Incendiare

Backlog and another mad crazy sip down! Got to do something while writing them papers (drink teeeeeea). Reminded me of warm cinnamon buns down to the last drop.

Backlog and sad sip down. I enjoyed the last of this with some vanilla soy milk and some sugar.

Geez, major backlog. I finished this like three weeks ago? Had the rest with my Red Leaf Pumpkin Pie matcha. It was nice but honestly, I’m not going to miss it.

Oh man, I am SO SO SO behind with life here. One more paper and I’ll be done for the term. Just sipped this down the other day. Luckily, I finally started getting raspberry out of this in maybe the last three cups or so. Would I buy again? Nah, roasted maté is a tricky one for yours truly.

This is my morning birthday latte. Sorry I haven’t been around. Have been so busy, but hope everyone’s been doing well! Will need to catch up on reading everyone’s lovely reviews once the semester is done.

I ordered this in basic grade, robust. Definitely creamy caramel. Very sweet! I’m not going to lie though. I opened my white chocolate matcha just minutes before this one and I found that they both smell similar? And I’ve had them for a couple weeks now. Go figure.

But yes, I’ve enjoyed this as hot and cold lattes, as a smoothie with frozen strawberries, and with some biscotti-flavoured Bailey’s Irish Cream (droool). Of course it tasted amazing with the Irish cream, but overall, I like it best as a cold latte.

Blended with almond milk, the caramel swirls around the almond nuances and creates a guilt-free treat which perks you right up. Unsurprisingly, the caramel comes out more with milk. I should try it with the English Toffee sometime (which I haven’t even started yet) and maybe I’ll get a Caramilk feel out of it.

I’m bad. I slipped a little Galliano and Triple Sec into my latte. Not too much though! I’ll be perfectly fine at the seminar later haha.

I’m happy to announce that I am part of the Lush family again! I just got back from my first day at one of the locations here. Boy, have I ever missed working there. I love coming home smelling like it.

Total coconut fiend here. Let’s cut to the chase. This isn’t the best coconut tea I’ve had, but it’s pretty good. The base is great, but I was hoping for a little more chocolate, I think. Actually, this kind of reminds me of Tea Desire’s Praline de Champagne even though that has rose and strawberry on top of the chocolate (and perhaps coconut too, it’s been years).

It’s better hot, especially with soy milk. Naturally, the chocolate coconut comes through more strongly with the milk.

Cold-steeped? Meh. It kind of turns a little floral. I think the amaranth is speaking up this time. Don’t know what’s with that. 52teas Coconut Cream Pie still reigns supreme when it comes to iced coconut black tea.

Just a while ago, I was flipping through a library book and came across a bunch of cereal flakes embedded near the spine. Looks like someone was studying the Markedness Differential Hypothesis for breakfast. Appetizing on all levels.

I’ll admit that I had this tea black last week but didn’t write a review since I didn’t know what to think of it. But now that I added soy milk and a bit of sugar, it’s a lot better.

Before I go onto the flavour, let me mention how beautiful the dry leaf is. I absolutely love the addition of amaranth petals in here. The smell of the dry leaf reminds me of the almond biscotti my family used to buy at Costco. Not sure if they even make it anymore but it was super almondy, as is the scent of the dry leaf.

The milk and sugar really let the almond flavour pop. I can imagine that adding a dribble of almond extract to a cup of smooth black tea with milk will produce similar results.

This is the third time drinking this, and every time I’ve wanted to write a review but I couldn’t put my finger on the scent of the dry leaves. It was oh so familiar, and it’s taken me over a week to figure it out. To me, it’s more like freshly baked cinnamon buns than pumpkin. There’s a baked bready quality enrobed by cinnamon especially. Don’t smell any pumpkin.

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of this without additives. The tea base is quite prominent and I can’t taste much of anything else. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great base, but when you’re anticipating spiciness and creaminess and pumpkin awesomeness, it makes you a little sad.

But don’t fret, milk and a bit of brown sugar perked this up. I still don’t get pumpkin from this. It’s more of an ultra creamy spice, again, kind of like drinking a cinnamon bun. I’ve never had Crème brûlée before, as the idea kind of scares me (looks too eggy for my liking), so I have no idea how it compares to that.

By the way, I had this last night (among other teas) and I left the wet leaves in the strainer. This morning, the scent of the leaves drove me nuts. Smelled so tantalizing. It took me forever to figure out which tea I had last, and wasn’t until then that I finally figured out cinnamon buns.

Alrighty then, so apparently it only takes me 10 days to go through 30g of matcha. This is already done. I enjoyed my last serving with half a cup of frozen blueberries and strawberries, plus about a cup of soy milk.

I don’t think I’ll bother removing it from the electronic cupboard since I’m going to be ordering more, probably a large size, or even two! You can’t go wrong. Vanilla goes with everything.

Well then, that assignment took way much longer than it should have. My prof assigned us the wrong questions and I put hours into it before getting an email to do different ones. Ugh. Now it’s Assam time.

This is one fine Assam. I’m impressed by the lack of astringency here. When I smelled the dry leaf, it smelled very unassuming. I was actually worried that it would be on the dull side, but it’s not at all. It’s more subdued than most Assams, but it’s still ultra malty and thick.

Added a splash of soy milk and it’s oh so tasty and comforting. The milk seems to bring out notes of cacao? It’s like a dessert, but yet it isn’t, if that makes sense. Probably due to the lack of astringency.

Very happy with this Assam, I am!

Sip down surprise. Would I recommend this to you if you were sick? I’d say it’s worth a shot. My throat is better this morning, but who knows why. Could be because of the new Excel cough drops I bought yesterday, could be this, could be because I’ve been downing super-high-in-antioxidant matcha smoothies with lots of berries. Could even be because I got a decent night’s rest for the first time in days. Who knows!

But yes, try this out for a sore throat. As a warning, depending on how much dry leaf you use, it can be a little heavy on the eucalyptus.

The sip down has come. I enjoyed this but I’ll admit that I wouldn’t get it again if it were to be reblended. A little too bitter and ginger root-y for my tastes. But I’ve enjoyed mixing it with the Red Leaf Pumpkin Pie black matcha.

A good one to sip on when it’s cold and rainy outside.

Whoa, lots of eucalyptus this time, with mint in the background. Where did the orange go?

I’ve been popping Yin Chiao like mad trying to get rid of this cold but it seems to have frozen it in the initial stage. So I’ve had an on-and-off fever for days now, sore throat, fatigue, etc, yet it’s not a full-blown cold. Makes me want to just stop taking that stuff and let it run its course. Ugh, just feel like sleeping.

So that said, I wanted an unflavoured tea, something that wouldn’t upset my already nauseated tummy. This was quite salty last time I drank it, like salty popcorn, but this time, it was mellower. I gave it a really good rinse this time so maybe that’s why.

Still no rating. I’d probably place this somewhere in the 70-80 range but don’t want to commit to that yet. First world problems.

This is my favourite chance blend including Red Leaf Pumpkin Pie black matcha so far. I combined the following:

1/2 cup cooled 52teas Double Chocolate Decadence
1/2 cup soy milk
3 ice cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla agave nectar
1 tsp (maybe a little less) Red Leaf Pumpkin Pie (black matcha base)

Blend it in the Magic Bullet and surprise, surprise, we have a wonderful cold chocolate pumpkin pie latte.

This particular matcha gives more oomph to the Double Chocolate Decadence, since I find that tea kind of boring on its own.

Third matcha beverage today. I’m going to be going at my schoolwork for the rest of the day for sure.

Do you like cantaloupe? No, seriously, do you like it? Even just a little bit? If so, I advise you drop whatever it is you’re doing, even reading this sad excuse for a review, and buy this tea now if you haven’t done so already.

The dry leaf is beautiful. The helichrysum evokes images of breathtaking meadows. And the smell is EXACTLY like cantaloupe.

I brewed up a couple cups worth and watched as the leaves gently expanded. The mouthwatering aroma of cantaloupe filled my kitchen as I anxiously waited to take the first sip.

It tastes a lot like how it smells. Actually, I think it’s even juicier. I don’t think I could ever add anything to this. I don’t really get any creaminess though. It’s more like fresh, crisp cantaloupe.

If you’re a melon fan of any kind, (I’m sure) trying this tea would be a must.

Thanks to the lovely Stacy for the wonderful sample of this. This is definitely a floral oolong. It smells so fresh, but has a creamy sweet top note.

I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this. I could definitely detect a sweet, honey-like note with every sip, and the buttery texture is on the lighter side, just enough for the gorgeous orchid to peek through. The vanilla interpretation is also accurate as it intertwines with its parent, the orchid.

I’m going to have to get my hands on more!

I’m trying to use up the rest of my 52teas Gingerbread Chai to make more room (almost there, one round of brewing left), so I decided to brew some up, let it cool, and combine it with some Red Leaf Pumpkin Pie black matcha for a cold latte. This was my randomly thrown together recipe:

1/2 tsp Red Leaf Pumpkin Pie black matcha
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup steeped Gingerbread Chai
3 ice cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla agave nectar

The result is much better than drinking the Gingerbread Chai hot with some milk and sugar. The black matcha base grounds the spices in the Gingerbread Chai, in my opinion. Without the matcha, I find the Gingerbread Chai to be a little too heavy on the ginger, thus making it more two-dimensional. Now, the spices meld together with an earthier base to create a bold, yet much smoother result.

Before I get back to my pile of schoolwork, I wanted to write about the amazing smoothie I just made for breakfast. In a blender, I added (approximately) the following:

8 strawberries
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tsp French Vanilla matcha
2 ice cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla agave nectar

The way the strawberries and French Vanilla matcha play together is spectacular. It’s thick, creamy, and dreamy.

When fresh strawberries get too expensive to justify, aren’t in good shape in the store, or aren’t anywhere in sight, I’m SO grabbing a bag of frozen berries to continue with this trend. I’ve already ripped through half my French Vanilla matcha, and I got it not even a week ago.

Many thanks for the sample, Stacy! Seeing that it’s later in the evening and I still feel like drinking tea, I thought this would be a good time to try out a rooibos. I’m normally not a rooibos fan, but I love coconut, so it’s worth a shot.

There was a very generous amount of coconut shreds in my little pouch, and I can detect a faint coconutty sweetness wafting from the dry leaf.

Honestly, I can barely taste the coconut in here, but granted, I may be a little sensitive to rooibos. To me, it’s more like drinking plain rooibos with a splash of sweet coconut water. It’s perfectly sweet. Personally, I find no need to add any sweetener.

I actually finished up my cup about fifteen minutes ago, and oddly enough, NOW I’m tasting the coconut in my mouth more than ever.

If you like rooibos and coconut, of course, definitely go for it.

I’m coming down with a cold or flu, so what better time to get in a healthy dose of matcha than now? I haven’t tried Pumpkin Pie with the green matcha base, but I thought I may enjoy it better with a black matcha base, which I haven’t tried until now, because I find that spices go better with black tea, anyway.

So black base. Check. Robust flavour. Check. Basic grade. Check.

Dry, the powder smells quite spicy. The cinnamon is at the forefront, followed by the clove, then nutmeg. I can’t smell any pumpkin in there, but the combination of spices most definitely suggests pumpkin pie.

I’ve prepared this in two ways. The first time, I tried this hot. I did the usual, sifted the powder, added a bit of water, mixed it up, added a bit more hot water, then added some So Delicious coconut milk. I also added in about ½ tsp of white sugar. The base is a little stronger than I had expected. A bit bitter, but that bite melds into the fiery spices.

I prefer how I prepared it the second way, as a cold latte. I combined about 1 tsp of matcha with three ice cubes, ¾ cup water, ¼ cup So Delicious coconut milk, and half a tsp of honey. Now this is more my style. Cold, the spices and bitterness have mellowed. This now has a much creamier vibe, like pie itself. I’ve also noticed that the cinnamon isn’t as strong when cold. The nutmeg and clove are definitely more prominent. Plus, the black base is definitely quite a bit bolder than your typical green base, though.

Check out Pumpkin Pie Matcha here!: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pumpkin-pie-matcha.html

Too bad I used up the rest of my fresh pumpkin purée. I could have added some to the cookie dough, or made pumpkin cranberry loaf with a shot of this. That would have been awesome!

After a long three-week wait, my very first Red Leaf order has finally made it to my doorstep! I’m always eager to try anything vanilla, so this was a must. And French vanilla? Sold. Automatically.

I actually haven’t had any matcha in a couple years, so I thought I would start out my flavoured matcha journey with the regular, Classic (basic grade). Seeing that I love vanilla, I also opted for robust flavour, because I can never get enough of that creamy French vanilla.

I decided to make a cold matcha frappé. I blended three ice cubes, about 1 tsp of French Vanilla matcha, ¼ cup of So Delicious coconut milk, ¾ cup of water, and a tsp of sugar. I wanted to add some honey instead but I had zero patience for it since it’s crystallized. I want my matcha fix now!

The result? Like how I’d imagine drinking a liquefied French vanilla matcha cupcake with shreds of coconut on top would be like. The coconut milk is the perfect ingredient for this. The green matcha has a delicate flavor. Slightly vegetal, but not bitter at all, and the flavor of the vanilla makes me think of sheer royalty. Actually, I’ll admit that I would have liked a little more flavour. Don’t get me wrong, the vanilla in it is obvious, but I was just hoping for a little extra vanilla oomph from the robust flavour option.

The viscosity of the matcha frappé was also a pleasant surprise. It’s a very filling beverage, and seeing that I’ll have to spend a lot of late nights on university-related stuff, I’m planning on keeping this close by for an energy boost. If you’d like to get your hands on some velvety French vanilla matcha, please do so here:

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-vanilla-matcha.html

Did I mention I just drank three glasses of matcha over the past couple hours?

I just had to get the tagalong because it’s just so cute. And I decided to give this one a whirl since lately it’s been pumpkin this, pumpkin that. Finally used up all my pumpkins and made a batch of pumpkin cookies. Had a Starbucks pumpkin latte for (I think?) the first time ever and underwhelmed, so I wanted a shift. Vanilla and lemon, eh? Sounds good to me.

I’ve been running around like a headless chicken preparing to lead a seminar tomorrow, so I unfortunately let the first cup steep for too long. It smelled fabulous though. The vanilla here is gorgeous, like vanilla bean whipped cream or something. Very delicate, but so beautiful. I can smell the rose in the distance, which adds a little extra sophistication.

The first cup tasted too bitter but the second was what I was expecting. The base is the most noticeable, followed by the lemon. Not a sour lemon at all, though. It’s smoothed out and pale.

It’s not a bold tea at all, but in a good way. Like, I can’t really see it offending anyone, so realistically, I can see how this would be a good choice for an event like a wedding. A subtle lemon vanilla white tea is a much better way to go, than say, a pu-erh. But maybe I’m crazy!

Thank you so much for the sample, Stacy! Pineapple is one of my favourite fruits, and it seems to be a tricky fruit to incorporate into a tea.

The first thing I smell when I open up my little pouch is buttery, buttery oolong. Maybe my nose is/was broken, but I could barely smell the pineapple in the dry leaf.

While I was letting this steep, the buttery aroma filled up that corner of the kitchen and it was utterly taunting me.

Then once I poured the coveted tea into my teacup, the scent of canned pineapple juice shows up to the party. The buttery oolong base is still there but the tangy pineapple juice sprang up to the top.

First sip, it’s like I added a few teaspoons of canned pineapple juice to my oolong. I can detect the buttery, very lightly floral oolong underneath, but with each sip, I am reminded of crushed pineapple from a can.

The floralness comes out a bit as this cools, but the predominate flavour here is the pineapple. Honestly, I was hoping for more of a fresh than canned pineapple here, but perhaps it’s just me. But it’s still a great tea. I’m especially fond of the base. I think I’d rather just drink the unflavoured version of this oolong!