865 Tasting Notes
Mocha Matcha Latte!
1TB matcha
1TB drinking chocolate mix
8oz Fat Free Smart Balance Milk
4oz water
Needed something sweet, yet detoxifying after my AMAZING Russian meal I stumbled upon. Originally went out for a perch fry, but found that the cafe was featuring Russian items! pork and sourkraut soup, (basically a chicken dumpling soup w/ carrots and potatoes w/ sourkraut and pork in place of the chicken), Cabbage rolls (but not as good as my best friend’s mom’s), cole slaw, and a potatoe roll. It warmed my heart to have a Russian meal and think of my Russian best friend, especially since I didn’t think there was any Russian food to be had in our area.
Decided to make my detoxifying matcha (1TB/12oz water) in my Seattle mug w/ this today. Didn’t sift it because the bottom of my sifter was below the water line… I suppose I should have sifted it 1st then added water, but I used my mug to heat the water. Oh well. Surprisingly it’s not at all bitter this time! I guess 1tsp/4oz water is the perfect ratio, even if you don’t sift it… which is kinda sad though since that isn’t the ratio for Koicha.
Musk melon matcha smoothie!
Musk melon chunks blended down to make 1 cup. <-blend the heck out of it- the runnier, the better (2 cups fruit?)
1tsp matcha, blended in at the last few seconds.
I actually got this idea after a matcha fataliTEA. I wanted to just sprinkle it over musk melon, but it was so juicy that all the matcha settled in the bottom of the bowl w/ the juice- but the juice was very good.
Psst… Frank… musk melon matcha! Cucumber melon matcha?
This came on Saturday and I thought this would be the perfect day to rip into it since it’s the Select item- and it’s my 1st gyokuro!
Prepared as suggested. 1tsp/170 degree purified water. I’m really glad they’ve gotten away from the 1tsp/180 degree water parameters, but this isn’t close enough. Leaf amount is right, but water volume has got to be less, the temp has got to be cooler, and it’s way over steeped. But, this is what they suggest, so it’s what I’ll try 1st.
The liquor is a light olive color w/ a very sweet aroma- almost as sweet as the musk melon I just had. The mouth feel is very smooth- not exactly what I expected since the leaves are so tiny leaving particles in my cup. The flavor is very sweet with just a hint of astringency. Good, but I think an overhaul of the steeping parameters will give me a better cuppa.
Preparation
Gosh, I haven’t had this in ages! 1 scoop/3oz water. Still as good as I remember it though.
Having another giant Seattle mug full of this. 1TB/12oz water. I hereby name this ratio detoxifying matcha!
Now I’m probably gonna get struck by lightening, but I was reading my Bible this morning and came up with this parody of 1st Corinthians 4-7:
“Matcha is patient, matcha is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Matcha does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Matcha is truly a gift from God- especially on days like today:)
Made a BIG strong mug of this. 1 level TB/12oz hot water. Made this for several reasons- 1.) It’s YUMMY! 2.) I’m still too tired to spend a lot of mental energy on making tea. 3.) My scale is broken. 4.) Detoxing from a weekend full of DELICIOUS, but rich Russian food. Wait… I said mug, didn’t I? Yep. No chawan today. My best friend Irina gave me a gorgeous mug w/ 2 different views of Seattle on it and I miss her already!
I’ve only had matcha in a cup not shaken twice (once plain and once as an OJ matcha shot at Jamba Juice- both this weekend) so I was a bit nervous it wouldn’t fully blend- but it did! It stayed cohesive a lot longer than expected and it actually had a really thick foam on top. Woohoo! It chases away my post vacation depression that always plagues me.
Venti, clean, iced @ Starbucks Sunday nite to try to cool down. It was nice and refreshing, but I really wish they’d specify if it’s flavored tea. “Iced Green Tea” to me implies unflavored… but then again it also implies a default of unsweetened for me.
Preparation
My husband has this problem all the time with restaurants that have “iced tea” on the menu, but then it is currant of peach flavored, or even worse, sweetened (I do not live in the South). He dislikes most flavors.
Yeah, I learned the hard way that their iced teas and tea lattes/frappuccinos come presweetned unless you specify (which is weird cuz you don’t get a classic syrup espresso latte if you just order a “latte”). I enjoy flavored (unsweetened) iced teas, I just want to know what I’m ordering.
