Strawberry Matcha from Red Leaf Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Red Leaf Tea

Tea Description:

Are you having your 5 A DAY ? What better way to have your first fruit portion of the day is there than to try our Strawberry Matcha Tea. Our Matcha Tea is blended with the best hand picked European Strawberries. It’s time to get those buiscuits out to fuse with our 100% Pure Matcha Tea with a blend of the freshest Aroma of  strawberries. 

Learn more about this Matcha here.

Taster’s Review:

Ah!  Strawberries!  Is there any fruit that says “summertime” more beautifully than strawberries?

Strawberries always remind me of my gramma, because she lived very close to one of those strawberry stands that was located right at the foot of the strawberry field – where you could go and pick your own strawberries, or you could go the easy route and simply buy a big flat of strawberries that had been picked that very morning.  So, when strawberry season arrived – and in Southern California, strawberry season is noticeably longer than here in the Pacific Northwest (rain causes the strawberries on the vine to rot, and we’re kind of known for our rain up here in the Pacific Northwest) – and all throughout the season, I could always count on having some fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert whenever I visited gramma’s house for dinner.  YUM!

So, while strawberries are not my favorite fruit, they are certainly up there in the top five (probably more like the top three), and they do hold a very special place in my memories because of my gramma.

In case you’re wondering, my favorite fruit is tomatoes.  Yes, tomatoes.  Hey, Red Leaf Teas … how about a TOMATO flavored Matcha?

Anyway, after reading the many positive reviews about this Strawberry Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, I decided I needed to try it.  The specifications for this matcha was similar to the specifications for the others that I’ve ordered from Red Leaf Tea:  Starter Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring.  And yet again, I find that the distinctive level of flavoring is just perfect for me.  Of course, I really don’t have anything to compare it to, but I just know that I’m loving what I’m tasting, and that’s good enough for me.

The strawberry essence was evident from the moment I opened the pouch.  I could smell it, even without holding my nose over the pouch and inhaling.  I’ve learned from past errors in judgement that it is not a good idea to inhale a pile of Matcha… the powder is super fine and will either get sucked up into your nostrils (not fun) or might get blown all over the place and you’d not only have a mess to clean up but also a lot of wasted Matcha.  Matcha is for drinking, not for scattering all over the kitchen counter!

I sifted the Matcha … and here’s another thing that I’ve noticed about Red Leaf Tea versus other flavored Matcha that I’ve tried – you CAN and therefore SHOULD sift the flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea.  In the past, with other flavored Matcha from other sources, I found that there were little bits of flavor particles which wouldn’t make their way through the fine mesh of the strainer, and therefore would affect the flavor of the Matcha.  I don’t know what kind of flavor that Red Leaf Tea uses to flavor their Matcha, but it would seem that it is ground as fine as the Matcha itself, and therefore does not inadvertently get “sifted out” when you sift the Matcha.  And sifting does absolutely improve the end result.  So … I recommend sifting this Matcha!

After measuring and sifting the Matcha, I added the hot water and began whisking.  It whisked up nice and frothy.  And YUM!  This is so deliciously strawberry.  Strawberry from the very first sip.  And what’s even nicer is that the strawberry flavor develops as I sip … so the last sip offers an even stronger strawberry flavor than the first sip did.

Of course, I can taste the buttery, vegetative taste of the Matcha too.  It goes along very nicely with the strawberry flavor.  The strawberry is sweet and juicy tasting, and the Matcha offers a nice, earthy contrast.  Sweet and delicious – and no chalkiness or even any gritty aftertaste or texture.  Just smooth, creamy goodness!

This is actually my second time drinking this Matcha – yesterday, we were near the tail end of a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest.  I know it was the tail end because today, it’s not so hot!  Yesterday, had you told me that the heat was almost over, I would have not believed you.  It felt like it was never ending!  It was so miserably hot.  And yes, I have read the studies that claim that hot liquids help cool the body, but, I was so uncomfortable that the thought of drinking anything hot was just as unbearable as the heat was.

So after whisking up the Matcha, I decided that even though I serve Matcha cooler than I serve most other hot teas, I didn’t want hot Matcha, I wanted something cold and frosty.  So, I poured the Matcha into my blender, added some ice cubes, milk and a little bit more of the Matcha powder and blended it until it was all smooth.  And let me just say that this was so incredible!  Strawberries and cream!  Delicious and oh so cool!  It was so refreshing.

And I was tempted to make another today, but I decided to try this the way Matcha “should” be consumed, so I drank it hot and loved it that way too.  It’s hard to say which way I liked it best – I enjoyed the additional creamy element from the milk as well as the frosty cool taste of the “matcha milkshake” that I made, but it is absolutely heavenly served “properly” in a chawan, whisked up to a frothy, creamy, delicious hot drink.

I don’t know if this is my favorite Matcha that I’ve tried so far from Red Leaf Tea (the Caramel Matcha was pretty darned amazing too!) but it’s right up there.  Amazingly good!