Tag: Matcha

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Tea Experience: Tsujiri

Tsujiri
Burnaby, BC
Matcha-Infused Drinks $4.25-9.00

I was spending some time with my sister last month as we’re in each other’s social bubbles, and decided we needed a treat (as one does). So we decided to try out Tsujiri after hearing about it from her husband. Tsujiri is self-described as a “matcha infused restaurant”. Fun fact, you can pre-order on their website, and even opt for local delivery with the various side-gig food delivery services out there (I take zero responsibility if your frappe is all melted by the time it gets to you).

The menu consists of parfaits, drinks, shaved ice, floats, frappes and more. Tsujiri also features drinks with matcha, houjicha, and yuzu (which is not a tea, but is an Asian citrus fruit). The prices aren’t the cheapest, but considering the ingredients in play, it’s not anything to turn your nose up against. It probably isn’t a sustainable treat option for the every day choice though.

My sister ordered a float while I ordered the Matcha Frappe ($7.00) which has the product description of “Rich and creamy blend of Matcha slush and yogurt with a swirl of whipped cream and Matcha crumbs topped with a luscious Matcha sauce”.

Unfortunately, the soft serve ice cream machine broke after we had placed our order, so we ended up getting a refund on the float. Fortunately (for me), the Matcha Frappe that I had ordered did not contain ice cream so I could still receive my order.

The matcha slush and yoghurt comes layered in the drink, topped with whipped cream and then with the matcha “crumbs” on top. I found that the yoghurt adds a nice layer of tangy flavour to the matcha, which is sweetened. The matcha sauce on top has a good amount of grassy flavour and umami, which is tempered considerably with the fresh whipped cream. I really found it to be tasty but the cup isn’t very large (and there weren’t a variety of cup sizes to choose from).

While I did enjoy my Matcha Frappe with the tangy yoghurt layered with the matcha slush, I think the experience was soured a bit by their machine malfunctioning. I would definitely give them a try again, but very wary of going back for a third time if the machine had an issue on the second try. I wasn’t too fond on the matcha crumbs on top though, as I feel like it didn’t add a nice texture to the frappe. That said, I think the drink was tasty, albeit I would have hoped for a much larger drink for the price (I would definitely consider the cup size offered to be more of the “small” size).

 

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Pineapple Ginger Matcha

Now if you’re a fan of Starbucks, you may be familiar with their Pineapple Matcha Drink. It intrigued me and I’ve had it two or three times so far, but I find that it’s never properly made (clumpy matcha!) and can be a bit too sweet. But I really enjoy the flavour combination because it’s delicious and definitely makes me feel like I’m somewhere else which is currently important to me (and a lot of other people) because it’s summer and I think we all had different plans for this year than what has unfolded so far.

Luckily, it was super easy for me to figure out what they put in it, since their website provides a list of ingredients. So I knew that they used a pineapple ginger syrup, matcha, coconut milk and ice – how hard could it be, right? I’m a fan of making simple syrups – I use them a lot in my drink recipes because they’re so easy to make. This isn’t any different, because with a little bit of know-how, and a touch of fresh ginger, you too could be sipping on a made-at-home Pineapple Ginger Matcha… all without going through the drive thru at your local coffee shop and without ordering delivery!

Pineapple Ginger Matcha – Serves 2

½-1 tablespoon Ginger Pineapple Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
4 teaspoons matcha¹
250ml hot water²
500ml unsweetened coconut milk
Fresh pineapple, for garnish³
Ice

¹ I used Whisk Premium Matcha’s Everyday. You can use the matcha of your choice, but I would steer away from matcha blends or sweetened matchas.
² Heat to the instructions for your particular matcha; usually it’s not boiling.
³ Don’t sweat it if you don’t have fresh pineapple on hand, canned would work just as well!

Pineapple Ginger Simple Syrup Recipe

1 cup water
1 cup sugar¹
½-1″ fresh ginger root²
Pineapple core, cubed³

¹ I used granulated white sugar.
² I used an approximately ½” piece of fresh ginger root.
³ For a fresh pineapple, the core is generally quite hard to eat because it’s so fibrous, but it has a lot of flavour! So I cut out the core, cubed it, and tossed that into my sauce pan for the Pineapple Ginger Simple Syrup.

Prepare Pineapple Ginger Simple Syrup

Put all ingredients together in a small sauce pan over low heat.
Allow the syrup to come to a simmer and allow it to cook until it takes on a nice golden colour.
Strain out solids as you pour the simple syrup into a clean container.
Allow to cool before use.
Store in the fridge.

Prepare Pineapple Ginger Matcha

Add ice to your glass.
Add Pineapple Ginger Syrup, you can always add more if it’s not sweet enough to your liking.
Prepare matcha – I shook up approximately 125ml water with my matcha in a shaker cup for each serving, pour into glass.
Fill the rest of the glass with your coconut milk.
With the garnish, cut a small slit in the pineapple wedge so it can sit on the rim.
Admire the pretty layers before taking a straw to the drink to mix it up.

If you make this Pineapple Ginger Matcha, 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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Matcha Soda

While some coffee shops have taken to offering the #PSL on their menus again, I am still holding onto the idea of summer. Even though it rained last night, I’m still hoping for a warm September because it’d be really nice to still get to enjoy the patio and iced drinks on the regular.

Matcha is one of those drinks that I’ve grown to love. I think part of the issue is that I’ve definitely have had matcha that doesn’t taste good, and then I had matcha that does. This is definitely one of those good ones. I wanted to make a tasty drink to have at home, something that could be iced, and I’ve been really enjoying sparkling water lately… So mixing my want to drink matcha and my need for iced, bubbly drinks meant that a Matcha Soda was born! And quickly had. This is so easy to make at home, you could easily eyeball the amounts instead of measuring it out and just make it to your taste – so simple! And if you layer it, the Matcha Soda looks impressive and will look great on your Instagram!

Matcha Soda – Serves 1

2 teaspoons matcha
150ml water (cold)
1-2 teaspoons simple syrup¹
250ml sparkling water
Ice cubes

¹ Simple syrup is super easy (simple!) to make. Put a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar and water in a sauce pan and allow it to reach a simmer on your stove top. It’ll thicken into a sweet syrup after you take it off the heat and allow it to cool. I used about 2 teaspoons of simple syrup in my glass of Matcha Soda. Store your excess simple syrup in a jar in the fridge to enjoy – it’ll keep for a bit, but I usually use mine up within a week.

To start, add some ice to your glass.
Add some of the simple syrup (you can always add more later if it’s not sweet enough).
Add water and matcha into a jar, tighten the lid and shake!
Pour matcha on top of the ice.
Pour in the sparkling water.
Admire the layers!

If you make this Matcha Soda, 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!