This is my first time brewing matcha powder and leaves together, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I didn’t want to whisk fibers out of the leaves, but I also didn’t want to lose out on any matcha goodness in a filter bag. I settled on using a gravity brewer to trap the leaves but let matcha through.
This Endurance citrus mint brewed a unique opaque army green. We start with a definite mint smell, but I don’t taste it…and it’s subtle on the green tea … perhaps my tastebuds are too busy with the strong lemongrass flavor? There’s a soft aftertaste tingle on the tongue that travels down the throat with a gentle ginger zing – hello, I’m awake now! The density of the particles in this tea causes a heavier, fuller mouthfeel, to the point where I felt as if it were starting to coat my tongue. This was especially true on those last, sediment-rich sips.
I love the idea of matcha teas as a midday or workout time pick-me-up. I’ve seen some brands who sell pure fine-ground matcha, who also sell this hybrid with larger flavor bits at a lower cost. Though I am frugal, I’m too much a traditionalist at heart to be able to fully embrace this ”best-of-both-tea-worlds” bag and powder offering from Sportland Tea Co.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea and Matcha
Where to Buy: Sportland Tea Co.
Sportland Tea Co.’s Endurance Blend is a unique mix of matcha green tea and herbs. With ginger, mint, and ginseng. This blend is an invigorating option any time of the day.
Drink approximately 15-30 minutes before a workout, run, or when you are having a long day at the office. Try it over ice for an even more refreshing and hydrating option!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea-Inspired Shamrock Shake using tea from Sportland Tea Co. . . . . .
This tea had been sitting in my to-be-reviewed pile for far too long, you guys. Every once in a while, I’d pass by, give it a sniff, smile at how yummy it smelled, then get distracted by something else and completely forget to brew it up (story of my life). Until the other day, I was struck by the siren song of March– the Shamrock Shake. You know exactly what I’m talking about. As soon as 3/1 rolls around, billboards are covered with larger-than-life pictures of delicious, neon green vanilla-mint-chemical-deliciousness, and it’s near impossible to resist them. That said, it’s been a looooong time since I’ve had (or even been able to have, silly food allergies) an actual Shamrock Shake– but that doesn’t stop me from trying to healthfully recreate them at home every year!
Enter Sportland’s Focus tea. It’s a mate/matcha blend, leaves covered in bright green powder and smelling of deliciously balanced vanilla and mint. As soon as I took a whiff of this one the other day, I knew it’d be a perfect balance to an updated “healthy” Shamrock-esque shake at home, and you guys. I was right. SO YUM. Want to sip along with me? Here’s what I did!
Tea-Inspired Shamrock Shake: 1 large handful of greens, about 1.5 cups (spinach is most neutral-tasting) 1 avocado 1.5 cups of overnight cold-brewed Sportland Tea Co. Focus blend 1 frozen banana or handful of ice cubes optional: scoop of vanilla protein powder or collagen powder 1 tsp or to taste of each: vanilla extract, peppermint extract or essential oil
Blend all ingredients in a blender until nice and smooth. Enjoy your health-ified Shamrock Shake!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Matcha Blend
Where to Buy: Sportland Tea Co
Description
Sportland Tea Co.’s focus blend is a stimulating mix of matcha green tea and yerba mate.
With mint and vanilla for a smooth and delicious flavor, this blend offers a naturally sweet option to those looking for a boost of caffeine. Get the laser focus you are looking for!
Health Benefits
- High in antioxidants
- Increases energy levels
- Boosts mental alertness
Key Ingredients
- Matcha
- Yerba mate
- Peppermint
- Vanilla
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Endurance Citrus Mint from Sportland Tea Company. . . . .
Wow, this tea really packs a flavor punch! This is a combination of matcha green tea with other goodies like ginger, ginseng, peppermint, lemongrass(my favorite) and cayenne! I can definitely feel the little kick of cayenne. I’ve never heard of a green or matcha tea pared with cayenne, and it totally works! I smelled the tea before adding it to my tea ball, and was surprised at the spicy scent.
First of all, it made a nice smooth cup and did not get clumpy like some matchas. When I took my first sip, I tasted ginger and citrus right away. Then, afterwards I felt a slight spice at the back of my throat. I was surprised to see on their website that it contains cayenne! It doesn’t burn your tongue or throat, but it does provide a little after burn. It’s a gentle heat that doesn’t overpower any of the other flavors. I really enjoyed this cup, and I feel like it woke up my senses and my brain!
According to their website, this tea increases energy and improves circulation and I definitely believe them! I feel much more alert and energized, but not in an overly stimulated, caffeinated way. But I feel refreshed and alert. This would be a great tea to have when you get that midday slump.
This tea is made with all organic ingredients, and is gluten free for those with allergies. It’s really refreshing and seriously energizing! I think I’m going to make some over ice next time. I bet it would be amazing after a workout!!
I love matcha tea, and this is one of the best I’ve tried. I also think this would be good for someone who finds matcha a little too grassy. The ginger and cayenne really mask the earthiness.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Sportland Tea Co.
Description
Sportland Tea Co.’s Endurance Blend is a unique mix of matcha green tea and herbs. With ginger, mint, and ginseng. This blend is an invigorating option any time of the day.
Drink approximately 15-30 minutes before a workout, run, or when you are having a long day at the office. Try it over ice for an even more refreshing and hydrating option!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Endurance-Citrus Mint from Sportland Tea Co. . . A Unique Twist on Matcha
Matcha has always been such a hit or miss tea for me. I either adore and devour the matcha (typically a latte) that I make or it is just way too vegetal for me. But this is the year I plan to step more and more outside of my comfort zone for tea, so I prepped up my water and set to checking this tea out properly.
Endurance Citrus Mint is a blend of matcha, ginger, ginseng, and mint with a few other inclusions here and there. The mint is the aroma you really get when you first open up the package.
The ratio of matcha to spices/inclusions weighs heavy in the matcha’s favorite so I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first sip. Gorgeous notes of mint, citrus, and ginger mingle lovingly with a vegetal base. This tea turned out to be simply amazing and I couldn’t get enough. I was thrilled with the flavor profile of this tea. The way the spices mingle with the vegetal base and create this wonderful tone for the tea,-just delicious.
From the first sip to the last, this tea delivers this unique flavor that I can say I haven’t had before. I haven’t tried this tea as a latte yet but I can’t imagine how lovely this tea would be with a touch of cream added or even yogurt to make a fantastic smoothie. With how wonderful all the flavors mingle together, there are so many different ways to make this tea even better.
This is one of those blends that could go wrong quite easily but the way this tea is blended is perfect. I honestly can’t get enough of this tea and have loved drinking it in the afternoons to give myself a little boost for the rest of the work day.
Endurance Citrus Mint is the perfect balance of vegetal, citrus, and spices with a kick of mint to smooth everything out. Well balanced and definitely well loved by yours truly.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: Sportland Tea Co.
Description
Sportland Tea Co.’s Endurance Blend is a unique mix of matcha green tea and herbs. With ginger, mint, and ginseng. This blend is an invigorating option any time of the day.
Drink approximately 15-30 minutes before a workout, run, or when you are having a long day at the office. Try it over ice for an even more refreshing and hydrating option!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ganymede Matcha Tea Blend by MoongleamTeaShoppe
I wasn’t sure how to prepare this tea at first. It’s matcha, so you should be able to just put it in the hot water and shake/whisk it up, right? Well, no, because there are lumps in it as well. The green lumps (I thought they might just be matcha powder caked together that would come apart in the cup) turned out to be bits of citrus peel coated in matcha, which made me realize that there was less matcha in my cup than I at first thought, so I just went ahead and dumped the rest of the sample in too.
When dry, this tea was green, but once steeped it turned a super-muddy brown. By that I mean that it was not just brown but also opaque even before I added milk. I’m going to assume this was from the chocolate. I could taste a hint of chocolate in the tea, although it was hidden way down under the mint still.
There is some bitterness to this tea, but I think that’s from the mint (because it tasted to me like mint tea that has been steeped a bit too long) rather than from the matcha. So next time I’d be more careful not to steep it quite so long. I was trying to give the citrus peel a chance to wake up, but I don’t think it stood a chance against the mint anyway.
Once I added some sugar and lots of milk, it tasted primarily of mint-chocolate, but still very heavy on the mint. I could hardly taste the matcha itself at all because of the mint, which could be a good thing if you don’t especially like matcha flavor but still want the energy that comes from it. With the addition of milk, the citrus became almost nonexistent– although not totally gone– kind of like a ghost. Sometimes I thought I caught a hint of it but I’m not totally sure and it wasn’t a very substantial hint anyway.
Looking at the ingredients list, I notice that there was black tea in this as well. I didn’t really notice it (as I said, before steeping everything was coated in matcha and afterward everything tasted strongly of mint). Maybe there wasn’t very much of it, because it certainly didn’t have a very strong presence in this tea blend.
So in conclusion, I’d say that if you like strongly minty mint chocolate matcha, this could be great for you. It would also be great as a functional breakfast tea because it has all the refreshing qualities of mint plus the caffeine from the matcha. I’m not sure I’d buy this particular blend but I sure had fun with the sample!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Moongleam Tea Shoppe
Description
The rich, earthy flavor of matcha meets the sweetness of cocoa, mint, and orange peel.
The flavors combine wonderfully to create a wonderful interplay.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
