Matcha. . .another variety of tea that I don’t seem to find myself enjoying enough of. Being the huge green tea fan, you’d like I’d drink matcha regularly but I always seem to forget about it. Recently I finally gave myself the pep talk of this is the year I’m going to get into shape and be healthier. As it stands right now, I’m not unhealthy but I could be in way better shape and take better care of myself.
One of the first changes I’ve recently made is to cut back my coffee intake. I LOVE my coffee. Especially in the morning with some steamed almond milk. . .just puts me in the right frame of mind to take on my hectic days. Today instead of reaching for that next cup of joe, I went for a matcha latte instead and that was absolutely the right call for the day.
Kenko Tea offers a Super Premium Matcha Tea that became my co-pilot for the morning. I whisked up the matcha and sat myself down to enjoy. And enjoy I did. The matcha provided a sweet and vegetal note all at the same time that I instantly fell in love with. I didn’t add in any kind of cream or sweetners. Just delicious bright matcha.
And I will be perfectly honest, I did find myself to have more energy during the day today and I didn’t find myself reaching for a lot of snacks. But again, I’ve been working on my eating habits and trying to lose some weight so the matcha really just fit well into my efforts.
After I got back from the office today, I actually ended up making myself another cup. Same as with the first cup, I was not disappointed with how the matcha whisked up (quite easily) and delivered a wonderful flavor. . . delicious. The flavors actually reminded me of spring which is perfect since today was the first day of spring!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kenko Tea
Description
One month supply of Kenko’s Premium Ceremonial Grade Japanese matcha green tea powder.
Our premium ceremonial matcha tea is a high-quality matcha made for daily consumption. This ceremonial grade tea is an intense jade green powder with a delicate sweetness, grassy overtones, and very light astringency. It whisks to produce a creamy froth, and is ideal for a morning energy lift or a calming afternoon treat.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Matcha from Kiss Me Organics. . .
I’ve always had an affinity for matcha, but in recent months, I’ve become a bit obsessed. Like many of my tea-loving sisters, I stash the hot brews away for the summer as soon as it starts to warm up, but there’s still a part of me that longs for a tasty, un-iced cuppa from time to time. Black teas seem too heavy for this distinction in the summer, but fresh and vegetal matcha hits the perfect notes.
I’m not enough of a matcha expert to really be able to tell the finest distinctions between brands, but I can vouch that this one is right up there with some of my favorites: finely milled, fresh, bright and vegetal taste, and blends beautifully into my drink of choice (either straight in water, as a latte, or if I’m feeling really fun– iced!). A bonus– it’s organic! If this is something that’s important to you like it is to me, this is a great choice. If you’re looking for a matcha powder that hits all the right notes and won’t let you (erm– or your cup) down, this is a solid choice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Kiss Me Organics
Description
Our Japanese-grown, 100% certified organic, Culinary Grade Matcha powder contains 137x the antioxidants of brewed green tea. Matcha is a potent antioxidant and consuming it can increase thermogenesis (the rate at which our body burns calories) by 30 to 50%. Our green tea powder contains a potent amino acid, L-Theanine, that helps reduce stress while providing a steady energy boost (for up to 6 hours), without the caffeine crash. KissMeOrganics Culinary grade matcha is made from 100% certified organic ingredients and comes in a BPA-FREE Packaging with resealable zipper pouch. Ideal for blending, baking and cooking.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mint Matcha from 3 Leaf. . . .
There is (was?) a restaurant in Toronto called Fring’s. It is a joint effort between the rapper, Drake, and the celebrity chef, Susur Lee. This restaurant has been plagued with all sorts of drama but of course, given the owners, it is still popular and still crazy expensive. And by crazy expensive, I mean that one drink is $18 plus tax. Nonetheless, that price tag didn’t stop me from trying their tangerine mojito last time I was there and it is that tangerine mojito that inspired my drink today.
My preferred way of drinking matcha is to drink flavored matcha mixed into a glass of cold milk. This works well with flavors like Berries & Cream, Mocha, or even Caramel Popcorn (trust me on this last one…it. is. good.). However, mint milk just sounds bad to me so I wanted to find another drink to mix with my mint matcha. That is when I remembered the tangerine mojito and the delightful combination of tangerine and mint and all of a sudden the tangerine lemonade in the fridge was calling to me.
I used a half teaspoon of 3 Leaf’s Mint Matcha in 8 ounces of Tropicana’s Tangerine Lemonade. One thing I noticed about this matcha is that it gets rather clumpy and thus makes it difficult to mix in to whatever beverage it is being added to, at least when being added to a cold beverage. Just something to keep in mind.
Given the lack of success I had tasting the matcha through the tangerine lemonade, I decided to try a heaping half teaspoon (and I mean HEAPING) in 8 ounce of water. Unfortunately, this isn’t much more successful because it basically tastes like I am drinking fresh lawn clippings. There is a slight mint to this cup but more than anything it is grass.
All in all, I don’t think this one is for me but it was an interesting introduction from my SipsBy box. I don’t usually drink unflavored matchas and though this is meant to be minty, it doesn’t taste very flavored to me. I have tried other mint matchas that had a lot more mint flavor and a lot less green tea base and those are the ones I will stick to. With that said, for those looking for a more pure matcha flavor, without the sugars and flavoring, this might be one to try.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: 3 Leaf
Description
Crisp, Invigorating, Fresh
We took our premium grade matcha and infused it with crisp, fresh mint. Perfect for drinking hot or iced.
INGREDIENTS:
Premium grade matcha infused with natural mint flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Matsu / Matchaeologist
Finally decided to kick my MMU obsession and try another company. Matchaeologist has a gorgeous website all designed around matcha (obviously). They have four different blends and three different types. Ceremonial, Premium, and culinary, the usual matcha grades. With a coupon on my right clicker I decided to go for the ceremonial grades. On a whim I decided to go for Matsu first. Something about roasty notes just sounds good on winter days. The color of the powder is somewhat unimpressive after the incredible green from MMU but I keep my hopes up. Never had a roasty matcha before. It’s quite nice. Slight chocolatey aroma with interesting roasted notes. Smooth and silky in smell, taste, and feel. Though I didn’t actually feel it, the sensation of softness was given while sifting it into the bowl. The mouth feel is incredibly sleek. No astringency or weird after bite.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Matchaeologist
Description:
Our signature ceremonial-grade matcha is artisan roasted to produce a rich, creamy body and smooth mouthfeel not unlike a perfectly brewed espresso
Boasting the deepest shade of green reminiscent of Japanese pine trees, Matsu™is characterized by its captivating roasted aromas brought to the fore by our artisanal roasting technique handed down through generations of matcha sommeliers. The result is a deeply rich and complex symphony of flavors, with notes of ‘umami’ and savory-sweet undertones that round out the intensity of the roast, culminating in an exquisite blend with a full body and long, creamy finish.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
MMU04 / Material Matcha Uji
Culinary matcha. Generally these two words elicit thoughts of low grade matcha with shades closer to olives and bitter in flavor. That is not the case with MMU04. While the color doesn’t stand out quite as much as the other MMU varieties it is still shades better than many other culinary matcha. Nay I would say it even looks more delightful than some premium matchas. The aroma isn’t on the same level as the others either, no surprise there. It is a bit grassy and comes off your nose quicker. The same with the taste. It doesn’t really linger in your mouth and there really is not much umami but it is not bitter like other culinary matcha that I have tried. Yes it is slightly astringent on it’s own which makes it prime for lattes and cooking. To be honest I wasn’t very keen of the flavor on it’s own so I have added a bit of almond milk. Much less astringent. Somewhat grassy and slightly creamy. This one is still in the prototype stage so it’s possible it may change.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Material Matcha Uji
Description: MMU04 is Material Matcha’s take on Culinary Matcha, ideal for Matcha Lattes & baking Cakes, Cookies, etc.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!