tea, I really wanted to taste the maple syrup, not the matcha. I’m drinking matcha partly for its antioxidant benefits, so am trying to get in the habit of having some in the morning before work, and I don’t always feel like matcha then. Maple syrup, however, I seem to always be in the mood for.

It was pretty good when I tried it straight-up, but my whisking skills need to be improved (I’m new to matcha). My favourite way to drink it at the moment is to put it in the blender with some vanilla almond milk and blend it until it’s nice and frothy. Quick and easy in the morning, and a treat before I go to work. I added some extra maple syrup one time, and it tasted great, but was really unnecessary. It tastes enough like maple syrup on its own.

I got mine at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/maple-syrup-matcha.html , and I took advantage of the buy 5, get 2 free deal, which was wonderful.

Citrus Punch Matcha from Red Leaf Tea is really rather quite yummy! The reason I say that is because honestly I was a little apprehensive about trying this matcha.
I really thought it would be too tart, or too bitter, but its not! Its fresh, natural tasting, mix of orange, lemon, and lime. It reminds me a lot of a juice I used to drink when I was younger called Five Alive.

I made a latte with almond milk, and a splash of vanilla creamer and this matcha really tasted like a smoothie, or a Julius.

I am eager to try this matcha blended with some sparkling water or ginger ale as well!

Sometimes, with some matcha flavors I worry about a chemical after taste, and I am amazed that so much flavor can be packed into this dusty fine matcha powder! I don’t know how Red Leaf Tea does it, but I am so happy that they do!

Red Leaf Tea also has a fruit punch flavor I am dying to try, I have that on my shopping list! Then they recently released Apple Pie, Berry Pie, and French Butter Cookie, all which instantly made it on my shopping list as well.

Keep coming out with the amazing flavors Red Leaf Tea, and like a minion I will keep on buying!

As for this flavor, love it!

Get some here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/citrus-punch-matcha.html

Now this one I know is from Kallieboo! I get so excited to find new matcha flavors in swaps, I’ve tried a large chunk of Red Leaf’s offerings but there are so many I just haven’t gotten around to ordering or sampling. This is one of them! Mostly because I am a dark chocolate girl: I like it so dark and deep it’s barely sweet, 85% cocoa and up please! So white chocolate, which is not even real chocolate, is not my thing. The exception is those Godiva white chocolate raspberry starfish. Yum!

I was a bit wary of this but made up a latte because hey, it’s matcha! I love matcha! The flavor is very interesting: it doesn’t really scream white chocolate to me, which is good because it tastes very fake to my tastebuds (white chocolate, not the tea!). It’s really creamy though, with a thick mouthfeel: thicker than a usual latte, even with all the milk. I think this one would be great for mixing, just to give a creamy sweet boost to other flavors. I am thinking of trying it out with fruity blends, maybe with mango or coconut? OR BOTH and make a pina colada-type tea… with pineapple! Is it a tea sin to mix 4 matchas together? Guess I’ll find out…

I ordered this one for my husband. I have to throw something in for him every now and then or he gets upset about how much I spend on tea. lol, Thankfully he LOVES this one almost as much as the Pumpkin Pie one.
When I first opened the package it didn’t smell like a whole lot of anything. I dove right in anyway I got one of those lovely little bamboo spoons for Christmas in the 12 days exchange. I tend to heap them, I love the taste of matcha. Once I released this bad boy from it’s package I got a whiff of a light, sweet coconut mixed with the nutty scent of matcha. It whisked up beautifully in 70 C water, I prefer mine on the cooler side. I also used steamed milk to make a latte. It looked almost as good as it tastes. The taste is like pure, unsweetened coconut. It’s not overwhelmingly sweet and there isn’t even a hint of artificial to the flavour. I have always told myself that I am not a coconut fan, Then I try a tea like this and it completely wows me. If I wasn’t a fan before, I am now.
I purchased starter grade in “There’s matcha in there?!” flavour level.
You can buy it here!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coconut-matcha.html

So far, I have really enjoyed all the matcha flavors I have tried from Red Leaf Tea. I have liked them most in a smoothie, I like them shaken up in cold water, and I like them warm. The desserty flavors like English Toffee and Caramel have been my favorites in cold water, but I thought I would try this one since fruit flavors make sense as an iced tea.

Not so much, there is something about this flavor that just throws me off. I don’t think it tastes much like apple I suppose, it tastes like some kind of apple flavored candy but for some reason that kind of artificial apple taste mixed with matcha is not settling well on my taste buds. This is the only one of the 5 flavors that I have tried that I didn’t like. I think I will probably appreciate it more in a smoothie because I won’t taste it as much but it will still give me the energy (which is the reason I started drinking matcha).

I would recommend other flavors before this one, but honestly this has really great reviews from tea bloggers that I really trust and purchase based on like DaisyChubb It is quite tangy like it’s description says, I just cannot seem to find a taste for it. However, if you’d like to give it a go based on it’s otherwise fabulous reviews you can get it here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/green-apple-matcha.html

And yes, another SIPDOWN! This one will be missed a LOT. This was my favorite matcha so far. I made it just with hot water as usual, it was a bit strong at first due to using up the rest of the bag, but I added more water after and it was delicious. A delicious tea! See previous notes on my favorite matcha!