Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Pure Matcha
Product Description:
During the Song Dynasty in 11th century China, tea was consumed in powder form. Centuries later this innovative way of drinking black tea has been reinvented with our natural 100% Black tea powder or Black Matcha. Consumed just like traditional Green tea Matcha our Black Matcha is made from the finest Darjeeling and Assam tea leaves of India, and has a robust rich flavor. Higher in natural caffeine than a traditional cup of black tea, rivaling that of a cup of coffee. Except with Black Matcha there is no jittery crash. When you drink Black Matcha you get almost ten times more anti-oxidants and vitamins than a regular cup of tea, where the leaves are thrown away after brewing. Black Matcha is great for a healthy morning wake up.
Taster’s Review:
Now, I know what some of you Matcha purists out there are thinking… Matcha made from black tea leaves? But don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
This is delicious. It tastes like a very strongly brewed Assam/Darjeeling blend, heavy on the Assam. It has a lot of GUSTO. It has the maltiness that you would expect from a good quality Assam with a hint of muscatel in the background that is desirable from a Darjeeling.
There is a faint savory bitter note to this, but I’ve got to tell you that I really expected it to be very bitter in a not-savory-but-bad-bitter way. This isn’t like that at all. It does, however, have a fair amount of astringency to it. It is robust with a well-rounded flavor.
It is very creamy and when that is combined with the biscuit-y quality of it and the malt – well, it becomes rather rich and decadent! But, make no mistake, this is A STRONG TEA… so if you’re sensitive to caffeine, or even if you aren’t, you should be careful not to drink this too late in the day. However, if you are one who finds yourself dragging a bit in the morning (um… that would be ME), this is the Matcha for you!
There is also a whisper of spice in the background that I am finding rather intriguing, and a very nice undertone of sweetness that I enhanced a little sprinkling of raw Turbinado sugar. A really delicious – and DIFFERENT! – Matcha!
It prepares just like “regular” green Matcha: First, I sifted the dry tea (which looks a bit like dry hot chocolate mix). The water was slightly hotter than I would with a green Matcha. The water wasn’t boiling, but, it was just under a boil, whereas with green Matcha, I bring it to just about 145 degrees F. Add the water and whisk, and this froths up just like a green Matcha!
I think this would also be quite nice as a latte, in fact, I think I shall have my next cuppa with steamed milk instead of water to see how that works out! I will update in the comments when I try it! In the meantime, you should try this tea!
