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Lavender Matcha Lemonade

When life provides you with lemonades in the form of a sale at the grocery store, you buy them and then decide what to do with them! There’s just something bright and refreshing about the scent of lemons, or any citrus really, and while I greatly enjoy lemonade plainly, I have been known to couple it with tea in the past. That and the surplus of lavender buds that I have in my possession in the form of a lavender simple syrup, I decide to combine the two together… plus some matcha.

Lavender Matcha Lemonade – Serves 2

Lemonade
2 tablespoons Lavender Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups water

4 teaspoons matcha
½ cup water
Ice cubes
Lemon wedge for garnish
Lavender buds for garnish

Mix Lavender Simple Syrup, water, and lemon juice.
Sift matcha and prepare with water (use a whisk & bowl, shaker bottle, mason jar, etc.)
Add ice cubes to each glass.
Add half the lavender lemonade to each glass.
Add half the prepared matcha to each glass.
Garnish with lemon wedge and lavender buds, as desired.

Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe & Directions

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lavender buds

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Allow mixture to come to a simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Turn off heat and allow the simple syrup to cool.
Pour simple syrup into a jar or container, use a sieve to strain out lavender buds.

Store Lavender Simple Syrup in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

 

If you make this Lavender Matcha Lemonade, I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!

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Dessert by Deb’s Banana Breakfast Muffins

Banana Breakfast Muffins by Dessert by Deb
Type of tea / Straight/Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Banana Breakfast Muffins came as part of my bimonthly Subscription Box from Dessert by deb, and is a Tea Society Subscriber exclusive blend.

First Impressions

Banana Breakfast Muffins came to me in a sealed, resealable pouch as part of Subscription Box from Dessert by Deb. I should give a bit of a disclaimer to begin this review by saying that while I enjoy bananas as the fruit (fresh), I’m not a big fan of artificial banana flavouring or banana chips with that concentrated banana flavour or aroma. Banana Breakfast Muffins is part of the Sweet Winter Brunch Collection.

This green tea blend has a strong banana aroma with cinnamon lingering in the background – it reminds me a lot of a loaf of banana bread (just needs some chocolate chips). Banana Breakfast Muffins consists of: green tea, bananas, cinnamon, and calendula petals.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Banana Breakfast Muffins in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Banana Breakfast Muffins steeps to a remarkably bright yellow colour – reminds me of liquid sunshine. It has a very strong banana aroma, and the cinnamon really tickles the nose when I go to take a sniff of the tea. On first sip, I primarily taste a blend of cinnamon and banana. The taste of the banana is prominent, and the cinnamon hangs out on the tongue. The green tea flavour is more in the background, and there’s a subtle umami note to it that makes this green tea blend almost savoury in nature.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Banana Breakfast Muffins once, but found that the flavour of banana and cinnamon doesn’t come through nearly as much as with the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Dessert by Deb’s Banana Breakfast Muffins was just okay. While the banana and cinnamon really shines through, and reminds me a lot of banana bread – I’m just not a fan of the banana flavouring in my cup of tea.  It does well to mimic the idea of banana bread, which is a favourite for a lot of people. I think for those who enjoy banana chips and banana bread, you’d enjoy this blend.

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

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Adagio Teas’ Bella Luna Blue

Bella Luna Blue by Adagio Teas
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$9.00USD for 1.5oz

Adagio Teas has provided me with Bella Luna Blue for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Bella Luna Blue is a bit of a special blend. Described by Adagio Teas as being an elusive blend, this is an herbal infusion that Adagio Teas only makes available on the day of a blue moon, meaning it’s an extra full moon that occurs. Bella Luna Blue is a blend of lemongrass, butterfly pea flowers, and natural flavouring. The packaging is a sealed, resealable printed pouch with some information regarding the tea on the back – including preparation details and ingredients.

The blend itself is pretty – lemongrass and butterfly pea flowers. I smell just the lemongrass – I’m not convinced at this point that butterfly pea flowers really has much of an aroma or flavour to it (although the colourful experience is always fun). That said, the butterfly pea flowers are quite pretty to look at – and I’m looking forward to steeping this herbal mix!

Preparation

Adagio Teas recommends steeping Bella Luna Blue in 100°C (212°F) water for 5 to 10 minutes. I did an initial steep at the recommended water temperature for 7 minutes.

First Taste

Bella Luna Blue steeps to a gorgeous deep indigo colour. It’s quite pretty and just has a magical appearance to it. The aroma and flavour of the steeped tisane is lemongrass. There’s a very subtle fruity note to it, which I think comes from the natural flavouring. I did have this iced, as I was taking notes from some of the videos Adagio Teas posted on their social media about this blend – and the day that I steeped this wasn’t the warmest day (so iced it was!). The fruity undertones are pleasant, and the lemongrass flavour is throughout.

Adagio Teas did recommend adding some lemon juice – so I did squeeze a wedge of lemon over my cup. The addition of an acid to butterfly pea flower does do a bit of a magic trick – and the glass of iced tea went to a magenta colour. Very fun, and I think the addition of lemon juice (you could probably try lemonade if you want something sweeter), added a bit of brightness to the tisane and allowed for those fruity undertones to be a bit more developed.

A Second Cup?

As Bella Luna Blue is an herbal tisane, I opted to do just the one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Adagio Teas’ Bella Luna Blue. I think the blend is really fun – it’s definitely a bit of a novelty to have a colour changing tisane on hand! I could see this being a big hit with kids and kids at heart. The flavour of Bella Luna Blue is primarily lemongrass, so you really do need to like lemongrass to enjoy this. I really liked it iced, and found the flavour to be better with the addition of lemon than without – so I guess I’m trying to say that I like Bella Luna Blue better as a magenta drink than a blue one.

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