Winter Grey

Matcha Latte Sipdown (316)

This was another tea I picked to watch the Game of Thrones episode of Geek Steep. When I first started the episode, I knew I was going to pull out Highgarden but I also have gotten used to having my matcha each morning and I wondered if I had a fitting matcha for the show. I actually was looking to see if I had a rose matcha (I guess I had florals in my mind) but this caught my eye and seemed perfect. For one, it was a gift from one of the Geek Steep creators, Roswell Strange (thank you!! – I am loving exploring these matcha bursts!!), and also, “Winter is Coming” is probably one of the most famous lines ever uttered on the show.

For the matcha itself, it is a combination of chai and earl grey and honestly why? Both are pretty polarizing flavors and for me, I am quite picky with each separately, that the two combined on a potentially grassy matcha base does not seem like the best plan. Watching the episode it seemed more right though since Game of Thrones seemed to be pretty polarizing for Marika and Roswell Strange (i.e. right now they are specifically talking about their views of sexual violence on the show and both have interesting but different opinions on the matter).

So, is this matcha any good? The short answer is not really. It is better than I expected but sweeter than I expected too, which seems out of place. My first sip was a lot of chai spice with a sweeter and more floral bergamot flavor in the end. My next sip had more earl grey flavor, with the spices taking a back seat. Honestly both flavors aren’t bad as far as they go. The bergamot is pretty smooth and the chai spices are nicely balanced – I just don’t know if they should be in the same cup. Somehow the two components + the sweetness are sort of making me think of cinnamon gum and that’s not a flavor that should be coming from a matcha latte in my opinion. So this is better than expected and not necessarily bad but also doesn’t quite work in a way that I would want this again.

Is the Geek Steep episode good? Yes! This is one fandom I am familiar with and it is one that I know well. It’s interesting to hear the different opinions, especially on one of the most crucial moments of the show – The Red Wedding.