Tag: DavidsTea

Cherry Blossom Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Cherry Blossom Matcha was a tea that my local DavidsTea shop was promoting the day that I went in, so I gave it a sniff and opted to buy a small amount to try at home. Like with previous matcha blends that I have purchased from DavidsTea, this one is also a drink mix with the first ingredient being cane sugar. It is a bit disappointing because there’s so much education and information out there about the obesity epidemic out there regarding how much sugar people are taking in on a regular basis. That said, moderation is key!

Cherry Blossom Matcha comes in a silver foil bag that is resealable. The printed label has the information for the matcha blend – including the description, ingredients, and steeping instructions. The powder itself has a light floral aroma to it, and I can smell the matcha. The description suggests that there’s a cherry flavour but I can’t smell that at all. Cherry Blossom Matcha is a pretty green colour and has a light sparkle to it that comes from the cane sugar. The ingredients for this matcha blend are: cane sugar, matcha green tea, and natural cherry blossom flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends preparing Cherry Blossom Matcha with 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to sift the powder into my matcha bowl prior to preparing it with my bamboo whisk. If you need some tips for preparing matcha, click here for my Basics of Preparing Matcha article.

First Taste

Cherry Blossom Matcha whisks up very easily, and it was quick to produce a layer of foam on top of the matcha. There’s a sweet, floral aroma from the tea. The first thing I noticed when drinking it is the sweetness. I would say that is very sweet, and the floral notes come in second. There is a touch of grassy flavour from the matcha base, but the sweetness from the cane sugar is the most prominent flavour.

I think Cherry Blossom Matcha would be a great option to have as a matcha latte, as the milk would help cut down on the sweetness.

A Second Cup?

As Cherry Blossom Matcha is a matcha (suspension!), there is no ‘second cup’ with the same powder.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Cherry Blossom Matcha was just okay. I’m beginning to think that I need to stop buying the disappointing matcha ‘drink mixes’ (although the Chai Matcha – which is now discontinued – is still a favourite of mine as a latte). I think they did a great job on making sure that the matcha didn’t come across as being too floral or perfumey – I’m not sure why the description suggests “ripe, juicy cherry” for this blend when cherries are not the same thing as cherry blossoms, and cherries are not mentioned in the ingredients list at all. I’ll be finishing off the rest of this small bag as a latte, most likely, to help temper the sweetness of all the sugar in it.

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

Wild Honey Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavored
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Wild Honey Matcha intrigued me enough to buy it because I have a huge sweet tooth and the idea of trying it seemed like a good idea. Wild Honey Matcha comes in a sealed, resealable foil pouch with a green and white label on the front. It’s considered to be a ‘drink mix’ because, yet again, it has cane sugar listed as the primary ingredient.

This grassy-green powder is easily sifted and has a slight sparkle to it – thanks to the cane sugar. It has an inviting sweet floral aroma to it. Wild Honey Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, and natural wildflower honey flavouring. I was hopeful for dehydrated honey in the blend.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends using 5 to 7 matcha spoonfuls per drink (16oz/475mL), whisked in 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to use 2 spoonfuls (1 matcha spoon = ½ teaspoon) in my matcha bowl, sifted, and whisked in the appropriate temperature water.

First Taste

Wild Honey Matcha has a dark green colour when whisked, but it doesn’t forth very easily when whisked. I found that Wild Honey Matcha has a very sweet, floral aroma to it. On first taste, I mostly taste the sweetness from the sugar. On further sips, I can find the floral flavour and a light grassy background to the matcha.

I think this would be a great matcha to have iced or as a latte (or an iced latte?) as the milk would help temper the sweetness a bit since it has plenty of sugar in it! I did pour some of it into a cup with milk and found it to be very pleasant as an iced latte, and the milk helped to cut the sweetness considerably while retaining the floral flavours.

A Second Cup?

As always, there was no second steep for matcha.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Wild Honey Matcha was just okay. I found it disappointing that a matcha blend called Wild Honey had cane sugar as the primary sweetening agent instead of dehydrated honey – which is a possibility. The floral flavouring from the natural wildflower honey flavouring was quite enjoyable, but I do think that it was overwhelmed by the cane sugar in the blend. I would recommend having this with milk to make it into a latte, it will help lessen the sweetness overall.

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

Rose Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Rose Matcha was one of my online purchases when I put in an online order a couple months ago. The nice thing about purchasing the tea online is that you get the fun coloured label on the bag – but it’s also difficult to read with the white print on the light green background. Rose Matcha comes in a sealed, resealable pouch.

Rose Matcha is described as being a ‘drink mix’, which isn’t too surprising when you consider the fact that matcha is not the first ingredient listed for this tea. The matcha blend powder is a bright green, with vibrant grassy and rose notes. Rose Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, and natural rose water flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends using 5 to 7 matcha spoonfuls of Rose Matcha per cup (16oz/475mL) and to use 85°C (185°F) water and to whisk it. I opted to use 2 matcha spoonfuls for my matcha bowl and I did use water that was 85°C (thanks to my handy variable temperature kettle). I sifted the powder into my bowl and then added the water and whisked it.

1 matcha spoon from DavidsTea is equivalent to ½ teaspoon.

First Taste

Rose Matcha whisks to a olive green colour. There’s a sweet, floral/rose aroma from the whisked matcha. It has a very floral flavour to it – which is great if you love the taste of roses. The matcha base provides light grassy notes in the background. I do find Rose Matcha to be on the sweet side, I would prefer it to have a bit less sugar. Rose Matcha is a great candidate for making into a matcha latte as the milk would help temper the sweetness. It isn’t as perfumey as I thought it might end up being, especially considering how floral the dry matcha powder was.

A Second Cup?

Like with all matchas, Rose Matcha cannot be resteeped as all of it is drunk following the initial preparation.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Rose Matcha. I thought it had some great floral notes, and I did enjoy the fact that I could still taste the matcha base despite the cane sugar and rose water in this blend. I do wish that it had less sugar though, as I find it to be very sweet (and I have a huge sweet tooth!). I’ll definitely be having this one as a matcha latte in the future – and think it’d be great iced as well!

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