Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Matcha, Green Tea
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Despite its name, eggnog is a delicious and sweet drink which can be combined with other beverages to make it truly delicious and unforgettable. Combined with exotic Matcha, Eggnog Matcha can easily become a favorite especially at many social occasions where people want to appear trendy and adventurous at the same time. This interesting and sweetish vanilla-like drink is perfectly blended to suit many audiences both young and old and because of its lingering taste, can be very sumptuous on the palate. It can be taken both night or day depending on the audience and occasion.
Eggnog Matcha, despite its name, does not taste at all like eggs but borders more on the taste of vanilla or even custard. This taste is refined by the balancing effect of Matcha to make a mellow treat that is very pleasurable for the palate. Its thick creamy feel in the mouth makes it an easy favorite for those wanting to treat their palates to pure leisure and unforgettable pleasure. It can be an excellent companion to many snack alternatives because of its sweet base and sumptuous feel on the palate. Eggnog Matcha is a heavenly snack for those occasions where guests deserve to relax and enjoy a full bodied sensation on their palates.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I want something really frothy and creamy, Eggnog Matcha from Red Leaf Tea fits the bill!
So I am trying to slim down my matcha stash, not because I want to get rid of it, but rather I want to order some of the awesome new flavors that Red Leaf Tea has! So I looked over my matcha stash and saw this Eggnog Matcha sitting there beckoning me. I decided that it was what I was craving! Thick, creamy, very frothy, and heavy in the mouthfeel. It reminds me of custard, just like the description says. I like making mine with vanilla almond milk to give it a bit of a sweeter taste, but the flavors are dead on for Eggnog, and who says that it has to be the holidays to enjoy eggnog? Not me that’s for sure.
I like my flavored matcha from Red Leaf Tea cold, or made into an iced latte personally, and I have only had eggnog served cold as well, so it makes sense to me to prepare it cold.
There is a distinct vanilla flavor to eggnog, but also a slight nod toward nutmeg as well. What I really love about this flavor is that the matcha flavor is not lost in the blend. I can taste all of the matcha goodness here too! I would suggest you consider ordering the robust or at least distinctive blend in this specific flavor because it is not as strong as some of the other Red Leaf Tea flavor options. That is not to say you can’t taste the Eggnog flavor, you can, but if you really want that punch in the face flavor you need to at least go with Robust. When I order this flavor again it will be in the “There’s Matcha In There?” option.
I have enough of this left to do one more thing with it that I have been dying to do, and that is make an Eggnog Shake with it! This is one of those flavors that is a must try with ice cream!
Matcha Infused Genmaicha Green Tea from Aiya
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya
Tea Description:
Matcha Infused Genmaicha is a traditional Japanese Sencha blended with toasted brown rice and premium Matcha green tea. The refreshing flavor of Sencha combined with the nutty flavor of toasted brown rice, plus the resilient color and mild sweetness of Matcha make this tea distinctly delightful.
Ingredients:
Japanese Green Tea,
Japanese Genmai (toasted brown rice)
Matcha Green Tea
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I got my Matcha Infused Genmaicha Green Tea from Aiya sample in the mail I had to brew it right up! I love Genmaicha but I really love Genmaicha with Matcha! It has been a long time since I had a Genmaicha with Matcha from a new company to try so I was really excited to get a sample of this one, from Aiya, who sources excellent tea.
When I came to the site here to do the review I noticed my sister LiberTeas had just posted her review, which you can see here. I almost decided to wait because generally we don’t do reviews of the same teas back to back, but in this case, I already had my sample steeped up and was happily sipping, so back to back it shall be! It can’t hurt either to see two tasting notes on the same tea one day after another.
This Genmaicha with Matcha is far more vegetal and grassy than others I have tried. Others have had a bit sweeter taste. No one can deny the quality of this tea, although I am rather used to the sweetness I have found in others, this is a really excellent cup.
There is an abundant amount of genmai (rice), and while my sister did not get much loose powder from excess matcha in her cup, I did, especially on the first steep. However, like my sister, I also did not see any cloudiness, and the cup was remarkably clear.
The scent of the tea filled the entire house, not just my kitchen, and my daughter remarked how good it smelled, like puffed rice cereal, which I love.
The notes I detect are of grassiness, nuttiness, and rice. There is a creaminess to the mouthfeel as well.
The sencha, crisp and lively, is one of the better sencha I have tasted.
I found this cup extremely relaxing and soothing.
Lotus from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A unique combination of hand-harvested fresh lotus blossoms blended with green loose leaf tea in an ancient scenting method comprises our Lotus tea. Prepared in small batches by Vietnamese traditional artisans, the unique essence of these spring-harvested flowers is released and absorbed directly into the tea. The Lotus tea brews a pleasant, slightly sharp flavor similar to star anise, with a subtle vanilla finish; be sure to steep multiple times to fully appreciate the flavor of these sweet, aromatic lotus blossoms infused in our Lotus Flower tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first experience with Lotus from The Persimmon Tree was almost a year ago from a sample The Persimmon Tree sent me. I am so glad that they did because this is not a tea I would have selected for myself. The main reason is because I detest anise. Actually had I remembered that Anise was in this tea I may not have even tried the sample, but one day I grabbed the first thing from my sample drawer and steeped this up, without reading the description. I am glad that I did! It was a happy mistake. The anise in this tea comes over more as a black pepper taste on my palate, but it is like a flowery black pepper! Then at the end of the sip this lovely creamy vanilla note comes creeping over, leaving behind a lovely floral after taste. As I sat there enjoying the floral note, the pepper creeps back in! This tea makes you do a double, no, triple, then a quadruple take!
The green base is perfectly lovely. The leaf in dry form looks a lot like an oolong, but in the flavor you get that fresh green taste. Yet there is a slight mineral note like a Wuyi oolong.
This tea is spectacular, completely different from any tea I have experience before including other lotus teas. I have noticed the reviews on Steepster.com and it appears that this is a love it or hate it tea. I really suggest getting at least a sample size to try for yourself. I know how much I despise anise, yet this tea is so yummy. Every time I get ready to prepare it I brace myself to dislike it, just because I know how much I dislike anise, yet every time I sip it I sit back and smile thinking how good it is.
Get a sample for yourself when you make your next order with The Persimmon Tree! Samples only cost 1.25 each even on their most expensive and rare teas such as Jasmine Ancient Beauty which you can find here.
Also you can check out their blog here, which is updated regularly with some really valuable tea information and amazing photos!
Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
A warm and comforting take on classic Genmaicha with the addition of Wuyi oolong and cacao nibs. . .
Genmaicha has humble origins- originally toasted rice was mixed into a pot to make expensive tea leaves go further in a time of less plenty than today. Toasted rice was combined with green tea or even broken twigs and stems to make a hearty and warming brew. At the time, green tea was for more widely available than black tea, but given the warming qualities of genmaicha, we thought that a humble hand-picked black tea from Laoshan Village would be the perfect companion for toasted rice.
This batch of Laoshan black is particularly malty and sweet, qualities drawn out by hand-crafted Minnesota wild rice and organic fair trade jasmine rice toasted in small batches. We add organic cacao nibs to give a darker and more comforting aftertaste, and a touch of Shui Jin Gui Wuyi oolong for its nutty caramel notes and savory aftertaste. All together, we think this new take on Genmaicha very much embraces the tea’s humble origins and stays true to the warm and satisfying nature of toasted rice tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love Genmaicha and Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha from Verdant Tea is no exception! This tea delivers exactly what it says it does in its description! I love the use of a Wyui oolong which provides a nutty sweet backdrop but I love even more the rock mineral flavor that gives this tea an overall earthy quality. I guess it makes me feel like while even though this tea is on the sweeter side it is also quite savory and I love nothing better than a sweet and savory flavor combined!
I was rather surprised at what a clear cup this turned out to be, a lovely amber brown color but I can see right to the bottom of my glass. The mouthfeel is on the creamy side but has a bright finish.
I love the toasty rice flavor and it really shines through! The cocoa nibs offer a delicious chocolate taste that is really nice, not fakey tasting at all.
I was expecting a bit richer of a flavor though. While there is a lovely caramel note, chocolate holds its own, and the rice is a lovely touch, overall I find it rather on the thin side in comparison to Laoshan Black on its own. Even with that said however I really think Verdant did well to offer us something completely unique and I would recommend this tea as it is so comforting as it is toasty, warm, sweet, malty, and quite decedent.
Organic White Delight from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tea Description:
White chocolate melts into juicy raspberries to deliver a smooth and creamy drop. This tea is delicious hot or iced and is a refreshing alternative to fat filled desserts.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh wow! YUM! This Organic White Delight tea from The Rabbit Hole is true to it’s name, it is definitely a delight!
The dry leaf looks really appealing with its large shreds of coconut and dried raspberries tossed with white tea leaves. It brews up very light in color, but certainly NOT light in flavor!
Yes, it is a delicate tea (most white teas are!) but, that doesn’t mean it’s flavorless … just the opposite! There is a whole lot of yummy going on in this teacup! The overall flavor is sweet and creamy, with notes of chocolate (YES, chocolate!) and raspberry. The coconut adds more of a creamy tone to the cup than a strong, distinctive coconut taste. That is to say that this doesn’t taste strongly of coconut … although if I really focus on the sip I can taste a very faint coconut-y taste. Instead, the coconut seems to enhance the creaminess of the cup.
The chocolate is distinct, however, and you know me … I like it when the chocolate is THERE. And it’s there! The description suggests a white chocolate flavor … and yes, I do taste white chocolate, but, the chocolate tastes just a little richer than white chocolate. Imagine white chocolate with creamy milk chocolate. That’s what I taste here. And it’s delicious!
And you might be thinking that the white tea is overwhelmed by these other flavors – but it isn’t! I taste the creamy, sweet, slightly vegetative notes of the white tea here. There is a really lovely balanced taste with this tea. It is flavorful while maintaining its light, refreshing taste.
This is really good served hot, but I allowed some of it to cool because I was in the mood for some iced tea (It’s getting warmer!) and it tastes AMAZING iced! This tea is a winner. I’m not surprised – The Rabbit Hole seems to offer nothing BUT winners! If you love chocolate teas – add this one to your shopping list!
