Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Of all the blossoms that are indigenous to Eastern Asia, the jasmine flower is perhaps the most popular and giving Jasmine Supreme tea its flavor. We have developed this unique blend of green tea and jasmine petals to bring the essence of the night-blooming vine to you. Infused with jasmine blossoms for hours at a time during several heating sessions, Jasmine Supreme Green Tea is a perfect floral tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to try this Jasmine tea. I’m generally excited to try Jasmine teas because I love a good Jasmine. Unfortunately, this isn’t as supreme as the name of the tea led me to believe it would be.
The flavors are TOO floral. Oh, sure, I realize that Jasmine teas are supposed to be floral, but the floral notes here seem to taste more like a flavored jasmine rather than a scented one. As in, flavored with jasmine oil rather than scented with jasmine flowers. The description says that the jasmine flowers infused the leaves with their essence so I’m not going to question the validity of that, all I’m saying is that this is a highly floral to the point of tasting perfume-ish Jasmine tea.
To steep this, I used my Breville One Touch and added 2 scoops of the tea to the basket of the tea maker and added 500ml of water to the kettle. I set the parameters for 175°F for 2 minutes. Perhaps less time would make a better cuppa? I don’t know.
The green tea is a soft green tea with buttery notes and a silky texture, and I feel like I’d really like this if the floral notes were not so potent. As it is, though, I don’t drink perfume and I can’t finish the cup. Sad, because I truly like this company – and they do have many wonderful teas. This just isn’t one that I can recommend.
Sea Buckthorn Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Sea buckthorn has its origins in the high Eastern hills of India, Russia and China. This hardy plant can also be credited for checking the soil erosion within the mountainous climate it is grown on. It also grows in great abundance and provides a steady source of revenue for its local farmers. Sea buckthorn has been well documented in Eastern folklore as having very many remedial benefits from past times as long ago as the 18th century.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
If you’re like me, you’re wondering what a Sea Buckthorn is. Apparently it’s a berry that’s loaded with health benefits. I ordered this Sea Buckthorn Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea out of curiosity, though, not because it was going to be healthy. That’s never my motivation for my tea orders … I drink tea because I like the taste, not because it’s healthy. That it IS healthy – that’s a bonus!
So I went into this experience not knowing what to expect from it. After preparing it traditionally: scooping out the matcha with a chashaku into a fine mesh strainer that I use to sift the matcha, then I sift it directly into the chawan and pour hot water over the matcha while whisking with my chasen. The matcha had very little froth, much less than I usually have with a matcha and what little froth was present dissipated within moments after I finished whisking.
My first sip: hmm, I taste a tart, tangy berry taste and a citrus-y taste that is especially noticeable in the aftertaste. It’s as if a berry, a lemon and a lime have somehow had a lovechild. That’s what I taste from this Sea Buckthorn flavored Matcha. It tastes lemon-lime-ish with a distinctive berry-like note. It’s very bright and flavorful, tart with whispers of sweetness. There is a “slickness” to the texture that melds in a harmonious way with the natural creamy texture of the matcha. There is a tangy astringency toward the tail that I rarely experience with a bowl of matcha.
The “usual” matcha flavors are not real obvious to the palate with this bowl of matcha. I do taste a light buttery taste and I think more than anything, what the matcha does is soften and sweeten the fruit. From what I can learn of this berry, it is quite a tart berry and I think that the sweetness of the matcha is helping to curb some of that tartness because this isn’t an overly tart tasting drink. It is tart … but not as tart as I think it might be if there was more sea buckthorn flavoring.
As it is, I have selected the “distinctive” level of flavoring with the classic grade of Matcha. I think that this was a good choice, because I’m getting a pretty good idea of what sea buckthorn tastes like. A stronger level of flavoring would have likely been too tart for my palate. However, if I were to purchase this in the future, I might choose a delicate level of flavoring because I would like to taste more of the Matcha. The distinctive level is just right to learn more about what this fruit tastes like … but I think that for future use, I’d rather have more matcha flavor and less fruit.
This is a tasty matcha. Not my favorite from Red Leaf Tea, but, they can’t all be my favorite, now can they? But I like it and am happy I had the opportunity to try it.
Lucuma Flavored Matcha Green Tea from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Lucuma powder comes from South America and especially the country of Peru. It has been used by the ancient civilizations of South America; in particular it has been a staple for the ancient Incas. The cream colored powder has a luxurious taste that borders on maple and makes it a fine treat for the whole family especially young children who have a love for all things sweet.
To add to the sweet taste of Lucuma, Matcha lends its velvety appeal. The resulting Lucuma Matcha makes an unforgettable beverage that can be taken with meals or in between meals as a delectable treat.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Pic from Wikipedia, click on the pic to go there.
Yum! To my knowledge, I’ve never tasted lucuma fruit or lucuma powder. Prior to ordering this tea from Red Leaf Tea, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a “lucuma.” But now that I’m tasting this Lucuma Flavored Matcha Green Tea … I wish that I knew how to get my hands on some lucuma. This is tasty!
It’s very sweet. As the description above suggests, there are maple-y tones to this. It’s a mellow tasting fruit, at least, it is in Matcha form! Here I taste light, fruity notes with a maple sweet undertone. It is quite pleasant to sip.
I prepared this Matcha traditionally. First, I scooped out the Matcha and sifted it into my chawan. (By the way, Red Leaf Tea flavors their Matcha to order, and they sift each Matcha before they package it up and ship it out to their customers. I sift mine again, mostly out of habit. It’s not a habit I want to slip out of because not all vendors sift their Matcha!) Then I added the hot water (170°F), and whisked until the Matcha was completely incorporated and the surface of the Matcha was covered with a soft froth.
My specifications for this Matcha are my “usual” – a distinctive level of flavoring for the classic grade of green Matcha. The powder is dark green, and the liquid produced when the tea powder is whisked into water is a deep, dark green with a light, seafoam green froth on top. This Matcha frothed up pretty nicely, but the foam disappeared pretty quickly.
The flavor is very smooth and sweet. It’s a very gentle flavor. I think that my specifications were right on target for this particular flavor: I can still taste the sweet, buttery, creamy taste of the Matcha but I can also taste the notes of the unusual maple-sweet fruit. Because the lucuma fruit has such a mild flavor, you might want to bump the flavor level up to “Robust,” but I like this the way it is. I experience a lot of fruity notes dancing on my palate in the aftertaste. It’s really difficult to describe the flavor of the aftertaste in a way that would compare them to other fruits, because this aftertaste simply tastes “fruity.”
What I am also enjoying about this particular Matcha flavor is that I’m not experiencing any of that chemical-y taste that I sometimes notice with other flavored Matcha. Bonus! Overall, this is a very mild tasting Matcha – even the Matcha itself tastes mellower than Matcha usually tastes. This might be a good starter “flavored” Matcha for someone who is new to Matcha.
Butternut Pie Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
The full bodied and bold Butternut pie taste gets its true edge of excitement with the addition of oriental Matcha to turn it into a truly thrilling culinary delight. Nothing comes close to the sensation that creamy Butternut pie Matcha delivers to its many takers. This delectable delight can be wildly popular across any age groups because it distributes different unique benefits depending on who is enjoying it. To the young in age, this bold tasting treat delivers sweet satisfaction and a yearning for more. To the young at heart this cherished treat delivers youthful enjoyment and leaves an unforgettable aftertaste.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s Matcha Latte time, and for this afternoon’s Matcha Latte, I decided to go with a flavor that’s perfect for fall: Butternut Pie Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea! Having previously tried Red Leaf Tea’s Pumpkin Pie flavored Matcha and reviewing it, I felt confident that I’d also enjoy this butternut squash variety. After all, butternut squash tastes very much like pumpkin.
And this is really good. In fact, I think that I might like this Butternut Pie Matcha better than the aforementioned Pumpkin Pie Matcha. I get a more clearly defined flavor of the butternut squash here than I recall tasting with the pumpkin pie – although in fairness to that flavored Matcha, it has been a while since I have tasted the Pumpkin Pie Matcha. But, I remember the Pumpkin Pie Matcha to have a bit more spice to it than this does … here, I taste a stronger note of butternut squash and not so much of a spice note.
Some of the more note-worthy flavors I’m tasting with every sip are the sweet notes of squash with hints of a nutty flavor, and a low note of a buttery, pastry-like flavor. I taste the sweet, vegetative note of Matcha and it melds beautifully with the squash notes. The sweetness of the squash seems to enhance the natural cacao notes of the Matcha, and you know I’m loving that!
This particular batch of flavored Matcha was crafted using the classic grade of Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, and a robust level of flavoring. My usual go to specifications are the classic grade of Matcha with a distinctive level of flavoring, however, I received a sampling from a friend who chose the robust level of flavoring, and I’m actually really glad that she did! I like how the butternut notes really shine through.
That said, I am finding that the robust level of flavoring does obscure the flavor of the Matcha just a wee bit. Not enough for me to really complain about because I can still taste the Matcha, and because the flavor of the Butternut Pie is just so tasty that it’s difficult to find fault with this chawan full of Matcha goodness.
As I mentioned above, I did prepare this as a latte, using mostly water to prepare the Matcha in the traditional way: first, I measure and sift the Matcha into my chawan, and then I pour in a small amount of hot water and whisk until the water is incorporated, then I add the rest of the water and whisk until the consistency is smooth. Then I added a small amount of warmed half & half to the chawan and stirred in the half & half with a fork. The Latte came out smooth, rich and creamy, with a nice amount of froth on top. The final ratio of water to half & half ended up being about 3 parts water to 1 part half & half.
This would be tasty prepared traditionally (without the half & half) but, I find that the addition of the dairy helps to bring out a sort of creamy, almost ‘whipped cream’ element to the drink and I really enjoyed that – it made for a delicious autumnal treat!
French Vanilla Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
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!