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MY MATCHA IS HERE! MY MATCHA IS HERE!! My cats are staring at me doing a dance around the house like, “WTF IZ U DOIN’?”

I was sitting at my computer doing some training manual prep for work, and I heard the mailman drop something in the box. So I trudged upstairs to see what bills we have…I thought briefly of the cheesecake matcha I ordered from Red Leaf Teas eons ago at the end of August, but I dismissed the thought because I had basically given up on ever seeing it.

(I would like to note here that I do not blame Red Leaf at all for the lengthy shipping time. In my limited experience, the customer service at Red Leaf is great. I once emailed the company about Amaretto not being listed as a flavour on the 2-in-1 custom matcha page – I didn’t realize that it was a new flavour – and I had an email back about it being corrected within an hour. When I ordered this matcha, I got an email confirmation that it had shipped the same day I ordered it, and the USPS tracking number indicates that it was shipped to the border in speedy time indeed.

So, Canada Post, where exactly has my matcha been in the two weeks PLUS since it crossed the border, hmm? Were you guys checking it for BOMBS, or something?!)

But now it’s here! It’s even here on the day that my mom is taking me out for Indian for my birthday. Since it got here in time for the birthday celebration, let’s just count that as arriving in time for my birthday. And it’s in my favourite birthday cake flavour!

Here was my order:

Cheesecake Matcha (Which you can get yourself here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html)
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Size : Small
Flavor: Robust

The small because I already have a ton of tea and just wanted to try it, and robust because I am so new to matcha and a little intimidated by how strong the flavour of it is. (Translation: I tried it straight once and nearly spat it out.)

I also separately ordered a little tin, because I had heard that the bag the matcha arrives in is not reseal-able. This is true, but, also true to what other reviewers have said, it poured from the bag with little trouble!

The scent of this tea is strong – the moment I snipped the packet open, I got a good whiff of delicious sweetness. Although to be honest, I’m not sure it actually smells like cheesecake – my first thought is more along the lines of buttercream.

The color of the matcha is not like the matcha I’ve had before (which is brilliant green) – there’s more yellow to it. I wonder if that is because of the flavouring changing the color?

I debated how to try this the first time, because I’ve not had matcha before without plenty of sugar and milk to tone down the flavour, but that doesn’t seem like a fair way to review it. I settled on a scant teaspoon of rock sugar and a splash of milk for this. At some point I will review it straight up, but I’m not brave enough to do that yet.

I got the rock sugar dissolving while I sifted a teaspoon of this into my bowl. I was surprised at how well it sifted…the matcha I’ve used before seemed somehow sticky, almost as though it was a bit wet, and tended to coat my strainer. This stuff all went right through into the bowl.

With water added, this matcha turns an amazing and hilarious swampy green. Why has no one mentioned this in other reviews?! It’s really quite a color; pretty cool if it doesn’t freak you out.

The flavour of this is so interesting…it’s definitely matcha, but also definitely cheesecake. It’s very creamy throughout the sip; you don’t get a nasty surprise at the back. It’s sweet with just the tiniest hint of a cheesecake tang to it…it may well be tangier with less sugar in it, it may be entirely my fault for overwhelming the flavour that the tangy note doesn’t come through as strongly as the sweet notes. So that gives me another reason to try it straight. The description mentions the matcha having a spiciness to it, which is absolutely accurate…there is indeed a spice to it which really lingers pleasantly on the tongue.

This is so good and warming, and probably just the kick in the butt I needed today, because I’ve been kind of sleepy after a long week. I will definitely be ordering more stuff from Red Leaf! (Especially since I noticed they sell my favourite Finum filters. Teaopia used to sell them, but now that Teaopia is no more – near me, anyway – I’ve been at a loss as to where to get them.) I also have told my coworkers and the girls at DAVIDs about Red Leaf – my tea came with a little brochure about the tea, so I will have to show that around.

Did I mention I got my key and a promotion to team lead? Oh yes, I did!

So: Promotion. Birthday celebration today. AND MY MATCHA CAME.

Life is good.