Pure Matcha powder from Black leaves,Black powder.

Black Matcha Green tea is high in nutrients and perfect for any occasion. It's beautiful bright green color and wonderful taste make it great for every day of the week. Drinking it so often can make it somewhat boring after a while. To keep your Black Matcha tea exciting and always something you look forward to, let's explore some ways to prepare it.

Traditional:

As a hot tea, Black Matcha's penetrating smell and amazing flavor really come to life. To enjoy Black Matcha as a hot tea:

1. Bring your Black Matcha powder to room temperature [18°C (64°F) to 23°C (73°F)], and sift through a strainer.
2. Scoop 1 ½ to 2 rounded teaspoons of sifted Black Matcha into a tea bowl or cup
3. Add ¼ to 1/3 cup of hot, simmering water (this may be more or less diluted based on your preference).
4. Briskly whisk your Black Matcha. As the Matcha begins to dissolve, move the whisk briskly back and forth as fast as you can in the middle of the bowl or cup. The whisk should be vertical and barely touching the bottom of the bowl or cup. Once your Matcha has developed a soft, light foam, slowly lift the whisk from the center of the bowl or cup.
5. Enjoy your frothy, healthy cup of hot Black Matcha Green tea!

Traditional with a chill:

1. Black Matcha is excellent as a chilled or iced tea, perfect for hot summer days and when you're on the run. To prepare chilled or iced Black Matcha-
2. Get a 16 oz water bottle or glass that accomodates 16 oz.
3. Measure ¼ teaspoon (or more if you like) into the bottle or cup with 16 oz of cold water. If you've opened a new bottle, be sure to sip a little so you don't overfill it!
4. Shake or stir vigorously to dissolve the Black Matcha powder.
5. Drink immediately, pour over ice or refrigerate.
6. If desired, add a sugar substitute or honey to sweeten it to your liking.

This is the second black matcha I've tried. The first was a Darjeeling/Assam blend with a robust, almost chocolaty flavor with a wonderful texture. Red Leaf Tea didn't provide much in the way of background info regarding their black tea sourcing. There was plenty on the tea profile about the health benefits, but not much else. It wasn't as cocoa-dark as the other I tried, yet the aroma was mostly inviting. It reminded me of a mid-grade, CTC-cut Nilgiri on smell - bitter forefront that transitioned into a floral fragrance.

Standard prep for a matcha applied here: A chawan (or in my case, miso soup bowl), a chashaku (bamboo spoon), and chasen (bamboo whisk). I took 4 spoonfuls of the brown powder, added a dab of cold water and pre-sifted it before adding the hot water. During this step, I ran into a dilemma. Was I to use boiling water or standard 165F water (a matcha staple for me)? I tried both.

Boiling water contributed to a very bitter brew that was no better than Lipton fannings on the lips. There was some black tea character, but it was a generic one. Test: Failed.

I tried it again with the lighter matcha-safe temp water. The result after whisking was a thickly-frothed, even-brown liquor with a spectacular aroma. And - my God - the bubbles on this thing! Close to rivaling a regular, koicha-grade green matcha. The flavor started off with a very bitter introduction that was expected, given the dry fragrance. It settled into a earth/smoky top note reminiscent of a Russian Caravan blend with a Keemun base. The true beauty of this was in the texture. If the drinker had no taste buds, they'd still find pleasure in the velvety/silky delivery.

Smoothest. Matcha. Ever.

Geoff
Teaviews.com Reviewer

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Red Leaf Tea is perhaps unique in its treatment of matcha offerings. Far from offering "just" a few grades of matcha for purchase, they actually offer dozens of varieties of matcha, running the gamut from matchas blended with herbs, fruits, and even other teas. The tea I am reviewing today is an organic matcha blended with powdered black tea.

I have to admit that my first thought when I opened this tea for sampling was somewhat dubious. I wondered why one would bother blending these two types of teas. It seemed strange to me. Perhaps it is a little strange. But this matcha grew on me rather rapidly. Before I knew it, I was looking forward to my next sampling of it. So go figure!

The matcha in this sample is not the traditional bright green that you would expect, but rather a bright brown. The scent of the black tea certainly shines through with a sweet yunnan presence that bodes well.

I used a bamboo teaspoon of powder and heated my water to 165 degrees, following my typical matcha preparation standards. Adding four ounces of water to the pre-whisked powder, I was able to quickly whisk this up to a beautiful, frothy brown tea with some pleasing viscosity and a good "yunnan plus" scent. (I should say that the black tea used in this is not specified. It reminded me of a yunnan but I may be off base). So far so good. My first sip was a bit strong in taste for me. I added a bit of sweetener as I seem to be sweetening most of my teas lately. This made the cup just right for me.

The taste that grew so quickly on me is sweet and smooth. Elements that I tend to appreciate in a yunnan tea - a huskily sweet, sort of smoky and sort of caramel-y flavor - come through beautifully. And at the same time, the curiously viscous, bittersweet creaminess of matcha come through as well. This is truly very unique. What seemed a little odd to me at first quite won me over. This is a fine "matcha" offering for those who like to experience new and different things and are not opposed to non traditional tea offerings. I can highly recommend it. I found it a perfect afternoon tea when I wanted a quick, delicious drink that left me happily satisfied for taste and pleasantly awake and alert after drinking.

Jamie
Teaviews.com Reviewer

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