Bird & Blend Tea Co’s Black Magic Matcha is a mix of activated charcoal, cocoa, and matcha. It is a mess! Seriously!
My hands? Black.
My counter? Black.
My frother? Black.
Black EV.ERY.WHERE! Just covered! But it is worth it because this is one tasty matcha. Plus, the mess is easy to wipe away with a damp cloth, so no harm done.
Sipping away at this matcha mixed in milk is like sipping on a low-cal glass of black chocolate milk. It is eerie but delicious and perfect for spooky season. No chalkiness. Just smooth, chocolate milk goodness, which is particularly surprising since the powder has definitely separated out a bit (both settling on top and at the bottom of the glass) while I have been drinking. This seems to be the case with most Bird & Blend matchas though so don’t be surprised when the powder settles.
I should note that this matcha does come with a warning (from Bird & Blend’s site): “Activated charcoal can interfere with medication. We recommend that you wait at least 3 hours after taking medication before consuming the matcha. This also applies to the contraceptive pill.” So while I definitely recommend this matcha, I do hope people consider the warning to ensure no mishaps occur as a result. Weird thing to have to say about a tea, I suppose, but better safe than sorry.
Also, if you are interested in giving this a try, I highly recommend picking up the Rainbow Matcha Collection which provides samples of five of Bird & Blend’s many matcha offerings (Black Magic Matcha, Mermaid Matcha, Pina Colada Tea Powder, Turmeric Tea Powder, and Orange & Passionfruit Matcha). You can find that available here.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Bird & Blend Tea Co.
Description
A delicious activated-charcoal matcha with creamy cocoa, this antioxidant-rich potion creates a magical black liquid once made up. Essentially flavourless, activated charcoal further boosts the antioxidant properties of our signature pure matcha rich in umami – the Japanese word for the delicious ‘fifth taste’, after salt, sweet, sour and bitter.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Fuji Apple & Ginger/Pure Leaf
Continuing with the spooky/fall theme. . .Fuji Apple & Ginger from Pure Leaf- reviewed by our amazing VariaTea. . .
I am very particular about my tea which means I don’t usually let anyone else make it for me. I don’t often drink teas in restaurants and bottled teas have never appealed to me. However, a lot of my friends have been enjoying and recommending Pure Leaf.
While in the grocery store the other day, I passed by Pure Leaf’s Tea House Collection. I decided to pick up the Fuji Apple & Ginger Green Tea, mostly because I LOVE fuji apples and that is not often the apple of choice for apple-flavored things. I got curious.
This is made up of brewed organic green tea, organic cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, ascorbic acid, brewed organic apple and brewed organic ginger.
Drinking it, I would not exactly call this tea. Upfront, it is all sweet, juicy fuji apple deliciousness. That gives way to a ginger flavor, without any burn. The apple-ginger then ends in a slight astringency. My guess is that could be from the ginger or the green tea. Other than that astringency, there really isn’t any sign of the green tea base.
If I am being honest, this is more like apple juice with a touch of ginger and a slight astringency. So if you want something sweet, this could be a nice option. Then again, so could regular apple juice.
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Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Pure Leaf
Description
The delicate flavors of USDA-certified organic green tea are accented by hints of crisp Fuji apple and ginger for a refreshing iced tea experience. It’s a play on flavors that only our tea masters could achieve.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mermaid Matcha/Bird and Blend Tea Co
I don’t love plain matcha. Never have. However, I have been a fan of flavored matchas since the company now known as Matcha Outlet was operating as Red Leaf Tea. Long before even DAVIDsTEA offered flavored matchas, Red Leaf Tea was offering everything from Caramel Popcorn Matcha to Strawberries and Cream Matcha to even Cheese Pizza Matcha. Alas, over the years the options offered have dwindled and I have had to seek out my flavored matchas from other companies.
Bird and Blend has a large selection of flavored matchas but they can be quite pricey. They also sell them in large quantities that I struggled to commit to. That is why when I noticed a sampler set of Rainbow Matchas on the site, I was very excited to pick it up and give the matchas a taste. One of the matchas in that set is this blue matcha, Mermaid Matcha.
When I first made this in milk, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It is a light blue, which is cool to see. More than that though, it is delicious. This particular matcha tastes just like vanilla buttercream. Amazing cake frosting deliciousness and yet it is not overly sweet. It’s awesome and one I would definitely recommend if you’re into that flavor.
The one downside of some Bird and Blend matchas can be texture. Sometimes it is heavy so the matcha tends to fall to the bottom of the mug. Sometimes the matcha can be chalky. In the case of this matcha, I don’t really find those to be an issue. As such, it is one I think is worth the price.
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Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Bird & Blend Tea Co.
Description
For fans of our famous colour changing Blue Raspberry tea blend! This magical blue matcha is infused with blue pea flower, to create a deep sea blue brew!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bukit Cheeding No. 53/BOH Tea -VariaTEA
The fun thing about tea is that there are so many different varieties from all over the world. I have had tea from Zimbabwe, tea from China, tea from Israel, tea from the UK, tea from Sri Lanka and the list keeps going. Today I get to add to that list with a tea from Malaysia, BOH Tea’s Bukit Cheeding No. 53, a full-flavored Broken Orange Pekoe breakfast tea.
I have never been one for breakfast teas. I like the more smooth and sweet dessert teas as opposed to the robust breakfast ones. This tea is certainly in the latter category. In fact, it’s description highlights the robustness of this tea when it says “Its strong, brisk character stimulates the mind making it a perfect start to the day”. This is not a tea I would have picked for myself but my SororiTea Sisters were kind enough to send me a sample so the least I could do is give it a try.
My first sip really woke me up. When they say strong, robust, brisk, etc., they mean it. It’s certainly an orange pekoe with its sharp citrus zest flavor atop a drying and slightly astringent base. Normally I like my teas plain but I took BOH’s advice and added just a splash of milk. They also suggest adding sugar but I think that might take me too far outside my comfort zone.
The milk helps with the drying aspect of the tea. It’s creamy and has a nice citrus flavor, albeit more pithy than bright. It is still brisk.
This truly is a morning tea and for those who enjoy a great breakfast blend, this could be a nice one to try, especially if you’re a milk and sugar type of person since this tea can hold up to all additives.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: BOH Tea
Description
Robust and full bodied. Strong and brisk for breakfast.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Original Earl Grey (TE10)/Upton Tea Imports -VariaTEA
I don’t really like strong bergamot flavor. Every now and then I’ll reach for an Earl Grey Cream or a flavored Earl Grey but a straight Earl Grey has never been my thing. However, a friend was kind enough to share a sample of Upton Tea Imports’ Original Earl Grey (TE10) and so I figured it was at least worth a try. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to try and make the best of it so I found a London Fog recipe online and got to prepping.
I steeped 3 perfect teaspoons in 8 ounces of boiling water for 4 minutes per the company’s steeping parameters. I used the 3/4 of cup of leftover coconut milk in my fridge, topped with some 1% milk to get to 1 cup. I frothed the milk with 2 teaspoons of honey and one removed from the heat I added 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract. This got poured over the steeped tea.
This is a super creamy latte with a whole lot of coconut and vanilla flavor. Coconut milk is always very rich but to me it is always a touch heavy and seems ever-so-slightly savory (for lack of a better word and maybe because I associate it with thai food more than anything else). I am glad I diluted it down with the 1% milk as well. The honey comes through as a nice balance to the coconut and vanilla, adding some sweetness but not as much as I expected, which is preferable for my tastes.
Of course, how could I talk about a London Fog without mentioning the earl grey itself. I actually am happily sipping away at this one because the bergamot is very nicely balanced. It adds a freshness and a nice citrus flavor but one that is more suited to the cool fall weather. Whereas lemon and lime are typically bright and zingy and make for a nice and refreshing tea in the spring and summer, London Fogs are more cozy. This definitely fits that description.
Unfortunately given all the other ingredients I can’t definitively say that this tea is good or bad but as a base for a London Fog, this tea is perfect. It’s got enough bergamot flavor to push through everything else in the mug without being too harsh or overbearing. Furthermore, from what I can taste, I would say this is good quality given the base is not bitter or astringent either. I still have a fair amount of leaf left in the sample but with this new recipe, courtesy of the Nourishing Gourmet . I am sure I will make quick work of it.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Description
China Black tea base with bergamot flavor. Produced for the British market, this tea has less bergamot than some American counterparts.