Tag: Matcha

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Mocca’s Matcha Latte

Matcha Latte by Mocca
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$8.99 for 375g (25g x 15 sachets)

First Impressions

Matcha Latte by Mocca was one of those impulse grocery store purchases – one of the best ways to fill up a shopping cart in my opinion (with tea!). The bright packaging caught my eye, so into my shopping cart it hopped. I never expect a lot from an instant tea product, but I’m always on the look out for something that’s tasty, inexpensive, and easy to get a hold of. The ease of preparing matcha on the go (or at work) constantly appeals to me, especially as someone who can’t always go to a kitchen, or the only access to a fridge is communal.

Matcha Latte comes in bright teal and green packaging. It comes with 15 individually packaged portions of instant Matcha Latte powder. The ingredients consist of: creamer, sugar, and matcha powder. For those health conscious, each sachet contains 25g, but also contains 12g of sugar. Of all the important nutrients, each packet also consists of 10% of your daily intake of calcium (so you can feel like you’re doing something right, right?). The Matcha Latte powder itself is primarily light green, minimal sparkle from the sugar, it has a minimal aroma to it.

Preparation

Using the powers of Google Translate, I found out that Mocca recommends mixing 190-210ml of hot water with the powder for a hot matcha latte, or use 100ml of hot water with the powder for an iced matcha latte (plus, adding ice).

I opted to prepare it hot, and used 175°F (80°C) water.

First Taste

Matcha Latte dissolved and mixed up very well, and even without really trying, there was a nice of foam and bubbles that formed across the top. The aroma is very grassy and milky. The flavour of Matcha Latte is better than I had expected! It’s grassy, sweet, milky. It’s not too sweet, considering the amount of sugar in it, and the dairy adds a great level of creaminess to it.

A Second Cup?

As an instant tea product, there’s no second cups.

My Overall Impression

I loved Mocca’s Matcha Latte. At 60¢ a serving, I was impressed with Matcha Latte. From the ease of preparation, the taste, and the fact that the amount of sugar wasn’t overkill. Despite having a sweet tooth, I didn’t find it to be cloyingly sweet. I like how easy it was, as well as that impressive amount of foam and bubbles. I’m definitely looking forward to having this one at work because the flavour is on point and doesn’t taste like a poor quality matcha. The grassy notes lend itself to a nice cup of matcha latte.

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Greenmax’s Matcha Milk

Matcha Milk by Greenmax
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$7.99 for 320g (16 sachets)

First Impressions

It’s a Monday, and this is a matcha. Seemed like a fitting option! Matcha Milk was an addition to my shopping cart during a weekly grocery trip – the bright green was certainly an eye catcher.

The bag has 16 sachets (20g each), each containing the Matcha Milk powder. The aroma is surprisingly fragrant compared to what I was expecting – there’s sweetness, creaminess, and a grassy note that has light vegetal notes. Matcha Milk consists of: sugar, creamer, matcha powder, and milk powder.

Preparation

Greenmax recommends preparing Matcha Milk with 150ml of boiling (100°C/212°F) water, and to add ice cubes for an iced drinks. I opted to use a lower water temperature (79°C/175°F), and prepared it as a hot drink.

First Taste

Matcha Milk prepares to a milky pear green. The aroma is grassy, vegetal with hints of cream. The flavour is sweet, grassy, slight astringency, and a creaminess from the milk powder that lends to the credibility as being a matcha ‘milk’ – thinking of this as a matcha latte option.

A Second Cup?

As it is a drink mix, there are no second steeps with Matcha Milk.

My Overall Impression

I loved Greenmax’s Matcha Milk. There’s something pleasant about Matcha Milk in that it does taste like matcha and isn’t overly sweet – it makes it an attractive option as a matcha latte on-the-go. The price also makes it a great option (50¢ per serving!), although I do wish that there was less packaging involved – a tin of just the powder would be great for making it better for the environment.

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

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Lipton’s Japanese Matcha Milk Tea

Japanese Matcha Milk Tea by Lipton
Matcha (Green Tea) / Flavoured
$9.99 for 285g (15 x 19g sachets)

First Impressions

At eye-level in the tea aisle of a popular Asian grocery store, I turned and found this – it was the cup of matcha that intrigued me. While I’m sure that the amount of matcha to sugar ratio is probably not what one would want from a superfood, it’s a nice alternative for a matcha lover on the go! This Lipton package comes with fifteen sachets, each one with the best by date stamped across the top.

Japanese Matcha Milk Tea doesn’t have much of an aroma to it, with a bit of a glimmer to it from the sugar. It’s a pale light green powder, but I do get a whiff of milk or cream from the matcha mix. Japanese Matcha Milk Tea consists of: sugar, creamer, whole milk powder, matcha powder, green tea powder, maltodextrin, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

Preparation

Lipton recommends preparing Japanese Matcha Milk in 85°C (185°F) water and 180mL for a hot preparation or 50mL for an iced preparation. I opted to have Japanese Matcha Milk Tea as a hot drink because… winter.

First Taste

Japanese Matcha Milk Tea mixes easily with water, and I found it easily suspended in the water. It does have the milky appearance of a matcha latte, with a pale green that matches what the powder looked like straight out of the packaging. I will say, that if I had whisked up a matcha latte from scratch, I would expect a much deeper shade of green based on using a high quality matcha. That said, Japanese Matcha Milk Tea has grassy notes, milky cream notes, and a strong level of sweetness. It hits the flavours that I would expect out of a matcha latte, but lacks the strong vegetal and umami notes that I like from a nice matcha.

A Second Cup?

As a suspension/drink mix, there are no second cups of Japanese Matcha Milk Tea.

My Overall Impression

I liked Lipton’s Japanese Matcha Milk Tea. As far as cost per matcha latte, you can’t really get it cheaper for less work than $0.67 a drink. The joy of Japanese Matcha Milk Tea is how easy it to prepare and the ease of making matcha on the go (a.k.a. at work) and it already having dairy in it to add that level of creaminess that I know and love. I’d probably rank it higher if it was a bit less sweet, and if the matcha flavour was stronger – I would have appreciate a bit more.

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