Tag: Green Tea

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DavidsTea’s Eggnog Matcha

Eggnog Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$10.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Eggnog Matcha was an addition to my online shopping cart… on a whim. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it came in a specially designed package with a mix of bright and dark greens. The pouch itself is sealed and resealable, and I got it mostly because hey, who doesn’t like having something with eggnog around the holidays?

Eggnog Matcha is a light spring green colour, with a bit of a sparkle to it (I believe from the cane sugar granules). It has a very milky aroma with hints of cinnamon throughout, which makes it intriguing. Eggnog Matcha consists of: cane sugar, matcha green tea, dry whole milk powder and natural flavourings (for eggnog and cinnamon roll). Who knew that there was flavouring for egg and cinnamon roll? Certainly not me. It smells great though!

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends preparing Eggnog Matcha with 85°C (185°F) water and a whisk, and suggests having it hot or iced. I opted to follow the preparation instructions, but I used a handheld milk frother to speed things up a bit.

First Taste

Eggnog Matcha blends up to a light spring green. The aroma is a mix of cinnamon and a grassy matcha. I don’t actually really smell any of the eggnog (flavouring). It does have a nice creaminess to it, and find that the flavour is nice. Eggnog Matcha tastes more of cinnamon and matcha than anything else to me. The fact that Eggnog Matcha contains whole milk powder adds a level of milkiness to it that doesn’t rely on you adding milk to it to make it into a latte, it’s almost like a matcha latte mix. The flavour of the matcha base is not strong enough to really shine on it’s own though, unfortunately, because the cinnamon is overpowering in comparison.

A Second Cup?

As Eggnog Matcha is a suspension, there are no second steeps with the same powder.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Eggnog Matcha was just okay. I had a lot of high hopes and expectations for Eggnog Matcha in regards to expecting more of the flavour of the eggnog to shine through. The cinnamon flavour does come through, and there’s a light grassy flavour from the matcha. I do like the addition of the whole milk powder, I think if you’re wanting a cinnamon bun matcha on-the-go, Eggnog Matcha would really fit the bill. If you wanted more of an eggnog flavour, I would suggest preparing Eggnog Matcha with heated eggnog instead of water.

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Murchie’s Chun Mee

Chun Mee by Murchie’s
Green Tea / Straight
$7.15 for 56g (2oz)

First Impressions

This Chinese green tea was another recommended tea to me when I inquired about green teas while shopping. Chun Mee literally translates to precious eyebrows, presumably because of the shape of how the leaves are rolled and twisted up. It’s described as generally being a bit dusty, and more acidic compared to other Chinese green teas. Chun Mee originates in Jiangxi Province, China, but is now growth elsewhere. Just fun facts to share!

Chun Mee consists of Chinese green tea. It has a bit of a dustiness to it, with a strong grassy note and hints of plum. The light fragrance of stone fruit is pleasant. The leaves themselves are tightly rolled, and appear short. I don’t particularly think that the leaves look much like eyebrows, but to each their own.

Preparation

Murchie’s recommends steeping green teas in 175-180°F (79-82°C) for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Chun Mee for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Chun Mee steeps to a sunshine yellow – just check out that colour! It has a surprisingly mild aroma to it, Chun Mee has a primarily grassy note to it. On first sip, I noticed the grassy notes, but also some fruity sweetness to it that reminds me of plums. There’s something about the stone fruit quality to the flavour – it’s not tart, but is sweet, and has a heavy syrup texture to it that lingers on the tongue. The lack of astringency is welcome, but I do find that Chun Mee has something interesting about the mouthfeel that makes it almost feel astringent but doesn’t have a mouth puckering quality to it.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Chun Mee a total of five times (six steeps total with the same leaves), and added an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The colour of the liquor got darker, while the flavour profile stayed fairly consistent with each steep of the leaves. I found that it got a bit sweeter with each steep of Chun Mee.

My Overall Impression

I liked Murchie’s Chun Mee. I thought it was an enjoyable green tea, with some lovely plum and grassy notes to the flavour profile. The mouthfeel wasn’t the most enjoyable thing for me – there was something about the way that Chun Mee made the inside of my mouth feel that wasn’t drying, but felt like it should have been. I think the plum flavour was great though, and would consider cold steeping this one in the spring or summer for some iced green tea for sure – perhaps even coupling it with plums and a simple syrup.

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

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Nittoh Tea’s Matcha Au Lait

Matcha Au Lait by Nittoh Tea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$6.99 for 120g (10 x 12g servings)

First Impressions

Nittoh Tea’s Matcha Au Lait was a fun little Asian grocery store find, it was staring me right in the face because it was eye level. The package doesn’t show off much – there’s an image of a bowl of matcha on the front, and clear side that show off the individual packets. There’s 10 packages in the bag, each containing 12g of powder.

The individual packets are light weight, after I opened it, I found that they feel a bit metallic in nature (the packaging). The powder itself is light green with a very light aroma – a bit grassy. It’s very mild. Matcha Au Lait consists of: sugars, dextrin, palm oil, whole milk powder, green tea powder, salt, sodium caseinate (milk), carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium lactate, soy lecithin.

Preparation

The packaging for Matcha Au Lait has Japanese text on it, with a printed English and French label across the back (to adhere to language laws in Canada to make it eligible to be sold). I did have to find the preparation instructions online, which recommend using 120ml of hot water for a hot matcha latte or cold water for an iced matcha latte. I didn’t find a temperature recommendation, so I used 175°F (79°C) water.

First Taste

Matcha Au Lait becomes a spring green cup of matcha. It dissolved and suspended quite easily with hot water with the stir of a spoon in my cup. I found that the aroma is milky and grassy at the same time. The flavour of Matcha Au Lait is sweet, with a light creaminess throughout, and grassy notes from the matcha base. It lacks the creaminess that I would have created in a matcha latte from scratch, but it is also possible that I was a touch heavy handed with the water when preparing it.

A Second Cup?

As Matcha Au Lait is a suspension, there are no second steeps with the same powder.

My Overall Impression

I liked Nittoh Tea’s Matcha Au Lait. It’s an easy preparation to make, and the additive of whole milk powder makes it easy to have a matcha latte on-the-go. I found it not as sweet to my liking, nor as creamy if I had prepared a matcha latte from scratch. However, I think it’s an easy way to make a matcha latte when out and about, so the rest of the package will definitely be making their way into my work bag so I can have an easy matcha latte during breaks.

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