I haven’t had the pure macadamia nut matcha so I don’t know how it compares with this one, and I haven’t had actual macadamia nuts in a long while, but this does taste like what I vaguely remember that those nuts tasted like way back when. There is also the addition of a bit of sweetness, almost artificial tasting, to the high note of the sip. It tastes much like it smells, nutty with a fair bit of sweetness.
I’d been putting off tasting this matcha for a while because I couldn’t decide if I liked the smell of it or not, the sweetness was confusing for my nose because it smelled (and tastes) right on the edge of artificial for me. Since praline (which I just looked up) is basically boiled ground up nuts with a sugar syrup added, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the sweetness has no real character to it. It’s just…sweet.
As I continue drinking this, I still can’t decide if I like it or not. There’s a sharpness to the nutty taste that’s sort of putting me off. Possibly it’s true to an actual macadamia nut taste and the sharpness is from the nut itself, but I don’t remember macadamia nuts well enough to tell.
Basically, if you like macadamia nuts, and want something sweeter than the regular blend, this is probably a good one for you. I want RLT to come out with more nutty blends though. I’d love to see a cashew or a pecan matcha.
You can find this matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/macadamia-praline-matcha.html
Seconded on the nutty blends!