I love eggnog! I’d drink the stuff all year round if I could! But I cannot drink it. I was vegan during university and vegetarian for a couple years after that and of course during that time I ditched dairy. When I stopped being vegetarian I found out I’m lactose intolerant, since I lost the enzymes to drink milk. Higher fat content milk hits me the worst. I still don’t drink cow milk. Plus, actual egg nog has CRAZY amounts of calories and fat. My husband, last year, trying to get some extra calories, spliced leftover egg nog with leftover heavy cream for a high calorie drink. Ew.
While being vegan/vegetarian I’ve ventured into Soy nog. IMO, the stuff is terrible! It’s watery, barely flavored, no depth and the eggy part tastes stale and weird. I’ve tried a bunch of different brands and never found one I remotely liked. When I saw Red Leaf Tea’s Eggnog matcha, hey.. this might have some potential to have an eggnog on my terms! I’ve been wanting this matcha for awhile, but kept procrastinating on purchasing it.
Specs on the matcha I’m drinking:
Eggnog Matcha
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/eggnog-matcha.html
Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Robust
Out of the package, the eggnog matcha smells slightly eggy and spicy. I thought it would smell stronger, like the pistachio matcha I got recently.
Prepared as a traditional hot matcha, I can taste the eggnog, but in matcha form! The base of bold green tea is there, with a eggy taste second, with a vanilla and nutmeg hit. This matcha is also slightly sweet. No bitterness or astringency.
Now the best part, a Red Leaf Tea Matcha prepared as a latte! I made mine cold, whisking 1/2tsp of egg nog matcha into some soy milk and a little sweetener. I find the eggy taste is the strongest! I love eggy taste! Next is the creamy vanilla and a hint of spice. This was really sweet, so I’d go a little less on sweetener next time. And next time I should add a sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon ontop.
The flavoring in this is really strong, as a Robust flavor, I cannot taste the matcha in this in the latte. Good for me as I love the egg nog taste, but for others who want the matcha taste, I’d go to distinctive or delicate.
The only thing missing for this to be perfectly like eggnog is the consistency. This might go well with a thicker soy milk (like the very vanilla Silk soy milk) or whisk in a little instant vanilla pudding mix. Of course, this egg nog matcha latte is green, so more festive!
Tea peeps, give this one a shot!
