Caramel Matcha

I prefer this iced with milk more than hot. I needed something good after I just went off on a commenter on a Formula 1 blog.

Don’t mix sports and politics. Of course first of all because it looks like sport is a pawn, but also because someone has to take the situation and one up it with stupid. Someone will always drag Obama into it, and in this case it was comparing “a disregard for the constitution” and also the healthcare act to human rights violations in Bahrain. Last night there was a petrol bomb incident involving some mechanics from a team. So you’re telling me that not governing a country based on a document from the 18th century is comparable to surprise petrol bombs and tear gas. RIGHT. Sometimes I think studying political science and economics is the worst decision I have ever made because now I want to slap so many people.

To stop myself from wanting to slap people (until I move to Paris with my job with the OECD because at 3am this morning I decided that’s what I am doing with my life), I made an iced matcha latte. I also always want to type matte latte. Actually, given the color of the drink, that might work.

I still love this so much. I pretty much only drink coconut milk, but when I use half a teaspoon of matcha, I don’t get the coconut taste. In fact, with this, I’d be pretty fooled that I hadn’t put cream in here just like if I was making caramel.

I am trying to think of a way I could work this into a caramel candy recipe that’s in the Baked Explorations cookbook. I think maybe a visit to Super H Mart is in order to see if there are any matcha caramels there to try out first! But I think that would be amazing.

Also the Atlantic like, insulted corgis in an article so I would also like to slap them. KEEP SIPPING, AMANDA, KEEP SIPPING.

So I just logged on to Steepster to write a tasting note for this, and I see that right at the top of my dashboard is another tasting note from Mina for this very same tea. Great minds think alike? The best part is that I don’t have to go looking for the tea, it’s right there, just click on it! :)

I ordered the “Distinct” level of flavoring, with the basic Matcha. I’ve tried two of the flavored Matcha since Red Leaf has offered so many selections (including choices of how much flavor and what type of Matcha is used), and I must say that I’m loving the customizing part of it all. I like that I can choose to have a little extra flavor in the tea – Matcha is a very strong flavor as it is, and it’s nice that with the distinct level I can taste both the matcha and the flavor and they’re pretty well-balanced.

My Chawan is nearly empty now, and I’ve not even begun to write my SororiTea Sisters review, so I better get cracking…

Sweet, yummy deliciousness!

Caramel Matcha

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

Don’t think about it, don’t question if you should, don’t wibble wabble back and forth, its easy, click that link above! DO IT NOW! You will never regret it. Yes it is not as inexpensive as some teas out there but not only is it by far better than other teas it also buy one get one free if you do the free matcha program here:

http://www.redleaftea.com/free-matcha/

You see, there is no way to justify NOT ordering this unless you just need to wait on cash flow in which case I give you a pass but don’t forget about it! Let it seep into the deep recesses of your mind and haunt your dreams with visions of playful caramel candies with bright smiling faces dancing around your head.

Okay now that’s out of my system.

My matcha is composed as such:

Options:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust
Storage : Add Small Metal Tin Container (Holds up to 45g)

I love the screw top lids on the containers you can buy from Red Leaf Tea!

So the flavor, this caramel is THE most carmaley flavored tea I have ever consumed! This is like eating chewy caramel candies without the tooth decay or chewing. I’m not a kid anymore so chewing on caramels is really not working out so well for me these days but I tell you what – THIS is more than an adequate substitute! I swear to you this is THE caramel to get!

So okay I had tried a sample of this before from a fellow steepster here and at that time I was not as adept in making my matcha let alone my matcha to water ratio. Now that I have it figured out – its so much better.

Also note, I did get the robust flavoring! I can’t imagine what the “there’s matcha in there?” flavoring would be like but I am tempted to try it! I just can’t imagine getting any more caramel goodness flavor out of this.

Get some of this matcha, mix in a splash of vanilla low fat creamer, a half cup to cup of milk, some ice cubes, pour in your matcha mix and BAM, LOVE!

I have had many amazing flavors from Red Leaf Tea so far in my matcha journey but I will say without a doubt THIS one is THE sweetest MOST candy like, MOST true to its namesake, MOST indulgent, dessert like, not even close IT IS dessert! I could not even go down to my local ice cream store and get something THIS delicious.

I am going to be done with this so I can really sit back and enjoy the rest of this delightful experience.

Oh and here is the link again:

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

So, aside from this tea being sweet and perfect to drink (aka I will be bringing it to work tomorrow), I wanted to bake with it!

Well – I wanted to bake with matcha, I was working on a cinnamon bread recipe and remember the caramel! Oh perfect match! I really wish I had some cinnamon matcha to use as well, but the caramel worked just fine for my gooey pull apart cinnamon bread. Happiness! It wasn’t as GREENTEA tasting as it was in my matcha cookies – I think because I got the robust flavour.

Well either way I will be bringing this tea to work tomorrow. It was my first day today and I am completely overwhelmed. How do I be the receptionist in a building of 450 people? I have to know all of their names or they snarl at me. God forbid I transfer a call to someone you’re not supposed to transfer to (hint: there is no way to know who doesn’t like calls transferred to them! No list! You just have to know!). So yeah I’m super stressed but it took 2 months to find a job so I think I just have to suck it up.

Blah! Well, recipe for the matcha bread is on my website. Somehow I’m still finding time for it. ha! http://www.daisychubb.com/recipe-caramel-matcha-pull-apart-cinna-bread/

In a happy coincidence, this is my 200th tasting note! Whoo, I got here so fast! I think it’s quite fitting for this to be my 200th note, since it’s a very special tea. I didn’t even plan it this way but I really wanted something I loved for 200, and here we are, with my new tea crush.

I’m not exactly a matcha virgin, but this is my first order from Red Leaf Tea. I’ve never actually had flavored matcha, but I use it to cook a lot (green tea mochi cake with red bean swirl is food of the gods!) and make lattes with it. However, my usual matcha is only an okay grade and is a bit bitter—I don’t have money for a really nice grade, sadly. So Red Leaf to the rescue! They have amazing flavors for low prices, and lots of upgrade options. I was waiting for the right time to order my first one, and then like magic a flavor I had my eye on was 50% off! So for my first order I got the caramel matcha, which you can find here:

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

I went with the minimal options, my matcha has the following:
Size: 30g
Grade: Starter
Flavor: Delicate
no accessories or storage options since I have tins at home!

You know, I was a bit worried about getting the delicate flavoring option. I’ve seen a lot of reviews that prefer distinctive or robust, so maybe the delicate would be, well, too delicate? I wanted a strong caramel flavor but still a distinct matcha taste, but I also wanted to know the “base line” for their flavoring for when I place my inevitable second (and third and fourth and fifth…) order. But when I snipped open the bag, I was hit with a huge whiff of the most delicious smell. Caramel, pure caramel! And not from a bag of candy caramel, fresh off the stove hot creamy caramel. I do a lot of candy making and this reminds me so strongly of that. I wonder what distinctive and robust smell like?! I might get a stronger flavor when I order the cheesecake, just so the smell will knock me out. Okay, seriously, I keep sniffing the bag. Ahh, that flavor is so good! I think I’m tea high.

Continuing the theme of “I’m nervous about matcha” I was nervous about preparing it! Thankfully Red Leaf Tea gives you this really hands little pamphlet with instructions on how to properly prepare it. So I sifted about 1 teaspoon of matcha into a mug (not a bowl, I know, I’m a bad matcha maker! but it was a really cute mug so it’s okay), then boiled my water and let it cool to 180. I made matcha once with boiling water, it was absolutely disgusting. Bitter and gross and… urgh, not good. So 180 it is! I almost did lower but the pamphlet said 180, so I guess it’s not as delicate as it looks.

Then I added 2 oz of hot water (yes, I measured exactly, I was a bit anal since this was my first time with the brand and I did NOT want to mess it up!) and whisked furiously. It got so frothy! I don’t have one of those fancy bamboo whisks so I just used my normal metal one and it worked out perfectly fine, no clumping or chunks left in the bottom. I also made sure to sift it REALLY well which as it turns out is quite important. I actually didn’t now about this step before and my previous matcha attempts have ended in big bitter clumps at the bottom. This way, though, no delicious flavor is wasted! I tried it at this stage and it was REALLY strong, too strong for me—I’m not brave enough to drink “straight” matcha like that yet so I added a pinch of sugar and filled my tiny mug up with some cold milk. I whisked some more, and voila, matcha latte! Well, kind of a bootleg matcha latte, but it works for me.

Oh. My. God. This stuff is AMAZING! Heaven, tea heaven. I felt like I was in nirvana at the first sip, it was so creamy and sweet and grassy and pure pure caramel. I can’t believe I went this long without ordering any before! It’s amazing how well the flavors balance, the caramel and matcha blend together to perfection. It’s sweet but not too sweet, creamy but not overly creamy, deliciously fresh from the matcha. I know I only got the basic grade but the quality is just so high! It’s better than any restaurant or coffee shop/tea shop matcha latte I’ve ever had, and it took almost no effort! So fast, so easy, I can never go back to pre-made. But given the prices, it’s not hard for me to make one myself every day!

I’m so excited to try some of their other flavors (or uhh all, I want them all!), but for now me and this caramel matcha are going to run away together to a cabin in the countryside. Seriously, I want to marry this stuff. It is SO good! Here’s the link again, I can’t recommend this enough! http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

I definitely got this right this time. Holy matcha!

Size: Small (30g)
Quality: Basic
Type: Regular
Flavor: Delicate
Made with an oversized scoop of matcha, 8oz. coconut milk and 1 tsp of Truvia. Mixed with a chasen.
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

This is, by far, the best matcha I’ve had from Red Leaf. If I could give it a higher rating, I would! I tried this the other day and it tasted ‘off’ to me. My daughter said it was how almond/coconut milk tastes, and yet… just wasn’t right, especially knowing how many of you love this one.

So, I tried again today. Pure coconut milk, mixed with a chasen, added more milk, some Truvia… and I gulped the whole cup down in less than three minutes. For someone who had to swear off sugar a while ago, this is the best possible fix for a caramel-lover. It’s exactly like biting into a caramel, minus the sticking-to-your-teeth gooeyness.

I took a sip of my matcha milk today and got the caramel, as I expected I would, but was also surprised to get a hint of saltiness that reminded me of the caramel popcorn flavor. I actually had to do a double-take to make sure I grabbed the right package. However, after confirming it was just plain caramel and being confused for a moment, I realized I had just had peanut butter and the saltiness was remnants of that. Nonetheless, it made for a pretty tasty treat.

This is my morning birthday latte. Sorry I haven’t been around. Have been so busy, but hope everyone’s been doing well! Will need to catch up on reading everyone’s lovely reviews once the semester is done.

I ordered this in basic grade, robust. Definitely creamy caramel. Very sweet! I’m not going to lie though. I opened my white chocolate matcha just minutes before this one and I found that they both smell similar? And I’ve had them for a couple weeks now. Go figure.

But yes, I’ve enjoyed this as hot and cold lattes, as a smoothie with frozen strawberries, and with some biscotti-flavoured Bailey’s Irish Cream (droool). Of course it tasted amazing with the Irish cream, but overall, I like it best as a cold latte.

Blended with almond milk, the caramel swirls around the almond nuances and creates a guilt-free treat which perks you right up. Unsurprisingly, the caramel comes out more with milk. I should try it with the English Toffee sometime (which I haven’t even started yet) and maybe I’ll get a Caramilk feel out of it.

I’m bad. I slipped a little Galliano and Triple Sec into my latte. Not too much though! I’ll be perfectly fine at the seminar later haha.

I was so happy to find my envelope from Red Leaf Tea in my mailbox yesterday afternoon. I was hoping it would come before the long weekend, and alas, it did! I was impressed at how quickly my tea shipped to Canada.

Oh boy. I’ve been wanting to try a flavoured matcha for so long, and now I’m left wondering why I waited so long! This is truly delicious, easier to prepare than I expected, and gives me a lovely natural energy boost to boot.

When I was placing my order, I was delighted to find all of the customization options. It’s really a nice touch and allows you to have your matcha exactly the way you like it. I opted for the starter grade matcha with distinctive flavouring. I was hoping to have a nice punch of caramel flavour, but I didn’t want it to cover up the sweet, grassy loveliness of the matcha itself, and that’s exactly what I got!

I love that Red Leaf’s flavourings are all natural. And the caramel is so very true to its name! A rich, buttery, dark caramel scent and taste. It really does satisfy sweet cravings in a healthy way, as advertised. It reminds me of the scents in the kitchen when I make my grandma’s special brown sugar fudge recipe. Sweet caramelized sugar with cream and a touch of butter. I am picky when it comes to caramel flavoured things but this one hits the mark!

I am quite new to matcha, and I can’t wait to experiment with making all sorts of different drinks and incorporating it into baking. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to make a decent bowl of it myself, but it is actually pretty simple to prepare. I started with a large, wide-mouthed mug, a tea strainer, and a mid-size springy whisk. Even with these less than ideal tools, I was able to make a really nice bowl of matcha! I’m thinking of investing in a bamboo whisk to make the process go a little smoother. I might just add one to my next matcha order. Can’t wait to try the cheesecake matcha! And the cotton candy, and the french vanilla, bavarian cream, boysenberry, pear, coconut..so many possibilities! But back to my preparation. I simply sifted a generous teaspoon of matcha over my mug with my tea strainer. Then I added a small amount of very hot (but not boiling) water and whisked vigorously. After it was fully dissolved and some bubbles had formed, I topped it up with more hot water. Simple as that! It’s a bit fussier than preparing a regular cup of tea, but it is SO worth it.

I tasted it plain before adding any additions. I generally like a bit of milk and sugar in my tea, and this one is no exception. But I thought I’d try it in its natural state first to get a sense of the true flavour. It was a bit too much for me straight up, probably because I’m not used to the strong flavour of matcha. It had a slight natural sweetness, which was lovely, with a smooth green tea taste. I got a nice hit of caramel at the end of the sip. I’m sure if you love drinking teas straight, you’d enjoy it this way. Adding milk and sugar really brought the caramel taste to life, completing the sweet creamy texture.

I’ve only had this matcha for a day, but I already find myself craving it. I had a cup last night in the evening, and then another cup when I woke up this morning. I was feeling a bit sluggish this afternoon so I made a bowl of matcha, and it really gave me some pep and made me smile! I can see matcha becoming a part of my daily tea lineup very quickly.

If you want to get your hands on some of this goodness, head over to Red Leaf Tea and get yourself some Caramel Matcha. It is pretty magical stuff!

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

Well, once again Matcha surprises me.
This is not only my first flavored matcha, but it is my first tea from Red Leaf.
I could smell this tea as I was opening the package from the company.
What I first noticed is that the smell was really not coming off Caramel to me, more butterscotch-y.
But, the tiny little pouch did indeed say Caramel on it.
I immediately opened the tea and prepared it as the instructions directed.
I was slightly underwhelmed.
Not overly grassy or malty (which had been my experience with Matcha’s so far)
The caramel smell really did not really transfer over into taste.
It was all rather mild.
So, I made it into a latte.
Was not at all impressed with that.
Made it into a iced latte.
It was just okay.
I finally read some past reviews on this tea, and someone mentioned adding a splash of milk to traditionally made matcha.
I have found that is the best way to enjoy this tea.
Of course, most of the matcha is gone at this point.
The splash of milk adds a bit of creaminess that bring out the flavoring more.
I find it somewhat comforting, it also seems to settle an upset stomach.
That being said, I am not going to rate this tea.
Because I still don’t know what to think…
It was a small amount of Matcha for what seemed to be a bit pricey to me.
(I just keep thinking of how many ounces of loose tea I could have gotten elsewhere for the price I paid for this Matcha)
And, I am surprised, I do not know why Matcha keeps shocking me, but its seems like I never know what to expect or how to prepare it so I like it.
I think I will order some Matcha again from this company, maybe in a different flavor and maybe after the holidays get all paid off.
It all has been a interesting experience to say the least.