It’s that time of year, when you long for tea but the thought of a hot cuppa after being out in the heat and humidity makes you cringe.
Republic of Tea to the rescue! After gardening a while, I needed to hydrate. I reached for the convenient single serving pack and added it to a glass of cold water and used my aerolatte to stir the heck out of it.
These packs are intended for use with a 16.9 ounce water bottle (or 8 ounces hot water if you aren’t broiling like I am right now!) so you can have matcha on the go. Perfect for my son, the Crossfit trainer! Instructions say to pour off a wee bit of water – or just take a sip or two – and add the powder, replace the lid and shake shake SHAKE!
But how does it taste? Like matcha! While this is probably not ceremonial grade matcha, it isn’t bitter and this has monk fruit and organic agave inulin – which they advertise as being prebiotic – added. It is grassy and fresh, and just became available in June!
It was good and refreshing, went down super fast, and should give me the energy I need to do a bit more in the yard before retiring for the day. My son and daughter both carry water bottles of cold matcha in hot weather. This is a good way to keep it handy if you need to mix on the go.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha
Where to Buy: The Republic of Tea
Description
This unique innovation allows Citizens to make premium organic matcha tea easily and conveniently, whether at home or on the go. Featuring a touch of monk fruit and the prebiotic agave inulin, each Single Sip makes a slightly sweetened cup of matcha with just 15 calories.
Add a Single Sip packet directly to a bottle of water for a chilled matcha — simply pour, shake and sip! If you prefer a freshly made cup of matcha wherever you are, add a packet to hot water then give it a stir; no need for fancy whisks or frothers. Each recyclable PET canister includes 14 individual Single Sip packets for a two-week supply.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Yerba Mate Matcha Tea from The Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. . .
I haven’t had too many Yerba Mate Matcha’s to date so I always welcome them when the come along. Recently I sipped on Organic Yerba Mate Matcha Tea from The Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. In short, it was a pleasant sipping experience.
But let’s expand on that a bit. I took 1 flat teaspoon of matcha to a tea bowl and mix with a couple of drops of water to make a smooth paste then whisked more water to fill my matcha cup. I followed the instructions on the company website. Personally – I could taste a strong Yerba Mate first and foremost. So it tasted like a green grass and green pea type taste to me. It was a little bitter but the bitterness was welcome. According to the company website it’s best for mornings which makes sense because Yerba Mate is a natural energy booster. (More on that below) It does have an intense flavor.
Next time I am thinking about adding a slight squeeze of lemon juice to it. Another way I can see myself drinking this is iced. This was a pleasant sipping experience. I look forward to experimenting more with this and sharing it with the other Sororitea Sisters!
Now let’s get to the additional information about Yerba/Yerba Mate and how it works in this Matcha Blend.
The caffeine found in Yerba is said to provide a coffee-like buzz but without the unpleasant jitters or the crash afterwards. It’s a myth that is does not contain caffeine and the stimulating effects come from a compound called Mateine, In actual fact the term Mateine is actually coffee and it said to have derived from the Mate plant. Yerba also contains theophylline and theobromine similar to cacao, which are natural vasodilators and helps relax blood vessels and is used to combat high blood pressure. Yerba is said to have over 90 per cent more antioxidants than green tea, with immune boosting capabilities, it can also slow aging, reduce stress and insomnia. Using Yerba as as Matcha is a fast, and efficient way of squeezing it in to your every day routine, whether you sprinkle it on your cereal, smoothies or soups or use it as an every day drink. Using the whole Mate leaf will put a spring in your step for the whole day!
All of this info is also mentioned on the company website! I found the additional info wonderful! I LOVE learning!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate/Matcha
Where to Buy: The Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.
Description
Yerba does contain caffeine! However, the caffeine in Yerba is said to provide a coffee- like buzz but without the unpleasant jitters or the crash afterwards. It is a myth that is does not contain caffeine and the stimulating effects come from a compound called Mateine, In actual fact the term Mateine is actually coffee and it said to have derived from the Mate plant. It also contains theophylline and theobromine similar to cacao, which are natural vasodilators and helps relax blood vessels and is used to combat high blood pressure. Yerba is said to have over 90 per cent more antioxidants then green tea, with immune boosting capabilities, it can also slow ageing, reduce stress and insomnia. Using Yerba as as Matcha is a fast, and efficient way of squeezing it in to your every day routine, whether you sprinkle it on your cereal, smoothies or soups or use it as an every day drink. Using the whole Mate leaf will put a spring in your step for the whole day!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Focus Vanilla Mint from Sportland Tea Co. . . .
This company has caught my eye before so I was very excited to finally try one of their teas.
This company has blends geared towards athletes. I am an athlete I play volleyball regularly and am very active in general and I love tea so my interest is definitely peaked. This blend is called a Focus Blend since with the caffeine it would help you focus more. This blend is very simple with matcha, yerba mate, peppermint and vanilla. The smell surprisingly light not overly peppermint. It has a nice fresh smell, lightly grassy from the matcha. Once brewed the peppermint smell was definitely stronger but still not overwhelming.
Man this is delicious. I am a sucker for vanilla and mint together and it really works in this blend. I don’t really taste the yerba mate at all which is great for me because sometimes yerba mate can come across a little too herby for me. The matcha is the strongest flavor but it is not bitter at all. I think the vanilla really mellows out the matcha so it is very smooth.
The mint really comes out in the aftertaste. This is a very refreshing blend I like it a lot. Sadly this blend appears to be sold out at the moment but I put in my email because I would love to have some of this on hand. I am checking out some other blends on their website that definitely sound interesting as well, a roasted oolong and rooibos blend with cloves, star anise and orange peel. Yes count me in!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Matcha/Yerba Mate
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!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Genmaicha (Australia) from Blue Hour Tea. . . .
I steeped this at 190 degrees with 1stp tea and 1 cup water for about one minute. (The recommendation was 1-3 minutes, but after one minute it smelled super toasty even from across the room so I figured I’d better drink it before it got strong enough to knock me over.)
This tea does interestingly include a bit of matcha in the ingredients despite being a genmaicha, which is a great addition as far as I’m concerned. Also, I’ve never had a tea from Australia before (that I know of), so I was quite excited by this opportunity!
Once steeped, the tea was hazy and a bit cloudy, possibly from the dissolved matcha, and had a grassy but very light green color. Even in the fragrance I could definitely find the green-tea-flavor melding with the toasted-rice flavor. The liquid was a little thicker than expected, and as I took my first sip I found that it doesn’t taste quite as toasty as it smells. There was a bit more of the buttery, savory green tea flavor than I’d expected based on the fragrance, especially at the beginning of the sip. However, the overall flavor profile was nicely blended with most of the strength of the nutty, toasty flavor coming more at the end of the sip. This tea was smooth, not bitter at all, and it was somewhat astringent but not too astringent.
So the verdict altogether is that if you like genmaicha, you’ll like this tea, and if you like matcha-flavored cereal, you should try it with milk and sugar. In addition to being delicious it should also be really great for you (unless your doctor has told you not to drink caffeine, of course), since green tea and matcha both have plentiful health benefits. The only downside is that, although you can steep it multiple times, the second steeping isn’t quite the same because the match gets mostly used up in the first steeping.
I really enjoyed drinking this tea and would happily drink lots more of it if given the opportunity.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Blue Hour Tea
Description
Our Genmaicha is a combination of the fresh flavour of green tea with the undertones of roasted rice and the added richness of matcha tea. This premium Genmaicha is grown in the Acheron Valley in Victoria, Australia. There are only a handful of farms growing tea in Australia and this is one of our favourites.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea + C Ginger Citrus from Sencha Naturals. . . .
In college, my friends and I used to have a habit of drinking those vitamin C drink mixes like they were going out of style. Looking back, I recognize now that they were maaaybe nothing more than glorified Kool-Aid, but we felt pretty smug as Well Hydrated Persons with Extra Vitamin’d Superpowers.
I’m not going to claim that this Sencha Naturals drink mix packet isn’t also slightly more than glorified Kool-Aid, but at the very least, this one’s got the addition of antioxidant-rich green tea in it, so I’m at minimum a little bit ahead of where college-Mary was in her vitamin-powered beverages.
I opted to mix this one up in cold water, 18 ounces instead of the prescribed 8-10. I found this to be a perfect balanced– a bit like iced tea, but still some kick from the flavor. If I’d made this one in half the water (as instructed), I think I might’ve felt it far too sweet. But diluted? It still had plenty of citrus-gingery flavor without the super-overdone sugar. The flavor was tart, but potent, with a bit of stevia aftertaste that I wasn’t super wild about, but also wasn’t the most offensive I’ve ever had. It was refreshing and would be the perfect quick summer iced-tea substitute, with the zing of the ginger taking it a notch above a store-bought iced tea bottle or mix.
Would I drink this one constantly? Probably not, though it may have more to do with my general now-adulting desire to get my vitamins from whole food sources. But does it make a lovely quick & easily accessible on-the-go drink when you need a mid-day pick-me-up with the benefit of some added vitamins and antioxidants? Absolutely. College-Mary would totally have these stocked in her backpack.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Sen Cha Naturals
Description
We believe that nutrition should come from whole food ingredients, versus synthetic vitamins. Whole leaf green tea, acerola cherry, coconut water, and supporting herbs to help you stay well. Serve hot for a gingery warm and citrus-y bright cup of tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
