865 Tasting Notes
Haven’t had this one in a while (in part due to being sick) so I decided to ring in the new year w/ this before spending some time w/ my Best Friend and then getting some sleep. I’m actually logging this before I drink it because I’m getting in bed right after I’m done. 3oz water/1scoop matcha. Yummm! Happy New Year!
Preparation
From Ricky:) Hadda kinda wing the amount of leaf/water since the amount he gave me was for a ~7.5oz cup lol. I went w/ 8. Liquor is kinda yellowsh green and it definitely smells like dried apricot. The flavor on the other hand, is unfortunately lacking. But, this was enough to at least make me consider investing $2 for a sample of this. I’m thinking of steeping it using premium sencha parameters- 1.5tsp in 2oz of 160 degree water for 1.5min. Doing that will probably boost my rating quite a bit, but I think this’ll still be a “I’m really glad I tried this and would even buy a sample of it, but probably wouldn’t buy more than that or buy it more than once” tea.
Preparation
Any websites you can show me that would describe premium sencha? I’d love to try that.
Woaps! I thought I gave enough. I didn’t really measure it. I just grabbed a few teaspoons. Haha, I would have gladly included more. I agree with you, this tea isn’t tasty. I only drank it once and I still have the whole tin.
@TeaCast, Den’s Tea has one I want to (but haven’t yet) try http://www.denstea.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=70_87 otherwise just type “Premium Sencha” into the tea search.
@Ricky, it’s ok! It’s still very much appreciated. I’m just very picky about my leaf/water ratio. This was really close to what I would have needed to an 8oz cup. I didn’t say it wasn’t tasty, I just said the apricot was lacking. It’s a good sweet green tea. Maybe since you have quite a bit you could test drive the premium sencha parameters and get back to us. I think we’re the only 2 that aren’t completely in love w/ this. Actually… as it’s chilling (and a lot of people do make this iced…) I’m starting to get a lil more flavor. I think I’ll bump the rating. Not many teas belong below 50 in my book.
2nd infusion, 4min. Lighter liquor as well as lighter flavor, but it’s also different. Less sweet. It kinda reminds me of a cross between their artichoke and mango.
3rd infusion, 5min, Liquor is just a touch darker than infusion 2. Almost a canary yellow w/ a bit of butteryness. The taste is also slightly stronger and even more savory.
4th infusion, 6min. Whoa this has the darkest liquor yet by far! There’s definitely the typical green tea taste, but there’s also a slight sweetness. With a lot of teas, the true tea taste and the sweetness seem to be separate- almost like they flip back and forth on your tongue so you can’t taste both at the exact same milisecond, but the 2 blend nicely in this infusion.
5th infusion, 7 min w/ Amish potatoe and egg salad. Holy liquor drop off! Liquor isn’t anything like infusion 4, but more like infusion 3 but more translucent w/o the butteryness. The sweetness made a come back though a bit.
6th infusion, 8 min as a palate cleanser after my chai drinking chocolate. I could easily mistake these last 2 infusions for white tea.
White Chocolate Matcha Latte:
*1/4-1/3 cup water
*1/2-2/3 cup milk (liquid amounts depend on if you want a more concentrated 6oz cup or a less concentrated 8oz cup, I made an 8oz cup today)
*1TB- 4tsp white chocolate coffee creamer or shaved white chocolate (1TB for a 6oz cup and either 1TB or 4tsp for an 8oz cup, I went w/ 1TB)
Decided to try a latte since my cold is pretty much gone and the milk is fresh. Combined the water and milk and heated til small bubbles formed on the service. If you have white chocolate, I suggest using that and melting it into the milk and water double boiler style by heating the mixture over a bowl of boiling water being careful that the top bowl does not actually touch the water. I unfortunately don’t have white chocolate so I just went w/ coffee creamer. Added the milk and water to 1 scoop matcha and 1TB coffee creamer and whisked.
Not too bad considering until now the only way I drank milk was in an espresso latte and white chocolate really isn’t my favorite. No milk after taste (the only way I know how to describe it lol) like when I made it w/ pure milk. Maybe that was also in part to the white chocolate creamer? The white chocolate complimented both the milk and the matcha nicely. I think personally I’ll stick w/ my matcha flavored w/ herbal tisanes and drinking chocolate, but anyone who likes milk and white chocolate will love this!
this sounds pretty awesome, but I wish you could send me a glass of the matcha you made with the chocolate mix. yum! :)
Haha! Buy some drinking chocolate:) Am I tempting you to get a matcha set yet? I’ll be like teaplz was w/ her GM sampler hehe;)
tempted?!?! it’s a sure thing…i just need to save up. i’ve been buying so much tea lately.
Oh, I just HAVE to try this!
Backlogging from this afternoon. Basic green bagged tea pretty much thrown into water of an unknown amount (but probably around 8oz) from an unknown source heated at an unknown temperature. Had this @ ihop with my… New York cheese cake pancakes!!! I almost flipped when I saw them on the menu. Last time I went they were only a special promotion. I hope 52teas comes out w/ more cheesecake flavored teas to celebrate the WONDERFUL decision to make them a permanent item. But in the mean time, any suggestions on what kind of tea to pair w/ these? Because I’m definitely going back soon:) If they come out w/ a cheesecake flavored matcha, I just might have to take my matcha bowl w/ me;)
Whoa, did I hear you say cheesecake pancakes??? No way! I may have to go tomorrow. I wonder if the South Carolina IHOPs have them?
Yep, that’s what I sad!:) I’d think most of their menu items would be franchise wide. Check their website or give ’em a call.
I checked the website and yep it’s on there! I have a major craving now:)
Well, after my lucious drinking chocolate and my unexpected tea purchase I decided to finish my infusions of mecha that I started last nite. Infusion 2. Taking my aunt out for egg nog pancakes at Ihop later. She loves anything egg nog. To quote Michelle Tanner from Full House, I think this is gonna be a “yummy in the tummy” kind of day!
Preparation
I LOVE FULL HOUSE!!!!
Remember the episode where they were doing the marshmallow gingle and she ate too many? That wasn’t “yummy in the tummy”… :(
LOL
Infusion 3, 1 min 20 sec w/ 6oz fat free blackberry yogurt to keep me from eating too much @ IHOP later. ??thinks Hmmm… how would I go about making a blackberry flavored matcha…? ??
YAY! I’m finally well enough to make my matcha drinking chocolate that I wanted to have for breakfast Christmas morning.
3TB drinking chocolate mix and 1 scoop matcha in my bowl. 1/3 cup milk heated just to the point where small bubbles started to form on the top. Mixed completely. Do not use your chasen.
YUMMY! Rich, smooth, creamy, chocolatey… and way too much fun to drink hehe;) I do taste the matcha in the very back, but I’m thinking that might only be because I know it’s in there. I was hoping the matcha would come thru more due to the small amount of milk I used. Does anyone have a better recipe? Oh well. Even plain drinking chocolate drank out of a matcha bowl, especially for breakfast, is definitely a bright spot in my day.:)
Oh, wow… I want to do this!
So you’re not adding any additional milk after the 1/3 cup? And why not the chasen— are you using a spoon or fork or another type of whisk?
No extra milk, and I’m glad I didn’t- I’m afraid the matcha flavor would have been even lighter. I didn’t use my chasen because I was afraid it would get too gunked up and since it’s so delicate it would be a pain in my butt to clean. I just used a spoon and that worked great because I didn’t end up w/ any matcha residue at the bottom of my bowl like when I make it w/ water or milk. I stirred the matcha and chocolate powder together a bit before adding the milk.
I think I’m going to go try this now—I have 3 different drinking chocolates and they’re all spicy. You think this is a good idea?
Oh, and I only have rice and almond milks…
I think it’s a wonderful! idea. I’d go w/ almond milk.
Well, that was truly inspired, Ms. Cofftea!
I had to wing it on the amounts of chocolate and milk, lacking measuring implements here, but as a gesture of compensation, I did use my chasen, which survived just fine. :-)
One scoop of Essencha’s Jade Bliss Matcha plus 3 spoonfuls of Lake Champlain’s Aztec Hot Chocolate added to some amount of unsweetend vanilla almond milk heated just to the point of small bubbles forming on top.
Holy moly. This was nothing less than exquisite liquid truffle. I wish I could sigh and say that oh, I couldn’t possibly have something this rich more than once a week, but that would be a bald-faced lie. I’ll probably do it again before the day is done.
I’ll be playing close attention to any future tweaks you make to this, Ms. Cofftea. The only thing I’ll do differently next time myself is drink it while it’s hotter. I, too, only taste the matcha “in the very back”, and I like the way it works. Maybe I’ll try a different chocolate next time—I do have one that isn’t spicy but has notes of almond and orange in it. That could be brilliant, I think.
Chocolate, almond and orange w/ the almond milk and matcha I think would be lovely! That makes me wonder where my mandarin matcha order from 52 teas is…
I wouldn’t be surprised if you could taste the matcha behind the chocolate. one of the most popular items I make to bring to work potlucks are simple little mini-chocolate cupcakes with a matcha buttercream frosting. They disappear quickly.
@Seattlemeg- I definitely could, although I was hoping the matcha would be stronger.
I had a treat someone brought to me from new york that I’ve never found since – a hershey bar that had green tea as a filler in the squares. Ever seen it? It was actually really good.
Yum! No I haven’t. I’ll stick w/ this, it’s more fun to drink chocolate out of a bowl;)
may I ask where you got your bowl? I’ve been meaning to go to our local humongous Asian grocery store (uwajimaya.com) but haven’t had time. I really need to try more matchas.
I got this set http://www.denstea.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=289_295 I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! It was on sale for $52 at the time and there was no shipping because it was over $50. If you’re a 1st time customer they have a sampler that they normally charge $3 for (it’s worth way more than that though) that you can either get free w/ your 1st $15 or more purchase or you pay the $3 and get a coupon for $3 off your 1st order that totals $15. All the Den’s Tea teas I have except for the apple sencha are from that sampler.
cool, thank you, bookmarked!
OMG that sounds amazing! That may be my Happy New Year drink this year.
Oh it was Carolyn…. it was! While it would be a good NYE drink, for me at least, I think that’d take away a little bit of the novelty and fun because part of why it rocked my socks off was because I had it for breakfast. So maybe another flavored matcha at midnite and then this as your watching the sun rise?:)
Ok, what to have w/ my mecha? I don’t want anything too heavy incase mom wants to bring supper home. There’s that lettuce in there that should get eaten… A salad w/ carrot, cucumber, dried cranberries, roasted red peppers, pepper jack cheese, and croutons. But where’s the Italian dressing? Called mom- she put it up in the cupboard (it’s home made) when she cleaned so it’s out of my reach. Brilliant. I’m really picky about my salad dressing, but I’ll try the sun dried tomato and feta… and it’s actually good! Yay! And so is my mecha. Not the most lovely liquor- it actually reminds me of my cold, but it’s lovely in my stomach.:)
Preparation
I’ve known this for as long as I can remember, but just got confirmation of a very important lesson- God gives you exactly what you need exactly when you need it.
Even though she’s sick, mom decided to go grocery shopping tonite. We had planned to have something for dinner that required grocery shopping (eggplant parmigana w/ homemade chard and herb pasta) until she got sick. So we were just gonna make due, no big deal. But then she decided at 5:30 to go which means dinner would be insanely late.
I was starved and, since I hadn’t had my daily matcha, I decided to have half a bowl to tide me over. Mom walks out the door and I prep my matcha. I no sooner get it whisked (still no foam dang it) and my mom calls. She’s not going grocery shopping. My grandpa (who has emphazema and Parkinson’s) got the h1n1 vaccine before Christmas and since has had trouble breathing (even though he’s been on oxygen 24/7 for years), sleeps almost constantly, and isn’t eating (which for him is like me not drinking tea lol) so my grandma called an ambulance to take him to the hospital and wanted my mom to meet her there. It’s not enough for me to be delt crap, but now my family? So I did the only thing I could do. Told satan to go back to where he belongs and found comfort in my matcha. If I had my matcha earlier in the day, which is what I normally do, I wouldn’t have had this comfort literally in my hands when I needed it most. I love God’s timing.
Whoa… kinda wrote a book here… sorry… If there’s anyone still reading at this point to apologize to. If people still are and if you pray, please do. And go drink some matcha from a fun bowl- it’ll make you smile even when life makes you scream. Although I can’t hold my empty matcha bowl too long or I’ll be tempted to throw it lol.
Preparation
So sorry to hear about your family going through so much right now. What a way to end the year, huh?
Prayers and good tea to you and your family!
Thanks Peggie! I’m thinking of making some mecha next which in my opinon is a steeped version of matcha. Between the caffeine and the tannins, I’m not sure I want to have another half bowl at this point- I think that may result in an effect that isn’t very soothing and comforting, and that’s exactly why I drink matcha daily.
I like your perspective on this, but I’m sorry to hear that your Grandpa’s having a hard time. (I’m very anti-vax, myself, and hear a lot of stories about reactions to shots…). I hope he’s back to himself soon—and your mom, too!
p.s. You gonna get some supper?
I’m snacking on some fruit and stuff w/ my tea. I have enough lettuce for a small salad that I think I’ll have, but I wanna kinda wait to see how late mom’ll be.
I’m pro H1N1 vaccine especially for someone like him- and I don’t think it really has much to do w/ that. Looking back I don’t think my cousin and I should have gone over there because I was just getting over my cold and Desiree was even sicker than I was. We were just being really selfish and didn’t want to miss Christmas. Oh well, what’s done is done.
Update on my grandpa- pnuemonia. Not really surprising for a smoker and former mill worker.
When I’m counting blessings, a well-timed cup of tea to sink my face into is usually at the top of the list—-I hear where you’re coming from! Prayers that you’ll be surprised by joy, good news, and some other little creature comforts today.
Mixed w/ equal parts (1.12-1.13g) http://steepster.com/teas/adagio-teas/5407-irish-creme-nite-cap and steeped in 6oz water.
The liqour is not black as tar like a lot of black teas, but a pretty red/auburn. The aroma is definitely fruity and the flavor is a wonderful balance of fruit, chocolate, cream, rum, and unflavored black teas. A bit of rose would be lovely as well.
Seemed a lil less sweet last nite. Maybe because it was more concentrated. Still good though!
Surprisingly, I fell asleep pretty quick last nite… but I had really weird dreams and woke up completely exhausted w/ a slightly increased heart rate almost like I’d been exercising. I wonder if that’s from the caffeine and tannins? Not to mention I had to, let’s just say remove the matcha from my bladder, at 3:30am and it’s not even like I mixed it w/ 8oz of water… ugh…