Buttermint Matcha

Adventageddon Day 1 – Tea 2/4

Confession time.

I’ve tried/own the overwhelming majority of matchas in this advent but right around the time that Bird & Blend released they also released about four other matchas that I really wanted to try but was skeptical I would like. It was actually cheaper for me to buy this advent (which includes all of them) than to get a tin of each new flavour, so that’s the primaryyyy reason I’m doing this advent.

Today I decided to make it as an eggnog latte, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It may actually have been my favourite tea from the day. I normally find that because Bird & Blend often uses powdered ingredients in their flavoured matchas instead of just flavouring that they can have noticeable texture issues – grittiness or, with powdered mint in particular, a bit of a dryness. The eggnog fixed that up right quick and instead I got to just focus on the gentle mint flavour and the sweeter buttery notes that were almost butterscotch like.

Back when I lived in Regina that was a yearly festival in the summer called Mosaic that was basically a celebration of different cultures – across the city you could go to a pavilion themed around a country and these were usually music or other performances, traditional foods for sale, classes and workshops for different activities, etc. I remember going to the Scottish pavilion one year and buying a tin of Caramints (hard candy with a caramel and mint flavour). This tea definitely reminds me of that in a positive way!

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0U5HFmO091/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwyzyOf6PBg

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 1

Ooh, I’m quite excited to revisit B&B’s matcha lineup. I actually did their matcha advent many years ago, but their matcha base has changed since then (it used to have powdered white tea in it which was bizarre) and obviously they have a lot of new flavors.

Prepared this as an iced oat latte with a bit of vanilla syrup. I did try it before sweetening as well, but I felt like it needed the sweetness to bring out the flavors – it was a bit bland without it. Generally I only use cold water for my iced matcha lattes, but I find B&B’s flavoring granules don’t dissolve easily so I started with just a bit of warm water to get those properly blended in with the matcha.

Anyway, this is tasty! Very mild but still bright mint flavor, with a bit of a white chocolaty creaminess to it. Since I prepared it with milk it’s difficult to judge the creamy factor, but it definitely has a noticeable buttery/rich quality. As for the matcha base… I’m not sure I love it? I’m finding it quite savory and heavy on the more seaweedy/marine side of things, especially in the finish. Maybe it’s the peppermint leaf bringing out those qualities? We’ll have to see how I feel about it after trying a few different flavors!