MatchaSticks Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha to Go

Listen, guys, we need to open up with the fact that I thought this would literally be a stick. Like a sugar stick. So when I ripped this packet open, I was mighty surprised when a bunch of bright green powder popped out. There was still most of it left, so we’re okay for making a review. But I wanted to point this out to you, dear reader, so you don’t wind up gasping and probably breathing in this Ninja-Turtle-colored goodness.

I don’t know how to make matcha, really. Turns out you’re supposed to use a special bamboo whisk to blend it all together.

I was at work. I used a spoon. I’m okay with admitting that I’m a giant bag of trash.

There are two ways to drink matcha:

1) The traditional Asian way, with the whisk and the flat bowl.

2) The American “latte” way, with a sweetener and some milk.

HAVE YOU MET ME? You haven’t, so let me tell you: I was in for the ways of my people. Everything has to taste like dessert where I come from.

But first, I tried the Asian way. This tastes like when you’re swimming in the lake and you get some lake water in your mouth. Given this fact, it was surprisingly okay. I didn’t mind it. If I was in some situation where I had to Be Cool and sip this, I could easily pull it off. No potential diplomatic snafus here.

I took my mug of the Asian-style tea over to a friend, who said “it tastes… green… but I wouldn’t say it’s awful. It’s surprisingly not awful. It’s like green tea on steroids.”

She and I are always guzzling each other’s teas. It’s how we grow as people.

Now that I had an outside confirmation of my thoughts, it was milk and honey time.

Oddly, this made it worse. It’s, like, SHRILL now. It went from being tame to being outright annoying, and somehow more bitter. I couldn’t finish it. I should have stuck to the original. I now see the error of my ways.

Has anyone else out there tried matcha? Thoughts?

Magus Brands recently sent me a box of their new Matchasticks to try out and I have to say, I’m loving them. They’re unsweetened, filled only with organic ceremonial grade matcha from Japan. Unlike the lower grade matcha you see in most sticks, this is top notch stuff! The color is brilliant green and the matcha has a naturally sweet flavor that is remarkably similar to my favorite matcha from DoMatcha.

These sticks are exactly what I’ve been looking for when I travel, the only trouble is that the amount of matcha in each packet varies a little, anywhere from 2.2-3g per stick. I find that if the amount happens to be closer to 2.2g I sometimes need a little more than one stick for a standard size 16.9 ounce water bottle. This leaves me with enough matcha for a 7 day trip, instead of the full 10 days and I need to secure the open package with a binder clip until I’m ready to use it the next day. A little bit of an inconvenience, but so far the best option I’ve found for my needs.

You can read the full review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2016/7/12/tuesday-tea-matchasticks