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I am pleasantly surprised. (I’m sure the matcha purists will be horrified!)
The first couple sips I definitely got a bit of the grassy/raw matcha flavor (I think some powder was hiding in the foam). It was also way too hot. As it cools and I get deeper into the cup I am getting a lot of honey sweetness. Must be in the mix as I did not add anything. The mix of matcha (or whatever they use) and honey and frothed milk is a nice combo. It’s not overly heavy or sweet, it feels somewhat healthy compared to a whipped cream and chocolate covered mocha or similar.
I don’t go to starbucks but once or twice a year, but next time I find myself there I will get this or try another of their tea lattes.
Preparation
I’ve tried this once. Back when they put melon syrup in it and didn’t list it in the ingredients. Since then, even though they discontinued the syrup, I’m just too scared to try it again in fear of wasting my money, their product, and their time making me something else. I’ve also heard their matcha has fillers… possibly presweetened like Rishi’s as well? Love the idea though, and I love their full leaf tea lattes… although after trying 52teas Mayan Chocolate Chai, I think I’ll be bringing that w/ me the next time I go to SBUX.
I accidentally created an entry for this under “Starbucks” before I found it in “Tazo.” So the other one needs to be deleted. I tried to send it via Feedback, no idea if that worked.
@ Cofftea – I don’t think that Rishi sweetens their matcha. Their website openly lists all the ingredients of their teas as well as the Nutritional Facts. Sweetener is NOT added from what I’ve read.
LENA, they used to have one w/ ginger (and maybe another one, I seem to remember 2) that said it was sweetened… but I’ve searched their site for “ginger”, “sweetened”, and “matcha”, but didn’t find it so maybe they use something else. I didn’t know SBUX uses Rishi brand matcha.
Starbucks sells “Matcha Green Tea Latte with Honeydew Concentrate by Tazo Tea” on their web store. Tazo also makes a plain “Tazo Matcha Green Tea Latte Concentrate.” I assume they use one of these in their drinks. I can’t be certain that the honeylike sweetness I tasted was honeydew, but it didn’t taste melon-y to me. I wish now that I had paid more attention when they were making my drink today to see what they used (or just asked!)
Rishi used to/maybe still makes a sweetened macha that is half sugar half tea. It’s NOT supposed to be drank like straight matcha, though, it’s for flavoring food and drinks.
I don’t know if Starbucks uses Rishi brand matcha. I recently bought Rishi’s matcha and didn’t notice any added sweetener. Then, I double checked their site to confirm after reading your comment.
Janefan, Please find out and inform me!:) If it’s a concentrate, I’ll pass. I don’t even use concentrate for chai lattes.
Whoops, cut off my comment. I meant to add that I read a really funny entry online about a guy who prepared the Rishi matcha like normal matcha, with yucky results. :)
Also, yes the Starbucks matcha powder is pre-sweetened with sugar, so if you want a sugar-free green tea latte, you can’t really get one. You can ask for one without sugar syrup though, to cut down the sugar a little bit.
Also, what do you mean by full leaf tea lattes? For the chai latte, they use a liquid mix and add hot water, vanilla syrup, and steamed milk.
LENA, you’re right, SBUX doesn’t use Rishi brand matcha. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was saying that. I thought Cofftea had asked about Rishi and I was just agreeing. :)
Shanti, you can get it w/ tea bags instead of the concentrate. I always do and it’s sooo much better. I suggest 2 in a tall. Don’t get another size because the flavor ratio is messed up then.
No wonder it was gross! I was hoping it was just the melon syrup and now that it’s gone it would be better. :(
Cofftea, Ah, I see what you mean. I think technically that’s called “tea misto”…and ugh, why do I know so much about starbucks! I don’t even like coffee. :)
No a tea misto would be 1/2 tea and 1/2 milk just like a coffee misto would be 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk.
Which is different from your tea latte how? (Sorry I’m not trying to be snarky or anything, just wondering). I’ve asked my ex-boyfriend about this before, and he said that the tea-bag chai “latte” is really a misto. The new “tea lattes” like the London Fog, etc, are per the manual tea mistos with additional syrup…
Shanti, a tea latte is 1/3 water and 2/3 milk unless it’s a dirty latte, then it’s 1/3 espresso like a regular latte, w/ tea bags or concentrate. The sweeten their tea lattes? Ugh. That makes no sense because if you order a “tall latte” it isn’t presweetened. The only tea latte I’d dare presweeten is a chai.
Oh, I get it. Thanks for explaining. :)
This discussion confirms that Starbucks is way too complicated to understand.
Just like w/ anything you need to know what questions to ask. I’ve gone in there several times and between me and the barista, the one that was more confused was the barista.
Had a Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte at Starbucks. It was ok. Next time I will ask them to leave out the sugar syrup that they usually add, because it created a sludgy texture and off flavor at the bottom of the cup. Overall this is ok but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. I prefer the green tea latte actually – the kind made with some sort of matcha-esque concentrate. I go to Starbucks so rarely that I figured I’d try something new.
Made 8oz iced and mixed with 4oz Crystal Light lemonade. Sweetened with agave syrup. Very refreshing and thirst quenching!
sneaky making a homemade arnie palmer like that :)
someone (maybe ricky ?) on here gave me the idea. I think they were describing a Passion Lemonade drink sold at Starbucks.
Drank tons of arnie last summer but this summer – you gave me the idea – make my own! YUM!
Steep Information:
Amount: 6.1g
Water: 500ml filtered water 180°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: toasted vegetables
Steeped Tea Smell: light vegetal, sweet
Flavor: vegetal, bitter
Body: Light
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: pale translucent yellow-green
This was a gift from Melody over at StarbucksMelody.com. If you enjoy starbucks or coffee you should really go and read her wonderful Starbucks fan site / community / blog.
I like how the tea was packed in a plastic bag inside the tin, it kept them from being crushed in shipping.
Made this an additional time with 750ml of water, it turned out better, still a little bitter at the finish. The resteep of the same leaves turned out very bitter, but enjoyable with a bit of honey.
I think i may need to play with the parameters on this tea. It has a nice sweet toasted vegetal promise, and I hope I can smooth of the bitter finish. For now it will have to stay at “acceptable”.
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/08/tazo-packaging-loose-leaf-green-tea.html
Preparation
tried this at starbucks this morning – quite tasty. taste not so much of vanilla but of fruit. i am used to my vanilla rooibos from upton, and this is different. I like it but i wasn’t expecting the fruit-iness. sometimes you don’t want the fruit taste, you just want vanilla.
Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp – 7.3g
Water: 500ml filtered water 195°F, also tried with 750ml and results were the same!
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: roasty, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, floral, vegetal
Flavor: buttery, vegetal, MilitiaJim got salted seaweed flavor
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent yellow-green
This was a gift from Melody over at StarbucksMelody.com. If you enjoy starbucks or coffee you should really go and read her wonderful Starbucks fan site / community / blog.
The tea came in a nice square metal tin. Inside the tin the tea was inside a plastic bag sealed with a white sticker. I appreciated the careful packing since it got shipped here and arrived in beautiful not crushed condition. This is a very enjoyable oolong. I added a bit of maple syrup when drinking it with breakfast, but it was overpowered by the maple. I have had this multiple times, and have only managed one good resteep each time, after which it gets very weak. Despite that fact using more water with the same amount of leaf on the first steep has provided me with an equally strong and flavorful first infusion.
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/08/tazo-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-ti-kwan-yin.html
Preparation
I have a love hate thing with Tazo. I really want to like them because they are so easily obtainable. Usually I just don’t care for them. Sometimes they are way over-blended but sometimes it may not be Tazo’s fault. In all the years I have been trying them I have had exactly one cup of Earl Grey that was fresh enough I could taste bergamot. I live in a tea deprived wasteland. Thank God for the Internet.
Lotus is one of the few I always enjoy. Yeah, the green tea is generic, the flavoring may or may not be authentic and most of the reviews are less favorable than mine. I don’t care I like it anyway. This is a sip down.
Prompted by reading Dinosara‘s review of this yesterday, I had a craving for it today. I knew I still had a couple bags tucked in the back of the drawer somewhere. I can’t remember the last time I had this. I notice I last logged it here a year ago. The trouble is I have had a lot of really great loose teas since then. This isn’t as good as my memory of it. 3 minute steep in steaming water – below boiling. When this is hot it is a bit bitter and has little other flavor. Once it cools down the lotus does come to the forefront but it can’t completely hide the bitter green base. Maybe the bag is just getting too old (might be 2 years old) or maybe I have outgrown it. Either way, Lotus was an important stepping stone in my early tea journey, so this is disappointing. I have not seen another lotus to replace it.
I probably steep this a little longer (5 minutes) in a little hotter water than I am supposed to use but it works for me. Not overly grassy. No bitterness. The tea base is good but not great. The treat for me is the lotus. Not overpowering. I do wish this came in a non-decaf loose leaf. I would easily double my usage. As is, it is great for a late afternoon or evening relaxing drink.
As a hot tea, Berryblossom White is failing to wow me. I steeped it for the 3 minutes recommended on the package, and the tea has little flavor or scent, just a mild cranberry and tea astringent aftertaste.
As an iced tea, this one was even worse. It had a vaguely berry related aftertaste that I found lingering and icky.
Preparation
I have not slept well the past two evenings due to stress of everyday life.
I was working on organizing my tea when I decided to fix myself a cup of this tea.
This tea does seem to relax and calm as you sip and enjoy. This is a tea I like to keep in my cupboard.
I had this at a friend’s when I was asked if I wanted some tea (she didn’t know that I don’t drink or don’t want herbals)… but it was actually really good.
Glad you enjoyed!
I personally can’t rate the effectiveness though since I had it when I was already exhausted at about 11pm when I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the nite before lol.
I am so glad I am not the only one that is walking around with 4 hours sleep.
We need to get some sleep ! lol……
Haha that was back in June- I went to Seattle for a 4 day weekend.
I need to get some sleep tonight. I also need to switch from Black Tea after dinner (trouble is I just seem to love it) lol….
Good Night….Going to Dreamland……lol
My hubby liked “Get Some ZZZZ’s” from Republic of Tea ok. He said it didn’t make him feel groggy, but once he fell asleep he slept very soundly and felt rested when he woke in the morning.
ashmanra, their Get Relaxed! was pretty effective as well.
I will try both of these teas in the future. Thanks for the info (if my 24 yr old does not stop causing me grey hair I do not know what I am going to do!) lol
Hey be nice, I’m 24 (for a few more days) lol!:)
Happy Birthday!! I hope you will enjoy your birthday.
I have gotten some sleep and I feel much better (I promise to watch the commits about the young and restless. lol
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 6.1g
Water: 500ml filtered water 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: fresh greens, a little floral
Steeped Tea Smell: musky, sweet, a little vegetal
Flavor: vegetal, sweet
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent orange-yellow
This was a gift from Melody over at StarbucksMelody.com. She runs an informative, friendly fan site about Starbucks, if you enjoy Starbucks or coffee it is very much worth checking out!
I did a second, new, steep:
Steep Information:
Amount: ~3tsp
Water: 750ml filtered water 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2:30 minutes
Served: Hot
It turned out more of a medium bodied tea, it really is amazing how time and temperature affect leaves!
It’s no a clean enough finish to earn 4 leaves, but is a very enjoyable and not grassy vegetal tea.
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/08/tazo-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-bai-hao.html
