Matcha Outlet

This is a queued tasting note.

So I drank this quite a while back whisked into some cold water with little slices of meyer lemon. I wanted to wait to write about it until I had some photos uploaded, but then I got lazy and didn’t upload the photos very efficiently so this note has just sat and sat.

Basically, this started off quite lovely tasting. It was definitely strongly kiwi with hints of acidic lemon. Very tropical feeling? In a lot of ways it also strongly reminded me of DAVIDsTEA’s now retired “Kiwi’s Big Adventure” blend which I suppose makes a lot of sense since that was a green tea with kiwi and lemon. Apart from that, this also had a pretty strong floral undertone. Admittedly, by the end of the milk jar the flavours had built up in a way that tasted pretty artificial though, and the lemon was mighty strong.

For the record, it paired really nicely with my chia, yogurt and berry cup! Made for a really lovely breakfast sitting out on the porch up until around the last third of it or so.

Pictures:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209709802195756&set=pcb.10209709812756020&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209709802155755&set=pcb.10209709812756020&type=3&theater

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOV6I4fYnvQ

Chalk this band up with the likes of Fallout Boy and others who don’t know how to give a song a title with an appropriate length.

The ground rooibos was very hesitant to mix into the almond milk, but after a few minutes of whisking it worked out. I used about 3.5 tbs “matcha” powder to 125 mL almond milk. I don’t know how proportions normally work, but this was pretty gritty. I think I’ll go for less powder next time.

The rooibos tastes just like rooibos. Notes of sweet (most similar to agave sweetener), minerals (but not metallic), dry grass/desert plant. It pretty much tastes like rooibos.

Sipdown (613)!

I’ve already packed practically all of my matcha – but I did leave myself four bags of matcha that were a lot more empty with the hope that if I wanted matcha before moving day that I’d be able to finish those matchas off so they wouldn’t need to be packed. This is the first “victim” of that train of logic – enjoyed and sipped down as an AMAZING Creamsicle tasting matcha latte!!

I feel like this is one of the many flavours recently “culled” from Matcha Outlet’s website, so I think this might truly be my good bye cup of this particular flavour – but it is phenomenal and I love the idea of creamsicle matcha so I really hope that some other company begins to produce something similar/comparable.

Made this one yesterday, just hot and straight.

It was exactly what I needed first thing in the morning; the caffeine buzz from the matcha but a flavour that was really smooth and creamy, with a silky mouthfeel. Taste wise, this has almost always been ‘Creamsicle’ to me and this bowl wasn’t an exception. Sweet, just slightly natural, orange notes and rich vanilla. A lot more vanilla than orange in this most recent bowl of it…

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahdH8eTydWY&index=13&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ

Had this one hot yesterday, with a splash of milk.

Taste wise it was pretty solid; mostly a smooth, silky Creamsicle sort of flavour with grassier, floral undertones from the matcha base. There was something about it that reminded me a little of soy milk, and that was a touch weird because I hadn’t used soy milk in the cup – I was using regular 2% milk.

My boyfriend wont drink matcha because he doesn’t like the “powdery” mouthfeel. I’ve literally never had problems with that when drinking matcha… up until this cup.

I think it must be the power of suggestion/the fact I had his opinion on matcha in the back of my mind when I was drinking this, but I definitely thought the mouthfeel was really powdery. Not unpleasant; but definitely noticeable. Damn you, boyfriend, and your heightened sense of touch/texture! Seriously; he picks up on food texture SO MUCH. I mean, it’s because he has a bad sense of smell/taste so he relies a lot more on touch/texture with food, but now it’s got me noticing things that I’d really rather not be noticing…

Oh well.

Matcha Milkshake!

So, I made this one the same way I made the Hawaiian Punch Matcha shake I described in this tasting note: https://steepster.com/roswellstrange/posts/361335#likes

Honestly? I think I actually liked the Hawaiian Punch better but this one was still really good. Since the recipe uses vanilla ice cream, the vanilla flavour of the matcha was pretty engulfed by the ice cream/gelato. Or, at least, they worked together in a way where you couldn’t really differentiate between the two different sources for vanilla flavour. The orange was nice though! Sweet, but mellow. Very creamsicle like without that raging sweetness.

I would totally make this one again, I might just add a bit more matcha though to get a more amped up flavour…

Iced Latte.

Drank this one at work while I was sampling some of our new summer teas;

I picked this one out because the smooth, silky creamsicle flavour that comes from the vanilla/orange pairing is pretty summery to me. I mean, when else does one indulge in a good creamsicle? I did underleaf my latte a bit, which made this a lot more delicate and soft in flavour – still quite nice, though. More weighted towards the vanilla than the orange though.

Still need to try this one hot.

I’ve felt really restless all day today, so this afternoon I downloaded a bunch of new music onto my phone and whipped up a large travel thermos of this matcha whisked into some cold coconut milk and I went out for an aimless walk/stroll.

I ended up going around the block a few times, down to the frozen over duck pond three or so blocks away, and finally settled back at the mini ‘playground’ built in between the four different condo buildings surrounding the one I live in. I stayed there about half an hour, just taking in the fresh air and listening to some music.

This was really good matcha; it was my first tasting and I had a hard time gauging whether it would be more orange or vanilla heavy based on the dry smell of it alone. At first as I started drinking it I tasted the coconut milk more than anything else but slowly the flavour of the matcha itself seemed to build. I’d definitely say that the vanilla comes off as initially stronger; apart from the taste of the coconut milk it’s the first thing that jumps off and creates a silky coconut and vanilla top sip combo. However, as it just starts to fade the orange kicks in and is this sweet, fruity counterpart. For a few seconds, this is very creamsicle like and then eventually the vanilla has been masked by the orange and the result is delightful, soft orange notes.

All in all, I thought this was the perfect balance struck between sweet/creamy matcha flavours, which typically do really well as lattes, and brighter fruity matcha flavours which are generally the ones I tend to want to drink straight. It’ll be interesting trying this in the future without the coconut milk as well because it was so present in the flavour, and paired so well with both the vanilla and orange.

Also, song pairings! It was a long walk, so I listened to a lot of different things. However, the one match up that really stuck out to me was this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zvm58NRqZY&index=16&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ

I liked it ‘cause it was mildly upbeat and sort of summery, which worked with the Creamsicle flavour I had going on. However, it’s also a little melancholy and sad which worked with my surroundings as I walked; the sun was setting, it was cool out but not cold. Everything was quiet, still, peaceful…

It just all pulled together so nicely.

“Eatdown” (608)!

We had a staff meeting a few nights ago, and like all of our staff meetings it was a big potluck. Of course, you definitely don’t have to make something tea infused but I always try to. It’s just more fun, and a group of people who work at a tea store are definitely the right audience for it.

So I made (gluten free) Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies, with a small bit of peanut butter mixed in and a whole lot of peanut matcha added into the mix as well! Basically, peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies – which is definitely a mouthful to say.

My first batch came out a lot better than the second one, which I burnt a bit since I didn’t hear the oven time go off. These definitely aren’t the “Chewy” kind of cookie but more so the tough, crunchy ones that make IDEAL cookies for dunking into milk or tea since they hold their ‘structural integrity’. Texture aside, they tasted AMAZING though! Definitely strong oatmeal notes with scatterings of chocolate chips – but the best part, imo, was how clearly and distinctly they tasted like the peanut matcha! I mean, I was definitely a little scared that they would be outweighed flavour-wise but they certainly held their own! It was AWESOME.

Plus, they were such a big hit that there weren’t any leftovers post-meeting for me to take home!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BpvBmBqFBj-/

Sometimes I wish this was a ‘Peanut Butter’ matcha because, to me, that would imply some degree of sweetness and some degree of creaminess. I do enjoy the flavour of this one overall and I think it’s got an accurate peanut taste – but it’s almost just a little bit too salty/savory and while it’s smooth in mouthfeel, it lacks a creaminess in flavour that I think I’d really enjoy. That’s why I generally add milk to it; but this time I just had it hot and tried to appreciate it for what it was.

#VacationTea

So, I brought a little bit of matcha with me for this vacation because matcha is something that you can usually make fairly no frills, so long as you’re not terribly picking about the quality…

When we got into Winnipeg we stopped at my step sister’s house to visit her and my two nephews; we had supper with them, and just visited for a little while. I don’t really see any of the three of them often – maybe once a year. So, we did a little bit of DIY/back to basics matcha. I’m talking matcha in a cheap plastic cup, whisked with a fork. You know, just like how I used to make it when I was first starting out.

Let me tell you, that matcha was lumpy. It sufficed though! I got my tea kick, and it was hilarious watching a six year old slurp back this opaque looking green tea, with tiny little lumps in it, and make the weirdest most scrunched up face before letting it rest and exclaiming “Oh, like peanut butter!” He wasn’t really off either; this is definitely a rich peanut flavour though personally I don’t find it nearly as creamy as I find peanut butter. It’s still fairly grassy too.

It is matcha, after all.

I’m drinking this one right now as a soy latte, with a bit of chocolate agave.

I actually finished all my opening stuff for work today a good twenty minutes early so it let me sneak in this early morning latte/tea review! Hooray for preparedness and efficiency!

I added the chocolate agave not because I thought the latte needed the extra sweetness but because I was hoping for a bit of a “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” flavour and to my delight that’s exactly what this tastes like! It’s indulgent, and smooth and really quite a good recreation. The downside to the cup, because it seems like there’s always a downside, is actually the soy milk I used for it. Normally I’m not a big soy milk fan but I wanted the extra protein. Flavour wise, I don’t think it’s negatively effected my latte but it definitely is separating MUCH more easily than cow’s milk would have and I find myself CONSTANTLY having to stir it/rewhisk it to get a good texture.

Broke into one of my new matchas yesterday; I was just really feeling like something nutty and sadly I’m all out pistachio matcha now so this was the next best option.

I made this one as a coconut milk latte. My hope for it was that it’d taste a little bit like peanut butter, similar to how DAVIDsTEA’s Nutty Granola Crunch does when it’s latte’d. I will say that it was really sweet, smooth and nutty in general but it didn’t taste distinctly like peanut to me: just generic nuts. Or, at best, maybe more almond than anything else? But not like an overly sweet marzipan almond; just regular ’ol almond. I have to at least consider that may be in part because the coconut milk also has a distinct taste that I could see muddling the flavour a little. It warrants further investigation of this new matcha in just straight water.

Like I said though, it tasted really good even if it wasn’t super accurate and ultimately taste IS the most important factor…

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwN-oL-b2Rg&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=11

Fuck yes for song mash ups! And good ones at that. I though the nuttyness of the blend in addition to the overall smoothness of it complimented this seamlessly executed mash up perfectly. Plus, it was up beat – a quality worthy of the buzz a matcha latte gives you.

GCTTB Round 6

The Great Canadian Tea Box has landed, and I have to say that I’m very excited to be participating in it again! I had a lot of fun with it last round, and I’m sure that’ll be the case again.

This is my first pull! I’m very, very familiar with the Bananas & Cream matcha from RLT it’s a personal favourite so I was really curious how different the plain banana would taste compared to it. Sadly, I don’t have any B&C at the moment though so I’m just mentally comparing instead of doing a side by side.

Instead of milk, I whisked this one up in straight hot water because it didn’t feel right to do it in coconut or cashew milk (the two kinds of milk I have on hand) because back when I was regularly drinking the B&C I didn’t drink either of those kinds of milk so I wouldn’t be able to factor in the distinctly coconut or nutty notes each milk have respectively when used in matcha milk.

It was hard to remember to drink this one slowly; I was really thirsty and the tea tasted so good that I was slurping it really quickly instead of paying attention to differences. Honestly though? Maybe that’s because it didn’t taste that different to me. The banana was definitely VERY strong and really enjoyable but it tasted exactly like the sweet, creamy banana notes I got from Bananas & Cream. You know, a mix between banana pudding, banana medicine penicillin and those banana marshmallow five cent candies.

So good, but just not as authentic to the fruit as I’d always pictured the straight up banana matcha tasting. I can’t decide whether I’m disappointed by that. I mean, if there’s not a noticeable flavour difference between the two then what’s the point of having two distinct flavours?

Happy to have tried it regardless, though.

Whisked up cold into some almond milk; just needed something quick and refreshing to pound back for a caffeine boost last week before heading out to do some activities around the city with my dad – he came up for two days during my vacation to visit and spend time, so we tried to cram in a few activities…

This was tasty, and creamy in a way that wasn’t just from the almond milk – however it does lack the sweetness and boozy quality of actual Irish Cream so it’s really not a SUPER good flavour match. I’m gonna blame that, at least partly, somewhat heavily on the age of this matcha, though.

Drinking this right now, which is probably at least a little crazy because it’s about midnight right now. However, I have tomorrow off work and I also need to push my sleep schedule back by a few hours by Wednesday evening since I have an overnight Merch Flip at work following by an 8AM shift the morning after. I plan on basically pulling an ‘all nighter’ since I only have about six hours between shifts – so gotta force myself to sleep in tomorrow and Wednesday to balance it out…

I added a little bit of maple syrup to this one for a tiny touch of added sweetness, and it’s fucking amazing with the little hint of maple. Definitely has the creaminess and sweetness of Irish Cream already with that tiny little boozey feel/taste to it, and then a little bit of a grassy thing from the matcha. It would be delicious on its own, but the maple balances some of the astringency of the matcha powder and adds more layers of flavour. I’m digging it.

Also, fair warning the quality of the tasting notes I’m about to write is probably going to go downhill a little – I’m EXHAUSTED, but like I said gotta keep myself up right now so I’m gonna try and clear out my tasting note queue. Typing while tired is generally a little bit of a mess, though. So we’ll see…

Made this one as a matcha latte at work, extra extra foam.

This one was delicious, though a little weak. To be fair, I was somewhat reserved with the amount of matcha I used, and then on top of everything else I used a TON of milk (which definitely masks flavour) and the drowned the mug in layer upon layer of frothy milk foam, which then only ‘watered’ down the flavour even more! Still, it was very creamy and sweet with vanilla notes and a soft boozey quality. Just like Irish Cream.

The weirdest part was that it was somewhat astringent though? I’ve pretty well never had an issue with a flavoured matcha, especially one prepared with milk, leaving such an intensely dry feeling on the bed of my mouth. I don’t know what it came from, but it was hella weird. Still tasty, but weird.

So, I know I drank this whisked into cold matcha milk because I wrote it down, but I don’t remember literally anything else about drinking it…

I think I liked it? Normally I note otherwise if I didn’t. I don’t see why I wouldn’t have; I enjoyed it as a hot matcha latte and cold wouldn’t have been much different.

EDIT: Coconut Milk…

Cashew Milk Matcha Latte!

I’m really bad, when I order matcha, for opening all the bags at once because I like to try everything but I’m gonna try really hard to pace myself with this order. I want things to stay fresh as long as possible…

And so, before I opened one of the bags, I consulted all the matcha drinkers at work about what kind from the order they would most want to try. This was the winner, and so it’s where I started. It was REALLY good; very creamy for sure with the extra sort of boozey sweetness that Irish Cream has. The whole mug was warm and rich, and felt like a big silky hug from the inside out. I’m really excited to share it with my coworkers because I’m sure they’re going to love it!

Next up? Trying it with Baileys…

A sample from Roswell Strange! One thing I wondered as I was preparing this one – butternut as in butternut squash? Or butter and nuts? Based on the initial sip, I’m thinking the former, probably. It has a sweet-savoury vibe going on, and it reminds me a bit of pumpkin pie, although without the spices. It also tastes pretty buttery, though, so who knows? Clearly not me. I prepared this one as a latte, using 1/4 tsp and then an extra bit for luck. I like that it’s one of the more savoury matchas I’ve come across, because it makes a refreshing change. I don’t always want sweet or desserty tea, and it’s nice to have the option. Pistachio is another one that ticks that box for me.

I’m going to assume that the flavour here is butternut squash. I have the delicate level of flavouring, so it’s fairly subtle, but that’s what it’s reminding me of most. There’s a hint of pastry/pie crust, which probably accounts for the butteriness I’m tasting. Together, they’re a good combination, and I’d happily drink this one again. I’m not sure that any pie flavoured thing, particularly when it comes to matcha, will ever beat Rich Berry Pie in my estimation, but this is a decent contender.

What have I got to celebrate? Absolutely nothing. I’m back at work, I’ve got a cold, and I lost the flat I spent three months thinking I was buying because “estate agent” is apparently a synonym for “liar”. But I’m still going to treat myself to some champagne matcha, all the same.

This one came to me as a sample from Roswell Strange, and I actually should have started it ages ago. A combination of factors put paid to that, but better late than never. I think I held off on this one for so long because I only drink my matcha in milk, and champagne and milk seemed like an odd combination. I’m surprised to say that it works, though. It tastes like champagne. Which is obviously not the most helpful or descriptive tasting note, but it is a fact. It’s not bubbly, and there’s no hint of effervescence (I wasn’t excepting there to be, because…how?) but it’s definitely champagne and it even stands up to the milk. We’re not talking super-strong, but you can tell that that’s what it is.

I’m hoping a matcha latte will perk me up a bit, because something honestly needs to. I think I might buy some tea this evening. That’ll do it, for sure.

Flavours of popcorn, sweet and buttery caramel, with a definite matcha taste. I made this as a soy latte and it was pretty fantastic.

Sipdown (180)!

So, if the picture of this tea looks familiar it’s because Matcha Outlet is the name of the new website that Red Leaf Tea has moved over to! I actually placed a Matcha Outlet order around a month or so ago and my matcha recently arrived! So, I’m looking forward to trying some new flavours.

This one came as a little sample with my order. Can I make a confession? I never actually ever tried RLT’s Caramel Matcha. It was super hyped, and I always meant to but there were other things that always seemed more interesting. So, I’ve tried Creme Brulee and Caramel Popcorn and a ton of other sort of similar variations but not just straight up Caramel. Technically this is a different company, but it’s still the same matcha/product so I feel like it still sort of counts…

I latte’d this: in cashew milk ‘cause it’s what’s on hand at the moment.

It was SO good! Very very rich, even though I’m pretty sure this sample was only delicate flavour level. The best part was just how creamy it tasted though. In many ways I felt like the caramel was melting in my mouth. It reminded me a lot, actually, of Macintosh Toffee bars! Of course, nutty undertones from the cashew milk I used. Still really good though; and the nutty profile complimented the gooey caramel.

Yum yum yum!

Ick! Maybe I got a bad matcha batch? I didn’t care for the artificial tasting flavour and the matcha base was super bitter (and this was matcha in milk). I compared it to the caramel matcha from red leaf (not bitter), and it was definitely a different base. Will be donating this one to the GCTTB, others are less sensitive to bitterness than me.