French Vanilla Matcha

So I knew I wanted a vanilla matcha, but I was unsure of what exactly to get since Red Leaf offers several different types of matchas. I saw that the Madagascar Vanilla was highly reviewed, but the French Vanilla got some good marks too. People remarked about how the French Vanilla was more in your face, while the Madagascar Vanilla was more subtle. While I love matcha, I do love the flavorings, so I went with the French Vanilla and got myself robust flavoring.

Opening the package, it definitely smells very frosting-ish and reminds me a lot of the French vanilla coffee creamers that I used to use to flavor my coffee.

The matcha itself is definitely delicious with creaminess and velvety texture to it. I’m sure I could bring even more creaminess out with some milk or cream, but I decided to enjoy the matcha flavor pure. Perhaps later when I’m not so lazy, I can prepare this in a fancier style to make the flavors pop even more.

It’s very lovely as just one flavor, although I admit I am anxious to mix it with other things such as cola or cherry or cherry AND cola. I plan to do that soon and report back.

All in all, another solid desert matcha.

You can get the matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-vanilla-matcha.html

Got a sample of this from Starfevre, thank you!

I made it right after work, with hot milk and my frother.

I think the mint sample sent along with it may have contaminated it, because I was getting a definite minty flavor and scent from the powder. I will reserve judgement for now, the vanilla flavor was barely there so I will have to try some later to determine!

Incendaire made it an easy thing the last couple days, but I think I should always start my mornings off with matcha lattes.

Not much to say on this one because I drank it too fast to pay attention properly. I still have a creamy vanilla aftertaste lingering around on my tongue so I’m going to assume there was a lot of that going on.

This would be an amazing matcha to mix into others- it’s so smooth!

I tried and was less than impressed with the Madagascar Vanilla Matcha (thank you Sil!) but French Vanilla sounded quite delicious and came recommended by many on steepster. Consequently, when my friend asked if we could get one of the vanilla matchas, I suggested this one. We went with the following options:

Size: Small (30g)
Matcha Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Matcha Type: Regular
Flavor Level: Delicate

Opening the package, I was blown away by how accurately the scent resembled French Vanilla Buttercream. Having done a lot of baking in my life and learning how to decorate cakes, the smell was certainly familiar and definitely mouth-watering.

I was excited for my cup of smooth, creamy, vanilla deliciousness. Immediately I got to preparing the matcha in my usual fashion: 1/2 a teaspoon of matcha mixed with 8 ounces of milk. Alas, I believe delicate flavor level was not strong enough to really get the French Vanilla flavor across. This went the way of the Crème Brulee matcha and the Cheesecake matcha. It was creamy and sweet but it was not the cup of French Vanilla the name and smell promised. It was simply too generic for my tastes. Consequently, I will enjoy what I have left but I don’t think I will be reordering this unless it is at a stronger flavor level. For this interested, this matcha can be purchased here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-vanilla-matcha.html

Yay sipdown! Haha. More like a perfect one-serving sample from Incendiare. (Robust flavour.)

This was delicious. I mixed it with a little hot water, and whisked it (with my tiny balloon whisk) until it was combined. Then I added a couple big ice cubes and filled my sippy cup with unsweetened plain almond milk.

It was like pudding. Really tasty! I’m not sure I’d want a whole 30g of this matcha, but it was good to try it, and I’d be willing to split it if we end up with a group matcha order at some point (uhh, not right now though. I need less tea before we do that!).

Backlog:

This flavored Matcha may just be my favorite yet that I’ve tried. It’s certainly up there in the top five … maybe even top 3. It is creamy and delicious.

Usual specs for this one: classic grade of matcha with a distinctive level of flavoring.

I can taste the fresh, vegetative notes of the Matcha, as well as the subtle cacao notes and hints of butter from the Matcha. And then there is the French Vanilla – and it is so deliciously creamy and smooth and … YUM!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/11/19/french-vanilla-flavored-matcha-red-leaf-tea/

Cup #1 // hot latte
Thank you so much, Red Leaf Tea for offering these samples! I love trying the flavors. I went with a hot latte today to go with my banana walnut muffin. I heated enough milk for my mug for one minute in the microwave – not too warm to mess up the matcha. I slowly pour the measuring cup filled with milk into a mug with matcha in the bottom while stirring with a spoon. The bright green matcha smells lovely… tons of fancy French vanilla. The taste is nice – sweet and definitely vanilla. Of course it pairs perfectly with the milk…. a creamy sweet flavorful cup! I can never get my cups of matcha to last very long! This is a good way to get my calcium.. I don’t really drink milk any other time.

Cup #2 // hot water
This cup was just with water cooled for a half hour so the matcha didn’t burn. I really like it. I think the sweet French vanilla flavor actually tames the matcha a bit (not like this lovely matcha needs taming but the sweet vanilla makes the flavor smoother somehow. This is like eating ground up tea leaves, after all.) It’s quite a nice balance. But I’ve always loved vanilla. Another good one from Red Leaf! I REALLY appreciate these samples! I wonder if Red Leaf ever thought of individual servings of matcha… seeing as how it would stay fresher and it can get kind of messy sometimes. The mess is worth it though!
redleaftea.com

Mmmmmm!

Received a sample of this from Sandy’sCuppa. It is super delicious. Dry it smells like whipped french vanilla icing. It has the same smell once brewed. I could hardly wait to try this one.

I am trying to increase my intake of green tea so I started cold brewing matcha every morning in a water bottle at work. I was just using plain matcha, which I quite enjoy. But I don’t know if I can go back to plain after trying this one.

It still has a distinct matcha taste, but there was also the sweet, buttery french vanilla flavour. Quite enjoyable. I still have a bit left over, so I am going to try it hot as well, possibly a latte.

I have my first order coming from Red Leaf, its currently in transit. I am going to be salivating until it gets here.

Mmmmmmm! Thank you so much Sandy’sCuppa!

My boyfriend’s car broke down so now we only have one car between the two of us…. Which means driving him to work… Very early this morning. I didn’t have enough time to steep any tea so I went with some matcha :) it was lacking because I didn’t put enough in my travel mug but it was still comforting and creamy. And warm… Since it’s rainy and cold outside.

My newest matcha order at last arrived yesterday afternoon, but don’t think for a moment that’s because my order was slow in being processed: The very next day after placing my order Red Leaf Tea already had it out the door! But dealing with Australian Customs means that international packages can take longer to reach you than they really should.

I’ve been antsy to try the French Vanilla matcha that so many have raved about on here. After reading this, hopefully you’ll want some too, so here’s where to get it:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-vanilla-matcha.html

My specs for this order are such: large size, basic grade of regular matcha (you can get organic matcha now as well), and the Robust flavor level.

I made this as a latte this morning with one Splenda tablet and used cold frothed milk. Normally I would heat up the frothed milk before pouring it into the whisked matcha, but it’s getting warmer here, so a cool drink is nice even for the morning wake-up. It is delightful: creamy without being guilt-inducing, vanilla without making you wish for chocolate, and just the right amount of flavor from the matcha itself to remind you, “Hey, I’m being good here!”

This will make a wonderful addition to a frozen fruit smoothie without needing to add the extra calories of vanilla yogurt. And I’m going to try blending it with orange juice and ice to get an Orange Creamsicle slushie-type thing. I love when matchas are multipurpose! A winner in my book!