Brandy Matcha

Another backlog. Seems I have a neverending list to catch up on and it just keeps growing. Ugh.
Anyhow, I need to try this again. and again. It’s amazing!! that warming sensation of alcohol is there, but without the head clouding part. Love it!!! with a shot of real brandy, omg that might just send me into a matcha coma. No sugar required!!
It’s fruity, in the way that brandy is fruity, but not moreso than that which I half expected. Anyhow, off to work!
Thank you Azzrian for the sample!

Azzrian thanks so much for this one – my sista!

This is a more gentle Brandy flavor but it’s satisfying and comforting.
The matcha powder aroma and – even a bit of the flavor – reminds me of some sort of candy…not quite Juicy-Fruit like other steepsters are mentioning…but…certainly something candy-esque.

It’s creamy and smooth. I know what I like and I like this. I’ll probably tinker with it and tweak it and even tho I don’t think it’s overly Brandy-Drink-like I still LIKE it very much!

Brandy Matcha

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

Okay so for those of you hesitating thinking this is going to taste too much like something a staunch old man sitting in a ritzy Victorian library would drink, its not. Its also not like the stuff the teens would swill behind the bleachers in high school during winter football games. Wait, maybe that was just at my school. Anyway this stuff is GOOOOOD!

Will Work For Tea said in their review it reminded them of Juicy Fruit gum and they totally hit the nail on the head with that assessment! Had this not been named “Brandy” I would have thought it was a fruit blend – not a punch like Hawaiian Punch, not even a tropical mixture, but just a really yummy sweet fruit blend of some kind. I really wish I could pick out specific fruit flavor elements to relate to you but I can’t. Fruit Medley is all I can think of but there is a whipped cream like aspect to it, something that really makes you feel like you bit into some ripe juicy fruit (no pun intended) and it really does taste like that gum! This is one your kids would LOVE! Seriously if you want to get your kids or anyone in the family into matcha I would suggest this or the butterscotch matcha! Just make a latte with some milk, and some vanilla or sweet cream non dairy creamer! Add ice, stir LOVE!

Now as for the Brandy aspect here. Its really not all that present to me. Yes I do get a SLIGHT and I mean SLIGHT alcohol effect – sort of a little twang or ting, but not really so much warming as brandy is known for.

When I was younger, in my teens, I rode both western and equestrian, and trained horses. That was another life time ago. We would always have some brandy on us to keep warm in the winter wether out on the ranch repairing fences or preparing for a fox hunt (we did not really hunt the foxes I would have no part in that so don’t worry) it was more of a Mock Hunt. LOL This matcha does bring back some fond memories of that but its not the same, and I doubt that you really could get the same result from anything but brandy itself but for all intents and purposes this is a very good flavor, a really nice experience, and one I will absolutely be ordering again! I know I say that about a lot of the matcha I have tried, and I have tried a lot of them but this along with about 5 others are THE matcha I can’t be without! The “alcohol” effect is just enough for those who have had brandy to recognize but not so much that those who do not like brandy, have never had it, or should not have it, won’t even notice. Its like being able to recognize any flavor, you kind of have to have experienced it before to know what it is. Without knowing what it is all you will notice is this AMAZING fruit festival in your mouth!

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 yours here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/brandy-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

When I receive a new matcha from Red Leaf Tea, it’s become customary to tear into the package (ASAP!), removing the matcha from its gold foil packaging and emptying it into a tin. I’m always surprised at how delicious each one has smelled during this ritual. And the Brandy Matcha is no exception!

The smell of this particular offering is really fruity and sweet, very much like what Juicy Fruit gum smells like. I almost didn’t believe I got the right item, because in my mind, the alcohol tends to overwhelm the fruitiness of the brandy. (Maybe I’ve never had any great brandy?) I almost always get that spine tingle when I consume alcohol – probably because I’m such a lightweight now that I rarely ever indulge. I had to look at the packaging to make sure what I got was what I ordered: Brandy Matcha, Size: Small, Flavor: Robust ( found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/brandy-matcha.html ) – yep, that’s it!

Onward and upward – I start with a Brandy Matcha latte. (The thought of having it straight scares me a little with it’s intense smell right now.) One teaspoon brandy matcha with three-fourths teaspoon sugar and two ounces of warmed water. Wisked to frothy perfection and added 6 ounces of icy-cold half-and-half.

The taste is very true to the smell, intensely sweetened fruit. Quite honestly, it’s too much!

So I tried again, this time with just a teaspoon of Brandy Matcha and 2 ounces of warmed water. Wisked and added another 6 ounces of cool water. No sweetener, no dairy – it’s is so much better! It’s matcha with brandy flavoring! Really, there’s no need to add sugar/sugar equivalent to this – its quite sweet already.

Initially I as I was drinking the Brandy Matcha latte I was thinking that this is probably the first matcha from Red Leaf where I would actually consider nocking the flavoring down to “distinctive” level Don’t get me wrong, it’s good at robust, but maybe a little overwhelming if you’re looking for something less fruity. But now that I’ve tried it straight with no sweetener (which is not my default way of drinking matcha), I’m finding a simpler preparation is better.

I have a soft spot for blackberry and apple brandies – I think they’re the first type of brandy I ever tried. Memories of good times! I look forward to trying this mixed with either of the apple matchas or a dark berry matcha Red Leaf offers.

And the sailor said ‘Brandy, you’re a fine girl, what a good wife you would be…” Okay, so, that song is the only real reference to brandy I have, and that’s not even the right brandy. Well, that song and the singer from the 90s…anyway. In college, one of my roommates liked to mix (cheap, horrible) brandy with her cola when she drank, and so I’ve had a few of those, but that’s really it. I’m a whisky girl, through and through. That’s what happens when you go to high school in Tennessee and college in Kentucky. But it looked interesting and I liked the brandy I’ve had, so I thought “why not?” If nothing else, it will be good for mixing with the apple matcha. Or the cola matcha, for when I’m having a bad day at work and need a drink but can’t have one just yet. At least I can pretend. But I don’t really have a flavor profile in mind when I try this matcha (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/brandy-matcha.html), so it will be an interesting experience. For instance, when I try a pineapple tea, I have in mind what I think a pineapple should taste like and I can match the tea up to that flavor profile and see how it compares. With this, I’m just shooting in the dark, though I’m sure I’ll be comparing it to whisky before this review is done.

Oh wow, this is good. This is goooood. Yes, the unnecessary “o”s were necessary. It’s fruity and smooth and…yum. I don’t quite know how to describe it. It’s not what I was expecting out of brandy, but I don’t really have any experience with brandy, so what do I know? I can almost taste a touch of alcohol, but that might just be my imagination. It does seem warming, which is odd since I’m drinking it cold. I love cold matcha and how easy it is to mix. Add water to matcha powder, whisk/froth, and go! Done! Yum. Saves me a ton of time in the mornings when I’m barely awake and trying to get ready for work.

Anyway, yes. If this is what brandy tastes like, I need to try some as soon as possible. I think my father in law has some…it might be time to hang out with the in laws. It tastes kind of like bubble gum but…juicy fruit gum, not double bubble. Definitely one I plan to keep around.