Caramel Matcha

I saw a post on Facebook for this tea recently witch a special offer of like 80% off So I had to check it out while it was on sale I got 2 of them :)
I’m really glad i got 2 because this stuff is really really good, one of the best Caramel flavored things that I’ve had.
I made this one our Usual way for doing Matcha here at our house, with cold milk and a little sugar and I also tried it hot the way matcha suppose to be made so i can try it both ways.
It as Delicious both ways, I really enjoyed it.
The aroma of this Caramel Matcha reminded me of Whiskey actually, read why on my Blog post :)
http://toadsteablog.blogspot.com/2014/04/caramel-matcha-by-red-leaf-tea_6.html

I read VariaTEA’s tasting note on this the other day about drinking it after a bite of salty peanut butter and was inspired to try adding a touch of salt. Wow! I used over 1/4tsp matcha with some sugar, a pinch of salt and whisked it in a small amount of hot water. Then I added milk, ice cubes and shook. Holycrapit’ssogood! I decided to add a tiny bit more salt, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as good as the lesser amount, so there is a fine line there. It was just enough to get that salty caramel taste. I then took my mug outside an pulled prickly weeds for a half hour with no gloves on. My hands are now screaming mistake, but my taste buds are quite happy!

It’s matcha time! Oh we oh we oh!

Yes, I’m doing a matcha dance in my kitchen. It’s all yummy goodness. The doors are open, the birds are singing, it’s Friday and I have a (double sized) cold glass of yummy.

Received a sample of this in my last RLT order, so I’m guessing its specs are basic grade matcha and delicate flavoring.

Two chasaku scoops to 8oz ~145F 8oz of unsweetened almond milk. The aroma of the caramel is so sweet and powerful right out of the bag, but in a good way. If you don’t like caramel then smell-wise this isn’t for you! To taste I only get a hint of the caramel before the milk-matcha aspects come into play. It has a sweet taste, but I am getting a bit of bitterness towards the end of the sip. Will probably order this but in distinctive flavoring and will bump up to royal grade matcha.

Pretty much my favorite from the lot I’ve tried via Red Leaf. Full disclosure, I drink this with milk (either 2% or oat), and it’s really lovely, though I believe it’s something of an acquired taste. The caramel flavor isn’t overpowering, so you get a good feel for the earthiness of the matcha itself.

I got too of these as samples with my two orders from red leaf. I am very glad I did, b/c this might just be the favorite that I’ve tried. I’m assuming the flavoring is delicate with a standard matcha base. It looks as though there may be some sugar incorporated, making it a little sweeter than others. This is good not only hot, but also iced. Again, I haven’t tried it as a latte, especially since I think it’s good enough on its own. I can definitely taste caramel here, but it’s subtle, and quite sweet, but not cloying.

I strongly recommend Caramel Matcha as a choice of flavored matcha! To make it taste just like caramel, buy it with at least the “Robust” option. It also has a very subtle cinnamon taste. When you open the bag, it smells great, and it seems to taste better the each time you drink it! It tastes much better when you make it sweet with sugar, so if you make a pitcher of it with sugar, use at least 6 tablespoons of sugar for it, but use 2-3 tablespoons for a big glass of it. If you do not want to feel very guilty about all the calories from the sugar added to your Caramel Matcha, use Sweet ’N Low to sweeten it (1 1/2 packets per big glass), because Caramel Matcha does not come already sweetened. Caramel Matcha tastes best when made hot by the tea cup or coffee cup with sugar because hot water brings out the flavor more. I prefer my Caramel Matcha iced, though. To make it last longer, make it by the pitcher, because you will miss it when it is all gone! I will buy Caramel Matcha again because it is a great sweet treat, and you can get it at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html.

It was shortly past midnight on a bone chilling December evening, not four days past a Yule rife with danger – our hired acrobat having consumed more Chardonnay than would be strictly recommended and ending his final act on a tumbling act through a second storey window – when I curled like a python around a grassy cup of matcha I’d received from my grand-maman shortly before her elopement. This being my first taste, I felt a duty to commemorate the moment aloud, so that my 38 Legolas poupées d’action would not remain ignorant to the significance of the moment.

“HOW UNCIVILIZED,” I said, evoking a young Richard Burton, “HOW UNCIVILIZED to even consider sullying a fine matcha by flavouring it. Perhaps that sort of thing happens in a circus funhouse, but not here!” Yet as I raised the cup to my lips, the scent of vegetal gaiety I had expected was joined by a peculiar tendril of dark sweetness. Could it be—-? I cautiously let slip onto my tongue a drop of bubbly emerald. Caramel. CARAMEL. In a second it swept me out of my humdrum life and into the arms of a sugary fever dream. Was that indeed Jory, my first true amour, rinsing his hair in caramel as he had done prior to his devastating burning-caramel-induced baldness? A memory I had long thought lost was awakened like a centennial bloom. Grand-maman, ever the Puck to my Hermia, had let loose one last trick from her quiver of deceit.

As I floated back down to Earth and time slowly took up its forward march, I shook myself out of my caramel haze just long enough to stretch my trembling fingers to my keyboard and began typing: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html With my other hand I reached for my address book and flipped slowly to Js. Caramel Matcha couldn’t wait … and nor could Jory.

Size: Small
Quality: Classic
Flavoring: Delicate

When I first got this, I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this. Opening the package, I could smell a more butterscotchy scent than caramel. (I’ve had people say it smells like vanilla cupcakes and bubblegum.) The fragrance is very potent. It does change a bit when adding warm water to it, but it doesn’t last.

When I first tried this, I added about .5-1 teaspoon to a bottled water and shoot it up. The butterscotch scent was still there, and there was a bit of a weird aftertaste to it? It might have just been me, It was a bit caramel, but still vegetal.

Second time, I made a latte. I had only used about… a teaspoon, used water from my keurig (didn’t have time to properly heat it), whisked, and then added some soy milk. It was either too much milk or not enough matcha, but it was very milky with a light hint of the match lingering in. I wasn’t too impressed with it at this point, but I was still willing to try. After all, I’m still new at making this. This was just an error due to the user. (It would turn out that would be the problem.)

A few tries later, I made another latte. This time I used a rough tablespoon sifted, then added a few tablespoons of hot water and whisked excessively. Added a bit more water, ice cubes, few splashes of skim milk (soy has been out because of the potential of damaging effects of it, whoops), and mixed again. I think I might have found the perfect way to make this. It’s sweet, and doesn’t have an overbearing taste to it. The caramel is mixed just right with the match so it masks the flavor of it. Over all, I just really like this. The original scent scared me at first because of how strong it was, but it has evened out really nicely in the end. Personally, I think I’ll be using this more for lattes than as regular tea.

I’m kind of excited for summer to be able to add this into smoothies and try out different combinations with this.

I’ve enjoyed regular matcha for years. I originally got into matcha during Japanese tea ceremony, then I started making it myself at home. It’s actually pretty easy to prepare at home – just remember NOT to boil the water – just pour your cup of matcha just BEFORE the water boils, which should be around 180 degrees Farenheit. The unique taste has always appealed to me, and I drink a lot of regular green tea. The flavored matcha really ratchets it up to a whole new level…I can get the wonderful flavor and health benefits of matcha, but with a terrific kick of additional flavor. I tried the caramel flavored matcha, and it’s terrific. Red Leaf tea offers several flavor profiles for the added flavors, and to my taste “Delicate” is perfect. I tried the next level up, “Distinctive” and it was delicious but to me the flavor of the matcha was masked a little.I also tried matcha cold by blending it into cold almond milk with ice and a little sugar. I’m really looking forward to trying the white tea matcha as well to reduce a little of my caffeine intake. Terrific stuff, highly recommended – if you love green tea, matcha is the next big thing! Find it at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-matcha.html