Tradition, Green Tea Powder

Tradition Description:
Delicious Tradition Green Tea Powder has full of fresh green tea benefits, including great weight loss. Matcha is getting popular in the world now.

My Review:
Let it be stated clearly from the beginning - this is green tea powder and not matcha, which is made from a specific type of Japanese tea leaf. This green tea powder is a product of Taiwan.

Often companies will label their food grade green tea powder as matcha. Tradition avoids this misrepresentation on the package although the product description on Amazon is a little fuzzy.

I start every day with a cold green tea powder drink, having been originally inspired by my quest to imitate Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino. Green Tea Powder, at least the ones I have used, do not have the same deep flavor of the Starbucks version. That is not to say they do not make a great drink. You just have to accept they taste different. Coke does not taste like Pepsi. Same here. Similar products.Different taste.

I start with 1 tsp of powder. If you are new to GTP, I suggest using 1/4 tsp until you become accustomed to the taste. Next, I add an ounce or two of room temperature water, whisking until the powder is completely dissolved. Then, I stir in a half glass of 2% milk. You can use soy, or whatever type you like.

At this point I add a splash of sugar-free vanilla and caramel syrup. I find this on the coffee aisle at the grocery store. I add this after the milk because the sugar-free variety of these syrups use xantham gum as a thickening agent. Adding it before the milk can result in the powder forming clumps that are near impossible to break up. After adding the syrup, I fill the glass the rest of the way with milk.

Instead of syrup you can use fruit, yogurt, the kitchen sink, or nothing at all. Find a taste you like and refine it for your own breakfast drink. One fellow told me recently, he uses cocoa and sugar. So have fun with it.

If you are a matcha enthusiast, you can see by the picture this powder does not have the deep green color found in high grade matcha. It is sort of yellowish green. It can be bitter. That is not such an issue for use in a milk based beverage.

Honestly, at first I was disappointed in the taste of green tea powder - because it did not taste like a green tea frap. As I continued to drink it each morning, I slowly decided I liked it better, and bonus, I can control the sweetness. Starbucks is now entirely too sweet for me.

This is half the price, on Amazon, as the green tea powder I used previously. I think I paid $10.50 for 250 grams (8.8 ounces). That is pretty cheap. Compared to the other versions I've used, this is a little less potent. It is also a little harder to mix thoroughly. For the price, the difference is pretty insignificant.