Matcha Outlet

This tea gave me the best idea ever: Zombie Gingerbread Men. Every year for Christmas, I make cookies for my wife and sister-in-law to decorate and they are insane with it. In the past years we’ve ended up with Ed Wood, an Orion slave girl in a Star Trek uniform, a Purple People Eater, and many, many other cracked decorations. These two really shouldn’t be trusted with pastry bags. But yes, this year I am definitely making sugar cookies with gingerbread matcha and letting them go at it. I should get some of those gingerbread men cookie cutters that look like they already have a bite taken out of it. I need to do a trial run to be sure they taste alright, maybe for Hallowe’en.

Anyway, yes, on to the matcha (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/gingerbread-matcha.html). Well, one thing is for sure, it is definitely GINGER bread. The ginger is very, very strong, but I’m not entirely sure that’s a bad thing. Maybe a touch of brown sugar will help round out the edges, because right now I can’t really taste anything but ginger. I tried it witht he brown sugar and while it did bring out the molasses goodness of gingerbread, it’s still a bit too gingery for me. But the taste that remains on my tongue is amazing…maybe I’ll get used to that bite of ginger over time.

Mrrrf. Day number two of waking up at 2 and being unable to get back to sleep. I told myself I’m not allowed to nap today because we have a full day tomorrow and I need to sleep tonight. And I was doing okay until about…now. 11:30. On top of that, I have a package coming and the mailman usually delivers around 12:30, so if I nap now, I’ll miss the delivery of a jacket I want to wear tomorrow.

Grrr.

Matcha to the rescue!

Or so I thought, But the first gulp of this brought along a major headache that is only getting worse as I sip. I’m trying to power though in order to get the wake-up boost, but it just isn’t working. I am disappoint.

So the last batch of egg nog was good, but not amazing. Tasty, but it didn’t blow my socks off. Of course, my first course of action was to order more and bump up the flavor strength. I’m a little afraid of “There’s Matcha In There?”, so I went for the next one down, Robust. I figured if it’s too strong, I can cut it with the delicate matcha and even it out a bit. I’m excited to try it, though. I am in dire need of some egg nog goodness in my life.

The scent is amazing. Spicy, creamy, custardy goodness. The nutmeg is strong enough to even please my father in law! At first sip, I’m a goner. This is my favorite matcha of all time. It’s too late for me to be drinking it, but oh, I want more. It’s just…it’s heaven in a cup. I can’t wait to share it with everyone I know….soy nog will have no place in my fridge this year! It’s Egg Nog matcha all the way! It’s gonna be a super caffeinated Christmas. Maybe some of my Zombie Gingerbread men will be egg nog flavored. This is one I must stock up on. It can be found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/eggnog-matcha.html

Oh, egg nog. When Red Leaf Tea first contacted me, asking what flavors of matcha I’d be interested in trying, my immediate response was this. Egg nog. Oh goodness, egg nog. Please, oh please, egg nog. When the holidays come around, I miss it with a burning passion. There’s just too much cream in it for it to be worth the risk, unfortunately. We have been able to find soy nog, but it’s just not the same. But I have to say, it does the trick when I’m really just dying for a cup of nog. It certainly brought my father in law and me closer last Christmas when he was always more than happy to get me a glass of soy nog so he had an excuse to grate fresh nutmeg on top. He cracks me up.

So this matcha (found here:http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/eggnog-matcha.html) had high, high, high expectations to live up to. It was delicious, very much so, but a little weak. I got a hint of eggnog flavor that was greatly overshadowed by the flavor of the matcha. Which isn’t a bad flavor at all, it just isn’t what I want when I drink egg nog. Maybe a little soy milk will bring out that creaminess for me and give me that egg nog flavor I crave.

I love cookies and cream ice cream. I love Oreos. I love cookies and cream candy bars. So this was another flavor I suggested when Red Leaf Tea asked what kind of flavors we’d like to see in matcha. And oh, was it ever a good choice. Yum. The cream part I knew would be good, Red Leaf Tea has always been amazing with their creamy matchas. But the cookie part was also very present and very delicious. It honestly felt like I was drinking an Oreo. This cup got me through my first day back at work after a week off for my brother’s wedding. It was wonderful and I kept reaching for it, even as the day got crazier and crazier. I may have to make another cuppa to get me through today….but no, I have so many other new, wonderful matchas to try! Though I think mixing this with the cheesecake matcha would be too wonderful to be believed. I want to just go sniff the matcha, but my nose is all stopped up and I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the goodness of it. Sad. But this is definitely one to keep around for ever. If you haven’t tried it, I whole-heartedly recommend it. (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cookies-and-cream-matcha.html)

My chawan has been sitting in my cupboard looking dreadfully neglected as I haven’t used it to make matcha since last winter, I think. Lately the only time I’ve had matcha is in coffee shop latés and added into fruit smoothies (which is yummy BTW). But since everyone is raving about Red Leaf Tea’s matcha blends I decided that now would be a good occasion to take out my matcha stuff and find out if there’s something to all this fuss. ;)

For the record, this is a basic grade matcha with a ‘delicate’ level of flavour – I figured I’d start off slow. I was glad for the little brochure that came with my order that had basic instruction on how to make matcha as it’s something I rarely do and it’s a pain to have to refer back to the internets.

Just the smell of the matcha powder was delicious – creamy and sweet, it was almost a shock to taste the grassy matcha when I licked a bit of powder from my finger. I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I added a bit of agave nectar to sweeten things up a bit. The matcha base tasted much like I’d expect matcha to taste – I don’t drink enough to have much of a discerning palate yet, but it seemed decent to me. The Bavarian cream flavour was a real treat – rich vanilla cream flavours that reminded me of Tim Horton’s Boston Cream (or is it Vancouver Cream, now?) donuts. It’s subtle, so I think the next matcha I try I’ll go with a stronger flavouring option, but it’s still quite clear to my tastebuds what this tea is supposed to taste like. I’d love to see if I can make my own matcha latés with this one as I bet it would be phenomenal mixed with steamed milk.

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/bavarian-cream-matcha.html

I am SO excited to write this review for the amazing Cookies & Cream flavour on my first time trying the Black matcha base! I’ll ruin the surprise and say it is a delicious change from the usual.

I feel like this flavour is perfect for the Black base, as when I think of Cookies & Cream I think of oreos, or the yummy white chocolate bar with dark cookie bits in it. I feel like they were kind of meant to be together, and since it was on sale I thought it a perfect chance to give it a try!

The scent and flavour is wonderful – not vegetal like the green matcha, I can’t really smell the base tea through the strength of the yummy C&C flavour (I did splurge for Robust this time!).

I whisked it up and it was very smooth! Not as frothy, but no lumps – so far so good. As for the taste, it is such a nice change from my other matchas! I would guess it is a China black – what I can tell about the base is that it is naturally sweet and goes perfectly with the chocolate flavours in the tea.

I used 185 for the temp to be safe, since I’m consuming the leaves instead of just steeping them, I didn’t want it to scorch or burn! Delicious first few sips, but with the addition of milk and sugar it transforms! Have you ever had powdered Milk Tea? It totally reminded me of that – I’m sure it’s the same idea actually, except now you get to control what the milk is (almond? Soy? 2%?) and the amount of sugar! Total comfort in the cup with the taste of chocolate cookies with a creamy white icing.

I’m glad I went for Robust, but next time I would get even more flavouring for this one – that said, I might just need to get used to the Black base and the flavouring will pop even more!

Here’s where it can be found, I definitely recommend the black base: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cookies-and-cream-matcha.html

Mmmm, this smelled like cheesecake as soon as I opened the package. This is the first matcha I ever bought to prepare at home – I’ve had it in lattes and ice cream, but that’s all – so I’m kind of excited.

I used 1 chashaku scoop to about 4oz water. My scoop seemed pretty big? Next time I’ll just measure by weight to see how much 1 gram is on the chashaku. I added water a little at a time, starting with the matcha as a paste to get rid of any lumps since I wasn’t using a strainer – this worked quite well! I had a nice froth going for awhile too, but then I added more water and it never really came back, so I might have had my proportions off.

My first impression on sipping was “oof, bitter” frankly, but then… the bitterness never really materialized? It’s more like it tastes like it ought to be bitter, but it’s only a flavor not actually the mouth-scrunching sensation. (Keep in mind, I’ve never had matcha straight before – I have no idea how normal this is). And then the aftertaste is pure cheesecake.

And now I’ve finished the whole bowl. That didn’t take long! And I kind of want more, so I think this stuff must be growing on me. My stomach is not as happy as my mouth though, so matcha may not become a regular first-thing-in-the-morning ritual for me.

I was still excited about the new tea though, so I decided to make some cold to take to work with me. This was a fantastic decision. I used the method described here (http://blog.mellowmonk.com/2010/07/cold-brewing-matcha-in-bottle.html), and accordingly used much less matcha than I would have tried without instruction – about 1/2 teaspoon to 16oz cold water. It worked out perfectly though – cold, mild, and refreshing, yet sweet and rich from the cheesecake flavor. The cheesecake flavor itself is pretty good, too. Cream, sugar, a slight tang from the cheese, a hint of graham cracker crust are all distinguishable. At this rate, I should get 15-30 servings out of the 30g packet, which is more than I would have guessed – a little bit of tasty cheesecake matcha goes a long way!

I think I liked this better cold than hot, and it was easier to prepare and drink through the day. I suspect it will do very well blended with other things, like milk, or ice cream. Maybe even my herbal coffee substitute? Clearly I’m not cut out to be a traditionalist with my matcha, but with flavors like cheesecake, cotton candy, and English toffee to try, who cares?!

You can buy this from Red Leaf Tea at: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html

I got the small packet, starter quality green matcha (I do want to try the higher grades now), and distinctive flavoring (will definitely play with this).

Let me just start by saying this tea rivals my love for Butterscotch matcha!
I don’t know if I can put into words just how delectable this matcha is!
It tastes like popcorn (check)
It tastes like caramel (check)
It tastes like butter (check)
So we have here a caramel-y, buttery, smooth, popcorn matcha that tastes extra smooth and creamy due to the excellent matcha base provided to us by Red Leaf Tea!

I made mine into a latte with creamer, milk, and ice.

This is perfect for the upcoming season, fall, Halloween on the way, and it makes me think of caramel popcorn balls! You know you loved getting those as a kid. Well I know I did, still do haha, and now days you don’t have to make them at home but can buy them pre-made. Yet nothing is as good as making them at home, and the taste is by far better when you do! This matcha tastes like the homemade kind, where the sugars become caramelized and have that toasty just almost burnt flavor but its not burnt and don’t let that one word scare you away – its just caramelized like the crust on a creme brulee dessert! If you have never had one of those your totally missing out!

As a type 1 diabetic let me just say that with all these flavor selections Red Leaf Tea has its like a miracle to me! Now I am not sure about sugar content in the matcha since they are flavored and all, but I have not had any issues with my blood sugars related to drinking these matcha, of course if you have health concerns be sure you monitor yourself closely until you have an established base line. However, this is a way for me to indulge in so many temptations without suffering consequences. Now while nothing can replace a TRUE caramel popcorn or popcorn ball I will tell you sometimes, in some ways I prefer my yummy matcha from RLT to the real deal!

If you are a dieter, work out fanatic, into health, or even appreciate the wonderful benefits of matcha tea, you can’t go wrong with Red Leaf I mean with all those flavors there is surely at least a handful you will find as amazing I have this one and Butterscotch just to name my top two favorites right now.

When I opened my package of Caramel Popcorn …. Oh my eyes ROLLED back into my skull haha, and I felt so enraptured by the aromas! I am still sitting here with this matcha and it is one of the thickest creamiest matcha I have had to date and I have had a TON of matcha!

I got the robust flavor in the basic matcha quality and it is STELLAR!

Get yours here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-popcorn-matcha.html

I really need to stop buying soy/almond/coconut milk eggnog. I saw one on sale and bought it. Ewww, it was thicken cornstarch sludge, weird brown colour, weak on spices.

I had a great idea then to use that icky eggnog, mix in this matcha, and weaken the texture with soymilk. Yeah… didn’t work. Tastes right but the texture is like drinking chunky sauce instead.

Maybe I’ll keep my eye out for lactose free eggnog, or just stick to this matcha in regular soy milk.

WOOOWWWEEE!

I made an iced soy latte this morning with the eggnog matcha. Tried it on the tea hating husband (who dislikes any form of tea taste). He’s tried the bavarian cream, caramel, cookies and cream, cheesecake matchas – all of them he disliked as he could taste the tea.

He took a sip of my eggnog matcha. Long pause, looking confused.
“I guess I could drink this..” he quietly said.
“Really? How about I make a cup for you with your whole milk?”
He pauses again. “Maybe on a weekday to keep me awake.”

I then asked him what it tasted like. “Sweet egg? I dunno.” DERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!

Well, I guess this was a success.

I love eggnog! I’d drink the stuff all year round if I could! But I cannot drink it. I was vegan during university and vegetarian for a couple years after that and of course during that time I ditched dairy. When I stopped being vegetarian I found out I’m lactose intolerant, since I lost the enzymes to drink milk. Higher fat content milk hits me the worst. I still don’t drink cow milk. Plus, actual egg nog has CRAZY amounts of calories and fat. My husband, last year, trying to get some extra calories, spliced leftover egg nog with leftover heavy cream for a high calorie drink. Ew.

While being vegan/vegetarian I’ve ventured into Soy nog. IMO, the stuff is terrible! It’s watery, barely flavored, no depth and the eggy part tastes stale and weird. I’ve tried a bunch of different brands and never found one I remotely liked. When I saw Red Leaf Tea’s Eggnog matcha, hey.. this might have some potential to have an eggnog on my terms! I’ve been wanting this matcha for awhile, but kept procrastinating on purchasing it.

Specs on the matcha I’m drinking:

Eggnog Matcha
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/eggnog-matcha.html
Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust

Out of the package, the eggnog matcha smells slightly eggy and spicy. I thought it would smell stronger, like the pistachio matcha I got recently.

Prepared as a traditional hot matcha, I can taste the eggnog, but in matcha form! The base of bold green tea is there, with a eggy taste second, with a vanilla and nutmeg hit. This matcha is also slightly sweet. No bitterness or astringency.

Now the best part, a Red Leaf Tea Matcha prepared as a latte! I made mine cold, whisking 1/2tsp of egg nog matcha into some soy milk and a little sweetener. I find the eggy taste is the strongest! I love eggy taste! Next is the creamy vanilla and a hint of spice. This was really sweet, so I’d go a little less on sweetener next time. And next time I should add a sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon ontop.

The flavoring in this is really strong, as a Robust flavor, I cannot taste the matcha in this in the latte. Good for me as I love the egg nog taste, but for others who want the matcha taste, I’d go to distinctive or delicate.

The only thing missing for this to be perfectly like eggnog is the consistency. This might go well with a thicker soy milk (like the very vanilla Silk soy milk) or whisk in a little instant vanilla pudding mix. Of course, this egg nog matcha latte is green, so more festive!

Tea peeps, give this one a shot!

Pumpkin pie! North americans love pumpkin pie. It is a staple in our traditions, but we know it originated in mexico. It instanly reminds us of fall, is comforting, warming, and spicy. It’s inviting, if you will.

That could explain why I went through my 60g bag over the course of four days. I brought it to my workplace, tried it hot, but mostly put it in my smoothies (Celebratory smoothies, the type you forget has protein powder in it). This is as close to a pumpkin spice flavor as you can get, minus the carbs. I have a feeling Red Leaf are secretly chemists or botanists. They make nifty products.

It could also be because the actual matcha is good. It goes along the intense pumpkin flavor really well and while delicate, brings something to it. It holds up next to my pricier matchas. I think I might try it in white matcha form (which is quite the novelty for me!) but I’m perfectly content with it being my base in this one. If you like pumpkin pie you will love this, it is not too crazy on the spices, the taste is genuine, and everybody will comment that it smells good.

It’s that time of the year. Pick it up online: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pumpkin-pie-matcha.html

Holds up to its name.

When I found out about this shop, all I can say is I was pleasantly surprised. With flavors ranging from Maca to cheesecake, to bubblegum and treats of the like, this company appeals to the matcha enthusiast who also happens to be a foodie (or in some cases, health nuts). The novelty of the flavors in itself makes Red Leaf stand out from other stores carrying the sophisticated green drink.

By the way, I went with the regular strength, delicate flavor option. It came in a gold package.
When I first tried this, it was after completing a five-mile run. Needless to say I made it as an iced latté. I added some (almond) milk and sweetener (fructose in this case) to bring out the silky, chocolaty texture.

And well, is it great! It smells and tastes like a box of chocolates! Yes, a box of chocolates. Reminds me of Rocky Moutain’s no-sugar-added line.
FYI It’s not just cacao or carob, it’s distinctively chocolate. I can’t wait to try the Maca one, which I also bought. I think these will be a nice addition to my matcha stash. I also look forward to the cheesecake flavor everyone is raving about.

Get it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/belgium-chocolate-matcha.html

see previous notes

I’ve been adding splashes of this to my other matchasmoothies, so this morning I opted for a purely caramel smoothie! I’d almost forgotten how wonderful the caramel tastes on it’s own. I really do enjoy the 50/50 base though i’d be curious as well to see how a white base or entirely black base would fair. I’ve ordered a re-stock of this as well since it appears that I’m starting to run low again on this one. :)

Well I figured if there was ever a matcha for me to "branch out with: it would be the Caramel Matcha. Since I am in love with the caramel matcha, I decided to try a different base to see how it would compare with the regular matcha. Not wanting to go TOO crazy, I thought i’d start with the 50/50 and maybe work my way through all of the options on the one type of Matcha.
As usual, I picked the Classic Matcha with Robust Flavouring which I find works out pretty damn good with most of the matcha flavours that I’ve tried except for the fruit base. Those need a softer flavouring (so far anyway).

So, what to say about the 50/50 base? Well, as it’s only a split between green and white there isn’t a HUGE difference between the two. What i did fine though, was that the white base seemed to bring out the creaminess of the caramel just a bit more. It frothed just as nicely as the green base as well. Again, this matcha is heavenly delicious caramel delight. This is now one of my favourite lattes as the evenings are cooling off. I’m looking forward to getting a chance to try this out with the black base!

If you’re looking to purchase this Matcha I strongly recommend it! You can find it here (www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html). While you’re at it, pick up a tin or two as they make storing your matcha sooooo much easier!

Well, I managed to brick my poor computer. Heres to hoping my software engineer husband can fix it and recover my data. The main PO is losing my resume template! Perk is I get to play on my husband’s new laptop until my computer is fixed (yay google for saving all my passwords and bookmarks!)

Once my computer died, I gave up and made some matcha – this one, blended with some ice and milk. YUM! Pistachio! Very tasty and peppy.

CAKE MODE!

Cake mode? Yes, cake mode! I made a Pistachio Matcha pound cake in my bread maker! I added 1.5tsp of sifted matcha to the pound cake recipe that came with the instructions. The cake came out slightly green.

Flavor is sweet, with a hint of pistachio but with lots of pistachio aftertaste. Overall came out very good and tortured the entire house while it baked – I would try again, maybe adding more matcha and another flavor. I was tempted to do a fruity matcha, but I’d also like to add fruit and not sure how to pull that off in the breadmaker.

Post weight lifting smoothie! YEAAAH!

I did good at weight lifting today, despite being off the routine from being sick last week.

This pistachio matcha is the bomb! Today’s post workout smoothie: 1/2tsp Pistachio matcha, 1 cup soymilk, 2 packets of splenda (Phhfhfffff!), 1 scoop of soy protein = killer smoothie! Nutty! That honey sweet pistachio yummyness! DROOOL!

Pistachio Matcha.. what, no one else here has tried this one? Psshhhhhh! I’m a pistachio fan, I doubt I’m the only one!

Specs on the matcha I’m drinking:

Pistachio Matcha
Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Distinctive
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pistachio-matcha.html

The matcha straight out of the bag smells very strongly like sweet pistachio, reminding me of pistachio halva. Hey.. that’s an idea, sweetening this with some honey and a spoon of tahini? Ehh, that sounds a little too nutty. Very intoxicating smell!

The matcha frothed up well during whisking and is a lovely green colour, matching a perfect colour to pistachios too!

As a traditional cup of hot matcha, great strong earthy green tea base holding hands next to the pistachio flavor. The matcha isn’t astringent. Slight bitterness, but it fits the bill almost with a smokeyness of the pistachio. There is a sweet nutty taste at the end of my sip. The best part of this cup is that sweet nutty taste, very well done! I’m thinking I could drink this one as a traditional cup all the time.

As a iced latte (prepared with matcha, ice, soy milk and a bit of sweetner), this pretty much tastes like pistachio ice cream! Creamy, sweet, and nutty with strong green tea base. This one came out sweeter than normal because of the sweetness of the flavoring. With that said, if adding sweetener, be gentle.

I usually order “Robust” flavoring, this being my first “distinctive” flavoring. I found the matcha is near balanced with the flavoring, rather than the flavoring being in your face. This is a great flavoring selection if you want to enjoy the matcha earthyness more.

So my tea peeps, totally give this one a shot. I guess it sounds kinda weird since I think others might associate pistachios as just a salty snack, but this one is sweet, nutty and tasty!

Really needed a pick me up as I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night. I wanted to sleep in longer but woke up after four hours ready to go, because I had a killer idea for a screen play which I started writing, but then it hit me after I had been up for a couple of hours, but then it was too late to go back to bed, and do you like my run on sentence? Its the matcha’s fault. ANYWAY … yeah this is good stuff! Not my favorite from Red Leaf but geesh with so many to choose from they cant ALL be favorites.
I really want the new Apple Pie and Berry Pie matchas but geesh when does it END? LOL never that is when … the crux of the tea addiction.
YAY….

This is one of those matcha that you will want to have around for the kids, their friends, and when you want to make smoothies, or have a sweet treat. Its not my favorite from Red Leaf but its not bad at all it just reminds me of circus peanuts. Do you remember those things? Sort of like slightly hardened dried out marshmallow like candies. We used to get them at the dime store. Remember when we had “dime stores” … haha anyway I do enjoy this tea – takes me back to the good ol days, and really where they all THAT good? Oh well the point is – this is some good stuff and I do like it but its more of a banana candy like flavor rather than fresh ripe banana but at the same time I just don’t know how natural of a banana flavor one could possibly get – I don’t know if I have ever had a better banana flavor in a tea or anything else for that matter that was not a banana itself. I think that banana flavored things always tend to have that slightly strange flavor to it.
Now, this is where things get really good … I mixed my banana matcha with macadamia nut matcha to make a banana nut like matcha and it was excellent! Made a smoothie out of it that way too! It was QUITE yummy!

I did go with Robust flavoring on this one but I think you could easily go with distinctive and it have plenty of flavor.

You should get some yummy matcha – here is the link to the banana matcha!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/banana-matcha.html