Peanut Matcha from Red Leaf Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green (Matcha)

Where to Buy:  Red Leaf Tea

Tea Description:

When the distinctly nutty taste of peanuts is mellowed by the velvety touch of oriental Matcha, the resulting Peanut Matcha treat is truly satisfying for any palate. Peanut Matcha is a treat that is perfect for any age because it is tasty enough to quench the rising appetites of energetic youngsters and also mellow enough to fulfill the well developed palates of older adults and senior citizens. It makes an exceptionally delicious addition at any festive occasion where people want to experiment with different nutty favorites.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I wasn’t too sure about trying Peanut flavored Matcha.  Oh sure, I ordered it.  And yes, I had every intention of trying it but I still doubted whether or not I’d really like it.  I’ve been on the fence really about peanut flavored drinks.  It just sounded too odd to me.  I don’t know why.  I mean, I’ve tried a lot of odd flavored teas … have I not?  In fact, I actively look for unusual flavors!

So what is it about the humble peanut that freaks me out so much?  I like peanuts.  I even like peanut butter.  But, peanut butter flavored tea?  I’m not so sure about (Oh… and Red Leaf Tea does make a Peanut Butter flavored Matcha in addition to this Peanut Matcha.  Sound interesting?  Here’s the link to that one.)  I even often crave foods that include peanuts in them, like Pad Thai and Kung Pao Chicken.  I love peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwiches (I don’t like peanut butter and jelly though).

I don’t know what it is, exactly.  But, recently, I had tasted something that kind of brought me around to wanting to actually try a peanut flavored tea or even a peanut butter flavored tea.  This magical something?  Taffy.  Salted Peanut Taffy, to be exact.  It was the best taffy I ever tasted.  And I thought if I could enjoy that taffy so much, maybe, just maybe I might also enjoy other peanut flavored things.  So, I summoned up my courage and I ordered some Peanut Matcha.  This Peanut Matcha from Red Leaf Tea that is in my chawan.  (I should add that I was still just a little timid when I ordered this, ordering the delicate level of flavoring rather than my distinctive level that I usually order)

And it is YUM!  I really like this.  It isn’t my favorite flavored Matcha, but I didn’t expect it to be … but I still really like it a lot.  It is sweet, nutty and toasty, and the creamy smooth Matcha with vegetative notes seems to meld so nicely with the flavor of the peanut.

I prepared it traditionally, with water and vigorous whisking, and then after a quick sip, I decided I wanted to see what a pinch of salt might add to it.  So, I added a tiny pinch of sea salt, and the first thing it did is make the froth disappear.  Then I grabbed my whisk and whisked vigorously for about 20 seconds, just to make sure that the salt was thoroughly mixed in.  (The froth came back with the additional whisking, by the way!)

The salt really made a big difference.  It didn’t make it salty, really, but it enhanced the flavor of the peanut … making it taste more like peanut.  The overall taste seemed a little sweeter, with just a hint of saltiness in there.

I really like this one – much more than I thought I would.