Ultra Violet Matcha

I was really interested in this one since I have recently discovered violet tea (I’m a fan!) and lavender-flavored matcha is one of my favorite things ever. So I was highly curious about a violet matcha… shame B&B has already discontinued this one, but they still had old stock on the VIP page so I grabbed a sample to try during their last big sale.

I whisked this using the last of my coconut milk (I like lavender and coconut as a flavor pairing, not sure how violet will pair but since I needed to finish off the carton, I was willing to take that chance!) I like the floral flavor I’m getting, but… it’s a bit bitter. Not that bitter taste matcha itself can have, so I don’t know if its the sort of bitterness I sometimes get from going too heavy or too long with lavender buds, or if it’s just the cardamom… and I’m tempted to say it’s the cardamom. I like cardamom, but I just don’t think I like it here, paired with this flavor, like it isn’t sitting on my tongue right and leaving a spicy bitterness when I am wanting/expecting a sweet, floral cup. I am curious what this would’ve tasted like if it didn’t have the cardamom included in the powder… I think I probably would’ve preferred it that way.

No texture issues this time, but this one had a matcha base (with the B&B non-matcha powders, I seem to be getting some weird texture issues). Put the rest of my latte into a berry smoothie for tomorrow’s breakfast. Gave it a quick taste-test, and the flavor of the matcha is holding quite strong; and I still really like the floral, and really don’t like the added spice with it.

It came close for me, but didn’t quite get there…

#adventageddon Day Three – 4/5

Had this one when I got home from work – just hot and straight. I’m glad it was included so early in the advent – it’s arguably the matcha from Bird and Blend that I was most curious about/likely to have blindly bought a tin of. Violet flavours in tea is something that was new to me this year and I ended up trying maybe a half dozen different version of them and really liking the majority of them. The idea of a violet flavoured matcha deeply intrigues me and I just had to know what it would be like!

I actually only ended up using 1/2 the sample pot as well, so I’ll have another serving for a later time – which is good because I loved this tea. It’s probably tied with Virgin Forest for my favourite of the day, though this was definitely the most unique thing that I tried today.

I wish it was just straight up violet though because the violet note wasn’t overly floral at all and it had what I almost want to call a “juicy” sweetness to it; more like a violet candy!? However, there’s also lavender and cardamom in this blend. I liked the warming and comforting spice note of the cardamom; it definitely wasn’t stronger than the violet but it was pretty distinct all the same. I actually didn’t taste any lavender which I was relieved by because I really don’t like the idea of a lavender matcha. Lavender, to me, is more for relaxation and de-stressing but that’s not what I want out of a matcha; matcha should be energy and focus. The idea of those two concepts mashed together makes my head hurt…

This is something I would 100% purchase for myself in a larger amount – though maybe not until I’ve finished off the cardamom matcha that I already own. It’s unique and very tasty, though!

Sipdown! (2)

Another one from my B&B matcha advent calendar leftovers, circa 2018. There was probably a teaspoon and a half left in the mini tin? Prepared it with 8 ounces of warm water and 4 ounces of warm milk.

Unfortunately I’m mostly getting a lot of bitterness from this one. There is a floral note, and it’s very powdery and candylike, which makes sense given the inspiration is Parma Violets. So it’s creamy, sweet, and slightly artificial floral and then a big wallop of bitterness at the end of the sip.

Not exactly pleasant, though I wouldn’t expect this to be a flavor I would enjoy anyway. I’m going to leave the rating as it was, since I seem to have liked this one better the last time I tried it… Not sure what happened with the strong bitter flavor this time around.

230/365

I made this one up as a “UV Unicorn” today, using Bird & Blend’s recipe. It’s 1/2 tsp of Ultra Violet matcha, mixed with 150ml of Blue Raspberry and poured over ice. I topped mine off with sparkling water. I wasn’t sure whether I liked it at first. It’s very green, both from the matcha and the Blue Raspberry’s sencha base, and typically cold matcha isn’t my thing anyway. It grew on me after a few sips, though.

The matcha provides the bulk of the flavour, and while it’s floral, it’s that unique kind of fragrant-candy kind of floral that violet has. If you’re familiar with parma violets, you’ll probably know what I mean. It tastes like those, only with an edge of something I recognise from other Bird & Blend matchas. I adds additional sweetness and is kind of mapley, and so I’m pretty sure it’s the carob.

The Blue Raspberry doesn’t have a lot of impact on the flavour. There’s a light raspberry flavour in the background (not so noticeably sour, this time!), and a faint hint of butterfly pea. Mostly, though, it’s violets and grass.

I almost like it. I don’t think I’d rush to make this particular recipe again, although there’s nothing intrinsically bad about it. I actually think it’s a pairing that’s well thought out – both teas have floral elements, the sourness of the raspberry is balanced out by the candy-like sweetness of the violet, and they both have green bases so everything hangs together around that central similarity. It’s maybe a bit over green for my tastes, but I can still appreciate it. I definitely want to try this matcha as a latte, though (maybe even an iced latte…), since the thought of liquid parma violet is really quite appealing…

I like that Bird & Blend are becoming more experimental with their matcha flavours. Ultra Violet is part of this year’s spring/summer Curious Matcha collection, and I’m looking forward to trying the others on the strength of this one.