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Once upon a time ago, I was away at a conference. I found myself in the elevator talking away to total strangers. I was the only person talking in the elevator. When it was apparent that no one was going to talk to me, I said, “oh well, just call me a nut.” Then I heard this lone voice say, “ Hello Hazel” as he exited the elevator. I died laughing and ever since that day Hazelnut has long been a favorite flavoring. I was thrilled to find it available in a matcha, I could hardly wait to get my order. Upon getting my order, I poured the bright green matcha powder into a tin. The smell from this endeavor almost took my breath away. This is one strong flavored matcha! Hazelnut is typically nutty and aromatic. This particular blend is extremely roasty. Perhaps a coffee drinker could more appreciate the roast on this blend.
To say the least, I was disappointed. I could certainly drink the tea and I did, but it was not as tasty as I had hoped. It was a bit too roasty for my taste and left an aftertaste in my mouth.
I contemplated this tea all week long. Every Matcha I have sampled from Red Leaf have been superb. I just could not stand to turn my back on this one. I searched recipe after recipe and finially decided upon making scones.
Today, I made a Hazelnut matcha scone from this tea from Red Leaf tea: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/hazelnut-matcha.html
My disappointment turned into elation! This strong flavored matcha is the perfect addition to a basic scone recipe. The scone is flaky, slightly sweet and is this beautiful pale green hue. I am drinking a Ceylon black tea with my Hazelnut Matcha scone and let me tell you I am in heaven. This is just what I was looking for, who knew that Matcha would be a great addition to baked recipes. Now, I can get all the health benefits of Matcha when I enjoy my black teas and not blow my diet on a cookie filled with fat. This is definitely a Win, Win for me in a tea ordering situation that I viewed as bleak. I am so thrilled that I took a chance and added that 1 tablespoon of matcha into my scone recipe. You read that right! Only 1 tablespoon was needed to bring out the nuttiness of the hazelnut and the smoothness of the matcha. Both are greatly enhanced in this flaky scone.