3 Tasting Notes
I really want to love this tea, but every time I’ve tried it I’ve been disappointed. It’s a decent tea, but I feel it’s lacking a fullness in flavor and I don’t really get as much chocolate as I do tart fruit. It’s a nice deep violet color when it steeps and smells delicious, but doesn’t make a particular impact, even sweetened.
One of my true weaknesses is opposing flavors. Sweet and sour, spicy and sweet, and of course my love for sweet and salty. The perfect combination of amazing-ness.
When I was planning on putting in my order to Red Leaf Tea, they had caramel popcorn matcha on sale and I figured why not. After opening the package the aroma filled my nose. I was in heaven…All the buttery notes of popcorn caught my attention and were soften with the creamyness of caramel. I thought theres no way it can actually taste the way it smells. I planned to prepare it traditionally and added a couple ounces water with two bamboo spoonfuls of matcha. After whisking for a good minute, a nice frothy foam formed and finally time for the first sip!
The taste was delicate and had the perfect balance of butter and sweet creamy caramel. A bit of the matcha flavor came through, but I barely detected any bitterness or vegetal flavor. Now that I knew what it tasted untainted, it was time to turn it into my favorite style, tea latte. I warmed up some vanilla soy milk and just a touch of agave. I normally sweeten my teas with Truvia, but I figured the agave flavor would add more emphasis to the caramel.
At this point is where this matcha truly shined. The touch of milk and sugar brought out the flavors even more. It was like a warm cup of salty, creamy, buttery, caramely goodness. I also equally enjoy this matcha as an iced latte. When I’m in a hurry before muay thai or jiu jitsu practice, I throw everything in my magic bullet and voila! tons of foam and a latte under a minute. This is the perfect alternative to any energy drink and it’s became my favorite ritual of the day before practice.
I definitely recommend this flavor to anyone who loves sweet and salty or loves caramel. You can purchase this match from:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-popcorn-matcha.html
Preparation
I’ve officially jumped on the flavored matcha train! http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html
Being obsessed with green tea flavored everything and also having a weakness for cheesecake, I figured this would be a perfect start. I feel like I was in one of those movies, where the person patiently waits by the door everyday for the postman that never comes. Ha..okay maybe not that bad, but I was fairly excited when it finally came.
After opening the bag, it smelt so incredible I was tempted to eat a spoonful of the matcha. Realizing that wasn’t the best idea, I opted to make an iced green tea latte. I wanted to get the full flavor of the matcha untainted so I didn’t add in any sweetner as I usually would. I whisked a little bit of hot water and the matcha and it foamed up nicely. Being a bartender, I threw the matcha with ice and soy milk into my shaker tins and shook away. The foam from the ice turned super frothy and tasty.
The flavor was to the t what I imagined liquid cheesecake to taste like. Right down to the slightly lemony tang you get from real cheesecake. It was more complex than just sweetened cream like I expected. After adding in a little agave the flavors popped even more.
Later in the day I even found myself craving more and decided to make a hot latte instead. I usually am a fan of iced drinks, but after having this as a a hot latte I think I’m converted. This is a very versatile matcha that I can’t wait to mix with other flavors…
mmmm pumpkin pie..caramel..acai..white chocolate… =D
