Product Information:
MatchaBooster is a ready-to-use matcha-based powder. It mixes easily in your favorite drink and can used as a cooking ingredient.
Boost up your lifestyle with Maeda-en MatchaBooster♪
Where to Buy: Maeda-en
Description:
Yuzu is a tart yellow citrus fruit that goes surprisingly well with matcha. Try the combination yourself and see!
Learn more about this MatchaBooster here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This is good. Just as I enjoyed the other MatchaBooster varieties from Maeda-En, I find myself enjoying this Yuzu flavored MatchaBooster.
For the purposes of this review, I first prepared it using 8 ounces of cold water and adding 1 level tablespoon of MatchaBooster powder. I poured the water into a glass and then added the MatchaBooster and gave it a vigorous stir. (I seem to have lost my favorite water bottle and haven’t had a chance to replace it!) There was no froth to speak of with this particular preparation.
While I do find this to be a tasty drink, it is quite sweet. If I were to change one thing about that, that’s what I’d change, I’d either want it to go lighter on the sugar or to cut the sugar all together and just have the Matcha, Maltodextrin and Yuzu Citrus Powder.
That said and trying to allow myself to see past the sweetness of this, I find this to be very tasty. The citrus flavor is strong, and it tastes a lot like orange to me. Maybe a slightly tarter orange, perhaps orange with a hint of lemon. The sugar does cut through some of the tarter notes, though, I’m sure!
Because it is very sweet, it’s difficult to taste much of the Matcha, and this tastes a lot to me like they’re trying to ‘mask’ the flavor of the Matcha for the people who don’t like Matcha but want the health benefits of it.
Personally, I like the flavor of Matcha and I find myself missing it. So for my next preparation (read: experiment), I used 16 ounces of water and used 1 tablespoon of this Yuzu MatchaBooster and 1/2 teaspoon of the Unflavored MatchaBooster.
Now, this is more my speed. With the sugar cut in half, I can taste the Matcha. The Yuzu is obviously a softer flavor too, but it still comes through nicely. I really prefer this product prepared this way.
Another great way to prepare it would be with 16 ounces of coconut water, 1 tablespoon of Yuzu MatchaBooster and 1/2 teaspoon of Unflavored MatchaBooster. The coconut and Yuzu taste so good together!
Japanese Organic Green Tea Powder Packets from Shi Zen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Our organic green tea (sencha) is grown on family farms located in small villages in the foothills of Mount Fuji where farmers pride in their commitment to only harvest crops grown in the way Mother Nature intended. Due to its high elevation, this remote Isagawa-Izumidaira and Kawane region of Shizuoka Prefecture enjoys the perfect combination of clean air, pure water, and fertile soil only found in this area of Japan, which allows for pesticide-free farming.
In fact, to preserve this way of farming they’ve maintained for centuries, these villages have adopted a strict policy and guidelines on organic farming, and not only tea farmers but also fruit and vegetable farmer’s of this region strive to provide the safest and best quality pesticide-free produce to their customers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Cool “iced tea” refreshment doesn’t get any easier than these Japanese Organic Green Tea Powder Packets from Shi Zen! Seriously … all you have to do is take a smaller water bottle (500ml size) full of freshly filtered water – or if you’re on the go and you’re buying one of the bottles from the convenience store, that works too! – open the bottle, pour in the fine, powdered green tea from two of the little pixie style packets and then screw the cap on tight and give it a really good shake!
That’s it! No measuring and no special tools required for preparation. All you need is a small water bottle full of water and two of these packets. (For 8 ounces, just use 1 packet of the green tea powder!) These are great for on the go, and it’s not only tasty but it’s also much healthier than any of those sugar-laden soft drinks that you might reach for when the weather turns warm and you need re-hydration.
The powdered green tea becomes instantly incorporated (there was no sediment at the bottom, and you don’t have to keep shaking the bottle to make sure it stays mixed!) and the flavor is delightful. There’s no sugar added to this and no artificial flavors, so you’re getting pure, green, Japanese Sencha tea and all the benefits of the whole leaf!
The taste is sweet, vegetative and slightly buttery. It tastes light and crisp. This is not Matcha – although it might look like it (and I did categorize it as Matcha because it is a powdered tea leaf), and it doesn’t have that characteristic thick, creamy texture that I’d often associate with Matcha. This tastes and feels lighter … fresher! It’s really refreshing and it is very invigorating too! It’s a great way to “recharge” at mid-day when you’re starting to feel a little tuckered out … and because I prepared it in cold water … it’s really easy to chug down to quench the thirst.
This is my first experience with a tea from Shi Zen … and it’s a good one. I’m looking forward to trying some of their other teas!