Hazelnut Black Matcha

I decided to do a bit of a taste test today, with Sil’s distinctive flavoring of the hazelnut matcha in the traditional base, and then Dinosara ‘s robust flavoring in the black base. I was so excited to try this earlier – it’s my first ever black base matcha (and I’ve had thousands of cups of matcha in my lifetime, so this is really saying something).

Mixed 1/4 tsp of matcha with 1/4 cup of whipping cream (again, needing the high fat content due to some medical needs) and the teensiest amount of pure stevia. It smells strangely of traditional (green) matcha, which surprised me. I was a bit worried the smell would translate into the flavor, to be honest – I wanted this cup very different than the distinctive green I’d just had prior. Luckily, I had zero to worry about. THIS is perfection. THIS is sublime. It’s like I’m actually eating hazelnuts that have been pureed and somehow fluffed into liquid whipping cream. Robust flavoring is perfect here, and the black base really makes the nut shine.

Tasty! The moment I opened up the bag, I smelled hazelnut praline, like the stuff inside fancy chocolates. I gotta admit, I’m pretty jealous of coffee drinkers only because hazelnut is such a common flavor in coffee and so sparse in tea. Why aren’t there more hazelnut teas? Such a delicious roasty indulgent flavor. Mmmm… This hazelnut smell in this matcha reminds me of the hazelnut flavor of coffee only without any coffee flavor. Sweet!

And I’m really digging this black matcha! It’s smooth and just strong enough to complement the hazelnut (I got distinctive level flavoring). I see so few reviews for black matcha. You guys have got to try this! If I had some chocolate syrup, it would already be in this cup! I’m already dreaming of how I can add this to brownies and chocolate cookies. I’m going to be a a star come Christmas with all these matcha flavors to play with. :D

This is seriously such a delicious dessert and it barely has any calories. I guess we’ll see how the caffeine in black matcha hits me. :) I wanted to work out today anyway. It’s been really difficult to work up the motivation to exercise lately. Depressing.

This lattes up like a dream. I hope my dad likes this as much as I do because I hope to share it with him. Is it terrible that I hope he won’t care for it so I can keep it? haha

Get some deliciousness right here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/hazelnut-matcha.html

I’m back in NY, and disappointed to find out my house still doesn’t have power. Unfortunately I have an electric stove, so I am SOL when it comes to trying to make tea at home. Also it was freaking cold last night (low of 33°F overnight), so my now-unheated apartment was not pleasant.

I schlepped all my matcha-making equiptment in to work today (it’s where my variable-temp tea kettle is anyway), except of course my almond milk, which sadly did not make it in my fridge. I got a package of Red Leaf matchas not long before I left last weekend but I never got around to trying them because I was so busy, and then they just sat on my table. I brought this one in today to try.

I chose this one to try out the black matcha base because I was intrigued by it and figured hazelnut would pair well with a black base. I got this one with robust flavoring, because that’s how I roll. You can find it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/hazelnut-matcha.html

When I opened the pouch on this one I immediately smelled hazelnuts and black tea, but then an odd fruitiness crept in as well, almost like I might expect if this was a green matcha. When I whisked it, it produced the thickest, most luxurious foam I’ve ever had for any matcha I’ve tried. I sipped it while it was still hot and didn’t taste much, which could be more to do with the hotness of it than anything else, but I still went ahead and put in about a tsp of sugar. The result is nutty and smooth and delicious. There is maybe a hint of fruitiness but I am unsure whether that is a quirk of the hazelnut flavoring or the black matcha. I am enjoying the black matcha base and will probably get it on any future matchas that are chocolately flavored. When I got down to the bottom of the bowl it was a little grittier with a little more fallen pieces of tea than the green, but it really wasn’t bad at all. Can’t wait to try this one as a latte (eventually).