Deluxe Matcha

Delicious green tea

I haven’t had matcha before so I’m not sure what rating to give this tea. I sifted two teaspoons into a few ounces of not-quite-boiling water, then whisked as instructed (although I don’t have a bamboo whisk so I used a metal one, and I couldn’t figure out how long I was supposed to whisk it for). It was a really dark green and when I tasted it with a spoon it was the bitterest thing I’ve tasted in years (or ever?). I dumped the rest of a bag of sugar into it (okay, so the bag was mostly empty already) and thinned it down with a LOT more water. Like maybe two cups more. Then I tried it again and decided the flavor would be bearable if only it were cold, so I poured a little of it over a glassful of ice and now I have way more iced matcha than I know what to do with. I’m going to be drinking this batch for the rest of the day.

Like I say, I’ve never had matcha before so I don’t know if I’m just not used to the flavor yet or if this was a bad sample or if I prepared it wrong or what. I also got some cheesecake matcha in the same order so maybe I’ll try that tomorrow and see if it has a pleasanter flavor. Maybe after I learn what normal is for matcha I can come back and give this one a rating.

This Red Leaf matcha has a very unique flavor and aroma. It is strikingly floral and sweet, without the grassiness or vegetal flavors that typify most matchas. If you could grind a floral green oolong into powder form, I imagine this is what it would taste like.

Appearance wise, it leaves a bit to be desired. The color is a rather unappetizing mossy green unlike the nice, bright green Japanese matcha I’m used to. When prepared, it’s thin-ish with little viscosity and barely any froth.

Looks aside, this made a fantastic matcha latte. Deliciously sweet and luscious floral. It’s a real nice change of pace from grassy matchas. At $2.39 for a 15g sample it’s an incredible value and organic to boot.

I wish matcha came with better instructions on how much to mix with how much water. I had to add creamer to mellow out the bite I was getting, which I think is a result of adding to much matcha. Once I work through that issue, I’m getting a fairly decent cup. The aftertaste might be my favorite part. It lingers with a pleasant fragrance. The sip is pretty mellow and smooth with a light matcha flavor. I get the floral notes on the sip. It is really nice, but I’m not head over heel for it like I am with Red Leaf’s cheesecake matcha.

Got a nice sample from the Green TTB and in all honesty I tried this and said “HELL NA”
Maybe everyone else got a different batch or something… what I have is olive green (dark) and I suppose that’s okay because it isn’t tencha from Japan so I don’t expect bright green. My problem is the taste is quite bitter and really rough. I whisked the hell out of this like I would with any other matcha, but it just isn’t working for me. Reviews here say floral and that is the final tip that must mean I got a mislabeled, old, or weird version of Deluxe Matcha because mine had zero floral; and I pick up floral very easily.

I have enough for at least 12 tea bowl whiskings, but I am not so sure that I can do that to myself. Does anyone have a picture of theirs because I am curious if I have something different.

so my “Red Leaf Tea” order came in:

what an amazing tea:

when i smell the matcha powder, i smell sweetness and green grass

when i smell the brewed tea, the smell is intensified.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste strong and lovely sweetness and fresh cut grass. mmmm :D

i rate this a 100 because this is the perfect matcha for me :D

i definitely recommend trying this tea!

this is best with 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon

I did not participate in the matcha madness taste test, but I read lots of results, so don’t read on if you’re still trying not to be spoiled.

Between their name your price opportunity, and their blind matcha taste test, Red Leaf has been successful in making me their customer. After everyone’s thorough taste test reviews, I had to give their Deluxe Matcha a try. It has been on sale for a while now, at $20 a pound! I’d love to take advantage of that deal but, I worry that I just won’t drink that much matcha before it starts to go stale. (Or maybe I would, but who knows, I like to have variety in my my matcha). So far, the package sizing is my one complaint; I wish there was a medium size (say 40g or 3oz) The sample size can’t be resealed and the full pound bag is too much for me at the moment.

Other than that, this is a fantastic matcha, especially for the price. I have been drinking it iced, without milk. It is smooth, vibrant, fragrant. I haven’t had any problems mixing it together or frothing it up. This is the first matcha I’ve had in recent memory that tastes so specifically different from other matchas, rather than varying tones of green grass flavors (though Red Leaf’s Emperor Matcha is out of this world and distinct in a different, more delicate way).

This matcha is stunningly floral, almost as if it were a jasmine-flavored matcha. It is sweet in a natural-tasting way and gently vegetal, with no bitterness or savory/seaweed flavors. The mouthfeel is full and present, even made with water it does not feel thin or plain. If you have ever been skeptical of matcha or want to like it but have always ended up with something too sour or bitter, I highly encourage you to try this one. The smell and taste is like a spring day, not too girly or perfumey, but amazingly fresh and delicious. A powerful iced tea for this summer season and an amazing all-around matcha.

The name has it right right! If there ever was a deluxe matcha this is it!Thank you Red Leaf for supplying samples for our Matcha TTB. I will definitely be buying more of this. It’s like drinking a good green tea. Grassy notes. Slightly floral. A bit of bitterness. All complimented by almond milk but the almond milk makes sure to stay out of the way and let the loveliness of this matcha take over. Nom nom nom. I really want to try this out the traditional way!

I’m really fortunate that my tastes usually refer beer over champagne. it keeps me out of a lot of financial trouble ;) For me this is everything I want out of a daily matcha. The flavor is slightly unique and solid. It stands up well to milk or sweetener but is drinkable straight. i keep a one pound bag clipped in the freezer and a small quantity in a tin. Everyday begins with matcha and 95% of the time it is this one.

After reading all of the rave reviews of this matcha I had to give it a try. So good call with that experiment, Red Leaf! It definitely worked on me :) I was specifically interested in the floral notes Lion promised in his review. I do love matcha, but some of them can be very vegetal which I don’t love, so floral sounded like a nice option.

So I decided to just go for the full pound option thinking I could toss it in smoothies or baked goods if I didn’t love it. Thankfully I do! It is truly as delicious as the reviews stated. Not bitter in the least and intensely floral, like a concentrated high mountain oolong. It is beautiful shaken in water (a way I generally don’t like matcha) and so so sooo good as a latte. I can’t get enough of it. I do have to say I’m almost convinced it has to be a powdered oolong though, right? I can’t think of any greens (even Chinese greens) that have such intense floral notes.

Admittedly I was unsure of whether to give it 100 or not. On one hand it is absolutely divine! But there are a few cons. Besides the small sample size, it is only available in a 1lb non-resealable bag. And because the floral notes are so strong it really clashes with any syrups I may want to flavor it with. While those are both kind of big issues for me, overall the tea is so tasty I decided to give it the full 100 it deserved. I definitely recommend picking up a sample size if it sounds like something you’d be interested in.