Matcha Honey & Lemon/Tipson

Recently, the SororiTea Sisters received an incredibly generous box with quite a variety of different Tipson teas.  Tipson is not a tea brand I’m familiar with but was intrigued by the different varieties they offered- all in tea bag form.

The first one that caught my eye was their Matcha Honey & Lemon variety.  I’ve had matcha before in a tea bag form and was not crazy about how the flavors came around so I was intrigued if this take on a bagged matcha would be different.  This particular variety not only had organic matcha, but also had organic green tea and lemongrass with natural lemon and honey flavors listed.  Again, interesting combo but wasn’t 100% sure those flavors would mingle well.

So this morning I prepped my tea up with freshly boiled water and allowed the tea to steep for the recommended 3 minutes.  First sip in- I was surprised.  The flavors weren’t what I was expecting.  The first flavor that comes across is the green tea and lemon notes and I have to say, the flavor was pleasant.  The honey flavor comes in towards the middle of the sip and it isn’t my favorite take on honey.  The flavor reminded me more of a cough drop than actual honey flavors but I know that honey flavors are sometimes hard to pin point.  At the end of the sip you get the slightest hint of matcha.

To try to pull out the matcha flavors, I tried making this tea as a cold brew tea and the flavors were about the same as hot brewing.  Overall, this tea exceeded my previous experiences with bagged matcha and I can see having this tea on hand for those days where brewing loose leaf may just not be in the cards.  Not an everyday drinker but one that I could easily sip on during the day and for sure has me intrigued to check out other teas from Tipson.

And a special for our readers- Use 20OFFBOXES to get a great discount at checkout!


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Tipson Tea

Description

ORGANIC MATCHA WITH HONEY & LEMON – Organic Matcha, Organic Green tea, Organic Lemongrass and natural lemon and honey are complimenting ingredients, which will add long term benefits to your overall wellbeing. This sought-after Organic Matcha tea has been joyfully combined with the other ingredients to elevate its quality and nutrients. Brimming with anti-oxidants, minerals, EGCG and vitamins, this Organic Matcha tea is a perfectly healthy start to your day.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Matcha Black Soybean Rice Tea / Lupicia. . . . . .

Well this is unique.

Genmaicha with black beans.

I’ve seen some interesting versions of genmaicha but this is the first I really want to cook with. Too bad it’s only a tea bag.

The aroma as you open the bag is both ‘ricey’ and nutty. Be careful of the steeping times with this one. The suggested high-end is 1 minute.

Luckily if you do go over a minute, as I did, it won’t be ruined with bitterness and astringent absurdness. The liquid color is a cloudy yellowish-green and has a very mellow flavor.

The soybeans/ black beans help the tea develop some unique, almost nutty characteristics. The grassy flavors are mostly undertones but they work so well with the rice.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Lupicia
Description:

MATCHA BLACK SOYBEAN RICE TEAis a blend of genmaicha (rice tea) with Matcha and high-quality black beans. Enjoy the harmony of sweet roasted black beans and mellow matcha. “Mame” is Japanese for “beans” but it also means “healthy.” This tea was created with a wish for everyone’s health.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

U Matcha Single Sips from The Republic of Tea. . .

It’s that time of year, when you long for tea but the thought of a hot cuppa after being out in the heat and humidity makes you cringe.

Republic of Tea to the rescue! After gardening a while, I needed to hydrate. I reached for the convenient single serving pack and added it to a glass of cold water and used my aerolatte to stir the heck out of it.

These packs are intended for use with a 16.9 ounce water bottle (or 8 ounces hot water if you aren’t broiling like I am right now!) so you can have matcha on the go. Perfect for my son, the Crossfit trainer! Instructions say to pour off a wee bit of water – or just take a sip or two – and add the powder, replace the lid and shake shake SHAKE!

But how does it taste? Like matcha! While this is probably not ceremonial grade matcha, it isn’t bitter and this has monk fruit and organic agave inulin – which they advertise as being prebiotic – added. It is grassy and fresh, and just became available in June!

It was good and refreshing, went down super fast, and should give me the energy I need to do a bit more in the yard before retiring for the day. My son and daughter both carry water bottles of cold matcha in hot weather. This is a good way to keep it handy if you need to mix on the go.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Matcha
Where to Buy:  The Republic of Tea
Description

This unique innovation allows Citizens to make premium organic matcha tea easily and conveniently, whether at home or on the go. Featuring a touch of monk fruit and the prebiotic agave inulin, each Single Sip makes a slightly sweetened cup of matcha with just 15 calories.

Add a Single Sip packet directly to a bottle of water for a chilled matcha — simply pour, shake and sip! If you prefer a freshly made cup of matcha wherever you are, add a packet to hot water then give it a stir; no need for fancy whisks or frothers. Each recyclable PET canister includes 14 individual Single Sip packets for a two-week supply.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Matcha Done Right. . . . #KissMeOrganics

Kiss Me Organics! LOVE the name of the company! And I have to say they have one of the most comprehensive websites I have seen in a while. Everything is very nicely done – from the multi-media to the colors and theme to the info and beyond!

They have some really sleek and trendy tools and tea gadgets on their site, too, but today I want to share with you my experiences with their Organic Matcha Culinary Grade Green Tea Powder from Japan.

The company markets it as an all day energy and metabolism boost, something that increases your focus, improves skin health, and offers up to 137 times the EGCG of brewed green tea. I personally am not focused on the claims – I’m more interested in the texture and taste but it each it’s own!

Moving on to the texture and taste I have to say both are incredibly impressive! While whisking – it only bubbled up for a milli-second or so before the bubble/froth diminished. More importantly for what I was looking for while preparing my matcha recently was to make sure that it was completely smooth without any lumps or clumps or grit. I had all the success in the world! It was very easy to whisk and turn the powder into silky liquid matcha with little effort!

The color was a vibrant, solid, green with slight grey shadow to it. The taste was AMAZING! It was ‘green’ tasting but creamy and smooth, too! It was delicious! It was strong without being bitter. It was everything I was looking for in a straight-up matcha!

For our readers- Kiss Me Organics is offering a 10% coupon-use SororiTeaMatcha.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green Tea/Matcha
Where to Buy:  Kiss Me Organics
Description

Our Japanese-grown, 100% certified organic, Culinary Grade Matcha powder contains 137x the antioxidants of brewed green tea. Matcha is a potent antioxidant and consuming it can increase thermogenesis (the rate at which our body burns calories) by 30 to 50%. Our green tea powder contains a potent amino acid, L-Theanine, that helps reduce stress while providing a steady energy boost (for up to 6 hours), without the caffeine crash. Kiss Me Organics Culinary grade matcha is made from 100% certified organic ingredients and comes in a BPA-FREE Packaging with resealable zipper pouch. Ideal for blending, baking and cooking. 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.


Contains caffeine: All matcha contains a combination of caffeine and L-Theanine, which provides a calm, long-lasting energy boost.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Caramel Popcorn Matcha from Matcha Outlet (formerly Red Leaf Tea). . . .

Matcha is supposed to be the epitome of healthy teas. People see the green hue of a matcha latte and assume it is good for you. There are claims that the finely ground green tea can boost metabolism, burn calories, calm the mind, relax the body, enhance the mood, prevent diseases and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, matcha can also taste a touch like grass at times and as someone who discovered matcha when I was just discovering tea, I was not quite ready to willingly drink something that seemed like it was produced by my lawn mower.

What did intrigue me was flavored matchas. Maybe it doesn’t possess all the same benefits as regular matcha due to the sugars and additives to capture the flavors but I don’t drink tea because of health claims so this didn’t bother me in the slightest. I was most concerned about flavor and this meant a whole new world of teas to try thanks to Matcha Outlet (which went by Red Leaf Tea when I discovered them). With options ranging from strawberries & cream to cheese pizza and everything in between, the selection is endless. Plus, you can customize the grade of tea you want and the level of flavoring used in your matcha.

Of the flavored matchas I have tried so far, Caramel Popcorn Matcha has to be one of utmost favorites. I use 1/2 a teaspoon in a cup of milk and mix them together in the frother. That small amount packs quite a punch, both in terms of caffeine and flavor. It actually tastes like liquid caramel popcorn, right down to the butteryness of the snack. Sweet caramel starts and ends the sip but it floats atop a distinctively popcorn flavor – buttery, slightly roasty, and just a hint of salt.

Each time I have it, I am always amazed at how accurate this is and how much it works as a matcha milk when it really shouldn’t (I mean popcorn and milk just seems like a weird combination to me). As far as flavored matchas go, this is one I recommend time and time again but if Caramel Popcorn isn’t your thing, I am sure Matcha Outlet has something for you. Some of my other favorites include French Butter Cookie, Bavarian Cream, Bananas & Cream, Strawberries & Cream, and Coconut.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Matcha
Where to Buy:  Matcha Outlet
Description

Caramel Popcorn Matcha has the natural flavors of pure Matcha and caramelized popcorn. Its flavor is enhanced with sweet caramel blend with corn kernels aroma in a very mild leafy notes. Its taste introduces a level of Matcha flavor that is perfect for any Matcha treat such as smoothies and lattes.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!