Oh caramel, my sweet love! And oh Red Leaf, you devils! You are indeed masters of your craft!
This was the first tea that drew me to Red Leaf’s flavored matchas. One of my fellow Steepsterite’s glowing reviews led me to the company’s website. But when I got there and saw the endless flavor options Red Leaf has to offer, I decided to try the ones that were a little different first. I kept Caramel matcha in mind for a while and finally decided it was time to give it a shot. Everyone loves it, so why would I feel any differently? And I know I love caramel so I ordered a large bag of the “robust” flavour. Actually, come to think of it, all my flavoured matchas have been “robust.” I like that word too….:)
I have always been a lover of caramel. As a child, I wasn’t allowed to eat much in the way of sweets. But my dad would sometimes buy the little chewy KRAFT caramels that come wrapped in transparent plastic. I LOVED those! He rationed them out to my sister and me, but we would steal them when he wasn’t looking. Loved that sweet chewy burnt sugar flavor. My dad also used to make this really awesome hot caramel milk from scratch (as in with sugar and milk). Red Leaf’s caramel matcha, which can be found here [http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html], really reminds me of a cross of matcha with my dad’s caramel milk or of matcha with those KRAFT caramel. It really tastes like caramel! Those glowing reviews and high ratings are not unjustified!
When I opened the bag, I was transported back to my childhood. And it really reminded me of my dad, which is why he features in this review. Anyway, I shed a tear and then dove into the bag. I wish I could bathe in this stuff. It just smells so good. I made it with ½ tsp tea and 1 cup cold almond milk (as usual, since matcha lattes have become my favorite drink ever) and frothed it up with my new matcha whisk. It smells even better brewed! And it tastes so smooth. It’s very strong on the caramel and I love that. The matcha flavor definitely comes through though. It’s mostly on the finish that I noticed that ever so slight freshness. This tea is a definite must try for anyone who likes caramel. It is going to be one of those teas that I go to bed dreaming about having the next morning.
P.S. This tea reminded me so much of cake, I just had to try it in cake form. I took a fork and mixed about 1/2 tsp of caramel matcha with about 2bsp vegan butter and about 1tsp sugar (I’m not sure about exact proportions because I eyeballed everything and may update this when I try it again). I spread the mixture on a brioche and had myself some instant cake! So yummy! I also have a killer Japanese matcha cake recipe that is just screaming for me to try with this tea!
