So, what must have been MONTHS ago I first learned about red matcha/beetroot matcha from OolongOwl and I became obsessed with trying it. However, I simply could NOT find any that I could get shipped into Canada or that wasn’t like $50CAD for shipping alone. I eventually gave up on trying it…
Then, Bluebird created their ‘Rainbow Matcha’ line up and everything changed! Not only were they carrying this red matcha/beetroot matcha but a black and a blue matcha as well! I had to have them all. And so I bought them, because I have no willpower.
Well, they showed up yesterday and I’m SO EXCITED to try them all out. Of course I had no option but start with the one that started the obsession/hunt in the first place. So, bring on the red matcha!
First things first, holy hell it really is BRIGHT red! I mean, I was whisking this up in my matcha bowl and it looked a little bit like sort of semi-congealed blood. Just, you know, a little grizzly in appearance. Not nearly as fun/whimsical as you’re want a bright red matcha to be. It’s all very very fascinating though. Other observations from whisking it are that it’s a bit clumpy and doesn’t break down as smoothly as other matchas – also, it’s a little heavier so it does settle faster than your typical matcha.
Flavour wise it was… unique.
I don’t want to say it was bad because it wasn’t – but it’s certainly a unique flavour and not at all what I expected, though I guess I’m not totally sure what the expectation was in the first place. I guess I’ll just start by stating the obvious – it does taste like beets. I like the taste of beets, so it’s fine for me – but that sweet, earthy sort of quality is 100% present and strong. Other than that, the sweetness/fruityness of the currant also comes through pretty clearly, and is just a touch medicinal tasting. I can’t remember if they actually specify if they’ve used red or black currant, but it definitely reminds me more of black than red – same sort of ‘heavyness’ and medicinal leaning tendencies.
Probably the biggest issue overall though is the licorice though. I hate the inclusion of it; it seems really unnecessary and it’s very, very strong/cloying, especially right in the finish where you’re just sort of slapped in the face with the presence of it. I think there’s enough going on with other flavours in the tea that it doesn’t ruin it for me, and I suppose I can see why they’d want to add sweetness to what is otherwise a really beet heavy profile but I just wish they’d used something else to do it.
Lets be real though, the main reason you’d be drinking this tea is aesthetic. Taste is important too, of course, but I wanted this because it’s a red matcha. Visuals, folks! In this case they trump the taste. I still like the flavour well enough, though.
Excited to try the rest of the ‘rainbow’ matchas now!
Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfv4U1JlnWV/?taken-by=ros_strange
