Irish Cream Matcha

I got this one special for my boyfriend as a surprise. Last time he got to pick out a matcha, we ended up with Cola, so this time I thought an alcoholic drink matcha was in order. More sophisticated? Well – more adult anyways ;)

He is loving the flavoured matcha as much (if not more!) than I do! This one smelled sweet from the get go – creamy and .. tangy? Smoky? Not smoky! I’m trying to describe what irish cream smells like – it doesn’t have the smokiness of whisky – but it definitely is sweet and creamy! I knew it was going to be a real treat – just like the real thing!

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

What a neat flavour experience! I prepared the matcha straight and thick for the first bowl. In this state I tasted mostly matcha with an aftertaste of sweet cream that lingered after finishing the bowl. It was very creamy and pleasant.

Next I tried it over ice with 18% cream and sugar. I thought my eyes were going to roll into the back of my head and be lost forever! This was mine and Mike’s favourite way to enjoy it. It’s sweet, but because you have control over the amount of sugar, it’s not crazy sweet and cloying. You could probably enjoy cup after cup with the only buzz coming from the energy of all that matcha you’re drinking!

This one is so so good mixed with the Madagascar Vanilla matcha – it just adds a bit of something that takes the creamy flavour over the top. Come St. Patricks day, it would be an awesome drink to mix with mint matcha (Mint is on the way in the mail as we speak!) and hey – it’s already green! No need to add any food colouring for your Paddy experience ;)

Next in line is creating all sorts of bar drinks with matcha. I’m trying to think of drinks to make with Baileys and I’m having a heck of a time. I know I love to put Baileys and Peppermint shnapps in my hot chocolate so, Belgium Chocolate Matcha + Mint Matcha + Irish Cream? There’s no “Coffee” matcha that I know of yet, but I think maybe an espresso is coming soon? (EDIT: Both Coffee AND espresso are here!) That would mix wonderfully, or you could just go ahead and mix it with the Mocha Matcha! Gah I’m pretty much drooling already.

Can you think of any other drinks? I would love to do some more experimenting!

Now – if a Guinness Matcha ever comes out – I know the perfect one to mix it with ;)

Irish cream teas tend to make me sad. What I’ve found is that they tend to taste like regular tea with a hint of Irish cream in the background, like you had poured a drop or two into your tea. Which is all well and good, but I drank Irish cream straight up when I was in college, and I want something that tastes like the drink itself. At this point, you’re probably wondering if I did anything but drink in college. The answer is….no, not really. Ha! I want an Irish cream tea that I can splash into other teas to make them taste like Irish cream.

So I cheated a little with this one. Just a little, I promise! I mixed my spoon of matcha with a few drops of my Irish cream agave before adding the water. I was blown away. It was so, so, so good. It got me through an incredibly long day at work and it kept a smile on my face long after it was gone. It smelled and tasted so strongly of Irish cream that my boss side eyed me a few times until I showed him it was just matcha. And then he was jealous.

I love this tea (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/irish-cream-matcha.html). With the milk allergy issues, Irish cream was one of the things I had to give up and it was with a heavy heart that I did so. This is one of those teas I’ve been searching and searching for and once again, Red Leaf Tea did it right. I am constantly impressed by them…you’d think by now, I’d just expect their matcha to be amazing. But no, every time I get a new package, I’m floored by the tastiness.

Alright Ashmanra, you got me with all your yummy sounding taste notes of lattes. Today I had to make my own. I got this matcha powder a couple months back. It does smell like Irish cream. I added a teaspoon to Starbucks frappachino double walled insulated cup and added a half cup of water and shook hard. I added water to the first line, added some honey, added milk to the second line, stirred like crazy and then added ice. It was so yummy and creamy. I will definitely be making more of these.

I was so excited when I saw that Red Leaf had an Irish Cream matcha. Irish cream was my favourite liquor until a few years ago when I stopped consuming dairy. Kahlua and Frangelico just don’t always cut it (although Frangelico would be an awesome matcha flavour. I think Red Leaf has a Hazelnut matcha. I’ll have to try that next – maybe it’s close).

I got the classic grade matcha with robust flavouring at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/irish-cream-matcha.html. I mixed it up with my default of vanilla almond milk and took a sip. It has a very distinctive taste to it. I think Red Leaf’s description calls it sweet and tart. I agree. It’s both, strange as that sounds. There’s no alcohol taste to it, which is good, just the “Irish cream” taste.

I used to mix Bailey’s with Kahlua, and it was awesome. I think I may try adding a splash of Kahlua into this one day as a dessert drink. It would make the Kahlua healthier, right? Oh, and I’ll have to try mixing a bit with caramel matcha. That would be a great mix. Caramel Irish cream. I was already vegan when Bailey’s came out with that flavour. Now I get to make my own. I’m going to try that tomorrow. I’m excited now, lol.

As a side note, my cat was trying to drink my matcha (she likes flavoured matcha!) and while I was protecting it from her I knocked my tin of matcha off the counter. I’m so glad they have the screw tops on them, as it could have been a disaster. Highly recommend picking up a tin.