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And now it’s time for yet another desert matcha. I’ve been craving a coffee-flavored matcha for a while, and luckily this Tiramisu went on sale, so I snatched it up. It’s been a while since I’ve had tiramisu, but I remember it was creamy, with coffee and chocolatey undertones.

I ordered the 30g, Starter (Basic Grade), Flavor: Robust. After trying all these robust flavors, I’m a little scared to scale back down to the lower flavoring levels. Maybe I might bite the bullet one day and do it.

I prepared this the traditional way using hot water and a whisk. When I took a sip of the matcha plain, it was of course too bitter and grassy for me, and I couldn’t really taste any tiramisu. I added some milk and it .. still seemed to just taste like regular matcha with water. I’m having a hard time picking up this flavor. Did I maybe add too much matcha?

Since my water bottle Boysenberry matcha experiment was such a success yesterday, I decided to repeat it and see if I could get the flavor better. I put some matcha in a water bottle, shook it up, and drank some. And still.. not really getting any flavor. Not like the Boysenberry the other day. I’m getting the matcha, but I was really hoping for coffee. Maybe this flavor is just too subtle?

It’s possible that I may be burned out on my desert matchas and they are all blending together. I think I was hoping for more coffee and chocolate notes, but I’m really just getting creaminess. I probably should just order a straight-up coffee flavored one the next time around if that’s what I want. Your experience may differ, though.

As a reminder, you can buy this matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/tiramisu-matcha.html

Still debating if I want to order that pumpkin pie matcha that will inevitably be on sale this week. Decisions, decisions…

Ever since I’ve been ordering from Red Leaf, I feel like all my matcha purchases had been “desert type matchas”. So, when I saw that the Boysenberry matcha went on sale again (since I missed it the first time), I knew I had to grab it. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had boysenberry on its own, but I definitely know I’ve had it in yogurt form. There are several companies that make boysenberry yogurt, and it’s delicious.

I ordered the 30g of Boysenberry Matcha, Starter (Basic Grade), Flavor: Robust. I really really like berries, and thought about upping the flavor even more, but decided to keep it at robust for now and see how it goes.

For all my previous matchas, since they were desert matchas, I had been making them hot the traditional matcha way. Usually, after my first sip, it was a little too intense for me, so I added some milk to help bring out the flavor. But for boysenberry, hot and milk added just didn’t sound appealing to me, so I thought I would try something new. On the Red Leaf site, under all the matchas, they have a “steeping” tab that talks about how to prepare them. There’s the traditional way, and the “traditional with a chill”. I’ve always wanted to try this, but none of the matchas I ordered sounded appealing cold, so I was excited to finally try something new.

I took my water bottle and measured 1/4 teaspoon for matcha, per the instructions. I then filled my bottle with 16oz of water. You can also use a water bottle, but since I want to be environmentally friendly (and I like my filtered water), I decided to just use a regular bottle. I debated whether or not to sift the matcha, but decided I wouldn’t the first time around. I shook my bottle vigorously, and then sipped the results…

WOW!!! I was really impressed. With all the other matchas, I had a hard time tasting the flavor just straight, but here I can definitely taste both the matcha and the boysenberry. The matcha is not overpowering, but there are definitely berry undertones. I didn’t need to add any sweetener, although I bet if I did it would bring out the flavor even more.

I can’t believe how easy this is to make. It sure beats using a whisk (no pun intended) and making water on the kettle. Those are good too, but this is better. I’m thinking I need to order some more fruity matchas in the future, since I liked boysenberry so much. I’m not sure how this would taste hot, but it’s definitely delicious cold.

As a reminder, you can get the matcha here: https://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/boysenberry-matcha.html

Bavarian Cream was a flavor that many of us Steepsters fought to have on sale, but initially lost out to Cheesecake. Thankfully, Bavarian Cream was put on sale the next week, so I knew I had to snatch it up. I admit that my knowledge of Bavarian Cream is limited. I originally thought it was just a variation of vanilla. But apparently, it’s more like a custard and quite popular in pastries. I personally try to avoid pastries since they are delicious but can also be calorie-laden and full of sugar. So it’s nice when you can have a matcha instead that has the flavor without all the calories. Also, Bavarian cream seems like a hassle to make, so all the more reason to enjoy it in matcha form.

As a reminder, you can get the matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/bavarian-cream-matcha.html

I ordered the 30g Bavarian Cream Matcha, Starter (Basic Grade), Flavor: There’s Matcha In There? Yes. After a few orders of “Robust” I wanted to try my hand at an even stronger flavor. I like matcha, but sometimes the matcha can overpower the actual flavor. For those who were wondering what the matcha looks like, I can assure you that the name is a little misleading and there is definitely matcha in there. ;) .. But when I opened the package, I could definitely smell the stronger scent of the matcha. A nice creamy scent with some fruity notes as well. Very interesting.

I started to make this matcha, but then realized I needed to go somewhere, so I had a brilliant idea to stick my bowl in the fridge (like I do with all my teas when I can’t finish them in time). Up until this point I had all my matchas hot, but I thought it might be neat to see how they are iced. When I came back home and tried the matcha after a few hours of cooling – it was absolutely delicious. Normally I have to toss some milk in there to make it a little more drinkable, but this didn’t need anything at all. The taste was very creamy and I could just detect the tiny bit of citrus. It’s worth noting that if you do decide to chill your matcha this way, a lot of the powder sinks to the bottom, so you may have to froth it up again to get it to absorb. Just for fun, I did add a little bit of milk at the end just to see how it tastes, but I think I might have put a little too much in since I had a harder time tasting the flavor. I’ll have to definitely try it again in a hot matcha.

All in all, a nice matcha desert treat to avoid the calories.

Red Leaf introduced several new matcha flavors (as if they don’t have enough already), and when I saw that this was on the list, and on sale, I had to jump on it. I’m such a sucker for Oreos (even though they are so bad for me). This Matcha seemed like the perfect treat of healthy (cause its tea!) and sorta-indulging in Oreo-goodness.

As a reminder, you can get the matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cookies-and-cream-matcha.html

I ordered the 30g Cookies and Cream Matcha, Starter (Basic Grade), Flavor: Robust. I admit that after I ordered, I saw some other Steepsters order there Cookies & Cream with the black matcha base, and honestly that sounds pretty good. I almost wish I would have thought of that. I’m interested to see what they think of it when the reviews come out. Anyway, back to the matcha.

As always, this matcha smells so delicious. The flavor is so overpowering just from a smell. You don’t really smell any matcha at all. I definitely smell the cream over the cookies, although both work together. The smell reminds me a little bit of the caramel matcha, very sweet but almost a bit creamy too.

First, I sifted the matcha. Remember how a few matchas ago I was having sifting issues? I found the perfect sifter (that’s not a sifter). I actually use one of my old tea balls that I got when I first started into loose leaf. You know, the one with the long handle that opens and closes that everyone and their grandmother has? This works great for sifting matcha. I pour in a scoop, close the ball, and then shake it around over the cup. It works great, and I’m thankful I get to put the ol’ tea ball back to use since it’s been out of commission for a while.

Before I put the water in, I took a look at the matcha. Maybe it’s just my imagination, or a trick of the lighting, but I think I saw some white particles in there along with the green – which would make sense, it is cookies and cream. I didn’t see any dark particles, though, so who knows. Anyway, I brewed my matcha as normal, added some milk, and took a sip.

As usual, this matcha is very very good. Another great desert matcha for those with a sweet tooth but who don’t want to over indulge. I don’t know if I would say it tastes exactly like Oreos, but there is definitely a creamy deserty type note to it. I will say that I preferred the caramel just a little bit more, but I think they can both stand on their own.

I will start off by saying that Oil of Bergamot is so hit or miss for me. Most Earl Grey’s I’m not a fan of (without milk/sugar). So, why did I order this tea? Good question. I was intrigued … and it was on sale. And as us Steepsters know, it’s hard to resist a good sale ;)

I couldn’t find any steeping parameters, so I just went with what the other 52teas White Teas use – 1-2 min, sorta boiling water.

This tea smells awesome. Smells fruity and very unique. Hard to put my finger on it, really. But it’s delicious.

As for the taste? It’s not bad. I can definitely taste the bergamot in there, but it’s masked but the fruitiness of the black currant. The flavors actually work well together. The white tea base also works nicely because it’s not overpowering.

As the tea cools off it’s actually very pleasant. Definitely drinkable without any addition for me, although I bet a little milk would make the taste pop too.

So, am I glad I tried this? Sure. Would I order again. Eh, probably not.

I’m a little late to the party, but I thought I would brew this up and see what I thought. My milk oolong experience is limited, but this was the first official flavored one I’ve tried. I was surprised to see that they wanted me to use 10g for 8’oz. That’s a lot of leaf (and a good chunk of my sample), but if you insist Teavivre… I was also surprised to see it wanted boiling water. Aren’t you supposed to use less than boiling for oolongs?

Anyway, the tea itself is not bad. It’s creamy and buttery like other oolongs in the past. It’s not blowing my mind, though. There is a little bit of vegetal taste too. I wish you didn’t have to use so much leaf, too. Maybe I overdid it? I’m interested to see how the rest of the steeps turn out.

I got this as a sample from Azzrian. It’s been sitting for a while just waiting for the right time to brew it. When I saw that Verdant was going to be discontinuing this tea, I knew I had to try it. Nothing is more disheartening than try a tea sample you really like, only to discover it’s no longer available.

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to rinse the tea or not. On the website it says you should, but here it says you don’t. Since I was lazy, I decided not to.

The tea turned out absolutely delicious. You can definitely taste the mint and chamomile. I’m not the biggest chamomile fan, but it works here. I’m having a little harder time detecting the cocoa, but I like how the black tea undertones are working for this.

The second infusion didn’t have quite as strong of a minty flavor, but it’s definitely still there. This is an interesting tea, and I’ll be sad to see it go, but interesting to see what new stuff they have in store.

When I first saw this tea I was really intrigued, especially since I am a former soda addict (specifically Wild Cherry Pepsi!)

I logged on to Steepster and checked the reviews of this tea (my ritual before posting my own), and wow – this tea got a lot of negativity. Now I feel kinda bad for it (is it possible to feel bad for a tea?). I cold-brewed this for 12 hours and had high hopes after the delicious Root Beer. I took a sip this morning and … meh. There’s definitely cherry flavor in there, but it’s really just a mishmash of stuff and not working at all. One of the problems, I think, is the stevia. It just gives it this weird sort-of-sugary aftertaste. It’s supposed to be sweet, but it’s not. It’s just not working, at all. The tea is certainly drinkable, but it’s not as enjoyable as I was hoping it would be. I think the tea might have been better had DT just left it off.

But, as I started to feel bad for the tea, I thought I would try to see what I could do up the rating. Adding honey definitely helped, but I really don’t like adding sweetner to my tea if I can help it. I also decided to add some seltzer. I don’t think that worked either. It was just not working at all. I don’t even know if it’s worth finishing.
When I got this order at David’sTea last month, I didn’t realize this tea was so new. I have a feeling this one won’t be staying around.

So in conclusion, this is probably a tea you should pass on. This is exactly why I’m glad I bought a sample size of this at DT and didn’t make a full order online. Sometime you win and sometimes you lose.

When I saw that Red Leaf was doing another sale on Cheesecake matcha, I knew I couldn’t resist. Since I already tried some green matcha for my last order of caramel, and cheesecake was a desert tea, I decided to spring for the white matcha this time because I really wanted to try it. I had never had white matcha tea before. I figured I could always mix it with caramel, too. I even sprang for the faster shipping to make up for the postal holiday.

I ordered the 30g Cheesecake Matcha, White Matcha, with Robust Flavoring
(found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html). I’m not sure what the quality of white matcha is, since you don’t get a choice of different qualities of matcha like you do with the green, but I’m assuming it is comparable to the Starter (Basic Grade). When I opened up the package, it had a cheesecake smell to it, but it also had an interesting butterscotch undertone to it. I’m not sure if that was the white matcha or just the flavoring. The powder was darker than I expected too. I expected white powder, but as you can see from the picture, it was more of an off-brown color. I was also surprised at how dark the liquid became when I mixed up my first cup. It was a medium-brownish color and I guess I was expecting something lighter because of white tea.

The taste was definitely interesting. I could taste some cheesecake, but the white tea brought an interesting flavor, too. It’s hard to describe, because I haven’t really had any experience with white matcha, but it’s definitely less vegetal than regular green tea matcha is. It definitely is a lighter taste, similar to how I expect white tea to be. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I might try the green/white matcha mix next time. I also want to mix the caramel to see how it compares.

Just like with the caramel matcha, I found that the flavors enhanced when I added milk. It definitely made it smoother and gave it more of a desert flavoring. I didn’t find the flavoring quite as strong and distinctive as the caramel flavoring even though they were the same level (robust), so I’m thinking the white tea matcha is a little more overpowering than the green tea. I also had a little harder time mixing the white matcha than I did with the green. But, this may have been due to user error.

All in all, the white cheesecake matcha was an interesting experiment. I think in the future, though, I may just stick to the green matcha base. Or, I may go with a stronger flavoring.