Tag: Matcha

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Oteas’s Organic Pure Matcha

Organic Pure Matcha by Oteas
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$8.99 for 12g (12 packets)

Oteas has provided me with Organic Pure Matcha for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Organic Pure Matcha comes individually portioned “single serve sticks”, which each contain 1g of matcha. This makes it ideal for the matcha lover on the go since you don’t have to fiddle with spoons and whatnot – although I made this at home so I definitely bothered with the spoons and whatnot.

Organic Pure Matcha consists of 100% organic Japanese green tea leaves in powder form. The packet was easy to open because of the notch at the top of the packaging. It comes out of the packaging easily. The matcha powder has a light grassy aroma and is a nice bright green colour.

As a side note, the packaging says that the tea is handpicked – which is important to note because all the good matcha is. Being mechanically picked means that there’s often sticks/twigs and other unwanted vegetal matter that winds up in the mix.

Preparation

Oteas recommends mixing 1 single serve stick of Organic Pure Matcha with 80-90°C (176-194°F) water and to whisk until it becomes a “smooth, creamy consistency”. I used 85°F (185°C) water and whisked it in my matcha bowl until I got a layer of bubbly foam on top.

First Taste

I found that Organic Pure Matcha becomes a nice dark green when whisked with the water. There a light grassy aroma from the matcha. When I drink it, I note that there are some grassy and vegetal notes – it reminds me a lot of spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables. There is a bit of salty/savoury quality to the matcha that hints to some lovely umami notes.

A Second Cup?

As always, matcha cannot be resteeped.

My Overall Impression

I loved Oteas’s Organic Pure Matcha. I really enjoyed the travel-friendly nature of these pre-portioned ‘serve sticks’ -i it just makes for an easier time making matcha wherever I go. I don’t work in an office setting, so I don’t have a designated desk where I can keep a cup of tea or tea stash at work, so I’ve tucked a packet of matcha into my lunch bag in order to make a quick cup of matcha during my break and it’s just so handy. I really enjoyed the flavour of this straight matcha. If you’re not as big of a fan of the salty qualities of matcha, I would recommend turning it into a latte with a bit of sweetener and milk to help temper the salty notes (and maybe add some ice for a real summer treat!).

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DavidsTea’s Cherry Blossom Matcha

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.

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DavidsTea’s Wild Honey Matcha

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.