Orange Matcha

When I opened this bag I was greeted by the strong fresh scent of oranges! It reminded me of my parent’s house in California where there is a grafted tree that produces oranges all year round.
My first sip was concentrated and unpleasant, but after the addition of some creamer to dilute it, it turned to a really nice creamsicle type flavor. The orange flavor is really true to life and full. I don’t really taste much matcha beyond the orange, but that cup was enjoyed and went down the hatch faster than I expected!

On a trip right now so have to brew the matcha in whatever fashion I can. Most of the time it involves dumping it into a small water bottle and shaking vigorously. This I brewed with hot water and stired with a plastic stir stick. Real fancy…

Definitely getting some hints of sunshine state oranges in there. Not as much…. Uh… Orange zing? As I thought there would be though.

I tried this orange matcha from the Matcha and Green TTB. It’s pretty good, but I wish it had more of the citrus spark from the orange. It tasted more like plain old matcha with a hint of orange. The base was good though – not bitter.

Guess what I am doing! If you guessed painting my minis then you either read this blog or just know me very well! Currently on the painting desk I have my second Harbinger and my various other unfinished units (yes, I still have not finished my Alphas, for shame) and I hope to have them all finished by Monday when Ben and I have our league fight. Also I have a connection at AdeptiCon, meaning I might be getting my Oppressor early, the excitement is real, to the point that I about had a faint when I found out I might get it early. I just need to settle on a paint scheme since I kinda want to do my command units as different (Desolator not included, it has other special plans) and very showy.

I have decided since it is the first weekend of Spring, that I need some real green in my life, like really green, meaning it is going to be Matcha weekend! Starting off with Orange Matcha from 3 Leaf Tea! This is a Matcha that blends regular ol’ Matcha with orange flavoring (and thank you 3 Leaf Tea for listing that it is Gluten free! A lesson to all tea companies, list if yours contains allergens!) They also sell sample sizes, which I really like, because from experience, flavored Matcha can be VERY hit or miss, and a lot of places only sell massive piles of them, meaning you really have to gamble. To start off, I decided to give this one a try as a traditional whipped up Matcha, this is because after opening the pouch the color and aroma struck me as something I wanted to try as both a latte and traditional. The aroma of this bright green powdery goodness is a blend of sweet grass, freshly mown hay, and very delicate orange undertones. Like a nicely sifted pile of Matcha with a sliced orange sitting next to it! As I give the Matcha a good whisking (and I am sad to announce I am a few bowls of Matcha away from needed a new Chasen, me thinks) the orange aroma almost effervesces up to my nose. It smells like a Matcha and an Orange Julius, and why is this not a thing yet?

I love green tea (especially Sencha) with various citrus fruits, so I am really excited to see what I think of Matcha with orange, it just sounds like something I will like. Upon sipping it, well, imagine a good Matcha that blends a slightly bitter robust taste (kale bitter, not burnt green tea death bitter) and sweet, creamy, hay and sweetgrass notes with orange juice. It is like someone made a normal Matcha and squeezed an orange in with it (I need to try this) while whisking it up. It adds a sweetness and brightness, I could see this being awesome for breakfast!

I also decided to make myself a small iced latte, though I am moderately annoyed that there is just skim milk in the house, I am more of a whole milk kinda gal, or ya know, just give me cream and I am happy! I am also someone who only rarely drinks milk, so it is no surprise that I am out of my milk of choice. The instructions for how to make a latte on the website are just boss, this is how I am making lattes from now on, much easier than having to break out the hand mixer or god forbid, my terrible blender. I did forgo the ice, because I do not want something that cold, plus icecubes get in the way of chugging, I am such a delicate soul. Anyway, making this into a sweet latte is delicious, it is like orange ice cream and Matcha, sweet, green, and delightfully citrus. Not sure which one I liked more, both were quite delicious, and an excellent start to Matcha weekend!

Blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/3-leaf-tea-orange-matcha-tea-review.html