PANATEA Matcha

I've been a little obsessed with matcha lately. If a coffee shop has it, it's my go-to for caffeine.

If you're not familiar with matcha, it's a specially grown green tea, ground to a fine powder. You get about the same amount of caffeine as brewed coffee without the jitteriness! It's actually very calming, and I love drinking it on weekend mornings. Other health benefits are that it's rich in antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and it boosts metabolism.

I was so excited when PANATEA sent me their ceremonial grade matcha starter set, which contains:

  • Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Tin (30g = 30 Servings)
  • Custom Measuring Scoop (1g)
  • Double Wall Glass Bowl
  • Bamboo Whisk
  • Directional Pamphlet
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It was my first time ever making matcha, but there are only a few steps to it! The hardest part is whisking.

First, put in 1 scoop of the matcha powder.

Press down on the powder a few times with the whisk to break it apart.

For hot matcha, use water that has been cooled off from a boil. Pour until you reach the 3 oz. line on the bowl.

Eek, I messed up. Read below.

Eek, I messed up. Read below.

As for the whisking part, I messed up 3 times... When you whisk in a zig-zag motion, make sure you do it in a QUICK motion (not a calculated, methodical one) and with the whisk near the top of the mixture. Don't let the whisk touch the bottom of the bowl! If you do, you get the above photo... watery and no froth.

Done correctly (or as close to correctly as I could), I got the froth!

Ta-da!

Ta-da!

I'm already excited to make iced matcha, matcha lattes with steamed milk, or even incorporate matcha into my cooking with my sample packet of culinary grade powder!

Ceremonial grade matcha starter set // PANATEA

Rhode Island 2016

It's been awhile since Brian and I went on a trip, just the two of us. We decided on Providence, Rhode Island since we're a fan of the northeast. We stayed at Hotel Providence, right in the heart of downtown.

The cutest luxury boutique hotel

The cutest luxury boutique hotel

To our pleasant surprise, the staff let us know that we had come during PVD Fest, four days of live music, food, and visual art installations in the streets of Providence. It was AMAZING because the streets were always so lively, and we even stumbled upon an outdoor performance by The Heavy.

The Heavy

The Heavy

Right after we checked in, we went to eat dinner at Duck and Bunny, a cozy restaurant that serves all sorts of crêpes (think pasta, pizza, sushi, and also your average crêpes). It was soo delicious! They also gave us free cupcakes on the house since we were visitors. I swear, everyone in Rhode Island was extremely nice to us! 

Brian's Tuscan crêpe pizza and my roast beef & gorgonzola crêpiccini

Brian's Tuscan crêpe pizza and my roast beef & gorgonzola crêpiccini

That night, we also grabbed some cocktails from the Eddy, which was a few streets away from our hotel. It was such a gorgeous night to be out and about!

The next day, we walked around Brown University's campus. Although we rented a car, we decided to walk to a lot of places. The best way to see a city is to walk because you can take in so many details!

Afterward, we went to the Providence Athenaeum, the 4th oldest library in New England (my Snapchat said "country," but it's actually the 7th oldest in the country - oops!). 

Then we stopped by the RISD Museum. It's free on Sundays, but we were so close, we decided to stop by anyway. Speaking of RISD, it was also their graduation weekend, so the whole city felt festive all around! 

The museum had so many beautiful spaces, including stairways and their garden.

The museum had so many beautiful spaces, including stairways and their garden.

For a light lunch, we went to Figidini for their small plates! My friend Larissa had suggested this place for their oven roasted artichoke, and it did not disappoint! We also go the lamb and sausage combo and some grilled scallops. Sooo good! 

Another place to grab some drinks is Faust in the Dean Hotel. I originally wanted to stay there, but we weren't able to book it! It was only a couple of blocks away from our hotel though, so we walked over here almost every day for their coffee shop and bar. Gorgeous space!

On Sunday, we had another early start and went to The Shop for some coffee before heading to Newport.

I absolutely recommend this place for its coziness, Stumptown coffee, and delicious toast!

When we got to Newport, we went for a walk along the cliff. The fog made it so, so beautiful. Brian and I were super happy and spent awhile walking around!

When we were ready to head to the Newport Lobster Shack, we took the scenic route (always the most rewarding)!

Ahh... fresh lobster!!

Accidentally waited in this line to find out that the food truck (on the left) is what we wanted. The shack was only selling whole lobsters for you to cook.

Accidentally waited in this line to find out that the food truck (on the left) is what we wanted. The shack was only selling whole lobsters for you to cook.

We were the 3rd group in line... the payoff:

Lobster bisque, lobster roll, lobster bites, lobster dinner. Mhmmmm.

Lobster bisque, lobster roll, lobster bites, lobster dinner. Mhmmmm.

I had never had such fresh lobster before!! It was amazing and worth waiting/eating in the cold!

The next morning, I started feeling sick... over the course of the day, I had chills and aches, but I was grateful it was a beautiful sunny day! We visited a couple of beaches and had lunch with a great view of the ocean. I really got to make the best out of this trip with Brian. Here's to many more!

Recap video below!

Sudio Sweden

When Sudio Sweden reached out to me about their Bluetooth earphones, I was jumping with joy! I had seen their earphones on Instagram, and they're so elegant and stylish... and the fact that they offered me the Bluetooth version was even more appealing! I hate messing with wires. 

Vasa BLÅ - Rose Gold White

Vasa BLÅ - Rose Gold White

To turn the earphones on, you have to hold the play button for 3 seconds, and then to pair, you have to hold it for 7 seconds. After that, enjoy the studio quality music that blasts out of the earphones... I was seriously so impressed at the sound quality! 

It also comes with a beautiful leather case to hold your earphones... Not that the cord would even tangle!

So pretty!

So pretty!

Their goal is to provide premium quality earphones with great Scandinavian design... I think they nailed it. Now, I can't work out with them because, like with most earphones, they would slip out of my ears. But it's a great pair of earphones to take to the office, coffee shops, or to travel with in general. Love, love, love it!

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Sudio Sweden was even sweet enough to provide me a discount code to offer to my readers. Use KAREN15 for 15% off their products!