Caramel Matcha

Ok, can I just say YUM!

I was wondering how I would write 200 words, unless it’s allowed that all my words were the phrase “BOY THIS IS GOOD” repeated over and over again. Probably not though.

I FINALLY received this in the mail yesterday, I was so excited. Last night I had some matchacchino sampling to do so I didn’t bother making this, 24 oz of iced matcha latte in one sitting was more than enough! I was looking forward to trying this one based on the awesome reviews. I had previously only tried Red Leaf’s Bavarian Cream, Maple and Cheesecake matchas, so that’s the only comparison I have.

I brought all my tools to work this morning, milk, frother, matcha, ready to make this as my morning tea.

Unfortunately for me, after I made it I went back to the kitchen with my cup to add a bit more hot water (to stretch this out, gotta make it last!!) and somehow managed to knock my cup over and spill the entire thing all over the counter. So much for making it last. I was so sad. And I cursed and then apologized for the curse to my co-worker who happened to be in the kitchen with me. I barely had one mouthful of it before spilling it ALL.

So anyway, I was going to say that nothing makes a morning easier than a good cuppa tea, but that’s assuming you don’t screw up an easy task!

I did obviously make another one, hot frothy milk and all, and dare I say this was even better than a regular cuppa tea as a great way to RE-start my day! I was so impressed with the flavoring here. I ordered the Classic Grade with Delicate Flavour and I was very happy with that. I don’t mind tasting the matcha, the way I see it is if I had a problem with the taste of matcha I shouldn’t really be drinking matcha! (Trying to see how many times I can say “matcha” in one sentence… I win!)

I would absolutely order this one again, I’m glad I got the large size of it! I am looking forward to trying as many more flavours in the future as I can afford!

Fly through the interwebs to get yourself some here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

STAT!

(It was so weird, guys. I had such a strange dream last night. I thought I went to Victoria and had a tea swap, only to come out into my kitchen to see a huge pile of… tea. ;) In all actuality, by the time we got back to our side of the ferry, it felt like the morning commute had been in another world. Day-tripping to Victoria is hard. Especially on about 3 hours of sleep. Even so, I’m really glad I got the opportunity to meet you all!)

Robust flavour, from CrowKettle.

I decided to open this one as I was warned the wrapping job might be suspect. Actually, the foil opened up very nicely over a sheet of wax paper, and I’ve divided up the powder into 3 servings. Just opening the foil resulted in my tiny apartment smelling like caramel. Wow, that flavour is powerful! I’ve mixed, umm, 1/2 to 1 tsp (I didn’t measure, really) in a little boiled water, frothed it and then added 8 oz hot, fresh almond milk.

Om nom nom. The matcha flavour isn’t strong at all in this, it’s more like WHOA, CARAMEL! Sipping on it without any sugar, I totally see how people can do this. The flavour is good! The almond milk lends a nutty flavour to the caramel. I ended up adding 1/2 tsp sugar because I like my matcha lightly sweetened, and the caramel comes out even more. If I ever do a Red Leaf order, this is totally on my list. Maybe not Robust, though. The flavour intensity is through the roof.

I wasn’t going to log on to steepster today because it is 70 degrees in Portland today. That’s unheard of pretty much anytime before July. So. Yeah. CRAZY!!!

Anyway, nice weather made me want a cold drink. I made this. I’ve had a few of these flavored matchas that haven’t worked for me but this is no brainer. So good. Yum.

Okay, back outside.

I am back in Canada! And yesss, my matcha order was awaiting me in the mailbox when I got back. So, like a crazed mad person, I immediately opened it and tried to decide which one to have first. They were all tempting, but this is the one that I had to try first. It’s so highly rated on here, and I had given it as a Christmas gift, so I had to see how it is myself!

I got 30 g, basic grade, with robust flavoring. And woah, this is definitely robust! Upon opening the package, BAM, caramel goodness whooshed out. Mmmm like some serious caramel candy. It smelled heavenly!! I made this by whisking with hot water then just topping with hot water. This reminds me, I need to get a matcha whisk soon haha. I also got a hint of a butterscotch smell in there while whisking too :D Anyways, this is SOOO YUMMMYYY. Delicious caramel flavor, but there still is that matcha green tea taste beneath it to make it very satisfying. The two flavors complement each other quite nicely actually! This actually doesn’t need sugar either, but I might add a bit at the end of the cup just to see what it does to the flavor. I cannot WAIT to make this with hot milk, and to mix this with cheesecake or blueberry at some point! The richness will be even more intensified! This is stellar, and I’m very happy I chose it for my order! Loving the rich caramel aftertaste so much!

Oh, and today may be a wired, matcha tasting day, which I’m ok with, as I have a TON of homework to catch up on that I did not do while away skiing. Hehe, bring on the caffeine and yummy flavors!

Jes was kind enough to send me some of her matcha, I ended up receiving this at the same time as the matcha that I ordered (which I feel I haven’t loved yet). Mixed this up this morning as a cold latte. I am exhausted after having caffeine too late in the evening, so here I am trying to cure myself with the same thing that failed me.

I do believe this was the starter grade and has the distinctive flavoring. It definetly smells like caramel. I put slightly more than 2 perfect teaspoons into my cocktail shaker, then added about 8oz of milk and shook. I then added some ice cubes and shook again. This yielded way more foam than with my first matcha experience.

I think I probably would have went with the robust flavouring. But this is definetly caramel. I literally feel like I am eating caramels. It’s sweet without anything added. It is so fabulous. I’m kinda sad I waited so long to try matcha, especially this one. Mmmm mmm mmmm

I was very excited to try this matcha after all of the great reviews! Even though this is my third matcha from Red Leaf Tea, this is actually my first matcha with the standard matcha base. No red matcha this time! The first thing I noticed was that the scent of the matcha was much more smooth than the others I’ve had. This could be due to the difference in bases, but this one just seemed so much more… nice. I’m not sure how to explain it.

Sipping, I taste a little bit of a grassy flavor, but mostly a nice caramel sweetness. It’s smooth, a tiny bit astringent and very, very comforting. I don’t think that I can compare this with the red matcha because they seem so different to me. I would like to have both in my cupboard so that I could have one to drink at night!

I only wish that I could create a creamy and thick texture. The flavor has me looking for a richer mouthfeel.. not something so watery. I know that it’s tea, a liquid, but the flavor leaves me wanting something more. I’m going to try this as a latte next.. I think it would bump this matcha up to the next level.

It’s a really nice companion to have while studying on this very boring Sunday afternoon. Back to work now! Here’s the link to purchase this matcha: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

I am the very definition of a beginning matcha drinker: I have never once even tried matcha before, much less made it myself. I’ve only had matcha-flavored stuff before, like matcha flavored marshmallows from the asian grocery, and I was actually never that big of a fan, so I never was that interested in even trying matcha.

But then of course Red Leaf Teas showed up on the scene with all their flavored matchas, getting astronomically good reviews, and I thought, well, maybe a flavored matcha is for me. I actually noticed it before I went to Madagascar this summer, but I didn’t get around to ordering any until now. I was waiting for a flavor I couldn’t resist to go on sale, and then they did caramel, so I was sold. This one has fantastic reviews, and I do love caramel. You can find it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

I ordered the robust level of flavoring because, like I described, I am a matcha wimp and I wanted a lot of flavoring. I also got the basic (starter) matcha as a base, and a tin to put it in. My matcha shipped super quickly on the same day (I actually didn’t even notice I had gotten a shipping notice because I thought it was my receipt!), and didn’t take long to travel. I waited anxiously for my package to arrive and then ran to the post office (to my PO Box) to get it when I saw it was delivered, especially since I wanted to get my review in before the free matcha program changes tonight. I was happy to see a brochure with how to prepare matcha instructions in it because I am totally clueless! I knew I would need a sieve and a whisk and a bowl, so I had those ready.

The minute I cut open the foil envelope of matcha I was swamped with delicious caramel scent. Smelling it a bit closer brought out a kind of fruity aroma, which I assume must just be the matcha. It kind of reminded me of a caramel apple or something like that. Following the instructions on the brochure I ended up sifting 1.5tsp in my bowl (I was unsure on the instructions whether each scoop was supposed to be 0.5–1tsp, or two scoops was that total?). My very fine sieve (yay HomeGoods) worked well, and there were definitely more clumps than it first seemed, so I’m glad I sifted. I added a few ounces of water (though I didn’t measure exactly how much) at about 180°F and whisked with my metal cooking whisk vigorously. It frothed pretty well but I think my technique is lacking! Right when the water hit the matcha I smelled a much stronger green tea flavor and a distinct earthiness, but not so much caramel.

I took a sip, but it was pretty strong and bitter so I whisked some more, added more water and whisked some more. Better. Still a little bitter, but I am chalking that up to user error. Maybe I just need to add some sugar, too, since I tend to be a bit sensative to bitterness, but I didn’t have any with me. Anyway, that kind of fruity caramel came through, the flavor blooming in the sip. The green tea wasn’t too vegetal or in your face like I was fearing, but I’m definitely glad I got the robust flavoring. The caramel was not as strong as I thought it would be, but it was present (and again that might be user error), and I did finish the entire bowl pretty fast! I am excited to try this in latte form, and I’m sure I will look up all kinds of tips and tricks for matcha now. I also wanted matcha to add to smoothies and to try some baking with it, and this seems like it would be amazing for both. I just bought some brownie mix at the store, and now I am thinking maybe some caramel matcha brownies? I don’t know if the flavor would be drowned out, though. Research must be done!

So again, I had Robust Flavoring, Basic (Starter) Grade Matcha. You can find it here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

ETA: The aroma on this matcha is so powerful and delicious smelling that now my entire office smells like caramel and someone just came in wondering if there was delicious cake or candy in here!

Okay, this was bloody amazing. I had a cup of this kindly made for me in preparation for a road trip yesterday, and it was delicious. The caramel flavour is really incredible. I’ve never had a caramel tea that blew me away, so I was surprised that the flavour in this was so spot on.

This morning, I had to go for the combo of this with the green apple matcha. Perfect! Tart, fresh green apple with gooey, sweet caramel. This stuff tastes so sweet, and it’s so smooth and lacking any bitterness, that I don’t really understand how it works. But, I am loving it and I’m so glad to have had the chance to try ‘em! I’m also impressed by how vibrant the matcha is. It tastes very fresh, and is that awesome deep green colour, not the sickly powder green I’m used to seeing in flavoured matchas.

My very first flavoured matcha.
Robust.
I purchased a matcha set from DT specifically for this and I regret nothing. As I fully intend on ordering myself a tonne of red leaf matcha now. Holy moly this is damn good!
It’s creamy and sweet, I drank it bare and it even got a little cold. I don’t want the cup to be over… EVER!

This was my first flavored matcha (thanks, Rachel!) :)
I made this with water but added a little bit of cream as I usually drink my matcha with a milk base.
This was really good! I still have a great aftertaste of caramel and I’ve been done for a while. I like how the caramel flavor works with the nuttiness of the matcha flavor.

I just got home from an outing with my daughter Ari & my grandson Kyzer. We met at Foundation Grounds, where they had lunch & I had a Chai Almond milk Latte (this is the day for lattes I guess), & it was tasty! Next we walked down the street to Kakao, & I bought them each a treat. There were also free samples (“The Big squeal” bacon brittle).

Coming home, I discovered that my Red Leaf order had arrived. All I ordered was the Carmel Matcha with the canister (& it is a really nice, cute canister!).

I heated some almond milk, I heated some water. I opened the package of matcha…not sure if I like the smell…reminds me of…something…I can’t quite pinpoint it…

I whisked 1 t of the matcha in my little blue bowl, it did froth up nicely! Then I whisked in the hot almond milk & I poured it into 2 cups, one for me & one for my son Drew. Tasted kind of buttery, & has a buttery feel. Ahhh…the smell I noticed is like theater popcorn butter! Anyway, Drew drank his straight, I opted for a little stevia, which was an improvement, but it’s probably not my thing.

Send me suggestions, people, as to what I’m really suppose to do with this. I have frozen bananas, almond milk…maybe I’ll try it straight next time & see if I like that better.

When Red Leaf Tea offered this matcha at half off last week, I jumped at the chance to get it. The only problem was what size to get!

This is the second matcha from my first Red Leaf Tea order. A big thanks goes out to Amanda for sending me a sample prior to that! I believe she had the “distinctive” caramel flavoring in her’s, and because I liked it so much I ordered a large amount of the “robust” flavoring.

Let me first tell you that before I was turned on to Read Leaf Tea, I would sometimes put in some good quality caramel sauce into my matcha lattes as a treat – I really do love good caramel flavoring! Thanks to this company, I don’t have to do that anymore – AND I can control the sugar amount!

Upon pouring out the contents of the robustly-flavored Caramel Green Matcha (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html ) from the non-resealable, gold foil packaging into the tin, I could smell the sweetness of caramel. I HAD to make a bowl right then and there!

For this first preparation I sifted a teaspoon of matcha powder into my bowl – I highly recommend doing this! Without it, you risk the chance of having clumpy matcha, and no one wants that! I wisked in two ounces of warmed water with my electric frother until the matcha was fully dissolved. Filled the bowl with the rest of the warmed water, about 6 ounces worth.

In my opinion, the “robust” flavoring is lacking a little. When I tried Amanda’s “distinctive” sample I could taste the caramel, but thought a little more flavoring would help. That’s why I added the “robust” flavoring on my order. But I found it missing an element – maybe it’s sweetness, which is something I usually associate with caramel. While Red Leaf Tea doesn’t add any sugar to their matchas, I found this benefited from some added sweetener.

I also think I might prefer the Caramel Matcha prepared as a sweeter latte – either hot or cold.

Not that they are necessarily comparable, but having gotten this and the Boysenberry Matcha with “robust” flavoring, I’m favoring the boysenberry more. That one was pretty fantastic without adding sweetener and the boysenberry flavor really popped!

I do look forward to playing around with the Caramel Matcha more – mixing it with other flavored matchas from this company. Caramel Cheesecake, Caramel Green Apple, Caramel Espresso, Caramel Vanilla, just to name a few! Oooo and I bet baking with this is going to be AMAZING!

First off I need to thank dhart1214 for the sample of this wonderful matcha.

This is my first matcha so I don’t have much to compare it too I put it through a sieve and into a normal bowl (because I don’t have any real matcha supplies) I heated my water to about 165 and poured 70 ml of water on a tsp of the match. I wasn’t sure what to expect but due to the smell I thought the caramel would be overwhelming. Despite using a makeshift method, the result was surprisingly good. I didn’t get hardly any bitterness that I have heard other people describe and the caramel was an enhancement to the green tea flavor instead of being overwhelming. Luckily dhart was kind enough to share a fair amount, so I will definitely be able to make at least a couple more bowls :)

After having regular matcha and then trying this today, I was actually able to taste the caramel flavor. Oh, holy yum.

I actually think I prefer regular matcha, but this made for a lovely post-lunch treat. I am super happy that Courtney sent me a sample of this, because I can definitely see myself enjoying this again. Over and over.

I was a bit intimidated by matcha, and now I just want to order ALL THE KINDS.

More on this tea later. I just wanted to pop in and say OMG! This is good! I’ve got to share this with my sister. We sat around one day and decided which matchas to get from Red Leaf and she chose this one with quite a bit of enthusiasm. I really didn’t expect their flavoring to be so good but it SO is. And of course matcha is pretty awesome too. :)

So in my search for the perfect vanilla (which I’ve now found in Red Leaf Tea’s French Vanilla matcha), I’ve found that many caramel teas are close enough to temporarily satisfy me. But after a while I miss that vanilla creaminess and begin the hunt anew. Plus, caramel is my favorite sweet candy, though I prefer sour candies. But as a child who went through two sets of braces, caramel was not a treat I was allowed to indulge in often. But every Halloween I would buy a bag of those Caramel Apple suckers, braces be damned, and make them last for ages. My love affair with caramel has been a long and torrid one.

Anyway, caramel brings out those feel-good feeling in me. So of course when I was ordering my Green Apple matcha from Red Leaf Teas, the caramel (found here:http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html) had to tumble into my cart too! I have to try them mixed, or I’ll be doing my teenage self a grave disservice. But first, I’m going to try it by itself, with sugar added, of course. If it’s anything like their French Vanilla, I’m in for a treat. I’m trying to try all of the new ones, but all I want to do is return to that little gem.

On to the caramel! I’m only making a small cup of this as it is 9:30 at night and I want to sleep at some point. But hey, sleep is for the weak and matcha-less, right? Right. The smell is amazing. Like I just want to crawl into the package and spend the rest of forever there. The taste…mmm. Mmmmm….mmmm. Okay, it tastes like….mmmm. Maybe I needed a bigger cup. A soup bowl, perhaps. Guh…mmmm. It tastes like the French Vanilla, but with a lovely burnt sugar aftertaste that is rocking my world right now. It tastes like real caramel made on the stovetop with nothing but sugar, cream, and a big mess that is completely worth it. Mmmmm. When I was in high school, at a church carnival I won a caramel cake. It was a caramel-flavored cake that was laced with real caramel bits, caramel icing and drizzled with, you guessed it, caramel. This reminds me of that. Or the caramel pie from O’Charley’s, which was essentially a pie crust filled with caramel. This is amazing, and I want to order some with the “There’s matcha in this?” flavoring option so I can just drown in the caramelly goodness. This is a must-always-have-in-stock for me.

Edit: My wife just pointed out that it tastes like marshmallow Peep s’mores, and I couldn’t agree more! If you’ve never made s’mores with Peeps instead of marshmallows, you haven’t lived. Just ask my father in law XD.

So, I placed a MASSIVE David’s Tea order yesterday and am currently in the process of updating my tea cupboard (in real life and here, incidentally) to take stock of my tins, space, and cull out some teas that I can tell by smell are past their prime (urgh. I hate wasting tea).

While I pulled out my little bins I found this unopened packet, though – the last of the four matchas I ordered from Red Leaf teas and one of the highest rated flavors on Steepster, if I remember correctly. Woo hoo! Time to go through my stash while drinking a matcha latte – my Sunday just got awesome!

The smell of the dry powder was perfectly caramel – made me want to just skip the latte and eat it, haha. Which, I do confess to licking some residue off my fingers and upon tasting it remember it is matcha and not just straight caramel powder. I sifted 3/4 tsp. of it and added it to 10 oz. of warmed milk, and whisked everything together before drinking.

The milk and matcha made a surprisingly sweet latte! I didn’t add any sugar but it really didn’t need it – there was creamy caramel and green tea both equally present in the flavor from start to finish. This was easily as good as the tiramisu and pumpkin pie flavors, and better than the bavarian cream.

Seriously – fantastic stuff, this matcha. Anyone considering order from Red Leaf Tea absolutely should. The quality and flavor of all of it is amazing!

Here it is, my first ever matcha. And what else should I choose, but the highest rated matcha here on Steepster?

Everyone raves about the fast shipping from Red Leaf Tea. Unfortunately I had a longer wait than most since I live in Australia. But to receive my order in just over a week from the other side of the world is not bad at all! I should just consider it as exercise for my patience.

First, for the details. I ordered the small 30g size in the Starter Grade and selected the Distinctive Flavor level. With that I also ordered the small tin since, as others have mentioned, the slick, gold pouch the matcha comes in is not resealable. I also took the option of ordering a bamboo whisk, spoon and scoop. I ordered a chawan (matcha bowl) and whisk keeper elsewhere since Red Leaf Tea doesn’t sell these. But it’s a great deal to get the whisk, spoon and scoop with your matcha if you’re in need of them!

Here’s where you can get it: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

And the moment comes: I open the pouch and a beautiful, sweet smell comes wafting up to my nose. Caramel, yes, but also a white floral scent that you find with really good sencha and gyokuro. So, we’ve got flavour and quality, nice! And that’s just with the Starter Grade matcha!

I sift 2 scoops (about 1 teaspoon) into the bowl, pour in about 60ml of water (that’s about 2oz.) and start to whisk. It comes out a deep emerald green and beautifully frothy. Now, I’m a Southern girl that’s been transplanted Down Under. I’ve been doing all of my recent tea sample tasting without any additions of milk or sugar. But I know myself. My first matcha should be as a latte to give me the best conditions for trying out something that is so very different from any other tea I would normally have to start my day. I pour a little more than 200ml of lowfat milk into my new Bodum milk frother and start pumping. Half a minute later, the contents have more than doubled. I place it in the microwave for 20 seconds and then pour it all into the bowl of whisked matcha. A sprinkle of sugar, and fold to combine. Done. Now all of that is not too much effort for something that looks marvellous. It’s this beautiful, fluffy, mint green concoction that I know is full of goodness and outstanding flavour. I mean, it does taste good, right? I haven’t actually tasted it yet, now that I think about it.

First sip, I taste the matcha. I’m surprised by how much it tastes like a good, but strong, sencha. It takes me a couple of more sips to have the caramel develop. But there it is, not taking over, just playing its part. Actually, I’m finding the matcha itself a bit strong a character this early in the day, but I’m not yet a lifetime devotee to straight Japanese green teas. I realised as I was putting the matcha into its tin originally that I probably could have gone straight to the Robust Flavor level, but I wanted to give matcha a real chance. I’m still very glad I did. After all, this is my first ever matcha, and I made a good choice. I’ll maybe try it a little sweeter next time, and I’ll probably warm the frothed milk more than I did today.

But I’ll tell you what: I feel great today. I don’t feel the least bit tired, not even running around after my two-year-old while carrying my hefty six-month-old on my hip. It’s a few hours later, and coffee would have made me crash a while ago. The matcha? Nope. I’m going strong and not the least bit let down.

I’d say I’m a beginner with Matchas. I’ve never made a straight up cup of matcha, but I’ve had matcha pre-mixed with genmaicha teas. One of my favourite sushi joints has “iced green tea” which is matcha iced – excellent and refreshing with sushi! However in stores, I found matcha to be quite expensive. My local tea shops sold basic matchas with no fun flavors a little out of my price range to try a new kind of tea that I’m unsure is good, fresh and packaged right. Best prices I could find was in asian super markets. I’ve often purchased pre-measured matcha mixes or little tubs that stated it was for ice cream and baking. These mixes were still on the expensive side, so I used them sparingly to make smoothies or add to vanilla ice cream. The matcha mixes I disliked because they contained creamers and sweeteners thus calories I could do without. The unsweetened ones I found were often bitter and occasionally tasted like dirty grass.

I saw Red Leaf’s matchas reviewed here at Steepster and became interested – so many different flavors! As a crazy tea drinker with a stash of over 100, I love interesting and fun tea blends, especially ones that have chocolate, exotic fruits, or caramel. Red Leaf has a huge selection – cotton candy, cola, pumpkin pie, and pina colada just to name a few unexpected blends. Personally, I never saw flavored matchas until I discovered Red Leaf’s site. Since discovering Red Leaf’s matcha lineup, I stalked their sales for a few weeks for the right flavor to go onsale for me to try.

Caramel Matcha finally appeared as a daily sale and I bought it without blinking an eye. $7.99! A great price compared to the mixes I got from the asian super market.
Also, Red Leaf lets you choose the quality or grade, red/black/white matcha and flavor (delicate to strong to hidden), which is a super cool feature giving you lots of options and control over your order. I decided to go with the cheapest and basic line up because I’m on a budget:

Caramel Matcha
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html
Size: Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Delicate

My order was shipped the same day and I recieved my package 2 days later.

I then realized I have no traditional matcha gear, no bamboo whisk, funky spoons or bowl to prepare my matcha. I could of purchased it along with my order, but I had a tea budget to follow. I figured for now I’ll make do with a tiny wire whisk, measuring spoon and a wide tea cup. There is also an option to order a tin with your matcha order, which is probably a good idea unless you have tins at home. Sadly, I didn’t have the right tin for my matcha, so I placed my matcha in a small glass lock container for now.

My package arrived in a flat envelope, the matcha in a non resealable gold bag. My package also had a pamphlet on their various matchas and how to prepare it. Red Leaf’s website also had steeping instructions listed with each matcha before you add to your cart.

TIME TO ENJOY MATCHA!

Smell of the matcha powder – Strong grassy green tea smell with a spark of sweetness. From sniffing the matcha bag, I got green dust on the tip of my nose!

First Cup – The Matcha Protein Smoothie
Red Leaf has a collection of matcha recipes to get you started. I followed the recipe on Red Leaf’s website for the Matcha Smoothie with Protein Powder https://www.redleaftea.com/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=36
I used a frozen banana, fat free plain Silk soy milk, ON 100% soy protein vanilla powder and 2tsp of the Caramel Matcha.

The colour of my smoothie is a milky yet dark matcha green. The caramel in the matcha is smooth and perfect strength that I can imagine it being gooey yummy. The banana adds extra depth and sweetness. I did not find the smoothie bitter or in need of additional sweeteners. The matcha and banana hid the protein powder taste. With that said, I figure this large smoothie was around 270 calories and is a great post workout smoothie that has 32g of protein. I’m going to make this smoothie again next time I lift weights.

Second Cup – The Real Deal cup of Matcha
Using the instructions from the website, I carefully sift 1 tsp of the caramel matcha through a fine mesh tea pot strainer – it went surprisingly well and not messy at all.
Annoyingly, my hot water kettle does 185F (not 180F) so I went with 175F. I poured in about 1/3 of a cup of water and whisked away with my tiny wire whisk. It took a couple minutes to get a 1cm of delicious looking matcha froth. I then added a bit more hot water to taste.

My cup was a beautiful deep green.“Delicate” is totally the description I want to use, but Red Leaf already called it that, making my job easy. The Caramel matcha is delicately flavored but with a full bodied green tea taste. Not watery or bitter or nasty grassy. The caramel is a fun present at the end of my sip and lingers as an aftertaste.

Third Cup – The Matcha latte
I followed the same procedure I did for the hot cup of matcha, but added 2 tsp of sugar and topped the frothy matcha with soymilk and ice cubes. The result was very magical as the sugar and cold temperature makes the caramel pop more. I discovered it is possible to drink something and drool over it at the same time! This was better than lattes I’ve got from local coffee joints, much cheaper and less calories (with an additional plus that I can use the soy milk I like).

From my first experience of steeping up my own real matcha, I found I have a new favorite tea. Red Leaf Tea’s Caramel Matcha is tasty, better than anything I had from a mix or made from a coffee shop. I had more control over the amount of sweetener and milk – and also the option with Red Leaf to easily upgrade my matcha to a higher quality and stronger flavor.

Red Leaf was very clear in their instructions on how to prepare matcha so a newbie like me could make a perfect cup.
With that said, I’m totally going to try more matchas from Red Leaf Teas. First, I think having a frother/hand mixer or bamboo whisk would of made the matcha frothing process go faster – especially for impatient “I need tea now!” types like me.
For future purchases I would like to try a different level of flavor or explore white, red or black matcha options. I preferred the smoothie and latte versions I made, but having the caramel flavor stronger for a hot cup of matcha would be fabulous.

I’ve been wanting to try Matcha for a long, long time. But for whatever reason, I’ve been totally afraid of trying it. I kept thinking I was somehow going to screw it up, or that I would purchase poor quality Matcha and end up hating it. Finally, I broke down and purchased some moderately priced starter Matcha and tried it. I made lattes with it and it was okay, but nothing earth-shattering. So I decided to try a flavored Matcha, which brings me to this review for Caramel Matcha from Red Leaf Tea.

http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html

I have always been a lover of all things caramel. I’ve probably tried every caramel cookie, cake, ice cream, tea, coffee, pastry, and countless other items that contain caramel. But I am very picky about caramel flavorings. Many of them taste too artificial, butterscotch-y, or are just too faint for me to enjoy. Happily, this Caramel Matcha did not disappoint me. When I received the package in the mail, I immediately knew my Matcha had arrived. There was a wonderful, strong smell of candy-like caramel coming from the package. After actually opening the package and smelling more caramel goodness, I knew I was in for a treat.

I decided to try this as a latte. So I prepared it using my usual method of 2 grams Matcha, 2 ounces of skim milk, 3-4 scoops of stevia, and 6 ounces of water. I whisked this up using my electric milk frother and tried it. It was very good, but a little strong. After adding another 2 ounces of water, it was close to perfection. This Matcha is very smooth and rich. Even though I used very little milk, it tasted so creamy. The caramel flavor is just right – enough flavor that you can definitely taste it, but not enough to outshine the flavor of the Matcha. This may be one of the best drinks I’ve ever made at home, and I’m actually kind of proud. I don’t have to make any more trips to Starbucks when I want a great latte. So I can save money, time, and calories. Hooray! I estimate that this whole drink took me 5 minutes to make, cost less than $1.00, and has about 25 calories. Plus I didn’t have to drive all the way across town to buy it. The only bad thing is, now I feel the need to try all of Red Leaf Tea’s other flavored Matchas. Oh well…