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Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar – Day 2

Morning matcha milk time! Prepared with 1 teaspoon of matcha for 8 ounces of soy milk. There were some little dark lumps that didn’t want to dissolve – I think maybe it’s the acai powder?

Hmm. For me, the flavoring is too strong here. I say that because with my usual ratio for a matcha milk, the added flavor is too strong, which makes it seem artificial, and the matcha is too weak at the same time. I get a big wallop of dried blueberry and almost nothing from the matcha itself. There’s also some bitterness at the end of the sip, either from the matcha or the added flavoring.

I’m not saying it’s terrible, I can easily just use less matcha for the amount of milk and not have the overwhelming blueberry flavor. But then it wouldn’t taste like matcha at all. Maybe I’ll try this one with water to see if the matcha flavor stands up better that way.

Today’s Bonne Maman advent jam is Mango-Peach (Mangue-Pêche) spread. To me, it’s a peach jam with just a little bit of mango as an accent. In fact, I’m not sure I would notice that the mango was there. If you told me this was peach jam, I’d likely believe you. Tasty though!

Flavors: Artificial, Bitter, Blueberry, Sweet, Umami

Preparation
Iced 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Mastress Alita

I love this matcha. But I make it latte-style with vanilla almond milk, and it tastes just like blueberry muffins.

Cameron B.

Yeah, I guess my issue is I want my matcha to taste like matcha. Maybe that shouldn’t be a requirement for flavored matchas, I dunno. :P

tea-sipper

1 teaspoon of matcha for 8 ounces sounds way too much?

Cameron B.

@tea-sipper – That’s the ratio I always use for matcha.

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Mastress Alita

I love this matcha. But I make it latte-style with vanilla almond milk, and it tastes just like blueberry muffins.

Cameron B.

Yeah, I guess my issue is I want my matcha to taste like matcha. Maybe that shouldn’t be a requirement for flavored matchas, I dunno. :P

tea-sipper

1 teaspoon of matcha for 8 ounces sounds way too much?

Cameron B.

@tea-sipper – That’s the ratio I always use for matcha.

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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