52teas

This is by far the most time intensive matccha flavoring I’ve done so far. 3g ginger root steeped in 8oz water for 3 min, decanted, and then steeped 1 bag of ROT’s Get Relaxed! in the ginger water for 7 min. Then I added the infusion to one scoop matcha. The ginger was surprisingly strong, almost over powering. The rose, although I wish it had been stronger, was a lovely addition, and the mandarin oange provided a nice sweetness. A word of warning though- this is not a pretty color… almost sewer-ish.

Wow, I didn’t have this yet today! I didn’t get around to drinking tea before lunch (chicken breast w/ Dr. Tea’s BBQ tea rub and a salad), so I had a half bowl for dessert. And it works. It’s slightly sweet, rich, and creamy. As I tipped back the bowl to get the last drops, my mom (who thinks matcha looks gross so she won’t try it) looks at me and says “What? No crust?” It’s a joke in our family. I tend to leave something on my plate after a meal. Like w/ hamburgers (how the phrase got started), I almost always leave about half of the very outter edge of the burger (typically the back or end farthest from my mouth) because the edges can dry out. I do this w/ chicken and pizza as well. If I don’t leave any crust, you know I love it! So, NO CRUST!=D

Made mandarin matcha drinking chocolate for breakfast:) 1/3 c milk, 3TB drinking chocolate mix, 1 scoop matcha.

The matcha is light, but evident, and you can tell there’s something else in it- but I’m not sure you can tell it’s orange.

Yes, I’m having this again:) I had musk melon for lunch so I thought I’d try adding some matcha. 1 scoop over 1/2 cup melon (in my matcha bowl of course) and stir. Unfortunately I didn’t think and most of the matcha runs off because of the high water content of the melon (this was a REALLY juicy melon). Oh well. The flavor of the matcha isn’t terribly strong, just enough to make you say “Hmmm… something’s different…”. Also the orange is all but lost. Then why did I use this? 2 reasons- the incredibly fine texture and the fact that I have much more of this than my unflavored matcha. The part I REALLY love is the melon juice in the bottom. A lot of the matcha collected there and that’s where you can really taste the melon marry w/ the matcha. Yum! Hey Fred, can we have a musk melon matcha please?:)

1/2 bowl… coats my tongue like a blanket… I just wish it actually kept me warm:)

Have I mentioned this is perfect before? It is. My 1/2 bowl was especially good today, but I’m not sure why. When I 1st got this, I thought it was rather sweet but I’m starting to rethink that. Maybe my tastebuds are changing. It’s a perfect balance.

A new matcha experiment: cold matcha

In such a rush that even heating water is out of the question or so warm that just the thought of holding a hot bowl, much less drinking something hot makes you feel faint? Try this!

3oz cold water and 1 scoop matcha.

The matcha doesn’t automatically disperse in the water like it does when hot, but does so completely w/ a little whisking. The color is not at all creamy like it is when hot.

Experimentation success… the flavors even seem to pop a little more. Just make sure you use VERY good quality purified water… I could see where that could screw this up in a hurry. I will say that the comfort factor is a little less than when prepared hot even though I drank this out of my bowl as usual. I’ll try it w/ unflavored and then again in the summer to compare.

Just when I think I’ve hit rock bottom, I fall even further… Only God and matcha can get me out. If I’m gonna fall, I’m gonna fall deeper in love w/ Him and right into my matcha bowl. A half bowl warmed my body and my spirit. Keep the flavored matchas coming 52teas, my stomach and my soul are in desperate need of them.

Irish Orange Creme Matcha:
3oz hot water, 1tsp instant Irish Creme cappuccino mix, 1 scoop matcha.

The Irish Cream flavor is quite strong, but is sweetened by the orange. Not dreamsicle-esk though.

1/2 a bowl w/ breakfast- a clementine (a very small orange w/ less pith and is much easier to peel) and 1/2 of a cranberry rhubarb muffin from Atlanta Bread Company.

Was up late reconnecting w/ a friend I haven’t talked to in 10 years so I definitely needed this before church to stay attentive! Prepared it thick today.

1 scoop made thick, 3oz water. Matcha is strong, orange is strong… yummmy!!!

Woke up REALLY FREAKIN COLD! The wind chill was -20 last nite (not sure about this morning) and mom forgot to pay the propane bill so we had no heat this morning. Thank God the guy could be here by 8:30. So I needed an extra warm feeling in my mouth besides just hot matcha. So I added some ginger. 1.5g steeped in 8oz water for 3min then added that w/ a scoop of matcha to my bowl. The ginger didn’t really affect the tast too much, just bit my tongue a bit and took away some of the sweetness of the matcha. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this matcha, but I do think it’s just a tad too sweet and this balances it out perfectly.

Back logging from this morning before church, half a bowl.

Made a half bowl for my friend Helen. I think she liked it. I know she loved the smell. I think I may send her a pouch to celebrate National Hot Tea Month.

Full bowl combined w/ Den’s Matcha Kaze. Although it wasn’t really equal parts. Mandarin matcha is so fine I end up w/ a lot more on the scoop than w/ my other 2 matchas. Actually kinda made my stomach funky. :( I guess there is such a thing as too much matcha… :,( A friend I haven’t seen since I graduated HS 5 yrs ago is coming over so I’ll back logging what we both drink after she leaves.

Double orange mint matcha. 1.5g orangemint steeped in 8oz water for 3 min then added to 1 scoop matcha and whisked in my matcha bowl. Quite minty, the orange comes thru as more of a sweetness, and the typical savory vegetal matcha flavor is also there.

Was just blessed by a great 45 min conversation w/ the person I thought I was least likely to ever speak to again so I decided to have a half bowl of this to celebrate. Smooth and creamy on my tongue. Slightly sweet, slightly grassy w/ a bit of orange.

Woke up to mom making gingerbread coffee this morning so I had that 1st instead of my matcha. Turned out to be the most flat, flavorless coffee I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t weak or diluted. Unflavored coffees have more flavor than this one! Sadly my dad and step mom got me a bag of random coffees for Christmas so now I have just as much coffee as I do tea in the house. Don’t get me wrong, I love coffee- but I don’t drink it nearly as much as I do tea. Oh well. I cold brewed one of the bags so I can make dirty chai lattes. Terry drinks coffee so I think she might be pulling the “I get you what I like” card that my dad does and they both accuse me of…

I said I would be having a full bowl of matcha every day for the month of Jan. (Does anyone know if there’s a National Matcha Month?), but today I think I’ll divide that into 1 portion of thick matcha and then half a bowl of thin matcha because I really want to try this prepared thick.

1 scoop matcha/3oz water. Definitely thicker in constistancy, but still mixes well as it did when I prepared it thin although I do give it a little help w/ my chasen. When I remove my chasen from the matcha I see a single orange cell (or is it called a membrane?) stuck to one of the threads. Yes! Proof that real oranges were indeed used.

The flavor is definitely stronger, more concentrated. But it is not bitter, chunky, or gritty. This is no doubt due to the very fine texture of the matcha. This would be a wonderful starter matcha specifically for someone looking to prepare it thick. Whatever way you decide to prepare it, this matcha won’t disappoint you.

YAY!!! I’M THE 1ST TO LOG THIS!!!

1st some 52teas business:
~Price point: Amazing -$12.99 for 2oz matcha and NO SHIPPING!

~Shipping: Again FREE, but there’s no tracking code which is a – for me (you can have it shipped not USPS for a charge, but a tracking code isn’t worth $ to me)

~Delivery time: Again, it was free (not many companies don’t charge you shipping for a 2oz package costing $12.99) and yes it was winter (which includes Christmas), but I ordered this way back on 12/18 so 15 days (double the estimate I was given) is a little less than reasonable for me especially considering I thought the estimate I was given was already on the long side, but it may have just been a fluke and will give a more fair, unbaised, and accurate shipping rating when I make my next purchase.

~Free stuff (other than shipping): I loved getting their Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Tea pamphlet and even learned something new- Pu Erh is not a sub type of black tea like I thought it was, it is its own category. I also loved their How to Make a Fat Free Chai or Tea Latte! card (and bonus points for going health concious and putting "fat free).

~Steeping/Preparating directions: Anyone who knows anything about matcha knows that you do not steep matcha (which implies decanting). Both the website and the packaging state to steep matcha for 2-3min. Now I know, and you know, that the people at 52teas and Zoomdweebie’s actually do know their tea (I mean come on, you gotta be a genius to come up w/ a way to flavor matcha like this!), but steeping/preparation directions like this really shoot their credibility in the tea cup. It would also be nice, since it is matcha, to have the suggested amount in scoops and not teaspoons.

Now on to the review… which I have to admit that I’m selfishly going to regret posting this because I just know as soon as you read this everyone will make a mad dash to their website and order the rest. But… since they have reblended some teas (like their Maple Bacon Flavored Black tea which there is only 1 left in their 2nd batch), I’m praying that when it does run out (which I can promise you will be very shortly) they will not only come out w/ many other flavored matchas, but reblend their original. Ok, ok… I’ve stalled enough. On to the review.

Holy amazing matcha!!! The color is not a bright and vibrant green, but more olive and the texture is by far the finest of the 3 “raw” matchas I’ve seen… Although due to the choice of packaging it does get a little clumpy, but sifting it fixes this problem completely. The aroma is slightly sweet w/ a very mild orange sent.

I made this thin because I wanted a whole bowl (not only am I freakishly excited about this and it’s National Hot Tea Month, the wind chill is -30). 2 scoops in the bottom of my matcha bowl and 16oz of hot water poured over it.

Oh. My. Matcha! I can hardly contain myself! THIS FOAMS! I can’t even say that I got it to foam, because it foamed as soon as the water hit it. It’s certainly not latte or cappuccino foam, but there is definitely a thin seafoam green layer on top! I don’t think it needs it, but I give it a quick wisk anyway. And now for the taste… I just have to quote Michelle Tanner again… Yummy in my tummy! Smooth (almost creamy in texture actually), slightly sweet, slightly orangy. The matcha flavor itself isn’t as strong as other brands I’ve tried, but it is there. Maybe mix it 1/2 and 1/2 w/ an unflavored brand? But then will the orange be too light? Perfect.

Who should try this: Everyone! But specifically: Those that like to flavor their own matchas (this makes flavored matcha so much quicker), those that like sweet matchas (I do believe this is both sugar and artificial sweetener free except for the fructose in the oranges, but I could be wrong), those that want to make matcha ice cream or frozen yogurt, and those that are looking to try matcha on a budget (this is ~23 cents/gram- remember, no shipping to factor into the price per serving).

Note: The matcha flavor itself probably only earns a 98/100 in my book (I was hoping for a more savory matcha w/ an orange flavor, not sherbet-esk), but the other 2 are easily earned for: price, easy of preparation (little or no whisking needed when made thin as well as having it preflavored), ease of foam forming on top, and pure novelty.

P.S. Because I had a LOT to say and I just had a full bowl of matcha, this review took me 37 min to write!=D

I think I just don’t like this one. The base seems fairly bitter to me and the weird artificial smell and taste just kind of bothers me. I brewed it for only three minutes this time just in case it was the brew time.

This is a tea that is better as it cools a bit. Initially I could taste no fruits at all but as it cooled I began to get a pleasant banana and slight cherry sweetness toward the end of each sip. The tea used as a base is very strong, slightly astringent and slightly bitter. I recommend steeping it for less than 4 minutes. It is an ok tea. I can see myself drinking it again. I prefer 52teas’ Coconut Cream Pie, which seems to have more flavor.

OK, I thought I’d just top off my caffeination before heading out (while waiting for my beloved to slowly ready himself) and try this new tea at the same time. It’s not for me. I couldn’t finish it. The spices are too strong and hurt my throat and the ginger smell is too strong for me to enjoy the fragrance of the tea.

I’ve put it in my “Give to a Good Home” box.

I had the pleasure of trying this tea first in the Zoomdweebies shop in KS and it is delicious when they make it into a tea latte!

They have the tea latte recipe available so I don’t think I’m giving away anything when I say I went home and tried it on my own with sweetened condensed milk and that is the crux of their tea latte recipe.

With the full tea latte recipe the latte feels lighter than a normal Sbux tea latte and the flavor of the tea seems more developed too. Wow can Frank brew… trust me I had two!

At home making the full amount of latte mix is nice but then you feel the need to drink the whole thing… which ends up being a party type amount…. not I want a bit of tea now amount… so I tried this tea just adding the sweetened condensed milk and boy is that yummy. Actually I’ve discovered that sweetened condensed milk is FANTASTIC with a lot of different dessert type tea and I really suggest playing around with it as a tea modifier. The only flavor I don’t think it works well with so far is chocolate…. but I’ll be experimenting more with that later…

Using normal tea condiments I find that I am using more sugar than I usually do to try to mimick the tea latte flavor. Unfortunately I think I’m walking into this tea biased having had my first taste of it with the tea latte instead of my normal experimenting. I’m finding that three teaspoons of sugar in a two teaspoon of tea pot is the right ratio to about even up the flavor with what I was expecting and then of course some milk.

The tea base is a little astringent tasting if you don’t add enough sugar which is something I have not noticed with the other 52 teas blends so I’m probably again biased because of the tea latte.

Coconut is present and lightly awesome. Not over bearing or a punch in the face and it is accented well with the vanilla creamy flavor. This is a tea that I’m not enjoying with out milk as it seems to lose a depth without it and I also can’t enjoy this one with just milk and no sugar. Again it seems to lose a level without using both. Actually without sugar it almost has a woody black tea quality. Not smokey woody but that potato starchy woody round flavor. Interesting but I’m spoiled with this tea now and only want it light and sweet.

I’m happy this is a permanently available tea. I know that seems to go against the 52teas mantra but this one is that banging good… especially as a tea latte.