Starfevre

Got this as a sample (among MANY) from yssah a while ago. Slowly slogging through them (there are a lot). Perfectly cute little baggies they’re in, though there is a bit of scent contamination. Nothing that obstructs the flavours so far.

The flavouring is certainly strong on this one. I’m not sure it shouts ‘Mango’ to me, but it’s definitely fruity. Then again, my sense of what mangos taste like is mostly through other mango flavoured things like Naked Juice bottles and such. And dried mango, I just remembered, I used to buy a lot of that. Anyway, this tea is nicely fruity but I wouldn’t rely on me to say if it’s ‘mango’ fruity.

Tasty this morning. My electric whisk came today, but I forgot to bring it to work so I’m still using a fork today. I had some pretty big clumps in this one, due to no sifter and no whisk, but it turned out okay, except some bitter swallows. I think this may be the first of my matchas that will get drunk down. I seem to favour it as a first choice in the mornings.

Thanks for this sample, yssah. I dumped my whole sample into my teapot and I was impressed with the scent of it, very very cherry, though it reminded me of cough syrup a little. The taste…very cough syrup. The cherry is tasting very artificial to me. It’s also kind of weak so I may have added too much water to this.

Backlogging this from yesterday, don’t know why I waited so long to log it. Tasty but weaker than I’d like, as always. I want to like this so much but the vanilla is just not strong enough for me.

Bought this one while ago and it’s even been in a tin, ready to be prepared for almost that long, but I’m just now getting around to trying this one out for the first time.

Details: black matcha base, small size, distinctive flavouring, tins purchased.

First attempt (because it didn’t work so well and there will be another on this note). Hot matcha latte made with a couple ounces of barely not boiling water, 1/2 tsp matcha, 10 oz of hot skim milk, bit of sugar, frothed with an electric whisk.

Now I was a bit disappointed with the smell of this mstcha when dry. It just wasn’t as strong as the others I’ve had and really didn’t evoke much ‘berry pie’ feeling for me. Less even then the straight berry one did, though I had that one on a green base. The only mouthful of my cup’s latte that had any strong flavour at all was the last one (because matcha inevitably sinks and you have to swirl it around again at that point) and the flavour that was most present in it at that point almost (not quite but almost) tasted like cinnamon. It had that feeling in the back of the mouth that cinnamon brings out for me. It just wasn’t very good. The black base was present, all warmly ‘black tea’ for me, but the berry pie flavour was absent entirely. I’m going to try again with a full teaspoon of matcha this time. Hold on a sec.

Same proportions as before except twice as much matcha and a bit more sugar. The ‘cinnamon’ flavour/feel is still present, even stronger than before so it is definitely not a mistake or contamination because this matcha is in an airtight tin and previously it was in it’s original packaging, sharing space with only raspberry and cream matcha. This is probably (of the matcha I have purchased) my least favourite. It’s not terrible if I just taste it with no preconceptions but expecting berries from it, do not like.

I may very well buy it again though, although parameters will be changed, Green matcha for one and at least robust flavouring possibly higher. You can find this matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/rich-berry-pie-matcha.html

2nd distinct latte of the day so I’m logging this one out separately. (Not quite the same as drinks from the same pot of tea or different steeps for the same leaves imo). Used a full teaspoon of matcha this time and it’s still pretty good. The flavour is a lot more powerful. I can’t decide if I like it better this way though.

Got a bit adventurous and I think I added a bit too much matcha to my latte. The green flavour is slightly overwhelming instead of being nice. Still, this is good and I’m enjoying it, but note to self: only 1/2 to 2/3 tsp matcha, not a full tsp.

Delicious. I want more and more and more.

Second matcha of probably many today. Still feel all foggy. Went for a brisk half hour walk instead of eating lunch. Still feel all crummy.

This matcha is as tasty as ever. I think I might try it next time with a full teaspoon of matcha.

Having an odd day so far. I’ve been at work for…4 hours now, but have accomplished no work, though I did spend some time reading through new company processes so I guess that that maybe counts as work. I didn’t get much sleep last night so my brain is a little fuzzy and unfortunately caffeine doesn’t affect me so although it tastes absolutely delicious, this matcha will not help.

I got my Verdant TOTM yesterday and thought I might try it all today but I’m just not feeling it. So I went with matcha instead. I even went downstairs to the cafeteria and bought 3 things of milk in anticipation of having 3 matcha lattes before lunch, the next opportunity to buy milk. I may not drink any ‘normal’ tea today at all. Just not feeling it, which is quite odd for me. I looked over my selection of teas I have available at work and even the ones I’ve never tried before just don’t interest me. I think I’m going to have to try the Verdant teas at home which means I’m going to have to dig through my unopened boxes of tea I have in the entryway and find the one that has the gaiwan I bought. I don’t remember which company I even bought it from. This happened when I tried to buy another electric match whisk too, I had to buy an entirely different model because I just couldn’t find the one I bought before. Hopefully they’re of comparable quality.

Anyway that was kind of babbling and not really talking about the matcha, which was delicious as always. Well always the two times I’ve had it. I was experimenting with adding mint matcha to my different matcha flavours yesterday but I think I’m going to spare this one that experience. I just don’t think this one will be improved by mint.

To recap: very tired. feeling stupid and off. matcha good.

While the jasmine is quite strong and floral in this blend, the caramel is a lot more subdued, almost hidden in the flavours. The base tastes of both ingredients in it, black and green tea. I’m less fond of green tea so I could wish THAT were a little more subdued. It’s definitely got that ‘green’ flavour to it and I’m glad I steeped it at green tea parameters rather than my usual black tea ones. The floral aspect of this, though I usually like jasmine a little, I don’t like it this much so I don’t quite know what to do with the rest of this tea because I don’t think I want to drink it after this pot.

Today is a minty day! Continuing the theme of the day I made a hot latte out of 2/3 tsp of french vanilla matcha and 1/4 tsp of mint matcha (any more mint and it would be overpowering). As noted in my earlier reviews today, I need a bit more sugar to overcome the bite of the mint. I’m curious how it will do with the french vanilla.

Well this is an intensely satisfying combination. The vanilla softens the mint up a lot and makes it more mellow as well as making the whole thing creamier and delicious. I think I’ll be making this again.

ETA: I just realized that this is tasting note number 200! Not bad for being a member only since mid-December of last year.

Well, I just ate a Thin Mint so that’s bound to affect my perception of this tea, but at least it’s complementarily minty! Actually, I don’t think that’s a real word. New word!

Sharing this one again with my coworker, so I have a smidge more than one mug’s worth of this. Added milk and sugar as is my wont. Actually, after the thin mint, this one doesn’t taste nearly as sweet as it should. But I’m not going to add more sugar. It’s still good though. The mint in it isn’t as strong as, say, the mint matcha I had this morning, but it’s stronger than the ChocoMint LIT that I had earlier this afternoon. Nothing really special about this tea. Just black tea and peppermint.

2nd matcha of the day! I made a hot latte with 1/2 tsp of this berry matcha and added in 1/4 tsp (ish) of mint matcha. It tastes pretty good, although the mint is pretty strong in comparison to the berry, despite there being only half as much. I think I’m also going to have to start adding a bit extra sugar to any of my lattes that have mint in them because for me, it has a bit of a bite to it that seems to carry over even when I am mixing it with things. It was funny when I was scooping the matcha into this and comparing the colours. You wouldn’t think it, but these two matchas are completely different shades of green, the mint is much closer to neon and the berry is a little brown in comparison. Interesting.

Drinking this right now from a trade from yssah. Just enough for a pot-ful. I love it when I can use up all of a sample on my first try. Except when I mess it up, of course.

This tea is definitely minty, but I can’t taste much chocolate at all. I can vaguely taste the tea base and it mixes well with the mintiness so this is decent as a mint tea, but not so much as a mint chocolate tea. I’ve been consuming a lot of mint today, just had a mint matcha latte.

ETA: I shared some of my pot with a co-worker and he said he tasted the chocolate right up front, so it may be a taste bud issues. I’m beginning to suspect that I don’t taste chocolate very well in general.

Recipe: 1/2-2/3 tsp mint matcha, ~3 oz hot water (175 degrees), whisk with a fork (did not foam much at all), add some hot milk (1/2 pint minus a couple of gloops for my earlier tea this morning) and 1/2 tsp rock sugar. Stir.

Very minty. I didn’t get the robust flavour on this, just the distinctive, but it is still very very minty. Not that that is a bad thing! Not at all! I love mint. I taste mostly peppermint on this, maybe a hint of spearmint but mostly just peppermint. Hmm, probably should have added a bit more sugar to this one than normal, it’s got a bit of a bite to it. This will (in smaller quantities) be a great mixer matcha. I can’t wait to try it with french vanilla/creme brulee/bavarian cream. Might bring some home to try with belgian chocolate, but I might not. The belgian chocolate at home is made with a black base and the belgian chocolate that I haven’t opened yet from my last order is made with a normal green tea base and I might wait for that one to try mixing a chocolate-mint matcha. Looking forward to it though!

Made as a hot latte, this is VERY refreshing and crisp. It is almost cool on my tongue despite the actual temperature of the beverage, which is a bit of a strange feeling. Beyond minty tea, I don’t really consume hot mint anything.

You can find this matcha (and many MANY others) at Red Leaf Tea, but here’s the mint specific link: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/mint-matcha.html

First one to do a tasting note on this one I guess, since I had to add it to the database. Thanks to yssah for the sample. She sent me a giant pile of what I think are almost all of her black teas so I’m going through them now.

This…isn’t terrible. I’ve drunk a lot of peach tea over the years so I have pretty high expectations on what I consider a ‘good’ peach tea and this one is…probably middling-high on my scale. The peach flavour is a teensy bit artificial, but otherwise pretty juice and true. It’s quite strong too, in my little sample. The black base is subdued and a little overwhelmed by the flavouring. This one is worth trying if you’re looking for a peach tea.

Drank a couple sips of this tonight before realizing that I hadn’t added sugar yet. Was alright, but not quite what I wanted. Then I added a bit of sugar and MMM so sweet! This is an absolutely delicious dessert matcha and although it’s actually before dinner because my first attempt at dinner went in the trash, I’m quite enjoying this sweet little treat.

You know, this is the first pear tea I’ve tried, I think, that has actually tasted like pears to me. Real juicy pears. The tea base is bold and doesn’t back down, but the flavour is strong enough to keep up with it and complement it quite nicely. This is the first Fauchon tea that I have tried, but so far this is pretty good.

Drinking this my…4th matcha of the day. Good thing I’m not affected by caffeine or I’d probably be clinging to the ceiling by now. 2nd matcha in less than an hour. I’m still tired.

This is again very tasty. I think I’ll be able to decrease the amount of sugar I put in a hot latte (currently 1/2 teaspoon) very soon because it almost tastes too sweet as it is. Almost. Currently still quite delicious. I’m glad that I found Red Leaf Tea because it has opened up a whole new world of tea for me, flavoured matcha!

Drinking this again! Hot matcha latte. Tasty tasty. This is the one of my order that I got a large size of when I ordered, so I’ll be drinking this pretty frequently over the next couple of months. I used half a teaspoon of sugar on this and it almost tastes too sweet, so with skim milk, it’s a pretty healthy treat.

Well, this is nice. The flavour is definitely apple. But it’s still not my perfect apple tea. There’s no real ‘juiciness’ here, if you know what I’m saying, it’s quite flat. I hate to put a bad review out there as the first review to a tea, but this one is just okay. The blackcurrant I tried this morning was much better and I actually shared it with one of my coworkers and he discovered a new love for blackcurrant from that tea.

I know, I know, I just made a tasting note, but this one is different! I just made a cold matcha for the first time! It’s…not as great as I’d hoped. Possibly I’m just mourning the lack of carbonation that suddenly seems to be missing. I think I have too much water, but I just added more cola matcha to my cold water (and shake!) and it got a little bit more matcha-y but not much more cola-y. Guess I’m just disappointed, I had such high hopes and this one smells so good! Mayhap I will try this one traditional style next time.

ETA: Doh, no wonder it doesn’t taste right, I forgot to add sugar! Added about a half teaspoon of sugar to my 16 oz or so of water and it suddenly tastes much better. Might try a full teaspoon next time, if I remember. Usually I just use half, but this is a lot more liquid than I normally have for matcha.

Cola matcha! Back when I first tried the champagne matcha and loved it, I was told…somewhere (in the comments maybe?) that while that flavour was surprisingly awesome and true to descriptions, the cola matcha was even better, and a much weirder flavour at that. So of course, in my next order I had to try it.

I opened the the package last night to put it into a tin to bring to work today and Holy Cola! It smells so much like cola, not really coca cola or pepsi or anything, but it’s definitely cola. So I brought it into work with my black cherry matcha from last night to keep company with my french vanilla matcha (which I also want to try mixing with this) to drink this morning.

I must say, I read the reviews AFTER making this and I think I definitely made a mistake with my first try of this matcha. I made it the way I always make matcha, a hot latte. BZZZT! Wrong! It tastes…okay, but not nearly as fantastic as it smells nor as fantastic as all the other reviews make it sound so I’ll be trying again with cold water before I rate this. Right now it gets a solid meh. I tried some of the little bit of hot water and it tasted pretty good but then I added milk and it all just fell to pieces. Not that it’s terrible, because it’s not, it’s just that the milk sucked all the flavour out and now I’m left with a slightly warm cola milk which isn’t all that appetizing at all. So I’ll have to try again. So warning! Heed your instincts! If you don’t think that warm flat soda will taste good, then don’t try it! Cold matcha is the way to go with this one.

As always, it can be found on the Red Leaf Tea website. Here’s the link: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coca-cola-matcha.html