Category: Review

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Thinktea’s Matcha Set

Matcha Set by Thinktea
Ceramic, Bamboo, and Oak
$29.99

First Impressions

Last year, I was wanting to branch out and start preparing and reviewing matcha at home, which is the primary reason why I purchased this set from Thinktea (a brand available via Stokes Stores). This four piece matcha set consists of a matcha bowl (ceramic), whisk (100 bamboo prongs), a long handled bamboo scoop, and a Japanese oak spoon (where 1 spoon = ½ teaspoon). The one piece that I would say it probably missing is something to sift the powder to break up any clumps prior to whisking.

All the pieces seem pretty solid, the bowl has a lovely floral design on the inside and outside of the bowl. I’m not that familiar with what the difference is between the scoop and the spoon, so I’m not sure why both would needed.

Preparation

I gave everything a quick rinse under hot tap water prior to usage, you just never know how long everything’s been sitting in storage for or how many people handled it.

First Use

I am not a matcha expert, nor do I play one on television. The first time I used this matcha set, I used the scoop to transfer the matcha to the bowl and I wound up spilling some on my counter. I found the oak spoon a lot easier to use (and less spillage!), so my novice self thinks that the reason why both are included is that one is for novice matcha makers and one is for more experienced tea ceremony masters.

I whisked the matcha in an M (or W) motion until it seems well mixed and has some bubbles on top. You do have to whisk quite vigorously to get some foam action happening, so it’s both an exercise in making matcha and a small arm workout. I learned about preparing matcha from Kimmy of Whisk Matcha (when I met her at the 2017 Vancouver Tea Festival) so I’m somewhat confident that I’m doing it somewhat properly.

Overall Impression

I loved Thinktea’s Matcha Set. I kind of wish it came with some instructions for the very novice beginner, but I think for $29.99, it makes for a great beginner set. If you’re new to matcha, you don’t necessarily want to be spending a lot of money in your teaware right away because what if you decide that you don’t like matcha or you decide that your preferred way to prepare matcha is in smoothie.

For $29.99, you get a bowl, spoon, and scoop that’ll last you for quite a while (possibly forever if you don’t drop or break anything), and a whisk that’ll be decent for whisking up some ceremonial matcha. You could easily spend that much on a fancy matcha bowl alone (or a lot more). Of the four piece set, the only item that I can see having to be repeatedly replace would be the whisk, since it’s not meant to last forever, which makes this Matcha Set a modest investment in my matcha journey.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Trudy Ann’s Bombay Masala Chai

Bombay Masala Chai by Trudy Ann’s
Black Tea / Flavoured
$11.99 for 40g (16 cups)

First Impressions

I first met Trudy Ann at the 2017 Vancouver Tea Festival, which is also where I made my first purchase of her Bombay Masala Chai. She’s a complete sweetheart, if you ever have the chance to interact with her at one of the shows or markets that she sells at. Now, onto the tea!

Bombay Masala Chai is made up of: black tea, cardamom, true cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and peppers. Inside of the kraft paper bag, you find black tea and a small pouch of ground spices. The instructions on the back of the packaging tell you to store the spices in a separate jar. The aroma of the spices is really inviting, I can definitely smell the cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon – those are the stronger aromatics so they’re the most obvious. The black tea smells like an assam (which, according to the product page on Trudy Ann’s website, it is).

Preparation

Trudy Ann includes directions for steeping this tea in a cup, on the stove top, iced, and how to resteep it. I’ll discuss the directions for steeping in a cup since that’s what I did.

Trudy Ann recommends adding 1 tsp tea and ¼ tsp chai masala (spices) to 1 cup of boiling (100°C/212°F) water, and to steep for 5 minutes prior to straining. Then, you can add cream and sweetener to tastes. For this review, I followed the steeping instructions and tried it plain.

First Taste

Bombay Masala Chai steeps to a beautiful golden orange and has a lovely aroma that comes up from the tea. You can definitely smell the cardamom and ginger, and I love those aromatics. The tea itself has a nice sweetness to it, and the combination of spice to black tea is well balanced. I enjoy the fact that it’s not too spicy – if you’ve ever had some chai blends, you might know what I’m talking about when the spices overwhelm the black tea base or when one spice just covers up the rest of them. Bombay Masala Chai has a nice balance though, I can taste the black tea, as well as the different spices.

A Second Cup?

Trudy Ann’s recommendations for a second steep is to double the steep time (from 5 minutes to 10 minutes). I found that at 10 minutes, the first resteep is fairly similar to the initial steep. It’s not as sweet as the initial steep, but that’s something that can be easily remedied with a bit of sugar or honey.

My Overall Impression

I loved Trudy Ann’s Bombay Masala Chai. If you’re a fan of chai but struggle to get the spice to tea balance right (like me!), I would recommend giving this blend a try. I love that the spices are right there and you can control how much you put in. You can smell the ingredients, there’s clear instructions for making the tea whatever way you want, and the flavours are just so well balanced against each other that it’s enjoyable and there’s not just one spice that’s overwhelming the rest.

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Lemon Lily’s Rose Petal Chai

Rose Petal Chai by Lemon Lily
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.00 for 50g

Lemon Lily’s Rose Petal Chai came to me as part of a subscription box from The Sugared Teacup.

First Impressions

As a fan of black tea blends, I’m a sucker for a good chai. There’s just something soothing about a black with with a whole bunch of spices… and sometimes I’ll add some honey or sugar and some frothed milk and make it into a tea latte. I was happy to see Rose Petal Chai in the box that I received from The Sugared Teacup, because while I love a good chai, I don’t always have all the ingredients on hand to blend it on my own, so having it blended for me helps a lot!

Rose Petal Chai came to me in a resealable bag, the aroma of the dry leaf is primarily that of cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon – yum! Lemon Lily’s Rose Petal Chai consists of: black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, rose petal, rosehip, and vanilla bean – all certified organic.

Preparation

Lemon Lily recommends steeping Rose Petal Chai in 212°F (100°C) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Rose Petal Chai steeps to a deep reddish-brown, and has a beautiful aroma that is mostly that of cardamom and ginger. It’s a very relaxing aroma if you breathe it in deep! I found that the flavour of the tea is well reflected by the ingredients list. I can taste the cardamom, there’s some gentle heat from the ginger, and I can taste the cinnamon for sure. I found that there’s just a hint of floral sweetness, which I attribute to the rose petal and rosehip. I can’t make out the vanilla bean, unfortunately, but the overall flavour profile definitely makes me think of a nice chai.

I did try Rose Petal Chai with a touch of honey and some frothed milk to make it into a tea latte and I was not disappointed! If you like chai lattes, I would definitely recommend trying this chai as a tea latte.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Rose Petal Chai twice. The first resteep was fairly similar to the initial steep in terms of flavour and strength of all the ingredients. The second resteep was missing the floral sweetness and the ginger was more lost. I would say that Rose Petal Chai is good for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Lemon Lily’s Rose Petal Chai. I found the blend of ingredients to be incredibly pleasant, and made for a very nice lightly floral cup of chai. The gentle heat of the ginger and the presence of cardamom make for a very nice cup of tea – made all the better when I turned it into a tea latte! I do wish the vanilla bean was more a present flavour, since I love the flavour of vanilla bean. I think this blend could do with some more rose petals, just to impart a stronger rose flavour into the tea.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.