Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Irish Cream with its intoxicating mix of ingredients gets more exciting when combined with the oriental touch of Matcha. Irish cream Matcha is a perfect treat for adults who are looking for a sophisticated snack made up of adventurous ingredients. This unforgettable treat is perfect for after hours, over the weekend or for those special occasions when adults have gathered to bond and have fun. It’s interesting color and arresting taste makes Irish cream Matcha a firm favorite for many adults who want to expand their repertoire of personal entertainment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yummy! I prepared a latte for this tasting of Irish Cream Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, and it is absolutely divine! Sweet, creamy, and I can taste the hint of coffee as well as a whiskey note.
For this batch of flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, I went with my usual specifications: the classic grade of Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring, and again, the distinctive level is just perfect for my taste. (That happens more often than not!) There is a good balance between flavoring and the buttery, vegetative notes of Matcha.
And one thing that I notice here, and perhaps it is because the flavoring is representative of an alcoholic beverage, that I don’t notice that sort of “artificial” flavoring that I sometimes get from the flavoring that Red Leaf Tea uses. This just tastes like … Irish Cream liqueur and Matcha. But rather than feeling lightheaded after drinking an actual mixed cocktail with these two ingredients, I feel focused thanks to the invigorating powers of Matcha! (Although, now that I think about it, that could make for a very intriguing cocktail, indeed! I’m envisioning it served warm … something that will warm me up in the winter!)
To make my latte, I used 2% milk and heated it. As the milk was heating, I measured out several scoops of Irish Cream flavored Matcha into my sifter and sifted the matcha into my chawan. (Note: Red Leaf Tea does pre-sift their Matcha for all their customers, but, I still sift the Matcha more out of habit than anything else. I like to keep up the habit even when I’m about to enjoy a Matcha that I know has already been sifted, because I don’t want to fall out of the habit, you know?)
Once the milk was heated, I carefully poured it into my chawan and stirred it with a fork until everything was well-incorporated and I was sure that no clumps were stuck to the bottom of my chawan. I don’t typically use my chasen to whisk Matcha lattes because I don’t want the milk to possibly produce bacteria on my bamboo whisk. After I was sure the Matcha was all mixed into the milk, I took my hand-held frothing tool and whipped the Matcha to get a light froth on top. This didn’t froth up quite as much as I would have liked … I’m not sure if that’s because I used all milk rather than a milk and water combination.
Regardless, the latte was absolutely delicious … and it disappeared from my chawan almost instantly it tasted so good! I really, really like this flavor. If you’ve been hesitant to try Red Leaf Tea’s flavored Matcha … this one would be a great place to start. It’s really good!
Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company
Tea Description:
Top’o’the’mornin’ our pasty Irish butts. If you need a kick with a kick to start your day (or wake you up after lunch), here’s your tea, good ma’am or sir.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Tim Finnegan’s Wake-Up Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company is JUST what I needed today to get myself motivated! It’s just one of those days, you know, when I’d rather stay curled up in bed … but I have stuff I need to get done. I knew I needed something that would energize me and that’s just what this tea has done for me.
The black tea base is a BOLD black tea base – I suspect that there is some Assam in this because I can taste malty tones and that rich flavor that I normally associate with Assam. It has a good, strong, invigorating flavor and provides a solid taste for the background to support the flavors of Irish cream.
The creaminess melds nicely with the malt notes, and I can taste notes that taste very whiskey-like. I like that while these flavors are strong and distinguished, they do not mask the flavor of the tea – this tea is about the tea first, and the flavors second!
The tea has a fair amount of astringency to it, it is a drying astringency that I notice right at the tail. The palate feels clean after the sip, and there are hints of sweetness in the aftertaste.
This is definitely a great tea to help start the day off right. I tried it straight first, and it was good – but there was a certain EDGE to it that I wanted to soften just a bit so I added about half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar and this brought out the sweet, creamy notes as well as softened that aforementioned edge. A splash of milk or cream accentuates the creaminess, but, I found this to have a pleasant creaminess without the addition of dairy.
This is the first tea I’ve tried from this company, and it’s a good one! I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it.
Connemara Morning Black Tea Blend from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
One taste and you’ll believe Connemara Morning was mixed up by some leprechauns.It starts with a blend of black teas that a full bodied, rich, malty, and earthy taste. This is combined with Irish cream flavoring that gives it a sweet decadence. Then petals and shamrock sprinkles are added as a bit of whimsy.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the package of this Connemara Morning Black Tea Blend from Trail Lodge Tea, the scent of the Irish cream flavoring took me by surprise. It’s really quite fragrant! I really looked forward to pouring my first cup and taking a sip … it smells so good!
The dry leaf is very attractive with the yellow flower petals and the whimsical shamrock candy sprinkles tossed amid the dark tea leaves. Candy sprinkles are certainly NOT a buying point for me when it comes to tea, personally, I think that teas are better off without them, but I have to admit that they certainly add a pleasing visual appeal to the dry leaf, and as one who used to create my own tea blends, I can see why companies have taken to add these little additions. Without them, the tea looks pretty much like every other tea out there. The sprinkles help the tea stand out and give it some interest … and really, even though they do add just a hint of sweetness to the brewed tea (as they do melt and add just a touch of sugar to the tea) their contribution, flavor wise, is really very insignificant.
But what does add some flavor to this cup is the Irish Cream! Wow! So good!
The flavor of Irish Cream really marries quite nicely with the rich black tea blend used as the base for this tea. The two seem made for each other! The black tea blend is a combination of Indian and Chinese black teas, and based on what I’m tasting, I suspect that there is some Assam in this blend. It has that rich, malty flavor that Assam tends to bring to the cup. The blend is very satisfying and provides a very solid taste for the backdrop of this flavored tea.
The Irish Cream tastes sweet and creamy. Creamy enough, I would say, to be enjoyed without the addition of dairy, if this is something you prefer to avoid, but, it is also quite lovely when served as a latte. (Just a splash of milk makes this happen) As I said, I found this quite enjoyable without any dairy, and I think I prefer enjoying the strength of the black tea without the creamy addition. But if you’re looking for an extra creamy treat … the latte is the way to go!
This flavor of this tea does improve by letting the freshly brewed tea cool ever so slightly before you begin sipping. The piping-hot cup is delicious, but, let it sit for two minutes, and the flavor of the Irish Cream really develops nicely. It’s worth waiting for … even though I found myself sitting here, rather impatiently, for that two minutes to lapse, because the scent wafting from my cup was almost too much to resist!
A really lovely cup of tea – definitely worth a try … especially for those who love the flavor of Irish Cream!
Irish Cream Black Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
The Irish love strong black teas, so be ready! There’s an enticing aroma of cream and a malty, earthy, creamy sweet flavour. It’s brisk and full-bodied. And organic to boot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
This is the first tea that I am sampling from this month’s Amoda Tea Tasting Box. This box seems to be focused not only on St. Patrick’s Day, but also on spring.
When I first brewed this Irish Cream Black Tea from Shanti Tea, I thought it might be an Irish Breakfast type blend that has been flavored with a vanilla cream flavor … but as it turns out, it is more like an “Irish Cream” flavor … and I taste very subtle hints of cream liqueur along with the overtones of vanilla cream. YUM!
And this is indeed yummy! The cream note is well-defined, and it enhances the overall cup really nicely. It adds a pleasing creamy taste, eliminating the need to add dairy to the cup for that desired creamy note. The vanilla also accentuates the malty tones of the Assam tea in this blend. (At least, it certainly TASTES like Assam is in this tea!) The liqueur note is subtle, but, I like how it weaves its way in and out of the sip.
Because of what I believe IS Assam in this blend, it’s important not to over-steep this tea. I steeped my cup for 2 1/2 minutes and I’d say that is just about perfect. Any longer and I think this would have a slightly bitter tone, but, as it is, this is tasting just right. There is a moderate astringency to the cup.
This is an extraordinarily rich cup of tea – a great tea with which to start your day. Just enough sweetness to it … and a whole lot of gusto!
American Breakfast Blend from Simpson & Vail
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Simpson & Vail
Product Description:
One of Mr. Vail’s 15 original tea blends.
Traditional English and Irish Breakfast teas are generally quite robust blends. This version, for standard American tastes, is comprised of teas from India, Sri Lanka, China and Formosa. It is full-bodied and malty with a bright amber cup, but unlike our English and Irish teas, it has a delightful flowery bouquet. It can be enjoyed as is or is excellent with milk, lemon or sweetener. American Breakfast is a blend that is a perfect choice for your first cup of the day.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 3 minutes.
Tasters Review:
I was so excited I was able to drink one of Mr. Vail’s original blends (one of the first 15, even!) I’m also really excited they made mention of both English and Irish Breakfasts in the product description as well as mentioning the black tea blended base is made up of teas from India, China, Sri Lanka, and Formosa. With all this in mind I can’t help but think of what America is made of…immigrants – we all are! People from all over the world make up America so it puts a smile on my face that all of this also goes into this American Breakfast Blend of a tea.
My Father’s Mom’s Family was 100% Irish! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, by the way! I nice day for everyone to be a little Irish, eh!?
I can taste the English and Irish Breakfast comparisons, here, but I can pick up on the floral notes, sweet-woodsy notes, a bit of smoke, and even hints of citrus – naturally speaking.
This is super tasty! Much of what I look for in a Breakfast/Black Tea with a little extra something! I really like this blend of teas from S&V!
