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Matcha green tea is really hit or miss for me with most candies. I've had real matcha tea served in the traditional Japanese way and I actually didn't mind it that much. It's bitter, but if the proportion of tea to water is right and it's whipped perfectly it's rather enjoyable. When it comes to candy, I find that matcha is often a failure. The worst matcha thing I've ever had was a matcha slush treat, it had no sugar or anything to balance out the extreme bitter. These matcha flavoured panda cookies are not that bad, but they’re also not great either.
The best matcha treats I've had are often mixed with something sweet and creamy. I find a smooth creamy and/or a slight sweetness balance out the super bitter flavour of matcha. The problem with these cookies, and many other matcha treats I've had in the past, is that there isn’t enough creamy or sweet to balance out the bitter. These panda cookies aren't a complete failure because there is a very slight cocoa flavour coming from the cookie shell, so there is a slight contrast. That and the matcha is in the form of a cream filling, but both the cocoa flavour and the creaminess of the matcha filling aren't enough in this case. I just find that the match flavour is too powerful in these cookies, and doesn't really feel balanced.
As with Hello Panda cookies in the past, the biggest disappointment of this treat is the cookie itself. It looks a little silly, and the cocoa flavour is really weak. I think with a better creamier cookie it might have made this work, but it's just too weak and the flavour just doesn't add anything good to the matcha flavour. The cream is ok, but it's not that great. I would have preferred something a little smoother and sweeter.
These aren't that bad, but I don't think I'll get them again. I wouldn't recommend that you try these as your first foray into the world of matcha, and instead try some matcha ice cream instead.
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