Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya
Tea Description:
Similar to Aiya’s flagship Ceremonial Matcha, Matcha to Go is intended to be used with water exclusively so as to enjoy the pure, smooth tea flavor. Either cold or hot, simply open the single-serve stick, add directly to water and quickly stir – there is no need to sift first or even whisk!
Matcha to Go Sticks are designed to make Matcha drinks as quickly and easily as possible. By blending Matcha with dietary fiber, we have eliminated Matcha clumping, making it easier to mix into hot water with just a spoon. For an Iced-Matcha on the go, just pour the stick into a bottle of water, shake and enjoy!
All of our Matcha is grown and produced in Nishio city in Aichi prefecture, known the world over as the cradle of the finest Matcha for more than 800 years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have enjoyed many different teas from Aiya, so when they approached me to sample their new Matcha-To-Go sticks, I was excited. They have some of the VERY BEST Matcha that I’ve ever tried so if this new product was anything like the Matcha teas that I’ve sampled in the past, I knew it was going to be really good.
And it is!
The product label states that this Matcha can be enjoyed both hot or cold, and for the purposes of this review, I decided to try this tea both ways. First, I tried it cold. I grabbed my 16.9 ounce water bottle that was chilling in the fridge. Then I added one of the “pixie” stick packs of the Matcha into the bottle, screwed on the cap and gave it a vigorous shake or two.
Mmm! Tasty! I’ve tried quite a few of these convenient “pixie stick” Matcha packs at this point and some are better than others. This one is one of the very best that I’ve tried. I can taste the quality of the Matcha here. This is a really top quality Matcha! It is sweet and it has that silky texture that you expect from a high quality Matcha. No bitterness whatsoever!
This is sweet and buttery. It has a vegetal flavor, of course, with a creamy texture and a buttery flavor to complement the texture.
This is the kind of “instant” tea that I can enthusiastically recommend to those who are looking for the ideal tea while on the go. It is everything that you would expect from a top notch Matcha, but prepared in a water bottle so that you can take it with you.
Then I decided to prepare it hot. After I had prepared it the way I would normally prepare a chawan of Matcha, I wished I had instead gone a less traditional route and tried stirring it in a tea mug or something, like someone who didn’t have the “proper tools” to enjoy Matcha would. But, I didn’t think about that when I started preparing this. I thought: Matcha? OK, I need my chawan. But really, you don’t need a chawan. You can prepare Matcha in a cereal bowl … or as I eluded to above, you could prepare one of these pixies of Matcha in a tea mug or other drinking vessel.
When it came to stirring, I grabbed my chasen (bamboo whisk) and again, I wish I would have thought to grab a spoon instead and tried to stir it the way someone who was less familiar with Matcha might approach their first experience with this tea. Oh well! A spoon would work just fine, although you won’t get very much froth with a spoon.
Then again, with this particular Matcha product, I didn’t get a lot of froth anyway. It does froth up a little bit, but not nearly as much as a traditional ceremonial Matcha would. And the froth disappears really quickly.
But the flavor that I expect from a ceremonial Matcha is there! It tastes great! Sweet with absolutely no bitterness. Smooth and creamy. Buttery notes and hints of cacao that are more noticeable in this hot version than they were in the cold bottle. I don’t notice anything from the fiber except for the possibility of a somewhat thicker texture. It’s barely noticeable and I only noticed it because I was trying to focus on whether or not I was noticing anything from the dietary fiber. So … it could have all been in my head.
Anyway … this is a superb to-go instant tea! One of the best products of it’s kind, if you’re a Matcha lover or just someone who appreciates good tea and wants something of high quality to-go, this product is for you.
Product Review: Golden Amber Teadrops
About Teadrops:
Elaborate tea ceremonies have a time and place. However, if you desire high quality tea and are short on time and tea props, then meet Teadrops.
Each Teadrop is a portable morsel comprised of finely sourced tea from India, natural sugar, and aromatic spices creating a blissful tea blend that can be enjoyed any time, any place, with just hot water. No special tools, no steeping time, no tea expertise necessary.
About Golden Amber Teadrops:
Imagine yourself immersed in a tropical valley of vanilla orchids, watching the amber sun as it magically dances across the distant mountain peaks. This beautiful image is what Golden Amber Teadrops evokes when one drinks it. A simple vanilla white tea, that is gentle to the senses, soothing, and sweet. White tea is the mildest of all tea varieties and subtly blends with pure vanilla in perfect harmony.
Learn more about Teadrops here.
Taster’s Review:
After tasting the Cardamom Spice Teadrops, I was very excited to try the other flavors that this company has available. The next teadrop in my teacup? Golden Amber! It’s made with white tea leaves and vanilla.
When I opened the little cellophane wrapper of the Golden Amber Teadrop, I could smell the vanilla. It smells so good!
This is really quite tasty. The white tea base tastes like a fine quality white tea. I taste white tea: sweet, crisp, light, refreshing, with notes of hay and a slight earthiness. I also note hints of melon which is complemented nicely with the sweet, creamy vanilla flavor.
The vanilla is soft and this accentuates the soft, subtle notes of the white tea in a really lovely way. There seems to be just the right amount of vanilla in this tea for me – enough to provide that luscious, sweet flavor of vanilla that I love but not so much that it overwhelms the delicate quality of the white tea. A really delightful balance has been achieved with this product.
As with the Cardamom Spice Teadrops, these are also sweetened. I wished there wasn’t sugar added to the Cardamom Spice, and I wish there wasn’t sugar added to these Golden Amber Teadrops. However, they aren’t too sweet. That is usually my big complaint with pre-sweetened products: they’re too sweet. Like RTD teas. Way too sweet. But this … isn’t. This is sweet but not cloyingly so, and I like the way that the light sweetener here highlights the vanilla notes.
This product also does have the sediment at the bottom of the teacup. But as I mentioned with the other teadrops I tried, none of that sediment affects the sip until I get to about 1/2 inch to the bottom of the cup. Once you reach that point, stop drinking and you won’t get floaters in your sip.
As you may remember in my review of the Cardamom Spice Teadrops (you can check out that review by clicking on this link), I mentioned that I felt that this company should consider developing a “refill” box option for their teadrops. The beautiful wooden “slide” box is amazing, but, I felt that for those customers who wanted to buy teadrops again … well, they might not need another wooden box, you know? So, why not offer a refill option at a lower price for those returning customers.
Well, they listened to me! (I love it when that happens. Occasionally, I do have good ideas.) They now offer a refill option for their three tea flavors. Nice! They also offer free shipping on all their orders: more niceness. And these Golden Amber Teadrops … are also very nice!
I am really happy with this product. These would make a really nice gift for a tea drinker who is a frequent traveler, or someone who needs some convenience with their cuppa!
Product Review: Cardamom Spice Teadrops
About Teadrops:
Elaborate tea ceremonies have a time and place. However, if you desire high quality tea and are short on time and tea props, then meet Teadrops.
Each Teadrop is a portable morsel comprised of finely sourced tea from India, natural sugar, and aromatic spices creating a blissful tea blend that can be enjoyed any time, any place, with just hot water. No special tools, no steeping time, no tea expertise necessary.
About Cardamom Spice Teadrops:
An invigorating blend of fresh cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and fine Black Tea from the tea estates of India.
Learn more about Teadrops here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been told on more than one occasion that I am a tea snob. And I guess I am. There are certainly different “levels” of tea: there is exceptional tea, there is excellent tea, there is good tea, and then there is tea that isn’t good at all. There is tea that doesn’t deserve to call itself tea for to call itself tea is an insult to the good tea of the world. So, when I first encountered this product, I wasn’t sure what to think about it. Tea that has been pressed into a “tablet” that is the size of a quarter that you put into your teacup, add hot water, and stir … and then presto! You have tea? I could feel the tea snob in me emerging.
But I was determined to enter into this tea experience with an open mind. Maybe – just maybe! – this could be something exciting. What the heck, I’ll give it a try.
Let me first tell you about the packaging. I LOVE the box. The wood box offers a beautiful presentation. My one comment about the box, though, would be this: I think that this company should also offer their tea drops as “refills” to their repeat customers at a slightly lower price so that the customer can keep reusing the box. This would not only be better for the environment, but, also better for the pocketbook.
The top of the box slides open and there are eight individually wrapped tea drops of different designs: stars, flowers, hearts … cute! The tea “drop” or tablet had a nice aroma – I could smell the cardamom. I poured boiling water over the tablet and stirred, and it did dissolve quickly.
The fragrance wafting from my teacup is amazing. I love the smell of the tea and cardamom. It’s so warm and inviting. And this is actually really tasty. The tea is rich and satisfying. There is a nice amount of cardamom to this – it’s pleasantly spiced without being overdone. It has a comforting, warm taste to it with a zesty flavor. Hints of citrus too.
It tastes like a fine quality tea. It doesn’t taste to me like “tea dust” or “fannings” that you’d find in a grocery store teabag. I can taste the rich, malty flavor of the tea, and I am enjoying the cardamom.
My biggest complaint about these would be that they’re sweetened. But, even so, there isn’t TOO much sugar to this. I like that they aren’t too sweet, but I think I’d rather choose how much sweetener goes into my tea and not have that decision made for me already. It does make it more convenient for those who usually take sugar in their tea to have the sugar in there already, but, for those of us who don’t always add sugar to our tea, this can be the deal breaker. That said, this isn’t too sweet.
There is also some undissolved leaf sediment that sits at the bottom of the cup too. That isn’t something I was terribly happy about, because I’m not one who likes floaters in my tea. For those of you who are of similar thinking, I’d advise to stop drinking when there is about 1/2 an inch of tea left at the bottom of your cup … I didn’t get any sediment/tea leaf in my sip until I tried to drink beyond that 1/2 an inch mark.
But the rest of the cup was quite enjoyable. I would drink this again, and it would be very convenient for traveling , and it tastes a whole lot better than most hotel and/or restaurant bagged teas. The next time I’m traveling, I’m definitely ordering more of these!
Blueberry Green Iced Tea Powder from Stash Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Powdered)
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
This unique powdered green tea is made from whole green tea leaves that have been ground into a fine powder. We then add natural blueberry flavor for a refreshing, juicy taste. Just add to cold or hot water and stir, no brewing needed!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
So, a few evenings ago, I was in Chuck’s Produce and whenever I’m there, I check out their tea selections. I don’t always buy tea while I’m there, but they are one of the few “grocery” type stores that I trust to purchase tea. (I know that I’ve told the story about when I went to Wal-Mart and found a box of tea on the shelf that was a year past the expiration date? I was disgusted.)
Anyway … there was a display in the front of the store that included boxes of these “tea straws” or pixies that are powdered green tea that you just add to a bottle of water and give it a good, vigorous shake to enjoy a bottle of iced tea that isn’t overrun with sugar like you’d find in the ready to drink section. There were several flavors, but the one that grabbed my attention was this Blueberry Green Iced Tea Powder from Stash Tea.
One “straw” is enough for a 16.9 ounce bottle of water. Just tear open the pouch and pour in the green powder, then put the cap back on the bottle and shake it really good, making sure to break up any clumps. I might add that this particular tea powder mixes really easily, the few clumps that I found didn’t stay there for long … I shook the bottle for about 30 seconds and all the clumps were gone!
And this is really flavorful! The blueberry is very strong … and it overpowers the green tea a bit. I do still taste the fresh, vibrant notes of the sweet, grassy green tea, but, mostly, what I’m tasting is the sweet-tart notes of blueberry. The tartness really comes through at the end of the sip, and it lingers into the aftertaste, providing that berry ‘tingly’ sensation on the tongue long after the sip is gone.
I like this … I like that it’s not overly sweet. This is the one thing I really dislike about the ready to drink teas that are on the market … I dislike that they are so sweet that you can’t taste the tea … all you taste is sugar! UGH! What’s the point? With that much sugar, why not just crack open a can of soda, because what’s the difference, really? You aren’t tasting the tea … and I doubt you’re really getting a whole lot of health benefits of the tea leaf. Because this product is made from the whole leaf that has been ground into a fine powder … you’re getting those benefits … and even though I taste a lot of blueberry flavor and not so much green tea … I’m not tasting an overly sugared beverage and I like that.
OK … my rant is over. Ha!
Overall, I am very satisfied with this product. The price was right! (Just $1.99 at Chuck’s for a box of ten “pixie straws” of powdered green tea ready to take with you where ever you go.) The price is higher at Stash … so you might want to check the prices at your local Whole Foods or something first! But even at $3.49 … that’s a lot of refreshment for a under four bucks!
Mandarin Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Chai Description:
Our latest variety has the lush and delicious flavors of our secret mandarin orange/tangerine blend, in addition to the masala spices that our BLC lovers find so scrumptious. A new favorite!
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
This Mandarin Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai is really different than I expected. As I was preparing it, I kind of expected a sort of “holiday-ish” type black tea blend … you know what I’m talking about, right? The usual “cinnamon and orange” type holiday black tea.
But this isn’t that holiday orange tea at all! That’s not to say that I don’t like those holiday orange teas – I enjoy them! I’m just saying that this tastes quite different from what I was anticipating it to taste like.
Before I wrote this review, I tried this tea a couple of different ways. The first preparation – I prepared it the way I had prepared the other Blue Lotus Chai teas that I’ve enjoyed in the past, with a 1:1 ratio of hot water and steamed milk, and a heaping scoop of the Mandarin Masala Chai mix. (The most adorable little bamboo scoop is included in the package!) Then I stirred vigorously until the mix was completely incorporated. Then I got out my hand held frother to give the top a little bit if a foamy texture.
It’s yummy prepared this way. The tangerine/orange flavors together with the milk give a sort of “creamsicle” type of flavor, which is actually more of an accent flavor than a strong presence in the cup.
The spices are the main focus of this chai (as well they should be … this IS a chai!) I can really taste the nutmeg here. In the other Blue Lotus Chai blends, I could taste the nutmeg … but here, it really comes into its own … perhaps it’s the orange-y notes that really play to the nutmeg here to bring it out. The pepper is well-pronounced. The other spices are also strong … but, unlike some of those aforementioned holiday blends … this is NOT all about the cinnamon. This is not one of those sweet, cinnamon red-hot kind of teas. This is a chai and I taste the ginger and the black pepper … I taste the cinnamon and the nutmeg … and I taste the cardamom and the cloves! It’s a magnificent blend of spices! The black tea is also discernible, but, as I say … the spices are the main event here.
For my second cup of this chai, I decided to omit the milk and prepare this with just eight ounces of boiling water to see if the orange/tangerine flavors are more pronounced in just water versus the water/milk combination.
I actually prefer this particular chai from Blue Lotus Chai without the milk. It’s still nice and spicy, but I taste the tangerine and orange notes better. It’s brighter and more citrus-y … it’s really ZESTY like this … the spices seem to literally dance on the palate. It is spicy and absolutely delicious!
So, there you have it … I’ve tried all five of the chai blends that Blue Lotus Chai offers … and I’ve enjoyed them all. My favorite is still the Star Anise Masala Chai, but I would recommend all of these chai blends to anyone looking for a delicious chai! And since autumn is nearly here (I hope so, because I’m really tired of the heat!) the time is perfect for a yummy chai!