Matcha Outlet

Oh man…i’d forgotten how good this is. Morning smoothie and while I was tempted to do a sipdown on my boerry matcha THIS begged me to drink it this morning. I am so glad i listened! I added a dash of cheesecake matcha to bring out a bit of creaminess as well. Man let me tell you, there’s a reason i have a back up package of this unopened in my cupboard. SOOOO good!

nomnomnomnomnom yeah… this was the right choice this morning! I was almost going to go with a nice strong mocha smoothie but decided last minute to go with black cherry for that happy funshine fruit thing! Long day ahead of me so i’ll need my energy. HAPPY MONDAY WORLD!

I suppose this is technically a custom creation but I like logging them under the matcha that is dominant in my creation. TOday was a mixture of this and the cheesecake matcha. It’s going to be a week of rain here so I probably should make myself a matcha latte in the morning but i DO love my smoothies. I have a few new flavours on the way but i think i’m radually settling in to my top 5 matchas – this will be one of them :) I really like the flavouring of the black cherry. I’m tempted to try some of thet other cherries but this one is delicious!

WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!! It’s tea day! not like any day ISN’T tea day but today just seems like more than usual. Also, my last note was my 300th tasting note so that’s super exciting. Not nearly as many as everyone else around here but in my head I’m really at 600 since I’ll do one tasting note for 3 cups of th same tea heh.

Anyway still loving this matcha and still REALLY enjoying my morning smoothies. Going to miss having one Friday morning…might have to actually have COFFEE to keep my awake during my all day client visit blech

mmmmmmmm So it’s FRIDAY!!!! And last night my Art piece arrived AND my back ordered cheesecake matcha AND my free tea from the persimmon tree tea AND there’s at least one more package to pick up at the post office which will either be my butiki teas order or my verdant order so yesterday was full of WIN! well apart from everything else that went wrong haha.

I am still loveing this matcha. The black cherry is a really nice fruit base for my morning wake up.

Go go Black Cherry! I have to say right off the bat that this might be my favourite fruit flavoured matcha so far. Given the intensity of the Pear matcha, I was a little worried about the strength of this matcha when I received it.

My matcha order was the following:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust

I shouldn’t have been worried! While in the Pear, the intensity was too much – in the black cherry it’s perfect! When I first opened the package it smelled like cherry…the kind of cherry that is in those red suckers you get as a child from the doctor for a good visit :) First up for THIS matcha was a morning smoothie! I tossed in a frozen banana, some milk and ice and blended it up! I was a bit concerned that the banana might alter the taste too much but this matcha was strong enough!

After blending the cherry becomes rich and less like those child’s suckers and more like actual cherries. It’s funny because I know a bunch of people sweeten their match but it’s never occurred to me to do that. I’m glad though because so far none of the matchas I’ve tried from Red Leaf have needed any sweetening. I REALLY like this matcha. I’m a little curious as to how this would blend with the Cola matcha – I may be adventurous enough to try that some time. I’m also a little happy because while I enjoyed the pear – it was a bit artificial and strong for me and the berry was a melange of flavours. This matcha is straight up, one intense flavour POW! Without being TOOOOO strong :)

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

I don’t recall what it was that lead me to order this particular flavor of Matcha from Red Leaf Tea … available here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/brandy-matcha.html Was it on sale? Probably.

I’m not typically overly excited about alcohol-inspired flavored teas. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed many of those that I’ve tried. (By the way, Red Leaf Tea has many delightful wine infused selections of tea too: http://www.redleaftea.com/wine-tea/) But, I’m just not a fan, in general, of alcohol, so, I don’t really feel the need to enjoy it via tea. As I said, I have enjoyed the various alcohol-infused and/or alcoholic beverage inspired teas that I’ve tried, some more than others … but, generally speaking I’d prefer other flavors over alcohol inspired flavors.

But, I REALLY do like this and am glad that I got it … whatever it was that inspired me to get it. When I first opened the pouch, it smelled of sweet brandy, kind of like a sweet, truffle-y filling in a alcohol infused chocolate. My order specifications for this particular matcha were my “go to”/usual specifications: distinctive level of flavoring with the classic grade of Matcha. This seems perfect for me as I taste a really pleasing balance between Matcha and flavor … although I don’t know that what I’m tasting is actually Brandy flavoring. Is brandy typically this sweet and fruity? (Again, not something I would know, since I don’t usually partake of “spirits”)

The Matcha is sweet and creamy and not quite as vegetative as some other Matcha. The vegetative tones are there, but they’re quieter, more elusive, and off in the background.

I do taste notes of what I’m going to call “brandy” if for no other reason than this is supposed to be a brandy flavored matcha … there is a certain alcohol-like flavor to this. But, it is also rather subdued in the presence of some rather strong flavors. As I quickly perused some of the tasting notes, I saw a comparison to “Juicy Fruit” gum and I get that comparison, it is sweet and almost candy like. As I mentioned earlier, the fragrance reminded me quite a bit of the sweet, truffle-like filling of a chocolate covered, brandy-infused confection. And I taste a lot of that same type of flavor here. Not an overwhelming, straight-up alcohol note, nothing strong or overbearing or drunkard tasting, instead, it is sweet and very, very smooth.

Yes, for this bowl of Matcha, I would say that smooth is the best descriptive. No sharp or astringent alcohol notes. Nothing at all off-putting. An aftertaste that is vaguely reminiscent of the aftertaste you might experience after a sip of brandy. (Again, that’s going off a distant memory because it’s been quite a while since I’ve consumed brandy)

Very enjoyable. I like this one a lot, and look forward to trying this mixed with other flavors! In case you forgot, you can get some here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/brandy-matcha.html

Although I got in on the tail end of it, I have really appreciated the “free matcha” promotion that Red Leaf has offered. The promotion, along with the positive reviews on Steepster, have spurred me on to go ahead and give flavored matcha a try. The hardest thing has been making a decision on what to order since there are so many exciting choices! I have loved Caramel and Pumpkin Pie, so it was time for something fruity. I found it at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/boysenberry-matcha.html
This was my first fruity matcha from Red Leaf and I had really been looking forward to trying it because of the great reviews. The delicious aroma of this selection made my mouth water as soon as I opened the packet. I have enjoyed boysenberry syrup on many occasions in the past, back in the days when I used to eat waffles and pancakes. This definitely captures the essence of boysenberry nicely with a great balance between sweet and tart. I was too impatient to pull out the whisk, so I did what others have suggested, and mixed it up with 2 oz of hot water , then added some almond milk, a splash of cream, a small amount of sweetener, and some ice cubes and shook it up to make a chilled latte. I will eventually try it hot, but I have really been in the mood for the chilled lattes lately! So this was the third flavor I’ve had from Red Leaf, and all have been outstanding. I’m afraid they could be somewhat addictive. If you haven’t tried boysenberry, you should! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I really only got this for nostalgia-factor! Canada Dry – all the way!

Yes…this smells and tastes like Ginger – the verdicts is still out on the “Ale” part tho…

BUT…it also has an aroma to it that resembles a “just vacuumed” type smell.

As it cools – the ginger taste grows even stronger. If I hold my breath, stand on one foot, and quack like a duck while crossing my eyes – perhaps I can get a little bit of that “ale” of the Ginger Ale type taste to it.

I won’t fault it for not being perfect – I can only image how hard the texture and flavor-pop “ale” would be to re-create…especially in a matcha!

Overall…this is darn good. Even with my goofy description. I’m pleased with this – it sure is an eye opener!

Backlogging…still much better than I anticipated! LOVE this!

When you can’t have Wheatgrass – why not have Wheatgrass Matcha!?

I’m game!

If you’ve ever had a ‘shot’ of Juiced Wheatgrass – you may know it can be pretty harsh! BUT…the benefits are AMAZING! I’m not one to do this often altho I should. I would also LOVE to sprout Wheatgrass at home – but I have yet to do that.

I feel, at this point of my life, and because this is now a staple in my Matcha Cabinet, this is the way to go! Thanks RLT!!!

I wasn’t sure how this was going to work with the matcha base…at first I was assuming it was going to be like a straight-up Wheatgrass Shot or something but it’s WAY MORE pleasant!!! I’m VERY excited and impressed by this matcha offering on many levels!

It’s tastes like wheatgrass and a little lemon-grassy, even. It works PERFECT with the Matcha Base! It’s good hot or cold. It’s smooth and near malty.

Now…I’m wondering about adding a bit of it to smoothies, tonics, blended salads, just a pinch to dips, spreads, desserts, etc. OH!!! The possibilities!

AWESOME!

Having some of this super YUMMY matcha right now :D

My order came yesterday YAAAY! I mixed it with what was left of my poor cola matcha :D of course the cherry wiped the floor with it but it was the strongest setting so I don’t mind because I still get a bit of cola flavour :D The blackcherry went well with a bit of milk :D

I’m not as fond of this aroma as the others, to be honest. It sort of smells like Carob but there is a slight ‘day-old-sock’ aroma to it too!

I will say the taste is better than the smell! It tastes like carob chips, is slightly nutty, and a bit malty. I do prefer the flavor once it’s luke-warm, however.

This isn’t among my fave from RLT but it’s still pretty good. I am happy to add it to my stash and share it with my SororiTEA Sisters

Sip down! Yay for getting through another matcha…..which of course just means I can open the last package of the order I made since another tin is free :) that also means by February I might be able to place another red leaf order to pick up all my favourites.

This one was a good one but I’d be more inclined to get vanilla and chocolate and just mix those two together for a similar taste. That being said, this is one flavour I don’t need to turn down ever :)

Wheee! Yes I’m awake Teaqualsbliss! I just got distracted by the shiny things at work :) Today’s morning matcha is brought to you by the word cookie and the texture cream. I’m nearly done this one so it’s likely that I’ll try and have it over the next few days to continue my super sipdown! I even brought a few teas to work with me since i suspect today will be a REALLY boring day (so excitement steepsterites!) since most of the world is home today.

Anyway, as usual this is a creamy cookie delight. I really do love my morning smoothies from red leaf!

mmmmmm smoothie! I totally didn’t get a chance to make one yesterday and I missed it. While i thoroughly enjoy this matcha, I’m leaning towards either not ordering it again or trying it with a black base. I’m starting to find that the cookies part of this isn’t quite what I want from a cookies n’ cream flavour. It helps when i add a wee bit of chocolate to the mix but it’s not quite there for what i’m looking for.

Behind in my tasting notes today…trying to get everything done before back to work tomorrow. Had this in the morning and it was amazing! Added just a pinch of Belgian chocolate matcha and French vanilla to the mix and it was extra dreamy :)

I made a smoothie this morning and with the cookies & cream matcha i tossed in just a little bit of of the french vanilla matcha. This makes it ever so much more creamy and delicious! Sooo tasty!

Cold matcha latte! Apres workout deliciousness! Feels nice to get through a tough “restart” and have this to come home too. Added a dash of cheesecake to it as well for extra creamy goodness. Really enjoying all my red leaf matcha.

So I can’t remember who it was that ordered this in a black base, and having tried the usual green base, I’m sooooo wanting to try it in the black base now!
My matcha order was the following:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust

I’m running out of red leaf tins to pop my matcha into so I’ll have to pick up some more in my next order! I ordered this matcha because I was curious as to how close to an Oreo it might be. My nickname for a while in highschool? Was Oreo – in part because I could devour entire bags in no time flat and because it became a game with our friends to have nicknames that we could use the letters in it to mean something else. Anyway…i digress, on with the matcha!
Opening this bag up, the kitchen was soon flooded with cookies n’ cream! I was a little excited because it really does smell like an oreo…only a much better quality oreo haha
I think this would be really good hot, but in my usual fashion, I’m trying it first the way I think it will be “less” tasty. No bananas for me today so my smoothie was a little less thick than i like it to be but nice and cold – just the wake up I needed since the time change is wreaking havoc on me for some reason. This is a tasty matcha. I’m beginning to wonder if red leaf can make a matcha that i dislike! Again, this doesn’t compare to cheesecake and caramel but it’s a nice change of pace. I keep expecting to see flecks of black cookies in my matcha!
Buy it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cookies-and-cream-matcha.html

I think the snow has given me the thungries. Remember the old Nestlé Quik commercial? Thungries are when you are thirsty and hungry, but drinking something will satisfy you. Well, I shouldn’t be hungry. I had supper and I made some of the avocado dressing that has been getting pinned like made on Facebook and Pinterest and had that with some celery but I still wanted something. Ooooo, matcha latte time!

This is tied for my favorite matcha for lattes. I think Almond is number one, or tied with this. Caramel is absolutely fabulous but EVERYBODY loves caramel and these two are my own particular loves.

I used a teaspoon of matcha, a tablespoon of sugar, and about two cups of milk. I mixed it with my aerolatte. The cool thing is that I found a white ceramic (?) pitcher on special at Williams Sonoma for 9.99 and it is perfect for mixing lattes in! If you have watched the Breakaway Matcha video where they show their lovely matcha cups and pitchers, you know what I mean. It is tall enough so you don’t get splash out, narrow enough to get all the matcha mixed. But I didn’t want to pay so much so this one is fabulous!

And so is my latte. So WAS my latte, I should say. It was really, really good. The light, lemony flavor was a surprise for me since I had never had authentic Bavarian Cream, but I can tell you this flavor exceeded my expectations.