Almond Matcha Green Tea

Sipped on this one earlier in the week.

I enjoy this blend well enough. The almond notes are kind of light and delicate and the soft marzipan-like nutty sweetness plays in well to complimentary creamy notes of white chocolate and vanilla from the flavouring. It makes me think a bit of Chinese Almond Cookies. I’ll add a link at the bottom here of a photo for reference, since I’m not sure if that’s the name most people use for that kind of cookie.

The blend is very similar to DT’s Matcha Ice Cream, complete with slight fruity undertone from the currant and a hint of stevia in the finish. I’m not personally bothered by stevia (in most cases) so I don’t mind it here, but I know stevia is mighty polarizing. I’d say the big difference between this and DT’s blend is that this feels a little less sweet and a touch more matcha forward. If you put both in front of my blindly, though, not sure if I’d be able to differentiate – this might just come off like a slightly less strongly steeped version of that tea.

Cookie Photo: https://food.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2020/11/13/FNK_Chinese-Almond-Cookies_H2.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.suffix/1605293190160.jpeg

I think, maybe, the cookies are also something called Italian Almond Cookies? But perhaps those are two different (but similar) things that I’m conflating.

I thought I wrote about this tea, but I guess I wrote it in a random post or of another tea. I’m also sipping it down today.

This is the original staple matcha blend green tea for Club Magic Hour, and served as a template for Happy Heart. A lot of the customers on the company page and on youtube compared this one side by side to Happy Heart and most preferred that one over this one. I got this particular tea for comparison, so that’s how I’ll write a portion of the review.

Both teas were intended as a desert alternatives with the health benefits of green tea and matcha: Happy Heart was aimed primarily as a heart healthy vanilla blend, whereas this one is more of a sweet tooth satisfier. Both blends create the illusion of a chocolate profile by combining matcha and almond, with Happy Heart having more of a vanilla white matcha chocolate taste that leans into herby and grassy, whereas this one is noticeably sweeter due to the currant and stevia.

Initially, I preferred Happy Heart because of its higher grade matcha and vanilla profile, but I transitioned more into enjoying this one because it was less grassy. The black currant also highly enhanced the flavor profile into a more decadent category. My main criticism is the stevia because it can enhance the sweeter profiles, but add an artificial splenda tasting film to the tea that I’m not a fan of. Anyone who’s had stevia probably recognizes what I’m talking about.

Brewing it, I never go above 2 minutes to balance it out and get the full effect of a light creamy almond profile, unless I am tumblering it. It’s creamier as cold brew and doesn’t really over steep using one teaspoon in a 14 oz tumbler of ice and water. Hot brews, however, in a tumbler or in a traditional setting can cause it to over steep and taste like fruity old mowed grass. Doing it write, you can brew it for another solid two brews, maybe three if you have more currants in your serving.

Obviously, I like this one. I initially was going to rate it a 75, but it’s hovering closer to an 85 for me. I kept coming back to it over Happy Heart, and I’m happily sipping it down now. I wouldn’t get this one in bulk like I have some of the other teas, but I don’t mind having it around.