Rose Matcha (White Matcha Base)

Another day, another matcha. Still no power at my apartment, though I slept over at some friends’ last night because freezing temps do not sound like good sleeping weather to me.

Rose is one of my absolute favorite flavors. Can’t get enough rose. Rose candies, rose tea, rose everything, so rose matcha had to be high on my list to order. I decided to use this one to try out the white tea base, especially after Alphakitty talked about how delicious it was. I ended up ordering the robust flavoring because like I said, I can’t get enough rose. You can find this matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/rose-matcha.html

When I opened the package, it was like whomph rose! It smelled so delicious and sweet. Not even what I would consider “perfumy” but more like a big fresh batch of loukoumi. When I smelled a little closer, it definitely had that rose-white-tea aroma, which of course makes sense. Unlike the black matcha yesterday, this one didn’t form any reasonable foam at all while whisking, but so it goes.

My first sip was rosey and delightful, and I probably could have drank the whole bowl as is, but I have gotten used to a little sweetness in my (hot) matchas, so I added just a pinch of sugar. It wasn’t actually enough to really make the bowl sweet, but it did bring out more flavors from the white tea base, including a bit of fruitiness. I had a hard time keeping the matcha in this one suspended in the liquid while drinking and had to whisk it every so often to re-mix it. It also, like the black matcha, wasn’t quite as disappearingly smooth as the green matcha.

The white matcha base definitely works well with the rose matcha, but I’m not sure I would go for it again; instead, I might try a more premium grade of the green. Still, a very delicious matcha and I won’t have any problem drinking it up!

Whenever I order from Red Leaf, I seem to gravitate towards the dessert-y or exotic flavors, and overlook things I’d usually go for. “Rose Matcha, how mundane!” is what I thought at first. But after experimenting with a lot of candy-like flavors, I wanted something simple that I knew I’d love. And what do I love more than floral flavors? So, Rose Matcha found its way into my cart, and with a fancy base too! I got:

Size: Small (30 grams)
Flavor: Distinctive
Quality: White Matcha

I got the 50/50 matcha mix for Bavarian Cream, and I really liked it so I decided to go for the full monty this time. White tea + rose is always good, so why not with matcha? Well, it definitely works! The white base is actually… grey-brown, which I was expecting but it’s browner than in the pictures. The flavor is different from the 50/50 blend a LOT (obviously): no grassiness at all, and there’s a really nice fruity taste. Peach, maybe? It’s very nice! Of course it has natural fruity notes as well, which compliment the rose.

Now, about the rose flavoring. I really like perfume-y flavors, but most people don’t. In the bag this smells like a perfume store, seriously strong! But once mixed up into a nice iced latte, the rose is smooth and really only slightly floral. It’s like rose candies: sweet (the most naturally sweet matcha I’ve tried) and with a good rose flavor but with no perfume notes. I think people who only kind of like floral teas would even love this!

It’s quite unusual compared to the other matchas I’ve tried, but I love it. So tasty and really refreshing in a way even the fruity ones aren’t! I’m also really happy I went with the white base, it goes sooo perfectly with the rose. I think lavender is next up for me!

You can buy this matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/rose-matcha.html