Red Leaf Tea
Edit CompanyPopular Teas from Red Leaf Tea
See All 96 TeasRecent Tasting Notes
Alright Ashmanra, you got me with all your yummy sounding taste notes of lattes. Today I had to make my own. I got this matcha powder a couple months back. It does smell like Irish cream. I added a teaspoon to Starbucks frappachino double walled insulated cup and added a half cup of water and shook hard. I added water to the first line, added some honey, added milk to the second line, stirred like crazy and then added ice. It was so yummy and creamy. I will definitely be making more of these.
TTB A sampler #1
The tea leaves remind me of Blood orange black from Drink the leaf with one exception: rose petals. The smell is very petallie….brewing…brewing…brewing…sip one….it is like drinking a cup of perfume. If you like that sort of thing, this may be it! Down the drain.
Should have looked this up on Steepster before I brewed this as my morning, erm afternoon tea. I thought it was just a black tea along the lines of golden monkey and the company was just being clever with the name (later I realized this is Red Leaf and while they certainly do clever, it’s cleverly flavored blends) as this came in a little baggie compliments of Tunes&Tea thank you! It didn’t smell flavored in dry leaf form, maybe just a touch savory but when I added the hot water I was surprised to find a very fruity aroma rising out of the cup, oh dear, wine tea, in the morning, ahem afternoon. Oh well, I’ll grab a cookie and go with it.
First sip, oh hey this is spicy, hmmm is that cinnamon in my wine, err tea? Mulled wine tea. I like it! I’ve had several wine inspired teas (mostly from Teavana), though never a wine infused tea and never with a black tea base. I don’t mind the musty note others speak of and I think my wine loving aunt would really like this, I got her and her wife a cast-iron pot last year and some aforementioned wine inspired tea, but I think this and a “bottle” of vintage tea works would be good to send along.
The only thing I find weird and I mean really really weird is that when I bite in my Christmas cookie (husband’s grandmother’s recipe, nice and thick and soft and normally oh so delicious) it tasted like a chicken biscuit. Oh dear, is this my subconscious at work (chicken Marsala) or are the tea and cookie really playing off each other this way? Several more bites of Christmas chicken cookie confirm, they really are. I think I’m going to make some pasta for lunch. Thank you Tunes&Tea fr the wild monkey morning, erm afternoon (okay so the toddler and I slept in and then stayed in bed for a long time)!
I had a bit of this tea left and I could not resist the ice cream recipe I found.
(Hubby gave me an awesome ice cream maker for our anniversary)
So, I made Caramel Matcha Ice Cream.
Oh, heavenly days, was it a dream.
I am ashamed to say that Hubby and I ate the whole batch minutes after the ice cream maker finished making it.
It was so creamy and dreamy and green!
I know this is not a tea drinking review, but if you have a chance to make some matcha ice cream, I say do it!
My recipe was custard based.
Moments like this I wish I had an ice cream maker. Sounds delicious.
Oh! I adore mine! I highly recommend getting one.
This is mine:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006ONQOC/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There is a lot one can do with tea and a ice cream maker, I just spotted a earl grey ice cream recipe too;)
Oh yeah, I was admiring that one a few months back! I’m glad to hear it works. I’m always afraid of investing in something only for it to break or not function properly. Earl Grey ice cream would be fantastic, especially if you put add a little citrus zest in there. Yum.
Well, I have only had it for 2 weeks, but its works wonderfully so far.
And oh,yes! Earl Grey and citrus zest sounds lovely.
I was also thinking of tea granitas this summer would be delish too;)
Well, once again Matcha surprises me.
This is not only my first flavored matcha, but it is my first tea from Red Leaf.
I could smell this tea as I was opening the package from the company.
What I first noticed is that the smell was really not coming off Caramel to me, more butterscotch-y.
But, the tiny little pouch did indeed say Caramel on it.
I immediately opened the tea and prepared it as the instructions directed.
I was slightly underwhelmed.
Not overly grassy or malty (which had been my experience with Matcha’s so far)
The caramel smell really did not really transfer over into taste.
It was all rather mild.
So, I made it into a latte.
Was not at all impressed with that.
Made it into a iced latte.
It was just okay.
I finally read some past reviews on this tea, and someone mentioned adding a splash of milk to traditionally made matcha.
I have found that is the best way to enjoy this tea.
Of course, most of the matcha is gone at this point.
The splash of milk adds a bit of creaminess that bring out the flavoring more.
I find it somewhat comforting, it also seems to settle an upset stomach.
That being said, I am not going to rate this tea.
Because I still don’t know what to think…
It was a small amount of Matcha for what seemed to be a bit pricey to me.
(I just keep thinking of how many ounces of loose tea I could have gotten elsewhere for the price I paid for this Matcha)
And, I am surprised, I do not know why Matcha keeps shocking me, but its seems like I never know what to expect or how to prepare it so I like it.
I think I will order some Matcha again from this company, maybe in a different flavor and maybe after the holidays get all paid off.
It all has been a interesting experience to say the least.
this could be a matter of what flavour level you chose. Most people I know like robust which is more flavourful than delicate. Some I go right to the “there’s matcha in there?” level because I just want to taste the flavour and not so much matcha. I also found brewing at different temperatures helps. Don’t know if any of that helps you :D
Thanks, Helena.
I think that is it, I just need to experiment more and figure out what kind/blend I like and what way I like to prepare it.
I appreciate the encouraging words:)
You’re that that it’s quite pricey. But yeah, maybe if you experiment more you’ll grow to like it. I ripped through 30g of French Vanilla matcha in nine days (not to mention I was having some of my other flavoured matcha in between that) because I’ve been enjoying it so much in smoothies. But again, wow, if you think about it, that’s $20+ in a little over a week.
*right that
Yes, I agree.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a whole pound of loose leaf tea from S&V for about twenty bucks.
I drink it almost every morning and every morning I open up the tin and am shocked because it seriously looks as if I have not even put a dent in it.
It seems that no matter what I do with this stuff, I just don’t really care for it. I tried the latte, I tried the smoothie (tolerable, but not something I crave), so today, as one final attempt, I just whisked it in a bowl until it was frothy to drink it like a Matcha is suppose to be enjoyed. One sip, ick. I tried adding stevia…ick. I tried passing it on to either of my sons, & they didn’t care for it either.
I realize I’m the only person on this site who doesn’t think this stuff is the greatest invention ever. Sorry, Red Leaf, I don’t like flavored Matcha. In my opinion, it’s a sacrilege to the wonders of the leaf. I love Matcha because it is pure, because it’s the greenest of the green, because it tastes wonderful. I’ll pass on the rest of the flavored stuff, & stick with plain. I’m forwarding this to my tea drinking sister, MsWhatsit, who actually is my REAL sister, LOL! Enjoy!
NO! YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY person who doesn’t fall all over themself in praise for this product! I got completely reamed for disliking it, so you are dfininitly not alone :) I feel better knowing I’m not alone in disliking it and in not fawning all over it
If everyone liked the same stuff, this site would be boring as hell.
very true, thank you, Momo :)
Aweee you by no means have to like it Terri. Don’t even worry about that! Diversity is what makes us wonderful!
Fleurdelily so yours arrived and you got to try it? Im sorry you still didn’t care for it. I thought you just didn’t care for how long it took to get to you I have been away for a day or two ill so didn’t see your note on the tea itself. Bummer.
I agree with @momo – this site and the world would be a very boring place if everyone liked the same thing. And, it would be a very unhappy place too … because as my grampa used to say, “if everyone liked the same thing, then every man would want to be married to the same woman”
Not every tea is going to be for every person. But at least now you know, right? And you don’t have to wonder if you would like it.
Terri, thank you for being honest and for giving it a try (every which way you could!). fleurdelily, reamed? Really? That’s as bad as judging someone for adding milk and/or sweetener to every tea. How silly. You like what you like and that’s that. =)
Thanks for everyone’s responses, & I agree. We are each entitled to & allowed to express our own opinions, in matters of tea, food, spirituality, etc. There is no right or wrong answers here, just preferences. So I still love all of you, regardless, or perhaps because of, our differences of opinion! Fleurdelily, thank you for sharing, it’s nice to know I’m not alone in my tastes!
You’d be glad to know that besides flavored matcha we also offer 5 quality levels (soon 6) of green unflavored matcha for all the hard to satisfy matcha lovers :-)
Oh Good! Next time I order from you it will be the plain matcha, for sure! :D Sorry to be such a purist!
I just got home from the grocery store. I didn’t really want to go, but I’ve been avoiding it for a week, the meals were starting to be odd, & I ran out of stevia! So I made a deal with myself: Give the Caramel Matcha a 2nd chance by making a smoothie & I could drink it on my way to the store!
If you read my first caramel matcha tasting notes, you’ll know that I made a hot latte & wasn’t that thrilled with it. Several people mentioned to me that they liked it cold, and as it turns out, the good news is that it was YUM in the cold smoothie!! Here’s my recipe:
In the blender (preferably a vitamix if you have one, I’ve destroyed innumerable blenders by dropping chunks of frozen fruit in them):
1 C almond milk (I like Blue Diamond unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze)
1 tsp caramel matcha
the sweetener of your choice: I used a few drops of stevia
Blend, then gradually add:
1 frozen banana, broken into pieces
Blend some more!
Yum, it was delicious!
So now I know why everyone keeps ranting & raving about this stuff!
Thanks to everyone who offered their suggestions!
I just got home from an outing with my daughter Ari & my grandson Kyzer. We met at Foundation Grounds, where they had lunch & I had a Chai Almond milk Latte (this is the day for lattes I guess), & it was tasty! Next we walked down the street to Kakao, & I bought them each a treat. There were also free samples (“The Big squeal” bacon brittle).
Coming home, I discovered that my Red Leaf order had arrived. All I ordered was the Carmel Matcha with the canister (& it is a really nice, cute canister!).
I heated some almond milk, I heated some water. I opened the package of matcha…not sure if I like the smell…reminds me of…something…I can’t quite pinpoint it…
I whisked 1 t of the matcha in my little blue bowl, it did froth up nicely! Then I whisked in the hot almond milk & I poured it into 2 cups, one for me & one for my son Drew. Tasted kind of buttery, & has a buttery feel. Ahhh…the smell I noticed is like theater popcorn butter! Anyway, Drew drank his straight, I opted for a little stevia, which was an improvement, but it’s probably not my thing.
Send me suggestions, people, as to what I’m really suppose to do with this. I have frozen bananas, almond milk…maybe I’ll try it straight next time & see if I like that better.
I’m sure others will give you some advice as well, but the way I like it most is 3/4 glass of regular milk, 2 teaspoons of sugar, a few ice cubes and a flat teaspoon of caramel matcha – all mixed in my blender. I love it and my 2 year old as well :-)
Hope that help.
PS. Note that we only use natural flavoring, which seem to work better in colder temperatures.
So I don’t need to brew the matcha as a tea first, just dump the powder in the blender?
I took your advice, red leaf! Much better, thanks!
Sounds good! Maybe I should get some too.
It has been a LONG weekend of feeling exhausted so I’ve been sleeping quite more than usual. I also have a sore throat and the beginning of a cough – the luxuries of the first of the school year teaching 6 year olds. I added quite a bit of honey to this tea and from what I can tell I quite like it. However, I’ll be saving the rating for a day when I can truly taste this tea.
Love Red Leaf Tea but this one is just not my cuppa.
Nobody is good at everything, and some of our teas are better than others. Our Champagne infused tea was #1 seller for a very long time, I guess this one did not work out so much. I guess you won’t know til you try.
But there is good news. We are getting better and better at creating new flavors for our matcha tea collection and guess what, wine flavored matchas are coming soon like Zinfandel Matcha, Merlot Matcha and few others. I’m getting excited just by talking about it :-)
Remember, don’t drink them and drive LOL
(sorry, but only flavor will be added, no real alcohol)
I am absolutely and completely looking forward to the wine matchas. :)
Don’t see this one on the Red Leaf website currently, but I am pleased to have found a couple of cups’ worth in a tin that woozled itself all the way to the bottom of the basket.
Because its fluffy and doesn’t stay in the teaspoon well, I doubled up, kept water temp coolish and time medium-ish (about 2:20). Honey colored and sweet grain flavored. Lovely for a crispy leaf-blowy afternoon at—finally after a long weary week at writers conference—home. (My back yard sounds like Chex.)
Needed something v-e-r-y light to top off dinner (more on that in a minute), so I reused leaves and managed to coax out a second, very subtle steep. Still has a lovely sweet dried grass taste; you just have to think about it.
Now, dinner. It’s so hot (sun was directly on it, but our garage thermometer registered 112 shortly after lunch) we’re pretending it’s dead of winter with curtains drawn, puttering with indoor crafts and projects…and the following recipe:
Slice pound cake. Melt butter in skillet. Coat on both sides and sizzle it brown on both sides. Set aside.
In the same hot skillet, dump fresh blueberries and drizzle in a generous amount of maple syrup. Bubble it to a froth.
Top pound cake with ice cream, then blueberry goop. Eat in a very comfy chair, because you will not be able to get up for a while.
You had me at butter.
I love recipes that are more assembly instructions than actual cooking.
Mmmmmmm! Yummy!
My mom used to make strawberry waffles with whipped cream or ice cream and bacon on a hot evening (no one had air conditioning in those days). I know the feeling of sitting down in a lump. Here I sits and I dont’s move!
My godparents used to toast their pound cake under the broiler on each side, then add vanilla ice cream. I don’t think it was buttered, though. Adding fruit like you did would just take it right over the top. Drooling…
Buttered pound cake. Oh, yum. I recently discovered pan toasted/carmelized angel food cake with strawberries in balsamic vinegar. I believe next up will be buttered pound cake and I have some blueberries handy, too… :)
Ooooooooooo on the angel fooooood!
These lovely leaves came today via Nicole express, and I have been looking forward to giving them a try.
First of all, the dry leaves are absolutely fascinating—braided/rolled into tiny little spirals like mini-rotini.
I was especially cautious on time and temp. Stayed right with it, set a timer, and didn’t let myself get distracted (now there’s an accomplishment). And for my labors, I got a beautifully light, sweet, chamomile-colored cup that tastes like a healthy summer farm: sweet hay, fresh bread, corn stalks.
This is a great summer evening tea.
I wanted to get orange matcha to mix it with the cola matcha. I don’t know if many of you are familiar with Spezi, a mix of cola and orange soda popular in Germany…I love it so much, but I hate drinking soda.
First I figured though I should try it the orange matcha on its own. It just took me forever, since I ordered it so it’d come just in time for my weekend vacation last week. I tried it immediately, but only drank one sip while in the midst of packing, so I had nothing really to say about it.
I’m not typically a fan of orange flavored stuff. I’d take a blood orange over your usual orange every time. I don’t like orange flavored candy very much, and that’s of course what this tastes like. Orange flavored candy.
I added agave and milk to it to try to see if maybe then I could transform it into sort of a “creamsicle” taste but it just tastes like smoother candy. While it’s not my favorite, I can definitely drink it. Because in the end, orange candy, while not preferable, is always edible.
Tomorrow’s test: a mix with the cola matcha for spezi matcha!
I can also see this being really good as the matcha in a smoothie. I picked up a bag of frozen mixed berries yesterday for smoothies and out of all my matchas so far, this one is definitely the winner to go in there.
Yay! I had Black cherry matcha in my fruit smoothie today and it was super yummy, and I am head over heels for my Kai Matcha unflavored lattes. Delicious! The Bavarian Cream made a great latte, too. I was considering this one for my next order!
I have black cherry and caramel flavors, too. I can’t wait to try lattes with them. I will have to try some unflavored, too!