In my previous Red Leaf Tea orders, I’ve dived into the dessert-y flavors first. In this batch I got Bavarian Cream and Cookies & Cream, but for some reason I’ve really been feeling like fruity flavors recently. The Coconut Matcha last night was such a success, so I decided to try Pear for a little burst of energy this afternoon.
As a side note, I don’t usually find myself too affected by the caffeine content in tea. I will drink a cup of strong black in the morning if I have to get up early, but I think it’s more the flavor and briskness that perks me up. I can drink caffeinated teas late at night with very little effect. However, for some reason matcha is very different! I have a weird sleep cycle, and I’m often very tired after waking up well into the afternoon. A cup of matcha, though, makes me feel wide awake! It’s really nice to be able to have something that makes me feel refreshed that isn’t espresso—-which works for sure but makes me jittery. Matcha, though, gives me a caffeine boost with no jitters! Oddly enough I can still drink it at night though, usually as a hot latte it’ll have the same effect as warm milk. I think the only explanation is that matcha is made out of magic. Perfect, delicious, magic.
Anyway, my Pear Matcha was composed of the following:
Size: Small (30 grams)
Matcha Grade: Starter
Flavor Level: Distinctive
And you can find it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pear-matcha.html
Much like my Watermelon Matcha, this smells a little artificial when you first open the bag. Like pear hard candy—which is pretty hard to find, but it does exist! It actually kind of reminds me of Japanese pear gummies, which are quite tasty but, you know, candy. However, I chalk the smell up to it sitting around in a bag for a while. It seems to happen with some teas, like the smell gets trapped in there and it smells way different than how it tastes.
I made this a bit differently than usual. Sifted it into a mug, added a bit of sugar, whisked in 2 ounces of hot water. I’m so anal about the amount for the “starter” portion: I always measure out exactly 2 ounces! As if, you know, a little more or less would really hurt haha. I guess since I am still new to matcha, though I’ve tried quite a few flavors, I am still very particular when making a cup. I added cold water and some ice cubes after—I was tempted to do a latte, but I am both low on milk and didn’t know if milk + pear is really a good idea. I DID do the coconut with milk, but then again coconut and creamy go together in my head when pear really just doesn’t.
Anyway, this definitely has the fresh pear taste LiberTEAS mentioned! Juicy and delicious, but I do find it a bit more artificial (and really just a bit) than the other ones I’ve tried. Maybe I just added a bit too much matcha to the mug? However, it’s what I usually use so I’m not sure. It’s really good, just not one of my absolute favorites I’ve tried from them. I mean they can’t ALL be my favorite, right? I think I’ll try mixing this with caramel next for a more dessert-y feel!
