Product Review: Matcha Marketplace Oatmeal

I’m really excited to share this new product I had the opportunity to try this week. Considering my slow acceptance of matcha, I was eager to try out these premade oatmeal packets by Matcha Marketplace. My variety pack featured Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry Coconut, and Cranberry Walnut–all with matcha!

How cute is this packaging? I love the clear packets and the intricate layering of all the ingredients. Charming! Speaking of ingredients, when you order the packets online, you can choose either “brown sugar added” or “no sugar added,” giving you an extra layer of control over your purchase. That being said, the product I sampled included brown sugar and I found it to be a very subtle sweetness, so I say go for the sugar! And yes, the oats they use are certified gluten-free.

Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!

Ingredients: Dried Blueberries, Coconut, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha

Review: This one is my favorite. I think coconut and matcha are meant to be together, so this flavor combo was destined to be my favorite of the three. I thought that the blueberry and coconut flavors enhanced the matcha best out of the three flavors. I topped mine with Earth Balance coconut-peanut spread and loved the combo. I think the richness of coconut makes this not need much sweetness at all.

Cranberry Walnut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!

Ingredients: Cranberries, Walnuts, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha

Review: I wasn’t expecting much from this since I have never considered a dried cranberry capable of giving off much flavor, but I was wrong. It tasted like cranberries! And not like they had added fake cranberry flavor–it tasted like it was infused gently by the dried cranberries. That being said, this one wasn’t quite as fruity and flavorful as the blueberry and coconut one, and matcha flavor didn’t come through as much, either. This cranberry and walnut version is great with some maple syrup drizzled on top, or maybe some luscious walnut butter!

Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal  –> buy!

Ingredients: Dried Apples, Cinnamon Chips (contains dairy), Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha

Review: Full disclosure–I couldn’t review this authentically because the cinnamon chips contain nonfat milk powder. However, the packets are dry and easy to pick apart, so I literally just took out all the cinnamon chips and replaced them with a dash of regular cinnamon. I was surprised at the idea of combining cinnamon with matcha, but it actually worked! The cinnamon admittedly masked the matcha, but they didn’t conflict. The dried apples also flavored the oatmeal more than the dried cranberries. For those of you who say you don’t like dried apples, they lose that creepy “squeaky” texture when you cook them and feel like regular apples. This one didn’t need any more sweetener. I topped it with almond butter.

Tips from The Oatmeal Artist:

• We all know that packaged oatmeal is always smaller in volume that homemade oatmeal. You can plump it up with grated zucchini without altering the fabulous flavor of the product (this is what I did)! You could also add applesauce or grated apple to the Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal.
• It’s easy to add fresh fruit to these products. For example, if you have fresh blueberries, why not throw them on top of your Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal?
• This would make a great way to introduce yourself to matcha and matcha oatmeal, as opposed to dropping $20 on entire tub of matcha powder before you even know if you like it! Plus, the matcha in these recipes is very subtle, so it’s much less intimidating than ordering a matcha latte. 🙂
• You could probably make this as an overnight oatmeal, but you would want to pick out the nuts and add them right before serving. Letting walnuts soak in liquid overnight gives them a sad and gritty texture, not the satisfying crunch we expect.
• This oatmeal would be delicious flooded with steamed milk! See my London Fog Oatmeal for an example.