I’m a daily matcha drinker. More often, I simply throw 3 grams in some water then hit the gym. If I have the time in the morning, I will go all out with a bowl of matcha high in froth. Today, let’s check out a new matcha/green tea powder by JapaneseGreenTeaIn.com, maker of one of my favorite matchas.
This product was actually a collaboration with the Arahataen tea farm in Shizuoka, Japan, and a local high school. The challenge was to come up with a tea that the younger generation will enjoy. That said, we have Green Tea with Orange and Green Tea with Lemon. Both are sweetened with sugar/dextrin/sucralose.
To make this powdered green tea, mix 2 teaspoons (8-10 grams) in 8oz of water. It didn’t froth much with whisking, but it does combine very easy with just spoon stirring and mashing clumps. Both teas look the same.
They do note the hot water does something to the flavor, so they suggest using 1.5 teaspoons instead of 2. I ended up simply using more water. “Hot” water wasn’t specified, so I started with 175F/80c, which I use for most of my matchas.
Green Tea with Orange (Mikan)
Hot: I topped it up with more hot water to the level of flavor I like, though this tea leans quite sweet if you don’t use enough water. If you use too much water, and you get sugar water and orange aftertaste. The Green Tea with Orange has a juicy sweet orange flavor without the tart and lingers after each sip. The taste is not the typical orange us North Americans are used to. It is slightly mandarin orange and floral, but softer and massively sweeter. If you have had a Satsuma orange, you probably know what I mean.
Iced: Chilled this tea is more up my alley. It is freshly orange, and I can taste more of the spring grassy green tea notes. The orange is present, and is sweet and juicy, without any tart or sour notes. The orange is subtly sweet, and the flavor lingers after each sip. I found this tea iced it was a lot less sweet. I drank this cup to the bottom, expecting it to be full of sugar crystals or be sweeter, but it was not. It actually tasted a bit stronger in the green tea as there was some sediment.
Green Tea with Lemon
Hot: This straight up tastes like hot lemonade. I actually used less water compared to the Orange flavor as the sweetness was a pleasure. It is sweet lemon as the main flavor, with a slightly grassy finish. The lemon is a touch tart and I got it to the level that the sugar compliments it well and overall pretty natural tasting. The lemon flavor doesn’t linger as long as the orange.
I am biased to like the hot honey lemon “tea” in the evenings – which is simply juicing a lemon, adding some lemon slices, honey, then boiling water on top. I find this lemon green tea easier and tastier as the sugar level is done for me.
Iced: Iced lemon green tea powder is also delicious. It tastes like a conservative sweetened lemonade with a more refreshing spring grass hit at the end. It is a lemon tart but is easy to drink. I can see some adding more sugar here to be more of a traditional sugary lemonade, but I find it is fine for my tastes.
Boiling water preparation
To my horror, I saw in the reviews that someone used boiling water to make these green tea powders. Boiling water and green tea powder/matcha do not mix as the tea is very sensitive to bitterness. Maybe the extra sugar is there to counter people making tea badly?
I used the orange powder here, as I found it too sweet. It felt like treason using boiling water here, and I braced myself for bitterness.
Strangely, yes, it is less sweet with boiling water and surprisingly not a bitter mess. I first can’t get over drinking matcha this bloody hot, as I totally burnt myself on the first sip as I wasn’t prepared and out of old habit. It is less sweet and still just as orange tasting, so I liked it a bit more than the 175F temperature. It does have a drier texture as I can feel it squeak across my teeth. I wonder if I dropped the temperature to 200F if I’ll get a better balance, but at this point, I’ve drunk 35 grams of matcha and sugar, I am ready for the gym.
Comments
Both the Orange and Lemon Green Tea Powder from JapaneseGreenTeaIn.com is excellent. They are sweet, refreshing, and also approachable to a wide audience of non-tea drinkers. I found these teas incredibly flexible, being able to take boiling to iced temperatures. You will need to experiment to see what temperature and ratio you like. The orange is more unique in taste, sporting a Japanese floral orange flavor but also quite sweet. However, I lean on the lemon flavoring to be the best as it makes a rocking lemonade. Both green tea powders are heavy on flavoring, so if you prefer matcha with a subtle flavoring taste, this isn’t the product for you.
I can see both flavors were great for kids as it is high in fruity and sweetness, but it does rock potent caffeine levels. Proceed with caution. However, I have found that these teas are exceptional for pre/during gym time. It has the caffeine and light sugar hit to push through some crazy workouts. Both products are 31 calories a serving, which I am happy with.
(tea provided for review)
