1015 Tasting Notes
This is a free sample thrown in to my Butiki order. Thanks! I’ve never had an actual mango lassi, but if it tastes similar to this tea I think I would love it. Although the aroma is heavy on the rooibos, the flavor is creamy mango all the way. This will definitely be going on my shopping list! I need some more decaf options for the evenings.
I’ve had this several times, but I don’t think I’ve logged it yet. This is another really good one from Butiki! It tastes so much like a raspberry truffle and it is so rich, yet guilt free. Yum!
As I was considering which flavored matcha I would try next from Red Leaf Tea, I was stumped. There are so many amazing flavors! However, this Raspberry Truffle matcha caught my eye fairly quickly and I knew that I had to give it a try. I am a sucker for all things chocolate, particularly super rich truffles of all flavors. I had very high expectations for this matcha and I have to say that it more than exceeded my expectations! You can find out more about this matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/raspberry-truffle-matcha.html.
Once again, I was very pleased by the intense aroma as I opened the package. I could have sworn that somebody just opened a very expensive box of raspberry truffles somewhere in my kitchen. The matcha was a very bright green color despite being flavored. I first tried this traditionally as a hot bowl of matcha in my chawan. Initially, the slight bitterness of the matcha hits your palate, but it is followed by an intense and slightly sweet raspberry flavor with the chocolate aspect occurring more in the aftertaste. I love how the aftertaste lingers several minutes after your last sip and I also appreciate that the matcha was very easy to whisk with no noticeable clumps. While this is a super awesome way to drink this matcha, I just had to try it as a cold latte since it is so unbelievably hot here in Texas.
For the cold latte I added a healthy scoop of this Raspberry Truffle matcha and milk into a blender bottle and shook it all up. Once again the matcha blended beautifully without any clump which is something I’ve noticed in other matchas when preparing them with a cold liquid. Although I didn’t add any sweetener, the matcha seems a little sweeter now, but not by any means overly so. I also think that the flavor profile is a bit more balanced at this temperature. The bitter edge of the matcha is almost non-existent and the raspberry and chocolate flavors are more unified as a raspberry truffle would be. It is quite refreshing on this hot day and I was impressed that it didn’t settle out even after being left on the counter for 10+ minutes.
Overall, this is another big success from Red Leaf Tea! Not only is the tea quite tasty, their customer service is amazing. My order arrived within 2 business days! If you haven’t tried anything from this company, you are missing out!
Another sample that was generously provided by the Teavivre team! Thanks!
I’ll be honest – I have not had good luck with Chinese green teas. However, I wanted to give them another try so I requested this tea in my last box of samples. The dry tea is so pretty with little curly pieces of light and dark green and there was a very clean smell. I brewed this tea up for about a minute and was greeted with a very pale (almost clear) yet shimmery liquid that smelled very sweet. Wow, this is actually good. It reminds me a bit of Silver Needles, but a bit of a greener taste. There is a bit of a fruity aftertaste that lasts long after the sip. I’m looking forward to several infusions of this beauty.
Preparation
I love toffee so I was super excited to give this matcha a try. I ordered the basic grade matcha with a distinctive flavor level and I have to say this was a great choice for my first matcha from Red Leaf Tea. You can find more information about this beauty and order some for yourself here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/english-toffee-matcha.html.
First off, the scent when you open the pouch is of creamy, rich caramel toffee. I was concerned that the color of the matcha would have been muddied a bit with the addition of flavoring, but luckily the matcha is a beautiful, deep green. I love that there are no artificial flavorings added to this tea because the color of matcha is definitely part of my overall experience. I don’t have a sifter so I was worried that the matcha might be a bit clumpy, but it was perfectly smooth! After brewing this up without additions, it gives a pretty good froth. The flavor is primarily of lightly sweet toffee, but the matcha is not lost against the flavoring. However, there isn’t any edge of bitterness like you usually get with unflavored matcha. If you are new to matcha or don’t really enjoy the bitterness it can have, I highly suggest this company and flavor.
Although the matcha was good without additions, I wanted this flavor as a dessert replacement. Next up, slightly sweetened matcha latte! I added just a teensy bit of sugar and a splash of milk into my chawan of matcha. Yum! This is pretty amazing! It is just like drinking matcha while eating a big hunk of toffee. This is definitely a great dessert replacement! “Wow!” is the only word that truly describes this flavor accurately. This is my first flavored matcha and it definitely will not be my last.
I also want to add that my order was sent out quickly and I received both an email after submitting my order and after it shipped with tracking information. I’m very happy with the service I’ve received from Red Leaf Tea. I will certainly be ordering from this company again.
While this is delicious to drink, I’m already planning how I can use this English Toffee Matcha to bake with. I think that this would be amazing in a buttercream icing and equally good in cupcakes or really any type of baked good. This would also be great incorporated into some whipped cream and used to top fresh fruit or angel food cake.
I think the last time I had a Cream Earl Grey it tasted odd ~ gladly this one is amazing! The bergamot is strong, but tempered greatly by the rich creamy flavors. This is also a pretty good tea base that doesn’t go bitter easily. I’m quite glad I put this on order without sampling first!
