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I was in my local David’s Tea a couple of days ago (I walk past it twice a day on my way to work – talk about temptation)and picked up a few of the new spring teas. I passed on this one that day as the hibiscus and fruit scared me off. It smelled really good, though, so I ended up going in yesterday and buying some anyway. I’m so weak.

I steeped it for about 20 min(I got in the shower and forgot about it), but it didn’t hurt it at all. I actually really enjoyed the taste, both warm and later when it cooled. I can really detect the melon in with the mate. I’m surprised how well they work together. The hibiscus is really subtle, too, not overly tart the way it can be sometimes. I also liked the fact that it doesn’t need any sweetener added.

Overall, a surprisingly good blend.

I was so excited when I saw that Red Leaf had an Irish Cream matcha. Irish cream was my favourite liquor until a few years ago when I stopped consuming dairy. Kahlua and Frangelico just don’t always cut it (although Frangelico would be an awesome matcha flavour. I think Red Leaf has a Hazelnut matcha. I’ll have to try that next – maybe it’s close).

I got the classic grade matcha with robust flavouring at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/irish-cream-matcha.html. I mixed it up with my default of vanilla almond milk and took a sip. It has a very distinctive taste to it. I think Red Leaf’s description calls it sweet and tart. I agree. It’s both, strange as that sounds. There’s no alcohol taste to it, which is good, just the “Irish cream” taste.

I used to mix Bailey’s with Kahlua, and it was awesome. I think I may try adding a splash of Kahlua into this one day as a dessert drink. It would make the Kahlua healthier, right? Oh, and I’ll have to try mixing a bit with caramel matcha. That would be a great mix. Caramel Irish cream. I was already vegan when Bailey’s came out with that flavour. Now I get to make my own. I’m going to try that tomorrow. I’m excited now, lol.

As a side note, my cat was trying to drink my matcha (she likes flavoured matcha!) and while I was protecting it from her I knocked my tin of matcha off the counter. I’m so glad they have the screw tops on them, as it could have been a disaster. Highly recommend picking up a tin.

Ok, I’m sitting here with two cups of Red Leaf Matcha sitting in front of me. Eggnog and Irish Cream. I’ve been sipping from one and then the other, comparing the flavours (sometimes with a sip of peppermint tea in between to cleanse my palate). The strange thing is, I can really notice the difference in the taste of the two more when I compare them this way. I think when I drink them on different days, my brain tends to blend them together more.

Anyway, on to the tea. I was not thrilled with the smell of the dry powder at all. It smells kind of funky to me. I must have different olfactory senses than the reviewer who loved the smell but not the taste as much. To me it tastes way better than it smells.

I got the classic grade of matcha with the robust level of flavouring from http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/eggnog-matcha.html. I mixed a bit into almond milk, as I usually do. It does have a light, creamy, eggnog taste to it, but even in the almond milk it’s a bit thin-tasting (if that makes sense) for eggnog. My brain wants it to have a thicker consistency. I think I may experiment with adding this to my protein shakes so it has more body.

Not my favourite matcha, but still pretty good. It’s the closest to eggnog I’ve been in years (I don’t drink milk or eat eggs), so it’s a nice treat.

Ok, it’s too late to be drinking matcha, but I’m doing it anyway. I was just going to backlog this one from memory, but that doesn’t seem right. So, it’s 8pm and I’m having a cup of Cheesecake matcha. Poor me. lol

I had to smell the powder a few times before I decided that it really does have a cheesy smell. Not a yucky, blue cheese type smell, but a good, creamy cheese smell.

I threw a tsp in the blender with 3/4 C of vanilla almond milk, which has become my preferred way to drink flavoured matcha. I actually can’t picture drinking this one hot, although I’m sure a lot of people like it that way. Cold, it’s really good.

I got the classic matcha with robust flavouring at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html. As I’ve said in my other reviews, I’m glad that I got the stronger flavouring. I’m mainly using the matcha mixed with other things, so I think a subtler flavour would get lost.

Drinking it, it’s very smooth and creamy. I don’t get a strong cheese taste (which is a good thing!). It’s a very nice dessert matcha. If it didn’t have caffeine in it, I could see drinking it after supper instead of dessert. As it is, I’ll just have to have it as part of my breakfast. Again, poor me.

I smell the richness of chocolate when I open up my tin of Belgium Chocolate matcha. Boy it smells good. Typically chocolate flavoured teas are a real disappointment for me. I think that’s likely because you steep it in water and then strain it, so all you’re left with is a watered-down chocolate taste. Not very tempting. Matcha solves this problem, as you consume the tea and the flavouring without filtering anything out.

I bought the classic grade of matcha with robust flavouring at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/belgium-chocolate-matcha.html. As with all the other Red Leaf matchas I’ve tried, I’m glad I got the stronger flavouring. I can definitely taste the chocolate in it, which is what I wanted. As another reviewer stated, this is an adult’s chocolate, not a kid’s milk chocolate taste. Just what I was looking for.

This doesn’t displace the caramel matcha as my favourite, but I can see this one as being more versatile. I think it would mix well with a lot of different flavours, and I may have to experiment with adding it to some desserts in the future. I make my own chocolates, and I think this would be a great addition to that.

Oh, and the little tins you can buy for the matcha are great. I love the screw-top lids and the fact that they don’t take up much space.

I’ve been on a huge coconut kick the last couple of years. Coconut milk, coconut water, coconut oil, coconut flakes, coconut sugar, and of course, coconut teas! It was a no-brainer for me to order coconut matcha.

I honestly was a bit worried when I smelled the dry matcha, as it doesn’t smell like coconut to me. I think more of the true matcha smell comes through. It’s not a bad smell, just not exactly what I was expecting.

I shouldn’t have been afraid. I’ve had it a few times now, blended up with some vanilla almond milk. I keep meaning to try it straight up with water, but I love it so much with the almond milk I keep choosing to go that route. I love the froth the blender creates. Much better than my hand-whisking produces. It has a really nice, almost creamy coconut flavour to it.

I got mine at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coconut-matcha.html, and took advantage of the buy 5, get 2 free deal, which was awesome. I got the classic grade of matcha with the robust flavouring. I’m glad I got the stronger flavouring, as I think the taste would have been too mild for me otherwise. The hardest decision now is deciding which one to drink in the morning.

Dry, this smells amazingly like mango, which is of course what made me decide to buy a bit. I liked DT’s Mango Diablo, but can’t see drinking it often because of the chili in it. I had high hopes that this would be a strong mango-tasting tea that would be smooth going down.

It’s smooth, I’ll give it that. I don’t get much of a taste beyond the green tea, though. Just a hint of fruitiness there. A few reviewers have said that it tastes like juice to them. Not to me. I haven’t added a sweetener to it, though, so maybe that makes the difference. I’ll try this one again and add a touch of cane sugar to it. Hopefully that will bring out the flavours a bit more.

The high rating of this matcha and all of the reviews are what made me take the plunge and order 7 flavoured matchas from Red Leaf (I took advantage of their buy 5, get 2 free deal). Wow. I don’t regret it at all.

This is THE BEST flavour! The others are all really good, don’t get me wrong, but this is the one that I could drink every day, all day, if my body could handle that much caffeine. I’m vegan, and finding anything caramel-flavoured is tough to begin with. Having it taste great is a bonus.

I ordered the classic grade of matcha with the robust flavouring. Definitely the right decision with the flavour level. The dry powder has a wonderful smell, and I can really taste the caramel when drinking it, even though I’ve been preparing it in the blender with vanilla almond milk. It mixes really well, and goes down smooth. I haven’t tried it straight yet, but will soon.

I bought the little tins to store the matcha in, and that was a good decision as well. The screw tops help prevent the powder from flying all over the place when you open it up (I can’t be the only one who’s done that before). Plus, they’re really cute. I just peeled off the label that was on my bags of matcha and put them on the tins. Worked great.

I got mine at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html. I just wish I’d bought a larger size of this flavour.

When I received my package of Red Leaf matchas, this and the Caramel flavour were the first two I tried. I just knew that they would be my favourites. I was SO RIGHT! I love the Maple Syrup flavour!

I ordered the classic grade of matcha with a robust flavour level. I’m so glad I got the stronger flavouring, as while I like green tea, I really wanted to taste the maple syrup, not the matcha. I’m drinking matcha partly for its antioxidant benefits, so am trying to get in the habit of having some in the morning before work, and I don’t always feel like matcha then. Maple syrup, however, I seem to always be in the mood for.

It was pretty good when I tried it straight-up, but my whisking skills need to be improved (I’m new to matcha). My favourite way to drink it at the moment is to put it in the blender with some vanilla almond milk and blend it until it’s nice and frothy. Quick and easy in the morning, and a treat before I go to work. I added some extra maple syrup one time, and it tasted great, but was really unnecessary. It tastes enough like maple syrup on its own.

I got mine at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/maple-syrup-matcha.html , and I took advantage of the buy 5, get 2 free deal, which was wonderful.