DaisyChubb

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Big thank you to Makers Tea for the sample!

I was pretty excited for this one since I have never had an oolong blended with ginseng before. I used the whole sample (approx 1 tbsp) in my cup, and went for light, gentle steepings so the licorice notes wouldn’t overwhelm.

The taste reminds me of a Chinese Wellness tea that I have – in fact, it tastes exactly like it! It’s a cold/flu tea with a lot of different herbs, but it’s in a tea bag. I much prefer this to the tea bags!

That said, it’s still a taste that is quite unique and not very shy! The licorice root is mild and definitely adds a sweetness, but not at all cloying. Very gentle and a nice offering – I’m glad I got to try!

My only “complaint” is that the samples came via regular mail, so they were quite crushed – however they were free samples and I have no doubt that an order would come protected. Just something to note!

This is easily one of my finest Oolongs I have ever tasted!
I love the unique notes it brings to the table – I’ve been enjoying it with my gaiwan, combining two steeps at the time.

It started out super creamy with amazing NUTMEG notes! Transforming into a chewy ginger cookie!!! I couldn’t have picked a better oolong for this transition into fall.

Thank you SO MUCH TeaEqualsBliss for sharing this with me! It is SO good!

(It’s even better paired with maple cookies!)

Okay after a few more cups I have to say that this isn’t my cup of tea taste wise – although it does settle my tummy! That’s what I bought it for, and it was oh so cheap for 500g, so I don’t regret it!

There I feel better now. haha!

(the rating represents how hard it is for me to force myself to have a cup)

I have to admit, this one was love at first sip.

I drank a whole darn pot of it before I even realized it! I loved the hint of rose, the sweetness – the aroma filled me up and took me away! I wish I could think about how it tasted a little more – but I have a group of ten teenagers running around my desk and otherwise being teenagers. But hey, that’s what I get for being on Steepster at work!

Okay it took me a whole pot to realize that this tea tasted like bubblegum to me. I don’t know why! It was just light, not intense. But hey! Also I ate a pistachio. It tasted like rose. I don’t regret it lol.

I love comparing this to the Mi Lan Dancong Oolong.

All my favourite MLDO notes are here, but with a smooth caramel melting on your tongue sensation.

J’adore!

Today I made a large pot of this. It’s very comforting and a perfect fall tea.
I felt naughty, so I stirred in 1/4 tsp sweetened condensed milk into my current cup. mm I’m getting some sweet honeyed cheesecake notes, but with a smokiness of smoked gouda or havarti. Definitely a mix between sweet and savoury cheese. I love cheese!i

Off to the library!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh MOMMA

1 tsp banana matcha
tiny bit of water
whisk-a-roo

add one ice cube

top with chocolate milk

Banana Chocolate Heaven Y’all!

I used about 2 tsp and steeped for 10 minutes – I didn’t experience the flavourlessness (not a word :P ) that other people have experienced!

I did however make the mistake of adding agave which made it waaay too sweet – it’s perfectly sweet on its own from the banana! I loved that the banana bits swelled and plumped up – I think they gave a lot of true banana bread flavour and I liked that.

Mike likes banana bread with chocolate chips, so he suggests blending it with a chocolate tea, or adding chocolate chips right into the mix!

Not bad, but not my fave!

The dry smell is very fruity! And this tea is named very well, because you know what? If you were to give an “Indian Summer” a smell, this is it. It’s SO evocative of a warm wind blowing through a golden field at dusk. Oops, my Saskatchewan is showing.

The taste doesn’t quite live up to the smell, but for me the saving grace is that the dominant flavour is watermelon! If I had any Luscious Watermelon left, I would definitely mix the two for a yummy iced tea. I won’t rebuy, but I will have no problem finishing the bag :)

Um yum.

Drinking this iced tonight with agave at work! And yes, I had to pee. I called security to cover the desk so I could legally go to the bathroom lol. It’s a super slow night tonight – but I applied at TWO davids teas for seasonal positions so… wish me luck for my dream jobs? ; 3;

Okay, I was wracking my brain to think of which matcha I had left to review. I actually had to go into my cupboard and sort my Recently Added to figure it out… it was CHEESECAKE! How could I forget?! I’ve been drinking this glorious Matcha almost every day, not even kidding. I know it’ll be the first I run out of and the first I run back to order more of! I might get a tin just for this one, because I know it will be in my cupboard forever. Dear Red Leaf Tea, never stop making matcha!!!! Love, your adoring fans!

I have had 2 amazing cheesecakes in my life. One was purchased on a trip to Vancouver from the market on Granville Island. It was tiny. It was expensive. It was amazing! The second was this week from a place called Broadway Cheesecake (something like that) here in Halifax. They have so freaking many kinds of cheesecake, it is crazy! 8 bucks a piece, but the pieces are HUGE. Why am I telling you this? Because this matcha trumps them. It puts the power of cheesecake into my little hands, adds green tea powder to make it amazing, and tastes like heaven on earth!

That may seem a little dramatic, but it’s the only way I know how to truly show how much I appreciate this matcha in my cupboard. The taste is tangy, thick and a bit sweet. If you add sugar it has the decadence of a perfect cream cheese icing. If you add milk (I tried 2%, almond and vanilla soy) it’s a slice from a fine bakery (or cheesecake from home, arguably the best kind!). If you drink it hot – it’s fresh from the oven! Iced? It’s a perfectly chilled and dense New York piece from the fridge. I could go on, but I guess what I’m trying to say is: Any way you slice it, this Cheesecake Matcha is the best of the best – it has the power to turn my crappy tired morning into an awesome day. Just sayin’.

One of the best features of this flavour (and many of the other dessert matchas) is that you get the delicious taste of a rich cheesecake without the tummy-ache and super full and heavy feeling. I won’t say without the “guilt” because I am highly against self shaming, especially in the food department. With that in mind – this tea doesn’t completely replace a cheesecake. I’ll still eat my fair share of cheesecake! What this tea DOES do is let you have cheesecake every day – even if your tummy is full or your wallet is empty! THAT my friends, is the magic of matcha :D

Thanks for reading this ramble. I’m kind of passionate, can you tell? ;)

Hey are you still reading this? Go get some! http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html

I got this one special for my boyfriend as a surprise. Last time he got to pick out a matcha, we ended up with Cola, so this time I thought an alcoholic drink matcha was in order. More sophisticated? Well – more adult anyways ;)

He is loving the flavoured matcha as much (if not more!) than I do! This one smelled sweet from the get go – creamy and .. tangy? Smoky? Not smoky! I’m trying to describe what irish cream smells like – it doesn’t have the smokiness of whisky – but it definitely is sweet and creamy! I knew it was going to be a real treat – just like the real thing!

Here’s where you can get it: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/irish-cream-matcha.html

What a neat flavour experience! I prepared the matcha straight and thick for the first bowl. In this state I tasted mostly matcha with an aftertaste of sweet cream that lingered after finishing the bowl. It was very creamy and pleasant.

Next I tried it over ice with 18% cream and sugar. I thought my eyes were going to roll into the back of my head and be lost forever! This was mine and Mike’s favourite way to enjoy it. It’s sweet, but because you have control over the amount of sugar, it’s not crazy sweet and cloying. You could probably enjoy cup after cup with the only buzz coming from the energy of all that matcha you’re drinking!

This one is so so good mixed with the Madagascar Vanilla matcha – it just adds a bit of something that takes the creamy flavour over the top. Come St. Patricks day, it would be an awesome drink to mix with mint matcha (Mint is on the way in the mail as we speak!) and hey – it’s already green! No need to add any food colouring for your Paddy experience ;)

Next in line is creating all sorts of bar drinks with matcha. I’m trying to think of drinks to make with Baileys and I’m having a heck of a time. I know I love to put Baileys and Peppermint shnapps in my hot chocolate so, Belgium Chocolate Matcha + Mint Matcha + Irish Cream? There’s no “Coffee” matcha that I know of yet, but I think maybe an espresso is coming soon? (EDIT: Both Coffee AND espresso are here!) That would mix wonderfully, or you could just go ahead and mix it with the Mocha Matcha! Gah I’m pretty much drooling already.

Can you think of any other drinks? I would love to do some more experimenting!

Now – if a Guinness Matcha ever comes out – I know the perfect one to mix it with ;)

I’m drinking this tea at work today, iced!
I’m kind of obsessed with it – it’s SO tasty.

Except now, I have to pee! And I can’t leave the desk! This happens to me every night, I would learn – but I can’t break this tea habit lol

Wow.

This tea totally took me by surprise and bowled me over!
I’m getting sweet sugary strawberry, a bunch of tart rhubarb and buttery crumbly crust goodness.

It smells and tastes exactly like a strawberry rhubarb pie or crumble, and there is a hint of creaminess like a big scoop of ice cream is plopped on top and melting into a sweet gooey amazing delicious mess.

AMAZING herbal tea, I am taken aback!

Alright! I have had quite the little journey with English Toffee matcha – it started out on a bumpy road, but from that I finally perfect an iced matcha technique on the go! And coaxed out the flavour! So it has a happy ending, I hope I didn’t ruin it for you… read on ;)

My first few cups of English Toffee Matcha left a little to be desired in the flavouring department. I guess I should have gone with Robust or Distinctive instead of Delicate, but it hadn’t failed me before! I should say – it wasn’t that the cup itself was disappointing. In fact, the quality of matcha in this batch almost seemed smoother and indulgent than I’ve had in the past! It almost had a creamy quality to it, without any additives. I was just looking a little too hard for a “Skor” or even a salted caramel sort of flavour.

I tried it as a latte – and it was still delicious, but I was still searching for the English Toffee. I’m happy to say that I discovered the flavour the best in an iced tea with no milk OR sugar! That was super surprising to me! I usually add sugar to make the matcha sweet like the flavours usually are in their original forms, but this one came out the BEST unsweetened. Who would have thunk?

I keep seeing online a “recipe” for iced matcha, or rather, instructions where all you have to do is add the powder to a bottle of water and shake like crazy! Well, I have tried that multiple times and it’s gross every time haha. I uncap a bottle, sip a bit, shake some matcha in and shake away (for a loooong time) – but all I end up with is murky green water with clumps. Clumps that hit your teeth and dissolve into a bitter mess in your mouth.
THEN I read on a website (of course I can’t remember which one) where they added just a half a teaspoon of matcha, and a tiny bit of cold water – the same way you would make hot matcha – to make a matcha paste first and then add more water! So I added my half tablespoon of English Toffee Matcha, about a teaspoon of water – and my shaking was vigorous! It created a smooth paste almost instantly with no lumps (I didn’t even need to sift), I filled up my water bottle with the rest of the cold, filtered water. The liquid was emerald green, not lumpy or murky, and tasty! I didn’t add sugar or anything else, just sipped away and lo and behold – English toffee flavour and natural sweetness from the matcha, with a bit of vegetal tones and no astringency.

I’m pretty happy that I figured out the right way to make iced matcha in a bottle – I’m also happy with my English Toffee matcha. We’re on good terms now ;)

Found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/english-toffee-matcha.html

Got this as a latte today!
SOOO yummy, I can’t wait to pick some up!

I definitely prefer when I get a latte because they use the Steeper instead of a Tsac – I just feel like they add a bit more leaf so it’s super tasty!

But on to the flavour. The kukicha added a nice roasty base and the allspice definitely made it taste like eggnog. In a latte form, it was pure indulgence! The mini marshmallows were AWESOME! They melted and made this amazing texture that added to the eggnog feel, but also added the marshmallow presence that gave it it’s name. I’m quite happy with this addition to the fall collection, it’ll be a nice change from Pumpkin Chai :)

Yummeh.

I was given a 5 minute break at work today, so I ran up to DT to try this tea! I had to!

It smells divine – reminds me of the other cake teas, but no stevia so it’ll have a different flavour.

As for flavour, my tea was steeped a little weak (not quite enough leaf in my to-go cup), but the flavour was nommy. Reminded me a lot of Birthday Cake, which is my favourite rooibos ever, but with more cakey, baked-good notes that I really enjoyed.

I will definitely get some to take home and steep my way (or the highway), then we’ll decide if I’ll get more. Until then – this sweet cup has made my evening :)

I guess you could call this blog post a “review”, but really I’m just linking it for the pretty pictures of this gorgeous tea!

A REAL tasting note coming soon – this tea took me just over the edge into lala land I think ;)

http://www.daisychubb.com/review-shui-xian-wuyi-oolong-by-verdant-a-broken-heart/

I’m still working on perfecting this matcha… I can’t seem to coax the flavours out that I’m expecting… must clear palate, take deep breath, and go in with no expectations! More on that later, I’ll be Bach

Enjoying some “Ol’ Reliable” after the worst day at work.
I made a booboo. A big one. Not a money related one (I don’t care about those when I work for a big business – well I care but not in a way that haunts my every waking moment haha) – but one that affected a customer in a bad way :(
I feel so bad, I apologized profusely.. but it didn’t change the fact. I’m also not looking forward to the consequences when I get back to work after labour day.

Ah well, we’re only human right?

Minty black chocolately goodness will get me back on track. This tea, plus I just discovered this hilarious online game called Drawception – it’s a mix between telephone and pictionary. Here’s an example of one I participated in:
http://drawception.com/viewgame/cqtzSMNRkz/kyle-katarn/

It’s really fun, you should comment below if you gave it a try :D

So! As they say – tomorrow is a latter day. :) Things will look up!

I have so much of this tea, I don’t even know what to do with it.

Of course, I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would – but hey, it was an investment! haha I’ll swap it away and maybe sell some tea sampler packs on teatrade or my etsy shop and all will be well :)

The taste is a little more mushroomy that I expected – it’s quite easy to oversteep (re: bitter mess!) if you use a high temperature – so steep it at as low a temperature as you can (that’s my recommendation).

At first I tried it in my gong-fu pot but the leaves are very very small (smaller than rooibos), so from now on I only brew it with a Perfect Mug steeper – they don’t let anything through :D

I will say that it does settle my tummy, but from now on I know I’m more of a darker shu tuocha fan – I like the dark earthiness (ie: Cornfields Shu from Verdant)

Fare thee well $1 promo! I hardly knew ye…

This is what I chose for my iced tea of the day! I ought to pick up more because it’s the best blueberry tea I’ve ever had – it’s so SO flavourful and truly unmatched to anything else I’ve tried!

Best iced with a bit of agave, but also makes a kick butt latte!

love, Ash

Well well, here’s another matcha that took my tastebuds by surprise. I ordered the Belgium Chocolate matcha expecting, well, I didn’t know what to expect! Haha.
I’ve never had a chocolate flavoured green tea before, but for some reason I didn’t even blink or flinch at the thought of a chocolate matcha. It must be the faith in flavour that Red Leaf has instilled in me – if cotton candy works, why not chocolate, right?

There were a few more reasons I sprung for the chocolate – I had also ordered the strawberry and knew they would make an amazing pair! (Chocolate covered strawberry matcha, how sexy!), but I also have caramel and cheesecake matchas which it would also blend well with! Let’s not forget a chocolate covered banana iced latte (might add a little bit of english toffee in there as well for a Skor effect!)

What can I say? I feel like a matcha mad scientist. I’ve got a blending itch that I have to scratch!

What took me by surprise was just how chocolaty the smell and flavour was! The cocoa powder used in the blend must be of quality, because it is leagues better than the no-name powder in my cupboard. It’s silky and rich and has the quality of drinking chocolate. When I’m drinking it straight, I’m tempted to throw in a dash of cinnamon and cayenne for a Mexican hot chocolate flavour. Or maybe experiment on the savoury side with a matcha mole sauce – I would definitely be feeling like a mad scientist with that one, but hey why not! If the Food Network did something like that no one would bat an eye ;)

So far my favourite way to enjoy this matcha is as a hot latte with all the fixings! I whisk up 1.5 teaspoons of matcha with just enough water (175 F) to make a paste. I then add about a half of cup of water (same temp) and sweetener (white sugar for me) and whisk some more to dissolve the sugar. A simple syrup would also work! Now I heat up ½ cup milk and cream (half and half) in the microwave and froth it up with my milk frother. Add the half and half to your matcha, top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings! This treat is oh so comforting, and could even be recreated with soy/almond milk or 1% for a light but indulgent treat!

Before this matcha I hadn’t found a flavoured tea of ANY kind that was a “replacement” for treats. Yes, I am in love with the cheesecake matcha – but it doesn’t replace my cravings for a big fatty piece of creamy thick cheesecake. Nor does a chocolate cake tea turn me away from the frozen McCains delight sitting in my freezer. This tea, however, DOES cure my craving for chocolate and hot chocolate! Sometimes I get a real hankering for a package of powdered hot “chocolate” – but I don’t even consider this a “substitute” – it’s the real thing!

Find it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/belgium-chocolate-matcha.html

Upping the rating a tad as I made a reeeeal good cup of iced tea with it this morning! 2 tsp brewed @ 175 for 3 mins and poured over ice – yuuuuum.

The flavour just keeps getting better and better, and although my pouch is pretty old (purchased from Ashley), I’m happy I held on to it for so long!

No bitterness, great buttery and vegetal sencha taste with delicious cherry flavouring and a hint of cheesecake. Yummy.

Edit: I should say – it is no fault of the tea that I just spilled it all over myself at work. Ah, refreshing haha