Category: Review

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Dessert by Deb’s Matcha Key Lime Pie

Matcha Key Lime Pie by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

First Impressions

When I spotted Matcha Key Lime Pie in my bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb, I was intrigued. I mean – key lime pie? Hello, that’s a delicious dessert any day of the week.  Mix in some matcha and it’s a good day all around! I really do hope that there’s a matcha key lime pie that exists out there in the real world, because I would dig into that for sure. This Matcha Key Lime Pie comes in a metallic pink pouch with a polka dotted label. Matcha Key Lime Pie is from Dessert by Deb’s Japanese & Asian Patisserie collection.

The aroma from the dry leaf is a strong lime aroma that does make me think of key lime pie. I don’t really smell the matcha or the coconut, but lime is such a strong citrus fruit, that it really does make for a strong flavour profile. Matcha Key Lime Pie consists of: green tea, natural lime flavour, lime pieces & peel, toasted coconut, Canadian maple, and ceremonial matcha – where the coconut, maple, and matcha are all certified organic ingredients.

The matcha powder dusts over all of the other ingredients quite easily. The appearance of all of the ingredients is a similar bright spring green that is the matcha. It is beautiful though, and has a great lime aroma to it.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends preparing Matcha Key Lime Pie in 200°F (93°C) water for 5 to 6 minutes, and also recommended to prepare it as a latte. I opted to prepare Matcha Key Lime Pie straight up with an initial steep of 5 minutes, with the plan to have Matcha Key Lime Pie as a latte later.

First Taste

Matcha Key Lime Pie steeps to a bright spring green, with a strong lime aroma. The flavour of the tea is tart – much like a key lime pie. There’s a good amount of lime flavour, with touches of umami throughout. There’s something about the lime that just sort of coats everything – the flavour of it just permeates the whole sip of tea and definitely over powers the coconut, since I don’t taste it. And I also find that the tartness of lime also takes over any sweetness from the maple that might have otherwise been in my cup of tea.

A Second Cup?

Attempting to resteep Matcha Key Lime Pie resulted in a sad cup of tea that was sorely lacking in the lime flavour, so I would recommend just one steep with these leaves.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Matcha Key Lime Pie. I really enjoyed the tartness and strength of the lime flavour in this green tea blend – I do wish that the coconut and maple shone through more, but I still found that it reminded me a lot of key lime pie so I wasn’t put off by it. I do wish that there was more sweetness in my cup, so I would definitely add some sweetener to it to make it even more of a liquid dessert. Still delicious though, and I think it’s certainly a unique blend because I’ve never had anything like it.

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DavidsTea’s Blood Orange Earl Grey

Blood Orange Earl Grey by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Coming in a sealed, resealable silver pouch, Blood Orange Earl Grey comes in familiar packaging. The label is a navy blue with teal print, and the finer print is (like I’ve said a few times before) small. The tea caught my interest because I’m a fan of Earl Grey and I like trying blends inspired by Earl Grey, so when I spy a blend called Blood Orange Earl Grey, I’m going to try it.

The aroma of Blood Orange Earl Grey is a very bright citrus aroma – it’s inviting with the fruity fragrance. Blood Orange Earl Grey contains: black tea, orange peel, rosehip, hibiscus, calendula petals, and natural flavouring. The ingredients are organic, hence the labelling on the packaging and the USDA symbol.  I don’t really smell a heavy floral fragrance, but I think it’s because the orange peel and natural flavouring is just a stronger aroma in comparison. I also didn’t spy a lot of hibiscus in my bag, even after giving it a shake to redistribute the ingredients.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Blood Orange Earl Grey in 95°C (200°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Blood Orange Earl Grey for in 95°C water for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Blood Orange Earl Grey steeps to a bright yellow, with a citrus aroma to match. The tea is lightly floral, with a bright citrus flavour. There’s a bit of astringency at tail end of each sip, which I contribute to the black tea base. I found there wasn’t much of a sweetness to the tea. I did try adding some sweetener (organic agave syrup) and I found that helped to temper the astringency, and adding a touch of evaporated milk made it more palatable. With most teas, having acidic ingredients (e.g. lemon, orange, hibiscus) does tend to curdle dairy products, but I found that evaporated milk held up (please note, there wasn’t a lot of visible hibiscus in my pouch of Blood Orange Earl Grey).

A Second Cup?

I attempted a second steep of Blood Orange Earl Grey and found that it was bland in comparison to the initial steep. I didn’t get a lot of citrus notes, and found it was primarily malty with an astringent notes from the black tea base.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Blood Orange Earl Grey. I liked the citrus notes in this Earl Grey inspired blend, and found that it did well with being doctored up with some sweetener and milk. The astringency was the part that made me not enjoy it as much; but those that don’t mind astringency in their black tea blends would probably enjoy it.

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Naoki Matcha’s Uji Harmony

Uji Harmony by Naoki Matcha
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$50.00USD for 60g

Uji Harmony is part of Naoki Matcha’s Masters Collection Matcha Set, a collection of three different ceremonial grade matcha. Uji Harmony makes up 20g of the 60g set. Naoki Matcha has provided me with Uji Harmony for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Arriving in a sealed, resealable pouch, Uji Harmony is the third matcha in the Masters Collection Matcha Set from Naoki Matcha. Uji is a city located near Kyoto, Japan, and Naoki Matcha describes it as being a well-known matcha producing region. Green tea has been produced in the area for centuries, and is also home to one of the oldest tea shops in Japan (established in 1160!).

Uji Harmony is described as a matcha blend by Naoki Matcha – but it’s still 100% Japanese Matcha. The colour is a bright spring green, with a light grassy aroma to it. Just check out that beautiful powder! It’s such a nice colour. Fun fact about matcha – it takes hours and hours to produce matcha that’s traditionally produced using a stone mill. If the tencha is ground too quickly, it can cause degradation of the tea. But look at that beautiful colour:

Preparation

Now, there is no preparation instructions on the packaging, but there is a referral to go to the Naoki Matcha website. I opted to prepare Uji Harmony in a traditional method with a bamboo whisk and bowl (my method described here).

First Taste

After a whisk of Uji Harmony, it becomes a lovely grassy green with a thin layer of bubbles and froth across the top. The flavour is grassy, vegetal, with a good amount of umami. I found while drinking that there was a bit of a nutty undertone that reminded me of cashews. It has a a nice flavour profile in that there are subtle changes through each stage of a sip.

A Second Cup?

As with all matcha, there are no second steeps with Uji Harmony.

My Overall Impression

I loved Naoki Matcha’s Uji Harmony. The flavour profile of this matcha was a treat to prepare and drink. Uji Harmony sifts and whisks up easily, and it is easy to drink – which is always a nice feature in a matcha. It has an interesting flavour profile, with the nutty undertones, which makes it a delight to drink and experience. While I enjoyed Uji Harmony straight up, I would imagine it would do well also as a latte or iced. This is not one that I would waste on blending into smoothies or other culinary pursuits.

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