Matcha Outlet

Yet another incredible matcha from Red Leaf. I still can’t believe how quickly I’ve fallen in love with matcha. All of the flavours are so true to life, perfectly balanced, and darn addictive. I’ve even come to love the preparation process, whereas I used to find it a bit of a pain in the butt. Something about scooping out the fragrant powder, sifting it into my cup and then whisking like a madman is soothing, in a way. A nice little break from whatever I’m doing to just focus my energy on preparing my tea.

I was a little wary about trying this flavour since I’ve never had a boysenberry, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Blackberries are one of my favourite fruits though, and boysenberries look pretty much identical, so somehow I just assumed that they must be delicious. I was right! This matcha is the perfect fruity treat. The best way I can describe it is as a fresh, light, perfectly sweet/tart berry. When I opened my package of delicately flavoured matcha, I was overcome with a burst of sweet, almost candy-like fruitiness. I was reminded almost of
those delicious, chewy blackcurrant pastilles that I loved growing up.

Once prepared, I was treated to a nice balance of earthy matcha and bright berry goodness. The candy quality is a bit muted, and the fruitiness really shines. One thing I love about this matcha is that I don’t have to add as much sugar to it as I do with the more dessert-like flavours. With this, I like to let the tartness of the berry shine through, but with the dessert matcha I crave a good amount of sugar since they’re supposed to taste like something sweet and decadent. This is delicious unsweetened or with just a touch, and I never miss the extra sugar.

I have posted my favourite smoothie mix for the cheesecake matcha, which is strawberries, bananas, matcha, vanilla yogurt & pineapple orange banana juice. I haven’t tried a smoothie with this flavour yet, but I’m thinking blueberries, bananas, vanilla yogurt, and apple juice or cider would be absolutely perfect.

I’m hoping to make another matcha order soon, to try out some more unique flavours and experiment a bit with the bases. So far I’ve only tried traditional green matcha and the 50/50 base, but I am super curious about black matcha. I’m thinking it would make an amazing latte with one of the richer flavours, like pumpkin pie or mocha. And recent reviews have got me tempted to try cookies and cream black matcha. I love that with Red Leaf, the possibilities are truly endless.

Boysenberry matcha far surpassed my expectations. You can find it here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/boysenberry-matcha.html

Oh yeah get yours here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/papaya-matcha.html

By the smell of this one I was really iffy as to wether I would like it or not.
It smelled just like green bananas! Tart really strong smelling green bananas to the point of smelling like artificial banana flavoring. HOWEVER … wait for it … this stuff is AMAZING!

Oh and also when I was mixing it my daughter asked “what is that??” as she had smelled it from the other room! I asked her “what does it smell like?” she answered “bananas”!

Okay no, I am not confused, I realize this is not banana matcha and in fact once you get it mixed it does not taste like banana matcha at all!

This is yummy papaya! Like the passion fruit matcha I reviewed earlier today there is a rind like flavor to the matcha but its not quite as strong as the rind flavor was in the passion fruit, this is a very nice, fresh, ripe papaya tasting matcha and I LOVE IT! This is a very sweet tasting matcha too!

Honestly, I never would have thought I would like this as much as I do based on the smell of the dry powder. Also this is one of the last matcha I have on hand that I have not yet tried or reviewed! Actually while I have not done my review yet on the brandy matcha I have had it and loved it. Just need to get the review done, so in fact, this is my last matcha to savor and oh yes I am savoring it!!

I mixed this in my typical latte fashion and with the milk and creamer the flavors are incredible! I feel like I am drinking something on a cruise ship or at an island resort! The only thing missing is my lei and some island music! Gad this is for sure on my re-order list once this 30g is gone!

My matcha was composed of the following:

Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust
Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g)
As always I highly suggest you get the tin – its a screw on lid that keeps your matcha fresh and dry and helps you keep from spilling it by trying to scoop it out of the bag.
Again, You can get your Papaya Matcha from Red Leaf Tea here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/papaya-matcha.html

MY MATCHA IS HERE! MY MATCHA IS HERE!! My cats are staring at me doing a dance around the house like, “WTF IZ U DOIN’?”

I was sitting at my computer doing some training manual prep for work, and I heard the mailman drop something in the box. So I trudged upstairs to see what bills we have…I thought briefly of the cheesecake matcha I ordered from Red Leaf Teas eons ago at the end of August, but I dismissed the thought because I had basically given up on ever seeing it.

(I would like to note here that I do not blame Red Leaf at all for the lengthy shipping time. In my limited experience, the customer service at Red Leaf is great. I once emailed the company about Amaretto not being listed as a flavour on the 2-in-1 custom matcha page – I didn’t realize that it was a new flavour – and I had an email back about it being corrected within an hour. When I ordered this matcha, I got an email confirmation that it had shipped the same day I ordered it, and the USPS tracking number indicates that it was shipped to the border in speedy time indeed.

So, Canada Post, where exactly has my matcha been in the two weeks PLUS since it crossed the border, hmm? Were you guys checking it for BOMBS, or something?!)

But now it’s here! It’s even here on the day that my mom is taking me out for Indian for my birthday. Since it got here in time for the birthday celebration, let’s just count that as arriving in time for my birthday. And it’s in my favourite birthday cake flavour!

Here was my order:

Cheesecake Matcha (Which you can get yourself here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html)
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Size : Small
Flavor: Robust

The small because I already have a ton of tea and just wanted to try it, and robust because I am so new to matcha and a little intimidated by how strong the flavour of it is. (Translation: I tried it straight once and nearly spat it out.)

I also separately ordered a little tin, because I had heard that the bag the matcha arrives in is not reseal-able. This is true, but, also true to what other reviewers have said, it poured from the bag with little trouble!

The scent of this tea is strong – the moment I snipped the packet open, I got a good whiff of delicious sweetness. Although to be honest, I’m not sure it actually smells like cheesecake – my first thought is more along the lines of buttercream.

The color of the matcha is not like the matcha I’ve had before (which is brilliant green) – there’s more yellow to it. I wonder if that is because of the flavouring changing the color?

I debated how to try this the first time, because I’ve not had matcha before without plenty of sugar and milk to tone down the flavour, but that doesn’t seem like a fair way to review it. I settled on a scant teaspoon of rock sugar and a splash of milk for this. At some point I will review it straight up, but I’m not brave enough to do that yet.

I got the rock sugar dissolving while I sifted a teaspoon of this into my bowl. I was surprised at how well it sifted…the matcha I’ve used before seemed somehow sticky, almost as though it was a bit wet, and tended to coat my strainer. This stuff all went right through into the bowl.

With water added, this matcha turns an amazing and hilarious swampy green. Why has no one mentioned this in other reviews?! It’s really quite a color; pretty cool if it doesn’t freak you out.

The flavour of this is so interesting…it’s definitely matcha, but also definitely cheesecake. It’s very creamy throughout the sip; you don’t get a nasty surprise at the back. It’s sweet with just the tiniest hint of a cheesecake tang to it…it may well be tangier with less sugar in it, it may be entirely my fault for overwhelming the flavour that the tangy note doesn’t come through as strongly as the sweet notes. So that gives me another reason to try it straight. The description mentions the matcha having a spiciness to it, which is absolutely accurate…there is indeed a spice to it which really lingers pleasantly on the tongue.

This is so good and warming, and probably just the kick in the butt I needed today, because I’ve been kind of sleepy after a long week. I will definitely be ordering more stuff from Red Leaf! (Especially since I noticed they sell my favourite Finum filters. Teaopia used to sell them, but now that Teaopia is no more – near me, anyway – I’ve been at a loss as to where to get them.) I also have told my coworkers and the girls at DAVIDs about Red Leaf – my tea came with a little brochure about the tea, so I will have to show that around.

Did I mention I got my key and a promotion to team lead? Oh yes, I did!

So: Promotion. Birthday celebration today. AND MY MATCHA CAME.

Life is good.

Passion Fruit Matcha

Get yours here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/passion-fruit-matcha.html

Wow this one whisks up really nicely! Granted I am getting better at whisking and making a nice froth on top of my matcha but this one was easy peasy! I have noticed some matcha flavors mix more easily than others for some reason and since I do make more than one matcha many days its not just due to me being better one day versus another. This one whisked up to a very full forth quite easily! I note this because I know froth is really something many of us struggle with especially when we are new to matcha so I wanted to make a note of it for those of you who may feel deflated by not getting a good foam. Get this one and you can feel stellar! lol

Now as for taste, I am not one who has had a lot of passion fruit in their life, other than in smoothies I have got from smoothie places and those are usually so riddled with sugars and other fruits picking out the passion fruit itself was a little difficult especially not having passion fruit in and of itself.

Now I get to taste real passion fruit! Yay!

It has a bit of this natural rind like flavor similar to that you sometimes get in a mango or papaya. Fruits I do have personal experience with. I like it though – it really compliments the natural grassy like flavor of the matcha base! And contrary to the smoothies I have had its not that sweet. There is a tart flavor to it but not bitter. It tastes REALLY healthy, and while matcha is always healthy sometimes I feel guilty having my dessert like matcha lol although I shouldn’t such as my favorite butterscotch mathca makes me feel like I’m cheating haha this one makes me feel like I am really doing something good for my body and trust me my body needs all the help it can get!

The aroma of this one is really quite nice! It is very eye opening and even if its only a mental thing I sure can use that in the mornings!

There is the after taste of the rind like flavor but the passion fruit flavor makes my mouth water for more, literally, as if the juices itself are pulling out the watery mouth sensation! Its strange but nice. Its like having a mouth full of juicy passion fruit!

So I drank half of my matcha straight, then added some sparkling italian water and some sweet cream non dairy creamer to make an italian soda and OMG goodness! The flavors ERUPT into a juicy fruit gum sensation which is similar in some ways to the brandy matcha I am going to review next! It is different though as the brandy also has alcohol notes to it whereas this one does not. This is like the virgin variable you give your kids while you have the brandy one haha. Except this has that lovely awakening rind flavor in the background that lingers in the after taste.

This is one of the more difficult flavors to describe but again probably due to my lack of experience with Passion Fruit.

My matcha was composed of the following:

Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust
Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g) 

Again you can get yours here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/passion-fruit-matcha.html

After reading everyone’s matcha reviews, I just couldn’t resist anymore. So I had to order my first matcha!! And what a way to start off…….cheesecake matcha. I LOVE cheesecake. So I ordered:

Cheesecake Matcha
Size : Small
Flavor: Distinctive
Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g)
I added this tin because I knew that I wouldn’t have anything to put it in at home. And from reading everyone else’s reviews prompted me to order this!

I actually received my package on Friday, and it has been torturing me in my tea box since then. I worked all weekend, and really didn’t get any chance to give this the proper time to try this. So I saved it to try today.

So matcha……no idea what I’m doing. I don’t have any matcha tools. So I just used a regular soup bowl and a metal whisk. I sifted ½ teaspoon into the bowl and added ¼ cup of 80degree water. And I whisked and whisked, and I thought it seemed alright so I added another ¼ cup of water. And whisked some more. It had some foam, so I tasted it. It was a little bit vegetal with some bitterness. So, I whisked it some more. It was pretty good with nice and creamy cheesecake flavour.

But then I had an idea, Magic Bullet! I threw this in there, and wow foam, now this is how it is supposed to taste! With about ¼ cup of milk, this is a creamy dessert.

But, I knew I wanted to make this into a smoothie. Here is what I used:
½ cup water
½ cup milk
large scoop of no fat greek yogurt
large handful of frozen strawberries
and of course 1 tsp CHEESECAKE MATCHA powder sifted
I blended this up in my magic bullet. WOW WOW! This is delicious cheesecake goodness! Did I mention that I love cheesecake…….lol. It is sweet enough that it does not need any extra sweetening. And since I have a smoothie every day that I am not working, this is such a great tea for me!

Next up for me is the Bavarian cream when that arrives hopefully sometime this week!

Thank you to Red Leaf Tea for making such an amazing incentive program for trying matcha. Honestly, I might not have ever tried matcha if it weren’t for this promotion. I hope to order more very soon! Here is where you can get his amazing tea:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html

Wow I can’t believe this one was not even in the Steepster Database!

Macadamia Nut Matcha
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/macadamia-nut-matcha.html

Well I have to admit I was not as excited to try Macadamia Nut Matcha as I had been other flavors. A nut matcha to me seemed to be something one would mix with another outstanding sounding flavor, such as white chocolate mixed with macadamia nut perhaps. Alas white chocolate has not been released yet. I am sure I could have found something else to mix with this flavor but since it is my first time having it and I wanted to do a review I had it on its own.

I can only say WOW just simply WOW. This is the most amazing macadamia nut taste! It is such a strong flavor even at the robust level it actually may be a little too strong for some people. Not for me, I like my flavors strong, but if you want a more subtle flavor I would go with delicate.

All I can say is once again I am absolutely not disappointed in Red Leaf’s quality and flavors. I was so worried this flavor would only be so-so, a little nutty but not really having any true flavor unto itself. Fact is this tastes more macadamia nutty than anything else I can remember having outside of macadamia nuts themselves straight out of a can or jar, and I rarely have the nuts that way. Usually when I have macadamia nuts they are in a cookie somewhere.

Let me just say this, if I had to choose between a couple of the cookies, and this matcha – I would pick the matcha hands down every time! And know that while I say that White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are may all time favorite cookies!

While this is the BOMB on its own as a stand alone flavor I sure can’t wait for white chocolate to be released in RLT’s lineup because I would in fact enjoy very much mixing these two wonderful flavors!

As always RLT’s base matcha is superior to any other I have had, and I love the customer service, fast shipping, and loyalty program.

My Macadamia Nut Matcha from Red Leaf Tea was composed of the following:

Options:
Size : Small, Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade), Flavor: Robust, Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g), Accessories: None
You can grab yours here:

Thank you so much, Azzrian, for your generous samples!

I’ve never had a matcha until now, so I’m super excited to try this!
Since just about the only thing I knew regarding preparing matcha was that it needed to be put through a strainer to make it less clumpy, I went off to Google to look it up. Some site mentioned that preparing it in a travel mug and then shaking it could be used in place of a matcha whisk and bowl (both of which I lack at the moment), so I’m opting for that method instead of whisking the tea in a bowl with a fork or egg beater (I’m feeling a bit lazy at the moment).

Now that the whisking part was taken care of, I tried to find out what the equivalent of a matcha scoop was in teaspoons. I wasn’t able to find clear answers, so I’m just going to use the smallest spoon I can find and then eyeball it with matcha amount and water. How I’m going to eyeball something I’ve never done before, I’m not too certain, but my mother is fantastic at doing it when cooking, so I’m hoping that I picked up that trait from her somehow!
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Well, I’ve just had my first sip of matcha! It tastes AMAZING. The powder did smell quite like butterscotch when I was putting it through the strainer, but I was expecting for it to taste a bit less like butterscotch when it was finally prepared. It’s basically like a less sweet version of butterscotch, which is great, because I love butterscotch candies but dislike how sweet they are. I think I can taste a bit of the matcha base, but I’m not sure. I also don’t know if that’s supposed to happen or not, but I’ll make a mental note to put in more water or less powder the next time I make matcha (hopefully tomorrow morning!). For now, I’ll try adding some milk to see how it tastes.

Oh, wow, the milk brings out more of the butterscotch! Yum! This will definitely make my (many many) homework readings for tonight much more enjoyable. If many of Red Leaf Tea’s matchas are this great, I’m really looking forward to making a purchase from them when I’m able to!

Thanks again, Azzrian, for sending me this sample!

My last matcha from this order! While I’m sad I won’t have any new ones to try (until I make another order, which I guarantee won’t take more than 24 hours haha), I now get to experiment! But before I do, this little gem is just begging for a review. Like with Bavarian Cream, I experimented a bit with the base. I loooove black tea, so of course I needed to try black matcha! And I honestly can’t think of a better flavor to go with it than Cookies & Cream. My matcha was as follows:

Size: Small (30 grams)
Matcha Base: Black Matcha
Flavor Level: Distinctive

One of these days I’ll pick a matcha I totally love and get it in the large size, but for now I like having small options of so many different flavors—I don’t feel like they are going to go bad or anything before I get to them! I have so many teas (nearing on 200 orz) that I just know I won’t use up large portions unless it’s a cupboard staple like Paris or Uji’s Genmaicha—stuff I drink ALL the time. And while I do drink matcha all the time, I like to mix up the flavors so I love that they offer this tiny size!

So, let’s talk about the black matcha base. It’s gotten so-so reviews on here, but I think my opinion is quite different on this one. First off, it looks like cocoa powder! It’s also much harder to get off a countertop than green matcha, which I unfortunately learned when I dropped a bit on it and it just smeared brown everywheeeere. I get so sad whenever I drop a bit of matcha… which sadly isn’t that uncommon, it’s always drifting off the edge of my spoon. Oh well, the sooner I go through a packet the sooner I get to order more I suppose!

I was expecting a lot less froth, but it really mixed up well and actually dissolved faster than green or green/white. Usually I have to kind of tip my mug around to get in all the corners where the matcha is clumping (even after sifting, since I don’t use the traditional bowl/fancy whisk but a mug and regular whisk), but this one whisked in like a dream! After adding some milk it looks like hot chocolate, and it smells like it too—cause of the flavoring I chose, it is very chocolatey! I think the base has some natural chocolate notes that are enhanced by the cookies & cream flavor.

The first sip was kind of weird, since it doesn’t taste at all like traditional matcha—no grassiness, none of that lip-smacking matcha flavor I’m so used to. It really does taste like black tea! Honestly, I don’t know why I was so surprised by this fact. It’s powdered black tea, of course it’s gonna taste like it! It’s a much richer base, I want to say creamier but I’m not quite sure how much of these notes I can attribute to the flavoring. I got the distinctive level, so I should be able to really taste the base thankfully!

What this base definitely has over regular matcha is how smooth it is. It just slides down your throat! And the flavor is so interesting, hard to pinpoint exactly but it’s definitely like a nice Chinese black. I wouldn’t say I like it MORE than regular matcha or even the 50/50 base but it’s a great option and I honestly think for this flavor it’s better with the black base than it would be with any other. This is how I felt about my Bavarian Cream 50/50 matcha—it’s nice to have so many options, now I know what flavors go well with what bases! For chocolatey flavors I will most definitely go with the black from now on, though I think it might be weird with something fruity.

So, about the actual cookies & cream flavor! It is SO GOOD. Like oreos in my cup! The chocolate is rich and dark, the cream is smooth and deliciously vanilla. It’s not as heavy and dense as the bavarian cream, it’s lighter and… fluffier. Not, you know, physically fluffy obviously, it just tastes more airy. I haven’t tried any chocolate-y matchas before, but damn is that flavor spot-on! I am so impressed with all the flavors they offer that I’ve tried, but what has really won me over is all the options. You get to feel like it’s match personalized just for you! I am head over heels in love with Red Leaf.

If you want your own Cookies & Cream matcha (and you should!) you can find it here:

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

I haven’t had this one in awhile!

Annd, I get to try out my new milk frother thing that I bought at IKEA. Pretty yummy! I made a latte, cool, with a bit of sweetener. The frother didn’t seem like it was working until I realized I gained an inch of height! Taste? I taste some cookie, but I’m still not a fan of the black matcha base.

This matcha does protein smoothie well!

I was a little heavy on the protein powder (or cheap on the milk) and the chunky bits reminded me of cookies to go with the whole flavoring!

A good matcha smoothie to end a horrible work out. I had to bail on the last set as it was just getting too heavy.

One of my more weirder concoctions:

Today’s post weight lifting smoothie

1 cup soy milk
1/2tsp cookies and cream matcha, black matcha
1 scoop of soy protein powder
1/2 a crumbled fat free ice cream sandwich

Now thats tasty.. weird chunky but tasty!

Cookies and Cream Matcha – Black Matcha base

What kind of oreo person are you? I was one of those double stuff gals, who would take two double stuff oreos missing a top and combine them into one quadruple stuff oreo! YEAH!

So, I am the adventurous type and customized my Red Leaf matcha to be made as black matcha, which is ground up black tea. I do love my black tea, especially blended with other flavors. Black tea + chocolate + cream = win!

My matcha specs:

Cookies and Cream black matcha
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cookies-and-cream-matcha.html
Quality: Black Matcha
Flavor: Robust
Small Tin

I’ve been choosing Robust flavoring as I find it pretty strong and with a background taste of the matcha. Of course, the tin is great as it keeps the matcha safe and easy to scoop from. I have one matcha I didn’t get a tin for and I’ve often got some on my hands reaching into the bag and made a mess.

The matcha powder is light chocolately colour, looking tasty! A strong chocolate liqour and a mysterious zesty black tea smell.

Prepared as a traditional matcha, the froth is a little hard to achieve, and does not linger for long. The colour is again a light chocolate. The taste is a bitter strange, some astringency, but also a mysterious creamy note. At the end of my sip, there is a strong black tea taste. Strong as in if you over steeped a cup of black tea or added too much leaves in in some ambitious plot to make it taste more like the flavoring. This was a pour out for me as it was just too bitter strong crazy for my liking. Maybe black matcha needs to be prepared at a different temperature than green matcha?

In another attempt, I whisked another batch up, but instead of more hot water I added a teaspoon of sugar and topped it off with hot soy milk. Now, this is much much better! Creamy, lightly chocolately and oreo filling taste! There is a slight black tea aftertaste similar to the traditionally prepared cup but goes with the whole experience. At times I can totally taste I’m drinking cookies and cream ice cream, but other sips I’m reminded this is black tea. I love it! This totally is one of the best black tea lattes I’ve had!

I’m thinking I’d love to do this as a smoothie – blend this up with milk, ice, sweetener and top with some smashed oreo cookies. Or, I could take the cookies and cream latte to the next level with whipped cream and cookie crumb topping! Yeah.. I need to watch my figure, so I’ll stick to the basic latte or smoothie.
I probably will never buy any oreo cookies because I’d eat them all, so maybe a scoop of low fat cookies and cream ice cream on top? I’d love to have some cookie chunks with this matcha!

Overall, I don’t recommend Cookies and Cream black matcha base as a traditional cup, unless I’m failing at preparing this correctly. As a latte, pretty solid and delicious, especially if you are a black tea drinker.

It has been far too long since I’ve had some matcha so I decided that tonight would be as good as any to remedy that situation. This cheesecake matcha is seriously smooth and has a very strong aroma that makes me want to double check and make sure there isn’t any actual cheesecake somewhere in my kitchen. I’ve had this matcha several times now and each time this flavor is spot on to a real, creamy cheesecake. You can find out more about this matcha here (and pick up some for yourself!): http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html.

Initially, I tried this matcha traditionally in my chawan and it was creamy and rich. I was pleasantly surprised that the color was a vibrant green instead of being muddled by the flavoring. Even though the cheesecake flavor is front and center, it is tempered nicely with a smooth, fresh matcha aftertaste that prevents the flavor from being cloying. The matcha also whisked up quite well with no noticeable clumps and I didn’t even sift it!

After the initial success with this matcha, I couldn’t wait to try it as a hot cheesecake latte. Although the thought of hot liquid cheesecake is not necessarily my idea of a great treat, I was confident that the quality of Red Leaf Tea’s product would not let me down. With a bit of sugar and the addition of warm milk, this latte was so great! I downed it in no time flat and had to make another immediately.

Tonight, I’m having this as a cold iced matcha with a teensy bit of sugar and enough milk to complete the cup. The flavor seems to really pop when prepared this way and I’m certainly wondering how I made it for so many days without drinking this or any other of the great flavors from Red Leaf Tea. A couple of weeks ago I made a delicious matcha cake and I think it would be amazing with this cheesecake flavor as the base! Now to figure out what the next flavor I’ll try will be…

Cherry Matcha

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

A very good cherry matcha. Always the best in quality green tea powder base from Red Leaf Tea! Can’t go wrong with any matcha from RLT.

As for the flavor I will say this is not my all time favorite flavor from RLT but with that said its darn good! I got this to mix with other flavors, specifically with brandy flavored matcha (review on that to come soon) so as a stand alone flavor its okay with me. You have to understand to me, cherry flavored things remind me so much of children’s Tylenol from my youth. Which by the way I don’t dislike, but the association is always there no matter how good a cherry flavor is. I do think I would do better with a black cherry and look forward to when that flavor comes out!

Now, with all THAT said, this cherry is darn good. It does still to me have that slight medicinal flavor.

Mixed with French Vanilla, or Chocolate Matcha OMGoodness!

Now if you are a true cherry lover, then you will absolutely dig this flavor! So don’t let my issues hold you back! You probably have your own issues so don’t go taking mine, I have worked a long time to develop my issues and I will keep them thank you! LOL

Okay seriously though, I enjoy trying all the flavors Red Leaf tea has to offer and I have yet to find one that I wish I had not ordered and I have ordered some of the more bizarre flavors in my opinion! If I ever come across one I would never order again I will let you know but so far with quite the arsenal of matcha in my stash I am so very pleased to be able to say RED LEAF TEA … YOU ROCK!

Maybe one day, I will learn about proper traditional matcha, preparation, respect, protocol, and the history of the tea ceremony, etc. But until that time comes, I will remain blissful in my ignorance and enjoy flavored matcha every single day!

My Cherry Matcha was composed as such:

Options:
Size : Small, Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade), Flavor: Robust, Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g), Accessories: None

As always in every review I mention Red Leaf’s containers for their matcha. I LOVE them! Screw top lids keep the tea safe and sound, and keep you (me) from making a mess trying to scoop out of a bag. Hard enough with leaf tea, even harder with powder. Be sure to grab one of these containers!

Also if you have not read one of my reviews on RLT before – they have the BEST customer service, the most interesting and rewarding FREE MATCHA program here: http://www.redleaftea.com/free-matcha/
and sales galore!

Try them you won’t be sorry!

Again here is where to get the Cherry flavored matcha:

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cherry-matcha.html

So, I decided to experiment with candy making and matcha! English toffee is pretty much the simplest candy recipe, and I thought the butteriness would pair well with matcha. The issue is that candy is HOT when you make it, well over boiling water temperatures. And matcha can scorch easily, so I was really worried it would end up burnt-tasting.

I decided to add the matcha (1 1/2 teaspoons) right after it’d reached toffee temperature and I took it off the heat. I mixed it in as quickly as possible and poured it out to cool. One hour later, toffee success! The matcha didn’t burn at all, and in fact I think I could have used less. The matcha flavor is sooo good, and you can definitely taste the Bavarian Cream. Possibly the best toffee I’ve ever made! I’m thinking of whipping up a batch of gingerbread matcha toffee for the 12 Days of Christmas swap. Or maybe eggnogg!

I love baking with tea, but I had yet to experiment with Red Leaf’s matcha and baked goods. Well, two days ago I decided to change that! I whipped up a pretty simple pound cake batter, and added cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of this matcha… well, maybe a little less than a tablespoon. I’ll be honest, I don’t really measure (except for flour & sugar). I eyeball everything!

It was SO GOOD. I was worried the Bavarian Cream flavor wouldn’t come through but oh man it does. The cake is fluffy light perfection, the cream cheese/bavarian cream combo make it ridiculously decadent without adding too many calories at all (I used light cream cheese). Ugh, it’s like cake and frosting in one but with like a third of the calories. If you have this matcha with any base, put it in a cake. Right now. Just do it, it’s so good!

This is the matcha I’ve really been looking forward to the most from my latest order. I mean, Bavarian Cream? Who can resist?! I looove Bavarian Cream, I could eat donuts filled with it all day long. Of course that isn’t an option unless I want to weight waaay too much, so I was so excited to see Red Leaf was making a matcha flavored with it! Healthy Bavarian cream? Sign me on!

I decided to experiment a bit with the base on this one. I didn’t want to go ALL the way white just in case I didn’t like it, and the sale + the gift certificate really gave me a lot of room to play around with all those nifty add-ons. I also have a matcha in the same order with a black base! I’m so excited to try that one out, but this one really won out in the battle for nighttime matcha. As I’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t give me enough of a buzz to really make it hard to sleep. Plus I’m a night owl, so it’s not like this is right before bed or anything! Anyway, my matcha was composed as follows:

Size: Small (30 grams)
Matcha Quality: 50% Green Matcha/50% White Matcha
Flavor Level Distinctive

I think the white matcha may possibly be a bit more… voluminous than the green? My bag seems extra-stuffed this time, and maybe it’s some sort of illusion but I’d swear it seems like there is a ton more in there. The color is more subdued than straight green matcha: it’s a bit… well, not duller, but the white/brown aspect definitely comes through. It’s actually a really pretty color! And it smells a little different too, less grassy. Oh, of course it smells mostly like Bavarian Cream!

The matcha whisks up with the same amount of foam as green: I’ve heard that white/red/black doesn’t have as many bubbles but the 50/50 mix seems to counteract this. Yum, matcha foam! It always makes me feel so fancy. The flavor of the matcha itself is really interesting. There’s that grassy, distinctive green matcha taste, but also something light and airy and almost… not floral, but it does definitely taste a bit like white tea! It’s also a bit smoother, but I’m not sure how much of that has to do with the flavoring.

So, let’s talk about Bavarian Cream! The joys of this stuff (the actual cream) isn’t just the taste, it’s the consistency too. Obviously matcha isn’t going to be, you know, a thick cream, but it does capture that special aspect! It’s really smooth and luscious, even thicker than usual. I mean thicker in mouthfeel, I don’t think it is actually any different in consistency than other matchas I’ve tried. But the sensation of custard is there! And the taste.. the taste is so good! Vanilla, cream, custard, heaven! It’s like donut filling in my cup! I think the 50/50 base is a good choice for this one, it tones down the grassiness a bit so it’s just creamy goodness. I wanted this one to be extra dessert-like and it is so spot on! You can pick it up here:

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

And I definitely recommend both the flavor and the base. It is so good, almost edging out Pumpkin Pie as my favorite!

Post weight lifting smoothie!

Sugar Destroyer matcha + soymilk + soy protein powder + 2 Kale leaves = BLECK! Creamy chunky leaf bleck!

I should of added some almond butter (thats a delicious kale smoothie right there), but I think I’m punishing myself for being out of exercise the last few days.

EDIT: this is the longest smoothie drinking session ever! I swear I’m chewing more of it. The sugar destroyer matcha I cannot taste, but I can feel it perking me up. Ugggg kale teeth!

Feeling very full from this matcha done as a smoothie. This matcha tastes deliciously strong green tea and earthy. The sugar buster matcha has a slight natural sweet taste at first, then the sweetness disappears off my tongue. It’s like the opposite effect of stevia to me (which taste like nothing, then hits the back of my throat sweet) but much less sweet.

I did a full picture loaded review on my blog, http://bunnyjiujitsu.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/sugar-buster-matcha/

Some additional notes for my fellow steepsters: found this matcha hard to achieve froth, but did fine as a latte. Very mild taste off regular matcha, though I did get the delicate flavoring. The sweetness effect is interesting, with a resulting astringency effect but on my tongue. I don’t taste any sweetness post drinking this. FUNKY!

Soooo this is my official sip down log for this tea since I pawned the last of it on to kittenna today. Likely not a repurchase for me unless I try it with delicate flavouring, it’s just too artificial.

Very nearly a sipdown, to the point that I may not finish the rest of this matcha. I’m finding the intensity of the pear matcha overwhelming today and the subtle artificial taste is making me not happy. I had to add chocolate matcha to this to make it drinkable. I suspect that i would love this a lot more with delicate flavouring instead of the robust. At the end of the day it’s just not my favourite anymore.

Finally had time this weekend to have a smoothie. I’ve got some major work to do this weekend at the house and for work. Thought I’d kick off sunday with this to brew up some enrgy while I tackle the house stuff while my other half is at work. That way we can hit the gym when he gest home! woot! Discovered that I managed to not gain back any weight while we were on vacation and taking 2.5 weeks off of the gym. Even while on an “all you can eat” cruise :)

So I think I have this figured out. The pear flavouring is too strong for me. I ordered the robust flavouring since that’s worked out well for me with cheesecake and caramel, but I think in the pear it’s too intense. I made a pear smoothie this morning and it was waaaaaay intense. I had to back it off with twice the amount of milk that I usually use and it was then that I got the hint of how amazing this would be with the delicate flavouring. I think this is also because pears in general don’t have a super intense smack you in the face taste. They’re delicious and wonderful but also subtle. Now, all that being said, I’m super happy that I think I’ve figured it out so my next reorder of pear will try the delicate flavouring. :) overall still love this matcha, just not quite as much as the cheesecake and caramel.

Home from working out and then going to idea and Canadian tire to look for various things as well as find possible ideas for storing tea in our little apartment. Exhausted from all that so I decided to treat myself with a pear latte, thought tossed in a dash of caramel matcha as well. I love how easily I can make a warm tasty beverage that’s has a little more to it than tea. Pear plus the creamy goodness of milk. Mmmmmm