Red Matcha

Red Headed Stranger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvSoT0bRpZ8
Originally By: Willie Nelson
Cover By: Clint Black

Quick Comments about this song…I’m note usually a country music fan but I do like select songs…not that this is really one of them, nor is Clint Black one of the artists I “dig”…only because I saw him LIVE and thought he was incredibly boring. Now…I realize that if there are die-hard Clint Black fans here they will probably trample me for that statement…perhaps he was having an OFF NIGHT or something…but he wasn’t very disconnected with the audience when I saw him and I thought he was incredible boring. However, looking back, Wynona opened that evening and I thought she was excellent! Anyhow…I am choosing this song for this tea because of the RED HEAD connection…I have Red Hair so am interested in Red Headed Pop Culture – haha – and Willie Nelson is a legend in his own right. I wonder if he’s into TEA…since he’s into other herbs!? LOL

Anyhow…on to this actual tea tasting review, eh!?

I also chose this song for this tea/tisane because I was thinking RED and STRANGER…I mean, this is RED…Rooibos…AND it’s a powder or a matcha powder…I’ve had 2 other Rooibos Based Matcha Powders and I have enjoyed both of them. This one is just as good! It’s a plain rooibos base into a powder so there is no flavoring to really comment on other than it DOES smell and taste exactly like Rooibos and what you think it would and should smell and taste like.

Having said that…

The real notable item here is the QUALITY. It’s top-notch as far as Rooibos quality goes…

In matcha form the rooibos is very clean tasting but semi-murky in the water…it looks like a latte, however, and that makes sense!

It’s smooth and sweet and I think it’s very good!

I’ve been on the hunt for a matcha substitute (informally) – that didn’t possess the caffeine kick – for some time. I ran across this product from TeaEqualsBliss ‘s review, and I was immediately captivated. I echo her thoughts that this is a quality rooibos, you can tell from smell alone. Very sweet. Smelled like the long-cut variety. I prepped it like I would any matcha – chasen, miso soup bowl, whisked the heck out of it. It frothed up a little, but not much. Taste-wise, it was a damn good tasting rooibos but with a thicker consistency. Quite a successful for an unusual delivery. If I had one gripe – and it’s a small one, it’s that I want to see a GREEN rooibos matcha. Beyond that, good show.

Full Review: http://www.lazyliteratus.com/1173

I really like matcha and I really like rooibos. Plus, I’m tickled pink to receive a tin of this from an angel named Charlotte I would never have been able to try this otherwise. Come to think of it, there are a ton of teas I would never have been able to try if not for my dear Steepster family! So thank you to Charlotte and everyone in Steepster. You make the tea experience so much more than I thought it could be :)

Now, on to the Red Matcha! Being a newbie, I clumsily opened the tin and dropped a bit more powder than I had planned into my (brother’s) shake bottle. Made a mental note of the need for a spoon. Next, I put it under the water dispenser and tiny clouds of powder flew. This helped me inhale the aroma, lol. Upon hindsight, I note: it is better to put in water first..or pour water oh so gently. Ah, matcha truly is an art requiring much grace!

So I shake it, and sip it, and oh, the water’s gone down…add some more water to make up for too much powder from earlier…and sip down some more, imagining the possibilities of mixing this with other things. I did like the teabag rooibos w/cinnamon and vanilla so I think I will try that for a start :)

Not my favorite, I must admit. I don’t really care much for rooibos that is unflavored, I guess. I think I might like this better if it were organic (yes, there is a difference in flavor between the organic vs. conventionally grown rooibos).

That being said, I prefer this matcha version of rooibos over a steeped unflavored rooibos. The consistency is nicer with this – thicker and I like that it isn’t chalky.

This isn’t bad … just not my favorite. I’m glad I got to try it though.

Ahhhh! What did I just drink? I guess all I can say is that you should make sure you like rooibos before you buy this product. This pretty much tasted like sawdust to me (I will say that it tasted like the sweetest sawdust from the most delicious wood) but this drink just wasn’t for me. I will refrain from rating this one.

Having this matcha tea is like finding wine in a sea of beer. I have had it plain, and as a latte and so far it’s become my favourite matcha. It comes across the palette very smoothly, not powdery, and with a hint of sweetness. Kind of like Ovaltine but with a lighter flavour. I can see either Vanilla or Cinnamon bringing the honey sweetness out as a dessert, or you can use it in a base mix for chai. Next, I think I will try making it into ice cream!

Finding it locally has been a pain however. With so many tea shops in Toronto you’d think that at least ONE would carry it! I ordered it online instead. It came in a silver packet, inside its aluminum tin, wrapped in a bubble wrap envelope. It was a bit of a pain getting every dot of rooibus out of the packaging and into its tin but worth it. :) The delivery time took about 3-4 Days from Florida to Toronto.

I’d say this as an expensive and rare drink it truly hits the spot for any occasion. Served hot, cold, or as a base for recipes. Very versatile, healthy and delicious!

How cool is this? Instant rooibos! Gourmet instant gratification! Lovely for enjoying as is, or making lattes, or even adding to smoothies. If you love the unique flavor of rooibos, this is definitely one to add to your tea cupboard.

I truly love this tea…Why has it taken so long for someone to come up with a Rooibos Matcha!!! THANK YOU PURE MATCHA!!! I am now complete. This taste just like Rooibos, but its more intense, its fothier, its more robust. It smells like Rooibos Heaven. The taste is unreal. You must try this Red Matcha!!! i created a steepster account just for this review!!

A coffee drinker turning to tea. Needing to reduce caffeine for health reasons has sent me on a search for a “healthy” alternative. That would still offer the pleasures of enjoying my morning with a comforting, warm cup of flavor. Red Matcha has done just that. I was quite please to stumble upon the Matcha line of teas from Pure Matcha. Offering the red Rooibos in a powder form is PERFECT for a coffee convert! It took a little time to get use to the murkiness in my cup, but with a flavor so rewarding I have learned to love the frothiness of it. In fact now if I am out and order a cup of Rooibos I am slightly disappointed in what I am paying for. Hope our tea houses catch on soon and offer the Red Matcha tea. I can’t say enough about this tea, the taste is rich and flavorful. The fact that it is full of antioxidants is such a plus, to be able to enjoy something “good” for you! I in an effort to find the healthier me, I have also turned this fab find into a refreshing cold drink to enjoy all day long.( remember NO caffeine) Yes this will be the murkiest Ice Tea you will ever consume, but I am here to tell you the flavor and rewards will soon make it part of its charm. I am sure there will be those who will discount my claim that since making Red Match part of my daily rituals I feel so much better and I am loosing weight I thought I would be destined to carry with me forever. I’m not sure if it’s the frame of mind my new find has put me in, or if it is truly the antioxidants hard at work but Red Matcha tea is my new best friend!!!

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