Coffee Matcha

backlogging from yesterday as we had friends over after work and i had no time to myself to relax! I had this in smoothie form yesterday with a splash of vanilla matcha and chocolate matcha and it was delicious! I think coffee/mocha smoothies are my favourite these days because of the creamy way in which the milk blends with the flavouring. It’s better than a frappacino :)

I’m not a coffee person so on the rare occasion that I do decide I want to partake in some java I usually go for actual coffee, not coffee flavored tea. To me those two things are separate, and for a reason. However, I still couldn’t resist trying this flavour – I had this gut feeling that it was going to be done well.

Like the previous matcha from this sampler, I made this in cashew milk. It mixed up such a bright, cheery green too and the smell was definitely freshly brewed coffee; quite roasty.

I was surprised by just how strong and sweet this one is; and I know that sweet kick isn’t from the cashew milk either since it’s unsweetened – but with the level of rich sugaryness it made me think I was drinking more of a Iced Coffee/ Iced Cappuccino type drink like you can get from Starbucks or Tim Hortons or whatever your coffee shop of choice is. At the same time, though it was quite sweet, it maintained a nice level of roast in the flavor and had some surprising caramel notes. And of course, from the milk, there was a faint nuttyness that worked really well with the coffee flavor. It probably only made the idea of drinking some sort of fancy sweet coffee drink stronger, if I’m being honest.

I wouldn’t buy this one again if I’m being honest; I just don’t do coffee – but it was surprisingly more nuanced than anticipated and like my gut told me it was in fact well done. So I do recommend trying it if coffee and sweet coffee drinks are your thing.

I confess, tea lovers, that sometimes I cheat on tea with coffee. In fact, coffee has become a part of my daily routine. I really do love it, and as much as I wish I could drink it straight, I do often add things to it to help make it more palatable. I don’t do that with tea. But sadly, coffee seems to be the bad boy that I just can’t quit.

But, I love an opportunity I can to combine my two rivaling beverages – coffee and tea. And this matcha sounded right up my alley. Red Leaf included a sample of it for me in my latest order. Would this be the matcha that finally broke up me and my long term beau coffee for good? I had high hopes.

Since this is a sample, it arrived with the normal matcha base and delicate flavoring. I gave it a little bit of a whiff, but the coffee smell was not as prominent as I’d like. I LOVE the smell of coffee, especially freshly roasted, so I was hoping for a little more prominence, even though this only delicate flavoring. I decided to hold off my opinion until I threw it in a cup with some ice and water, gave it a shake, and see what came out of it.

The result? It’s a very pleasant flavored matcha, but it’s not exactly coffee. It’s very faintly coffee, but it’s not exactly the kind of coffee flavoring I’ve come to expect when I see it in chocolate, sweets, etc. I think it’s more like a mellow chocolate-y flavor than that nicely roasted bean taste. It’s a nice flavor, but it’s not coffee, at least not on the lowest level. Maybe if the flavoring was kicked up a notch it would taste more like coffee?

All in all this matcha is not bad at all, but I think it will be disappointing if really want something coffee flavored. I think next time I might try the Espresso or Mocha flavors, since those might be more up my alley.

You can purchase the matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coffee-matcha.html (and it’s on sale for today too!)

Hm, kind of bummed about this one. There is basically no coffee flavor noticeable in this matcha. If I concentrate really hard on it I can just make out a bit of coffee in the aftertaste, but I may just be tricking myself into it. I almost wonder if I got sent a plain matcha by mistake.

I appreciate that RedLeaf offers multiple customization options, but I feel like a few of their base options are much too light. It’s especially a bummer that the next flavor option costs $4 more, while after that it’s only $1. It makes me feel like they should maybe charge a dollar or two more and offer better flavoring in the base options. After all why buy flavored matcha if the flavor isn’t noticeable? I would really love a coffee matcha, but if I order from them again I think I’ll pick the espresso matcha.

I just placed an order with 3 Leaf Tea, so fingers-crossed that their flavors are better. It will be great having another option for flavored matcha.

A scoop of matcha, an overripe banana, a glass of almond milk, a scoop of ice cream, and a tablespoon of chia seeds= super decadent.

Out of the three coffee flavours from Sil I think this one is my favourite, although the mocha was good too. The coffee smoothly creeps into the finish and aftertaste, leaving a vibrant mouthful. I’m looking forward to drinking the two last servings of this.

Well, this is the last flavour from the generous package from Sil. Thank you so much; I never thought I’d get through so many of Red Leaf’s flavours so quickly (maybe a little too quickly). Also a huge thanks to Fjellrev, who organized and distributed everything on this side of the country. I’m extremely grateful.

Thanks to the wonderful Sil for providing me with a generous sample of this! This one’s distinctive, which I’m quite pleased about since up until now, I’ve always ordered my flavoured matchas in nothing weaker than robust. The matcha itself doesn’t have that much coffee scent, maybe a little of that quintessential bitterness you get from the beans. I prepared this hot with some half and half and brown sugar. Smoothed out the matcha and brought out the coffee a bit. You have to wait to get it in the aftertaste, however.

I’m going to withhold rating for the time being. Try it cold first!