Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
When anyone wants to partake of a snack that is deliciously sweet, perfectly healthy and unique in flavor, French Vanilla Matcha becomes an obvious choice. This is because, unlike Madagascar Vanilla Matcha, it has a creamier look and texture and is very smooth on any palate.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This French Vanilla Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea might just be my favorite flavored Matcha that I’ve yet to try! It is so creamy and delicious! And it makes a divine latte – we’re talking HEAVENLY!
By now, I’ve tried quite a few of the flavored Matcha selections from Red Leaf Tea – although there are still quite a few that I’ve yet to try! So much Matcha … not enough time to drink it all! Ha! And the truth is, I’ve enjoyed most of the ones that I’ve tried (although there have been a few that I haven’t really liked, and some that I just disliked). But every once in a while, I’ll try one that just knocks my socks off. OK, well, my socks are still on (they’re cozy, warm wool socks if you’re interested). But, this is really, really tasty.
I went with my “usual” specifications with this tea: the classic grade of Matcha with a distinctive level of of flavoring. More often than not, I find that these specifications work out well for me, I get enough of that Matcha flavor so that I know I’m drinking Matcha, and the flavoring is not so delicate. (Matcha can sometimes be a pretty strong flavor and a more delicate flavor level is sometimes too subtle for my liking. I want to taste the flavoring too!)
And with these specifications, I was able to taste both the slightly vegetative, creamy, fresh tasting Matcha with hints of cacao and butter, as well as the creamy, decadently sweet notes of French Vanilla. While the rest of my household is eating French Vanilla ice cream at the moment, I instead prepared myself a French Vanilla Matcha – Latte Style using milk instead of water to prepare it.
And the result is an absolute JOY to drink. I didn’t find myself wanting to even sneak a bite of the ice cream … I (and my sweet tooth!) was perfectly satisfied with this Matcha treat from Red Leaf Tea. In fact, I think that this chawan full of Matcha goodness is probably more satisfying than a bowl of ice cream because I don’t want cold ice cream on a chilly night like tonight. My warm latte was cozy and comforting as well as sweet and delicious.
I originally purchased this French Vanilla flavor of Matcha because I was thinking that it would be a good mixer or blender type of Matcha to go with some of my other flavored Matcha teas, but it’s quite good on it’s own. I have a feeling that this Matcha isn’t going to last long in this house!
Organic Genmaicha Powder with Matcha from Shi Zen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Our organic genmaicha powder has a pleasant aroma of the roasted brown rice and the natural tea sweetness from the organic matcha.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing that I noticed when I prepared this Organic Genmaicha Powder with Matcha from Shi Zen in my chawan is how much froth it produced. This is a rich, thick, fluffy froth!
I prepared this the way I’d normally prepare Matcha – in my chawan, whisking it in hot water. But as I was preparing it, a thought crossed my mind that this would also be delicious iced (just add some to a water bottle and give it a vigorous shake!) or … as a latte! The toasted rice notes and natural nutty flavors would meld with the creaminess of the milk in a really delicious way, I think! I shall have to try that tomorrow morning!
Prepared with just hot water, this is also very tasty. I get a lot of genmaicha flavor – it is sweet and warm from the roasty-toasty flavor. I am noticing some bitter tones to this which is kind of unusual for a Matcha, so, I’m guessing that the base for the genmaicha – possibly a bancha or sencha? – might have a tad of bitterness to its leaf. But it’s not an off-putting bitterness, rather, I’m enjoying the contrast between the sweet and bitter.
I love the creaminess of this. The froth is super creamy on top of the liquid, and then the liquid itself is smooth and creamy and the toasted nutty flavors complement the creaminess of the drink very well.
Another WIN from Shi Zen! I really like this.
Gooseberry Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Deliciously tart gooseberries can acquire a more balanced and mellow taste by adding the well loved Matcha twist. A Gooseberry Matcha drink is the perfect refreshment after a hardworking day. It can also be a cool fruity drink on warm balmy days when someone wants to soak in the sun with a trendy drink at hand to sip and relish. This fine drink can easily become the favorite in the special occasions of young children because of its fruity charms and sweet sharp taste. Gooseberry Matcha is also a wonderful addition to any refreshment offering on special occasions.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m not sure exactly what possessed me to order this Gooseberry Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, to be honest with you. I can’t tell you that I’ve ever tasted a gooseberry, because I don’t think I have. Or if I have, I was unaware of it. I don’t know that I’ve even tried a tea with gooseberry in it. And if I have, it wasn’t memorable enough for me to recall at the moment.
But I figured if I am not *crazy* about the flavor of gooseberry, this is always a Matcha that I can add to my smoothies or blend with other flavored Matcha … so I figured, what the heck, why not!
So I prepared this Matcha the way I usually prepare Matcha – first, I scoop the Matcha into my wire mesh strainer to sift it into my chawan and then I add hot water to the sifted Matcha in the bowl and whisk the Matcha with my chasen (bamboo whisk). The Matcha produced a nice frothy cap, and the bubbly froth stayed around. That is, it didn’t disappear quickly. I got to enjoy the foamy froth for a while.
Mmm! Sweet and tart. It has a fruity taste that sort of reminds me of grapes and peaches. It almost has a “candy-like” flavor to it because it is so distinctly sweet and tart, reminiscent of the sweet tart type of candies.
The sweetness starts at the start of the sip, and the tartness comes in toward the tail, and lingers long into the aftertaste. Even a full minute after my last sip, I’m still tasting that tart, tingly berry taste that tickles the tongue after eating a ripe berry. Of course, I don’t know if one experiences that tarty, tingly, tickle on the tongue from gooseberries, but, I know that I experience it with other berries that I’ve eaten!
The Matcha tastes sweet, vegetative, buttery and it has a smooth and creamy texture. For this particular batch of Matcha, I went with my “usual specifications,” which are Red Leaf Tea’s classic grade of green Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring. These are my usual go-to specifications because they usually produce a flavored Matcha that is a good balance between Matcha and flavor and that is true with this blend. I like that I taste the fruity elements here as well as the delicious taste of Matcha.
Now, I can’t say that this is my favorite flavored Matcha that I’ve tried from Red Leaf Tea – because it isn’t. But I am enjoying it, and I’m really glad I tried it. Definitely a little bit different, but not so different. There are some familiar notes in this one, and I like it.
Grapefruit Flavored Matcha Green Tea from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Vibrant palates who want an instant lift and a sharp boost of citrus fruitiness would not be disappointed with Grapefruit Matcha. This fine adult drink is a perfect combination of the tangy citrus taste of the fleshy grapefruit combined with exotic Matcha to dull its sharp edges. Grapefruit Matcha is the perfect treat for many adults who want to feel alive and aware of their surroundings through their taste buds.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Do you occasionally suffer from bored taste buds? The tongue just sort of feels like it’s a weighed down, lifeless muscle? What you need is some of this Grapefruit Flavored Matcha Green Tea from Red Leaf Tea! This is about as perfect as it gets when it comes to flavored Matcha.
Why? Because the sharp tartness and bitter tones of the grapefruit provide such a delightful contrast to the sweet Matcha. In one sip, I taste the sweet, grassy tones of the Matcha and the smooth buttery taste and texture of the powdered green tea, and the bright tangy qualities of the grapefruit. It really gives the taste buds a jump start! Even the sleepiest, laziest, most bored palate on earth will wake with an invigorated jolt at first sip!
For this particular Matcha order, I used my “regular” specifications: the classic grade of green Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring. And it’s perfect for me! The grapefruit is VERY strongly flavored in here – there’s no mistaking it. And even though I’m often mentioning that I’m not fond of tart flavors … grapefruit is my exception to that. There is just something about grapefruit that … tastes amazing with tea. Especially green tea!
This is one of my favorite flavored Matcha teas that I’ve tried thus far from Red Leaf Tea. The Matcha is naturally invigorating – Matcha is not something you want to prepare if you’re planning on taking a nap or going to bed any time soon, let me put it that way! And the bright citrus tones of this flavored Matcha is very enlivening! It feels like a party on my palate when I take a sip! My taste buds rejoice in the flavor!
I prepared this flavored matcha traditionally, by measuring a few scoops out into my sifter and sifting the matcha into my chawan. Even though Red Leaf Tea does pre-sift their Matcha for the customer’s convenience, I’ve made it a habit to always sift my Matcha and it’s not a habit I want to break! Then I adding hot water and whisked with my chasen until the Matcha was completely incorporated in the hot water and there was a foamy froth on top.
I don’t know how I’d like this as a latte, because milk with grapefruit sounds … kind of weird to me. However, I do think that the next time I make some of this Grapefruit Matcha, I’m going to add a pinch of salt to the chawan before I whisk it. I like to add a pinch of salt to a fresh, halved grapefruit before I eat it because I like the way the salt counters the bitterness of the fruit. I would be interested to see how the salt tastes in this.
I prefer this hot. I had to step away from my Matcha for a little while this afternoon, and when I came back, the tea was cold. It was still tasty cold … but I preferred it hot. I think that this would make an excellent tea choice for breakfast. Oh sure, it’s not the typical “breakfast” tea … but I know it’s got what it takes to get me going … and it’s oh-so-yummy!
Organic Matcha Chai Green Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Product Description:
Our Organic Matcha Chai Tea is grown under diffused sunlight in Nishio, Japan, where the leaves are then ground into a fine vibrant emerald-green powder. I create our exceptionally delicious green Chai tea by flavoring the naturally creamy and sweet ceremonial-grade organic matcha with Aftelier Chef’s Essences: vanilla absolute from Madagascar, organic cinnamon from Vietnam, organic pimento berry from Jamaica, and organic cardamom from India.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very excited to try this new Organic Matcha Chai Green Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas, because I have really enjoyed the perfumed teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier Perfumed Teas in the past and this was a Matcha Chai! YUM!
One thing that stands out to me about this tea is the ingredient list. This is not your “usual” run of the mill chai spices. There are a couple of “usual suspects” here, like the cinnamon and cardamom, and vanilla is another flavoring that is often used in chai blends these days. But pimento berry (aka allspice)? And no ginger or clove?
Not to say that these changes are bad … they’re just different and it’s my job to spot things like that and point them out.
Another thing that is definitely different with this Matcha Chai from some other Matcha Chai blends that I’ve tasted in the past is that this is a VERY high grade of Matcha. This is apparent in the color of the powder, the bright, vivid jade hue of the liquid, and all that frothy foam on the top of my freshly prepared bowl of Matcha!
It’s also apparent in the flavor. I can taste the quality of the Matcha – it is sweet and slightly vegetative, with a delicious buttery tone. It’s so creamy and smooth.
The spices are on the milder side of “chai” – that is to say that this is not a spicy chai … it is warm with cinnamon, cardamom and allspice, but it isn’t peppery or spicy-hot. It’s a very “autumnal” sort of taste … like spiced cider or something (but without the apples). The vanilla adds a luscious creaminess which enhances the natural creamy quality of the Matcha.
The Matcha isn’t grainy on the palate … it’s very smooth and silky. And even though the product description of this tea states that its
It is normal for a bit of the powder to remain in the bottom of your cup…
the Matcha stays incorporated in the water. There was no sediment when I reached the bottom of the bowl. Of course, if I had let it sit for a while, there may have been a different result. But as it is, it was so delicious that I finished the bowl before I could finish typing the review.
This is REALLY good. If you’re a fan of Matcha … this is one to add to your shopping list. Oh … and it’s a lot of fun receiving a package of tea from Aftelier too! Their packaging makes me feel special. It’s like receiving a beautifully wrapped gift rather than getting an order in the mail. Gorgeous packaging for a superb product … this company really delivers!