Thursday, June 25, 2015

Matsuri Matcha - Red Leaf Tea



   I’ve historically not been the biggest fan of Matcha and have pretty much shied away from trying it further. I used a gift certificate for this one though, I figured why not? And I have to say I’m glad I did!
I do still prefer other kinds of tea over Matcha, but I’m no longer fully counting it out of my rotation. This matcha definitely has a pleasant sweetness to it that you can bring out even further with the smallest dab of honey. You definitely taste the green grassyness that matcha, and indeed green tea, are known for but not in a over powering way like some out there. Additionally plenty of Matcha’s have more of a steamed vegetable taste and this one thankfully DOES NOT. There is a very slight bitterness when you first sip but then it disappears, which is another huge bonus for this Matcha.
Please note I used the traditional bamboo whisk method for preparation and used two bamboo scoops of matcha for 8oz of water [I don’t like it too strong ;-) ]
Flavors: Sweet, warm grass

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Teasenz Da Hong Pao






   I found it quite amazing how different the taste is from the dry smell. I also liked how long the twists were. Overall this tea is very similar to houjicha [i think anyway]. The dry twists have an almost slight raisin smell to them with a somewhat earthy note as well. The prepared tea smells roasty just like houjicha but the taste is a bit more subtle than houjicha. I think i’ll try steeping it longer next time and see how it compares then. Either way, I would recommend this tea to anyone preferring a good roasty flavor probably during/after a meal or specifically in the afternoon. Due to it’s scent and flavor it’s a more savory type of tea. Thanks to Teasenz for this sample!


Friday, June 19, 2015

Himalayan Black Tartary Buckwheat - Teasenz

I received this tea as part of a sample from Teasenz. I’m not a big fan of roasted rice with green tea [Genmaicha] and so figured I wouldn’t like this one much. Wow was I surprised! I would say if you like Houjicha [roasted sencha] tea type flavors or heck even if you like a bowl of cheerios then you should give this tea at least a taste! If you want something warm, but a little different from the normal tisane/tea fare then definitely try this gem.
The smell reminds me of cereal, specifically regular cheerios for whatever reason. The taste is similar to the smell but with more pronounced roastyness [yes I make up words]. Definitely a afternoon or mealtime type tea.

Flavors: Roasted Barley, Cereal, Cheerios?

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Matcha Sample Results


   Multitudes of days later I'm finally getting to this yay! Sorry for the delay to anyone reading this. This post is meant as an accompaniment to my previous one, flushing out the previous reported results of my Matcha tasting experience. One thing to note is that all of these are culinary grade which is probably by the results were pretty low on most all of them. Culinary grade is used more in cooking and usually isn't used all by itself like in a tea. Ceremonial grade is the best kid for regular standalone tea usage.

Sample #1
It's Color was olive green and when samples reminded me of steamed veggies. This matcha was mostly bitter with little to no sweetness.

Matcha was from "Matcha Organics" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJMI0CK

Sample #2

This one had a lighter olive green color and when sampled I noted a light grassy flavor. Overall this tea was bitter.

Matcha was from "Tradition" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T5GHUM

Sample #3

This sample was a bit brighter of a green and also contained a light grassy flavor. This matcha was less bitter but still had a bitter edge to it.

Matcha was from "Doctor King" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MBITN2A

Sample #4

This sample had a similar light olive green color to sample #2. The matcha was less bitter than previous samples and had a light sweetness to it.

Matcha was from "One Organic" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O41OKEI

Sample #5

This sample had a similar olive green color to sample #1. The matcha had a very strong cooked grass like scent and flavor. This matcha was almost unbearably bitter with no sweetness anywhere to be found.

Matcha was from "Enzo" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NYYVWFQ

Sample #6

This sample had a light green color accompanied by some light green notes. This matcha was less bitter with a slight sweetness to it.

Matcha was from "TerraVerve" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LE120X4

Sample #7

This sample had a very light olive green color and when tasted reminded me of paper pulp. It was very bitter with no sweetness at all. Definitely would not recommend this one!

Matcha was from "Kazu Foods" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MC40UDY

Sample #8

This sample had an olive green color and reminded me of steamed asparagus when tasted. This was quite bitter with no sweetness anywhere. Also would NOT recommend this one!

Matcha was from "Matcha DNA" found here: http://www.amazon.com/Matcha-DNA-Certified-Organic-Green/dp/B00BG0ZJ0Y

Sample #9

This sample was a nice bright green color with light fresh grass notes which were quite pleasant. This matcha was less bitter compared to it's rivals. It also had some light sweetness. I would recommend this matcha for culinary uses.

Matcha was from "Kiss Me Organics" found here: http://www.amazon.com/Matcha-Green-Tea-Powder-Antioxidant/dp/B00DDT116M

Sample #10

This sample was olive green in color and it's taste reminded me of steamed asparagus just like sample #8. This seems to be a death knell for matcha as far as I'm concerned. Matcha was very bitter with no sweetness what-so-ever. Would not recommend this matcha!

Matcha was from "uVernal" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KHXESLC

Sample #11

This sample was a light olive green color and had a vegetal scent. It's taste reminded me of paper with a chemical aftertaste. In other words this was not at all pleasant. No sweetness to be found in this one. Not my least favorite one on this list but not in my top 3 by any means.

Matcha was from "Red-Leaf Tea" found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/starter-matcha-en.html#.VXcQkkYf5v0

Sample #12

This sample was light green and had an almost floral type scent. This one was quite different from the rest. It was bitter but had a slight sweetness too. Might be one to try to see if it suites your pallet.

Matcha was from "Red-Leaf Tea" found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/deluxe-matcha-1lb.html#.VXcQ9kYf5v0

Final Thoughts

Over all I would say that color seemed to have a huge bearing on how good/bad a matcha was. The brighter and more vibrant the green color was the better it tasted. By contrast the more olive green the matcha looked the worse it tasted. Some of these samples were almost unbearable to try and I only got a few sips down before having to toss the rest of the cup. Overall I was not a fan of drinking culinary grade matcha thought and I question why we sampled it plain versus in it's intended use in culinary endeavors. Someday in the future I'll have to get my hands on some good ceremonial grade matcha which is actually meant for drinking and see how that compares to this. Until then I'll keep my matcha in my food ;-). Speaking of green tea products in food have you tried Chobani's green tea yogurt? It's limited time and very delicious! I would highly recommend getting your hands on some before it's gone! And no Chobani in no way sponsers my blog haha [i wish] http://www.chobani.com/products/blended#green-tea.