63 Tasting Notes
I will admit that I have only had 2 cups of this (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/madagascar-vanilla-matcha.html) since it arrived! I thought I should give it another try before I write a review of it, but my feelings haven’t changed a whole lot. I am wondering if I should have picked “distinctive” for my flavour profile, because while I get a slight aroma and flavor of vanilla it isn’t as strong as I expected, especially when I compared it to the mango matcha that I tried first.
I certainly would not classify this as a “blah” tea, but when I want something flavoured it isn’t what I’ll reach for. I made some before work today, and as it cooled (I find it gets better as it cools) I just kept thinking that it tasted like extra smooth regular matcha. Like a toned-down on the grassiness matcha, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think this would be perfect for someone who has been newly introduced to matcha, or for someone who maybe had a bad first experience. If I had tried this as my first matcha, I think I would have thought “Ooh….matcha is awesome!”. What I really thought was: “This is interesting….but I think I need to try more before I decide.”
The Madagascar Vanilla is definitely something that I can see being great in baking or smoothies, and I have read about a few people mixing it with other flavours such as mint (that may be something I need to try in the future!). I can also see it being a go-to tea to make when I’m not sure exactly what I want. I do wonder though how different the French Vanilla matcha is from the Madagascar Vanilla. I may have to place another order soon to compare…
The best thing about this matcha is that it seems to be pretty versatile…I feel like I could probably use it to extend the life of some other kinds if I really wanted to. The taste is mellow and smooth, and there is no artificial taste to the vanilla flavoring. I recently noticed that on the Red Leaf Tea website they have an option for a “2 in 1 custom matcha”, and I think this would be a really awesome option to use as one of the flavors. I’m not sure I will pick up more of this when it is gone, but that is more due to the fact that there are so many different kinds that I want to try. I could see me coming back to this sometime in the future.
This was the perfect cup of tea for me to pick this morning! Pineapple is probably my second favourite fruit (after mango!) and I was excited but hesitant to try it (the last oolong I tried from DT I either let steep wayyy to long or it just tasted way too floral). If anything I think this one is a little weak, but maybe I just didn’t use enough leaf. The pineapple definitely comes through in both smell and taste. It isn’t a fresh, juicy pineapple flavor, but more of a pineapple candy (clear gummy bears?). It is definitely sweet enough all on its own, and I can’t wait to try it iced!
I’ll start off by saying that I’ve managed to have only good experiences with matcha, despite being pretty skeptical at the beginning. When I heard that Red Leaf Tea had flavoured matchas, I was so excited! I knew right away that I was going to order mango matcha- http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/mango-matcha.html – my favourite fruit (possibly my favourite food). The hard part was deciding what else I would order! I waited impatiently for my order to arrive (which it did, quite a long time ago…I have not been good at keeping up with my postings!) and as soon as they arrived I ripped open the mango pouch!
My one disappointment was that the pouch that the matcha came in was sealed at the very top, unlike the pouches that I’ve had from Davids Tea, which have about a half inch of extra pouch at the top of the seal. This sounds like a strange thing to be disappointed with, but I definitely struggled to smell the contents without getting the powder all over the place! Needless to say, I very quickly transferred the contents to a tin.
The smell of this tea is wonderful. It smells like fresh mango juice. I would describe it as a very clean and refreshing smell, which is how I feel about most matchas. I will also say that I had no issues with clumps. I have been very careful to check the temperature of my water before adding it to the tea, and so far have not had any bitter disasters. The mango matcha has a grassy sweetness that definitely keeps the mango taste. The actual flavour isn’t as strong as the smell, but I think that it would be overpowering if it was. I love this both hot and iced, which a slight edge going to the iced version. I haven’t tried it yet in a smoothie, but I am thinking it would be fantastic. I did try adding a bit to some yogurt, and it was almost perfect – this was the only time I had clumps, but I also wasn’t very patient trying to mix it all together. I’m sure it would be good with other types of foods too – I keep seeing recipes for cookies and cheesecakes and such, but for me that defeats the purpose a bit of trying to drink healthy teas. I wonder though what mango matcha ice cream would be like….I am thinking very refreshing! That might have to happen.
I’ve been using my frother to whisk my matchas for the last few months (they actually work pretty great), but I felt like I was cheating. I looked at DavidsTea and on amazon for whisks, but the price was enough for an awful lot of tea…so the frother stayed. The mango matcha is only the third kind I’ve tried, so I really don’t have much skill whisking anyway, but I am happy to say that I was able to get what looks like exactly the same whisk as at DT this weekend for only $4! I was amazed but very happy. You know what that means…more matcha is in my future!
This was pretty good – I probably won’t buy more, but sometimes I surprise myself! It had a really nice consistency, creamy and smooth (I added a bit of milk, but not much). The cinnamon was present but not overpowering, and the chocolate was tasty. It just seemed to be missing something…I think it needs a bit more spice! I don’t think I would crave this one, but there certainly isn’t anything wrong with it.
I am so sad – I just typed a nice long tasting note, hit save and got an error page :( I’m guessing due to the horrible rain outside! Let’s try this again (and I will copy and paste it before I hit save!)
I am already disappointed that I only bought 25g of this – it has such an incredibly authentic banana nut bread taste that I know I will want more, but because it is so dense 25g isn’t going to stretch very far. Being 5 hours away from the nearest DT stinks!
This has a perfect amount of sweetness for me. I like sweet, but not cloying, icky sweet. This is nicely balanced (and I added some vanilla agave before I even tasted it…I probably should have checked first but it is so tasty that I might be a little obsessed). I could definitely see myself making a cup of this instead of reaching for a sweet something to eat, which is a very good thing!
I hate the texture of bananas, and the other banana tea I’ve tried (banana daiquiri) was just kind of blah. This definitely hits the spot. I made it as a latte, but I got distracted and it was starting to cool off quite a bit by the time I got to drink it. Reading some of the other reviews, I am thinking that was a good thing, because I didn’t find it to be weak at all.
I have half a dozen or so new teas from my trip up to Halifax on the weekend, so I’m going to go make another cup!
New teas! I haven’t bought any tea since before Christmas because we are saving up for a trip, but I finally couldn’t wait any longer and placed a DavidsTea order last week. Placing the order was such a pain – when I confirmed my order I got a message that one or more of my teas was not available in the quantity I wanted. One or more. No indication as to which one – and it cleared my cart! Three times! I finally emailed customer service (I was trying to use the coupon for the free 50g bag of tropicalia) and they sorted everything out. The next problem was that Salted Caramel could only be added to my cart in 100g, not 50! I realllllly didn’t want to order that much, because caramel things to me can be hit or miss. Customer service was good enough to send me only 50g anyway, and 50g of Pink Flamingo! Yay!
Moving on to actual tea-related comments: This is really good! It smells wonderful, and seems well-balanced. It isn’t too sweet, and it has just enough salt to bring out the caramel flavor. I haven’t tried it cold yet, but that’s my next plan! I’ve been drinking it with a splash of milk, but I’ll try it without sometime when I’m home – that way if it is better with milk I have the option of adding some. I don’t have any milk here at work :(
This is next on my list to buy! I tried a cup on the weekend and it was lovely. It was suggested to me by the person working there, and I really enjoyed it. I had it without milk or sweetener, but because most straight teas I prefer that was and because she said that it already had a sweet, honey like taste. I could definitely taste the honey but it wasn’t overly sweet – I definitely wouldn’t add anything to this one through.
It was way too hot to drink at first so I took the bag out after a few minutes and did some shopping! By the time we went back to the car it was still very warm and I was able to taste it a bit more clearly. I am still looking to try some more straight black teas, but so far this one was my favorite.
First, I am a huge mango lover and I am definitely a fan of heat! I had a cup of this iced when I was away last weekend. The girl at e counter warned me that it was actually spicy, which I found odd (the description seemed pretty upfront), but I think she must have had a few disappointed customers who werent expecting it!
Normally when I am home, I make my iced tea a little bit more on the strong side, but I understand that getting it made quickly in the store It is bound to be a bit weak. The smell was lightly fruity, but I could smell the chili as well; they sort of tickle your nose! My first sip was full of mango flavor, and the heat from the chilis came afterwards. It seemed like an ok amount of heat, but if it had been stronger I probably would have wanted a refreshing and cool (not spicy!) drink to go with it.
After my first few sips I was impressed, but as I kept drinking everything seemed to muddle together and I lost any specific fruit flavor. By the time I finished the cup I had decided that I definitely didn’t want to buy more….ick.
I’ve wanted to try matcha for a while, but being five hours away from anywhere that sells it makes it a bit tough. I was definitely worried I wouldn’t like it so I tried a cup of Matcha Matsu at DavidsTea in Halifax in Februay. I liked it and ended up buying 50g of the Grand Cru Matcha (not on the website but it was still at either the MicMac or shopping centre location last weekend. This one is a bit more expensive than the matcha Matsu, but when I went back to buy more than a cup this was all that was left!
I am definitely glad that I bought this, I love it! It has such a fresh, grassy (in a good way) taste that I have been trying very hard not to make it too often! My favorite way to have it is with just a little milk and honey! I have also been adding it to my yogurt and it is quite good :) I find this actually tastes better as it cools as well. I want to make another cup right now…but I have a cold and can’t really taste much, so it would be a waste!
I would definitely recommend this – my experience wit Matcha is definitely limited but the Grand Cru has been consistently delicious every time I’ve made it!
I recieved my first ever order from 52teas this week. I don’t really think this smells like coconut cheesecake dry, but it smells good and there is a ton of coconut in it! Drinking it now, I think it is getting better as it cools – I think it will make a great iced tea! I still don’t think I’ve found my perfect coconut tea, but I can definitely see me buying more of this! The last time I bought a tea that was supposed to be coconutty, it tasted like maple syrup….blech! (Not that I don’t like maple syrup….but when you expect tropical deliciousness and get breakfast instead, it is disappointing!).
So far, probably the best coconut tea I’ve tried :)
