Hazelnut Matcha

OH my! This is yummy!

I was amazed at how fragrant it is. From the moment I opened the pouch, I could smell the aroma of the Matcha, it literally filled the kitchen. My mouth began to water. I love hazelnuts – I live in the Pacific Northwest, after all! – but I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to love this as much as I do. I figured I’d like it, but, this is really exceeding any expectations I may have had. Blowing them away with how delicious it is.

I ordered the starter Matcha with the distinctive level of flavoring which is my go-to specs on most Matcha. And it works very well for my personal tastes … however, I will say that usually I find that the distinctive level usually delivers a well-balanced Matcha that tastes pretty equally of Matcha and flavor … but here, the Hazelnut does win out over the Matcha.

That does not mean that the matcha is not tasted … it definitely is there, but the hazelnut does outshine the flavor of the matcha a bit, so if you want a more balanced bowl of Matcha, with this particular flavor I might recommend to try the delicate level of flavoring.

As it is though, I am very happy with the distinctive flavoring. This is deliciously hazelnut, with tasty notes of sweet, vegetative Matcha … and they meld together very nicely.

Very yummy … I’m wondering how it might taste with a pinch of salt, so this is hopefully something I’ll remember the next time I whisk up a bowl of this Matcha!

I actually made this yesterday, but totally forgot about it! I ended up ordering this one because I was so enchanted with the Macadamia Nut Matcha (one of my favorites!) and needed to try out more nutty flavors. Hazelnut isn’t a flavor I have often, but it’s so delicious, especially in tea. I was debating over getting this or Almond, but Hazelnut won out… mostly because of the possibility of making a Nutella Matcha Latte. Mmm! I ordered:

Size: Small
Base: Classic Matcha
Flavor: Distinctive

So, the same as usual! I almost went for a black base on this one, but I was so enchanted with the green macadamia matcha that I decided to just go for it. I’m not sure if I regret that decision or not… this really would be great with a black base, maybe even Nutella-tasting on its own! Since the black matcha has some chocolatey notes.

That’s not to say it’s not good with a green base! The hazelnut flavor is strong and nicely present, with rich nutty, almost buttery tones that do meld really well with the smooth and light green matcha. But it’s kind of… lighter than I was expecting. The Macadamia seemed to combine effortlessly with the matcha flavor, but the same thing isn’t happening here. Not entirely in a negative way: it’s still a perfectly tasty matcha, just not as totally amazing as macadamia nut. I think the green base competes a little bit with the hazelnut flavor, since they don’t exactly have similar profiles.

I may sound a bit negative, BUT I do love this matcha as I almost always do with Red Leaf Tea flavors. It’s just not quite what I was expecting, though I think my expectations were just too high! It’s still scrumptious and I think making it cold was a mistake: this just begs to be a hot, rich latte…. maybe with some actual Nutella mixed in? I think this one will be great for baking to! You can get some here:

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

Once upon a time ago, I was away at a conference. I found myself in the elevator talking away to total strangers. I was the only person talking in the elevator. When it was apparent that no one was going to talk to me, I said, “oh well, just call me a nut.” Then I heard this lone voice say, “ Hello Hazel” as he exited the elevator. I died laughing and ever since that day Hazelnut has long been a favorite flavoring. I was thrilled to find it available in a matcha, I could hardly wait to get my order. Upon getting my order, I poured the bright green matcha powder into a tin. The smell from this endeavor almost took my breath away. This is one strong flavored matcha! Hazelnut is typically nutty and aromatic. This particular blend is extremely roasty. Perhaps a coffee drinker could more appreciate the roast on this blend.
To say the least, I was disappointed. I could certainly drink the tea and I did, but it was not as tasty as I had hoped. It was a bit too roasty for my taste and left an aftertaste in my mouth.
I contemplated this tea all week long. Every Matcha I have sampled from Red Leaf have been superb. I just could not stand to turn my back on this one. I searched recipe after recipe and finially decided upon making scones.
Today, I made a Hazelnut matcha scone from this tea from Red Leaf tea: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/hazelnut-matcha.html
My disappointment turned into elation! This strong flavored matcha is the perfect addition to a basic scone recipe. The scone is flaky, slightly sweet and is this beautiful pale green hue. I am drinking a Ceylon black tea with my Hazelnut Matcha scone and let me tell you I am in heaven. This is just what I was looking for, who knew that Matcha would be a great addition to baked recipes. Now, I can get all the health benefits of Matcha when I enjoy my black teas and not blow my diet on a cookie filled with fat. This is definitely a Win, Win for me in a tea ordering situation that I viewed as bleak. I am so thrilled that I took a chance and added that 1 tablespoon of matcha into my scone recipe. You read that right! Only 1 tablespoon was needed to bring out the nuttiness of the hazelnut and the smoothness of the matcha. Both are greatly enhanced in this flaky scone.