Caramel Matcha

I’m pretty sure that this was a company sample from years ago. I’ve been keeping it well-sealed in the freezer so it still has flavor but I’m sure it was better when it was fresh. Yesterday, I made a rice milk latte of this in my brand new Elwood the rainbow unicorn mug: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTcC8Q7lu5x/?taken-by=try.all.the.tea The ratio I used was two teaspoons matcha mixed into half a cup of rice milk, then added half a cup of 180f water and blended the whole thing with a milk frother. The result was creamy caramel goodness. It was slightly vegetal and sweet but not too sweet. I got a good froth going too!

First and foremost. This taste good. Really does. I made it in my blender cup with cold almond milk, and I will say it’s enjoyable. Worked well with the almond milk.

But.

I don’t recommend it because I taste absolutely no green tea. I got this as part of a sampler, so I don’t know the flavor strength, but I would like this a lot more if I could taste green tea.

Looking back, I realize that deciding to get Red Leaf’s sampler pack of flavored matcha was an impulsive decision based on a few pleasant-sounding steepster reviews. Had I taken a moment to reflect, I would have remembered that I don’t like flavored teas! The only flavors I’ll usually allow in my tea include Jasmine, spices in a chai, bergamot in Earl Grey. I don’t even take milk or sugar.
That being said, my reaction to this tea (especially in comparison to the heavenly Rishi Matcha latte I had the other day) is predictably negative. While I can actually taste some green tea through the fake caramel, what ruins this tea for me is the grittiness of the matcha and the strange chemical taste lingering in the background.

Another one bites the dust. This one is rated highly on Steepster. There is certainly nothing wrong with it. That said, not sure why I got this as caramel isn’t a favorite of mine on its own. I enjoyed it but not as much as everyone else it seems.

I have never thought of flavored matcha before I got this as a taste test sample from Red Leaf tea. I have had their loose leaf before and have been interested in their matcha since.

I love the combination of rich, sweet caramel flavor blending with the greeness and vegetal flavor of the matcha. I made two bowls of this the good olé fashioned way, with two chasen scoops blended with my bamboo whisk in my Chawan. MMM!

I have read the rave reviews of this tea iced, so I think I will make it that way next time!

This smells amazing, but the taste leaves little to be desired.

I used 1 teaspoon to 2 oz of water, then added steamed milk to make a latte. This had no flavor whatsoever.

This was a free sample I got from the company and the packet I received actually said to use 1/2 a teaspoon. When I looked on their website later, it calls for 1 Tablespoon.

Maybe I’ll try again using a full tablespoon to see if that makes a difference.

I’ve been seeing so many awesome reviews for Red Leaf flavoured matchas, so I was very excited to get this sample in the mail. It unfortunately did no fare very well in the postal system, and so rather than being contained to the sample packet, the matcha had exploded and coated everything in the envelope. I managed to salvage a good amount of it, but probably only enough for one large cup.

It smells and tastes delicious – very intensely caramel. I did this up as a hot latte – matcha, sugar, milk and some hot water, all into the blender for a few seconds. Everything is a soft, frothy, yellow green that reminds me of spring.

Caramel is the dominant flavour, but there’s definitely matcha notes in there too, toning it down and giving it complexity. I get a hit of the bitter, grassy aspect of matcha in the back of my throat towards the end of the sip. All in all well balanced.

I love how strong this smells – I really feel like I’m sitting in a confectionery, with hot butter and sugar being cooked into candy. The fragrance fills the room.

This is dangerously easy to drink. Love it. Need to try all the flavours! :P

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

This shouldn’t be this good… I didn’t expect it to be this good preparing it the traditional way matcha is prepared in a chawan with hwhisk (say it, HWHISK! haha), two chashaku scoops of matcha and about 2.5 ounces of water.

The caramel flavor is rich and thick, it blends well with the really rich and vegetal matcha. The color looks like greenish mud. The sweet caramel flavor lingers on your tongue long after you’ve finished drinking it. I imagine this stuff is more intended to be used in lattes or the kitchen, but I quite enjoyed it this way. There are some tiny whitish rectangular pieces in the matcha that were left in the sifter, though some made it through. I don’t know what these are. At first I thought they were pieces of stem but there were no coarse pieces in the drink after mixing, so I must assume they were sugar crystals or some other solidified form of flavoring that dissolves in the tea.

While this matcha is definitely not my thing, I can’t help but give it a high rating. It isn’t something I’ll purchase, but I do enjoy the sample I have quite a bit. I would say this might be a good matcha to use if trying to get into preparing matcha with a whisk but you don’t like the taste of matcha much. It could be a good gateway, if it weren’t for the fact that it simply doesn’t hold a froth. The bubbles dissipate very quickly and the foam is very thin and unstable. Ah well. The flavor is what counts with this one, I imagine.

When I first started seeing fluorescent-green matcha drinks on the internet, I was admittedly quite skeptical. Green tea in general had always ranked lower than my prized Earl Grey, and the sugar-laden matcha latte I tried at starbucks left me perplexed more than anything else.
But the more I read about the health benefits and energy boost matcha could provide, the more I wanted to give it a chance.
Enter Red Leaf Tea.
After seeing all the flavors offered and the fantastic reviews on this very site, I decided to order the much-lauded caramel matcha in the “special blend”.
Order specs:
Size : 30g
Matcha Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Matcha Type: Organic
Flavor: Distinctive

Immediately when I opened the packet, the aroma of caramel poured out. I might have stood there sniffing my tea for a good minute, it was so deliciously scented. A promising start.
In a very non-traditional way, I prepared my matcha in my bullet blender, before adding ice to fight the summer heat. The tea foamed nicely, not too much, and the bubbles resided a bit with the addition of ice. And of course, the signature green color!
At the first sip, I was in heaven. How could it be so sweet without any sweetener added? The rich and buttery caramel flavor was like a dessert, and the faint vegetal undertones of the matcha were surprisingly well suited to the caramel flavor. Even my roommate, who is most definitely not a fan of tea, wanted to give it a try, and confessed that she enjoyed it quite a bit!
I will absolutely be buying more. Rather soon, I fear, for that 30g packet, while it has lasted for many cups, is going far faster than I’d anticipated.
I highly recommend this tea!
To buy it for yourself, order here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html#.U9iwc4BdXCU

Breakfast is getting so much easier now that my 13 month old daughter has been adamant about feeding herself messily with a spoon! I can enjoy a cup of tea every morning while she eats her yogurt.

I had opened this up last night and enjoyed it so much that I had it again this morning. I made this with just milk! I heated the milk and added 1.5 heaping teaspoons of caramel matcha and 1 teaspoon of sugar. MmmMmmMmmmmm! The light green frothy brew was delicious. The caramel and orange come through in a gentle manner. The creaminess and sweetness add to this delicious breakfast. Again… dessert for breakfast? I can’t argue with that! I love this tea. I have to make this matcha with just plain hot water next time. I am sure it tastes equally good!