Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
The well recognized and much loved taste of sweet almonds can be heightened and made vibrantly unique by adding the exotic Matcha blend. Almond Matcha makes a slightly sweet treat that can be perfect for those looking for a combination of the nutty flavor combined with an interesting twist of oriental Matcha. Almond Matcha is perfect for many desserts, cakes and any other snack because of its naturally sweet taste that blends well with most snacks. This makes it a very popular treat for young kids anytime of the day or night.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The final flavour from Red Leaf Tea’s sampler! Like the penultimate flavour (Cotton Candy), this is one I’ve tried before – however it’s been over a year since I first had it. Just like Cotton Candy matcha, I also prepared this one in cold milk but for the purposes of this tasting I’ll be doing it in cold cashew milk to stay consistent with the rest of the teas in the sampler.
Here are some snippets from my Steepster review to see if my old observations are in line with the observations from this tasting:
“…really strong … very rich and marzipan like“, “I found that there was a faint chemical edge to the aftertaste“, and “almost too much almond concentrated into … one cup“.
Remarkably, I made almost the same observations this time as well. Even before opening up the sample packet and measuring out the matcha I was sure I could faintly smell the almond aroma – and once that packet was cracked I couldn’t smell anything but. This matcha is very strongly flavoured; I didn’t taste any vegetal or grassy notes from the matcha itself and for, I think, the first time since starting this sampler the flavour of the matcha completely eclipsed the taste of the cashew milk.
The one part where my observation from last time differs is that I didn’t think it tasted chemical or artificial at all; just really, really strong. Of course, like often comes with concentrated almond flavour, I did think this was quite sweet with definite marzipan notes – but apart from that I think this is just a very true, accurate and BOLD flavour. Fans of almond will love it, and people who dislike almond to start will cringe because of the intensity.
Personally, if I didn’t already own a large quantity of Pistachio matcha I’d probably add this to my list of flavors to buy in my next order – but you really only need to own so many nutty matchas at a time.
Final rankings of the five flavors of matcha from the sampler:
1. Almond
2. Butterscotch
3. Coffee
4. Cranberry
5. Cotton Candy
Floral Herb Tisane from Chi Whole Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Chi Whole Leaf
Tea Description:
A beautiful blend of Indian Rose Petals, Egyptian Hibiscus and Jasmine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I keep wanting to call this matcha…
Honestly; I was a tiny bit scared to try this one. Hibiscus is one of three ingredients in this one, but frankly the entire thing looks like ground up, powdered hibiscus and unless you’re really into hibiscus in the first place that sounds pretty horrible.
That said, after the hot water hit the powder in the bottom of the mug and I had this all whisked up all of that fear melted away. The aroma is very floral and feminine but maintains a wonderful delicateness. How often do you get to call a blend with hibiscus delicate!? Not often – that’s for sure. More so than anything else I thought the rose was the most flavourful component of this tea but it’s not even close to the intensity necisarry for this blend to come off tasting chemical, artificial, or even perfumey. As a whole, it’s actually delightfully mellow.
Maybe it’s because hibiscus is so often paired with berries, but in addition to the sweet and supple floral notes I feel like there’s a hint of watered down berry flavour. The jasmine is the hardest part of this for me to taste; it’s blending in with the rose very well. I really enjoy this blend a lot. My only word of caution would be for people who dislike overly floral teas; but even they might like this because it’s been tastefully done. Even people who are generally turned off by hibiscus would likely like this. Bonus points for being quite affordable; $10.00 for 100g, and it really doesn’t take much at all to make a mug – approximately 1/2 tsp.
Also, many thanks to Will at Chi Whole Leaf tea for sending me the full range of teas currently offered on their site for reviewing! He was very quick to ship things, and in addition to the tea itself he included a very informative pamphlet that broke down the ingredients of each tea. I look forward to trying the rest of the set!
Butterscotch Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Butterscotch Matcha lends its creamy velvety taste to many baked products and also different ice creams. Its sweetness is also excellent for many candies and other snacks. It is the perfect choice for those with a compelling sweet tooth who want to make it a worthwhile experience. This makes it an instant favorite with the young who love all things sweet and tasty. For special occasions, Butterscotch Matcha lends its sweet appeal to any palate looking for the ultimate sweetness elixir.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The third from the “Choose Your Own” Matcha sampler!
This one has been on my personal wishlist for a while and I was very excited to get to try it recently. Like the others from the sampler, I made it in cashew milk.
The dry matcha smells very strongly of butterscotch; it reminds me of Butter Ripple Schnapps, which is a favourite drink of mine. It’s a little grassy too from the matcha itself.
This was very delightful; the butterscotch flavor really comes through and creates a sugary sweet drink that reminds me of melted down Butterscotch Ripple ice cream; it’s not nearly as boozy anymore so it’s reminding me less of Butter Ripple Schnapps. The mild nuttiness of the cashew milk compliments the sweetness very well also, and there’s a gentle vegetal note from the matcha itself – it’s not as grassy as the dry leaf smelled but it is present.
This one was very interesting and tasty and I’m really happy I finally got to try it. I imagine it would also work wonderfully in a hot latte as well – butterscotch is a very adaptable flavor. So far, this is my favourite of the matchas from this sampler that I’ve tried
Barista’s Matcha Tea from My Matcha Life
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: My Matcha Life
Tea Description:
Barista’s Matcha tea is a great tasting matcha without the premium price. Perfect for those who enjoy the unique matcha tea flavor and experience but don’t always want to buy a premium ceremonial matcha, especially when mixing with other ingredients. Drink Barista’s Matcha tea on its own as a traditional matcha tea with hot water or, ideally, just add Barista’s Matcha tea to your lattes, smoothies and blender drinks. And enjoy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a day or two since I had a bowl of Matcha so the arrival of this Barista’s Matcha Tea from My Matcha Life was timely! Oh, sure, I have some Matcha on hand (always!) but I’m happy to try something new to me.
For my first sampling of this Matcha, I prepared it hot in my chawan. I scooped out a couple of chashaku scoops of Matcha into my sifter and sifted the Matcha into my chawan. Then I added water heated to 160°F and whisked until the powder was completely incorporated in the liquid.
How much water? I’ve been making Matcha for so long that I just eyeball it, but the amount of hot water should be 2 – 3 ounces to every 1/2 teaspoon of Matcha powder. You can adjust this to your own liking, of course!
And this Matcha is delicious! The dry powder was a bright green. Not quite as bright and vivid as a top-quality ceremonial Matcha would be, but it’s not that drab green either. It’s a nice color.
The tea froths up nicely. Most of the froth disappears pretty quickly, but I still had some frothy bubbles on the surface up until my last sip. Not a lot … but some.
I did notice that the tea didn’t stay sustained in the liquid for very long. Because this is a ‘barista’ Matcha, this is a Matcha that is intended for (and better suited for) smoothies and blended drinks like that. But it is tasty enough to serve as a good everyday Matcha!
It has a smooth, buttery flavor. Even though the Matcha didn’t stay incorporated, after I re-whisked the tea, I didn’t pick up on a gritty or chalky texture and that earns extra points in my book!
It’s a really beautifully sweet Matcha – no bitter tones which I do often experience with some “not ceremonial” quality Matcha so that also earns extra points with me.
For my second tasting of this Matcha, I decided to try it with my new and latest obsession – Maple Water! YUM! Seriously yum. If you haven’t tried maple water + Matcha – you must!
I’ve spent some time perusing the My Matcha Life website and they have just about everything that a Matcha beginner needs to get started in their journey with Matcha! They don’t have a chashaku (this is a bamboo scoop used to scoop out Matcha) but you can use a 1/2 a teaspoon measuring spoon! And this Barista Matcha is a really good Matcha – it is one I’d recommend to those beginners as a starting Matcha!
Ceremonial Gold Class Organic Matcha from Midori Spring
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Midori Spring on Amazon.com
Tea Description:
Midori Spring’s Ceremonial Gold Matcha is rich, smooth and creamy with a hint of sweetness when brewed traditionally. Only the best and darkest tencha are used for Gold Class. Gold Class has a fresh, sweet, green-vegetable-like aroma and the colour is a vibrant emerald green – a trait only high quality Ceremonial Grade Matcha encompass.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment that I opened the canister of this Ceremonial Gold Class Organic Matcha from Midori Spring – I was excited! I was anxious to try this beautiful powdered tea!
The dry powder is a bright, vivid green color – the color green that Matcha enthusiasts would immediately recognize as top-notch Matcha! This is the color Matcha should be!
I got out my chasen and chawan and scooped out a couple of scoops of Matcha with my chashaku – one scoop using this bamboo scoop is just enough for one serving of Matcha, but I wanted two! Then I placed the Matcha into my sifter (I just use an inexpensive wire mesh strainer for this) and sifted the Matcha into my chawan. I added hot water (160°F) and began whisking. I don’t have a precise measurement for the water – I use the eyeball method and then I taste it after I’ve whisked it. If I need more water, I add some.
This Matcha whisks up BEAUTIFULLY. The color of the tea in the photo above is quite accurate – that is the same color of the liquid that’s in my chawan right now, although it’s difficult to see it since it’s beneath a thick cap of foamy froth. This tea froths up so well and it maintains the froth for a long time after you’ve finished whisking.
The flavor is outstanding. This is a really top-notch, high quality Matcha. This is the kind of Matcha that is used in Japanese tea ceremony because it’s of the best quality. Sweet! Not a hint of bitterness. Smooth and buttery. No chalkiness or gritty texture. The flavor has hints of berry and cacao in it’s complex layers. It’s vegetal. It’s a bowl of Matcha perfection.
If you’re a fan of Matcha – I highly recommend trying this one the next time you need to stock your cupboard. You’ll be happy you did!