Zen Tea

Bittersweet sip down. While this means I can go on and try something new (I don’t like having everything opened at once), I really enjoyed this iced. Coconut + green tea = Refreshment City. And the price is super decent too.

Yum! I must be on a caramel kick today, because I have just been craving that flavor and most of the teas I’ve had today have caramel aspects/full caramel flavor lol. This is my before bed cup, I am almost at the end of my sample :( I much prefer this cream caramel rooibos than the DavidsTea one, this one is much sweeter and a perfect way to end the day! See previous notes :)

TTB-A #18
Unsweetened it’s just ok.
Lightly sweetened its a liquid ‘thin mint’.
Need I say more?

My allergies are in full swing right now, so it will definitely be a stay in and enjoy the sunshine from the air conditioning kind of day. Sigh.

That being said, I hope to make the day better by sampling a bunch of tea!

So, thank you for letting me sample this one Shelley_Lorraine!

This is the first toffee flavored tea I’ve tried that actually captures toffee flavor to me. I get nutty toasted caramel on a slightly vegetal white base. I think the white base gives it a smoothness and sweetness that the black tea blends I’ve been trying seem to be lacking.

I enjoy the less full-bodiedness of this more than I thought I would for a dessert flavor. On the flip side, I think this is kind of an as-is blend, because I feel like milk and sugar might ruin the layers of flavor and make a giant cup of blech.

I’m not familiar with Assam teas on their own, although they’re in quite a few flavoured and breakfast blends I’ve had. I thought trying this and Butiki’s Taiwanese Assam would help me understand what “Assam” means, but the two teas are different, both in geography and taste. At least I know a little bit more than I originally did, but that doesn’t say much.

I really enjoyed this tea and every time I drank it I noticed something different. It’s fun for myself to note that I never would’ve liked this tea a year ago; it’s the mouth drying astringency that I’ve warmed up to recently.

I enjoyed drinking this with and without milk as both emphasized and curbed different things in the tea. Without milk, it really drove home that this is a full bodied tea with a kick, with a good dose of malt and astringency and a touch of dried fruit. I often had it like that for early mornings, when I needed something to wake me up.

I chose to drink it with milk today as I didn’t want to deal with the astringency (ok, so I haven’t quite warmed up to it). I guess it’s common sense that milk brings out cream but this gets really creamy! It’s like the difference between milk in a Cream of Earl Grey versus milk in a normal Earl Grey- it multiplies the creaminess instead of just adding cream. I don’t know how else to put it without sounding even sillier.

The cream is good but my favourite part of this tea is its quiet sweetness. It’s a “brown” sweetness- like raisins, maple syrup, or dates. The dry leaf and now empty cup smell of raisins and cocoa and the lingering aftertaste is fruity dark chocolate.

This is the best chocolate mint tea I’ve had so far… I mean, I haven’t had a lot but I really like this one. The flavor is very strong with a nice balance of chocolate and mint. If it was watery mint tasting, it’d be a no go.

Office sipdown!
21 to go and I’m at 100 teas again!

I’ve never had so many blossoms in one cup! I’m not a huge a fan of floral teas and this one was about average. No one flavor left an impression on me. I couldn’t really taste the Rooibos either. Not horrible my any means but not the first cup of tea I would reach for (and not one I’ll re-order.)

I just don’t think I’m a fan of strawberry teas, but as far as this tea went it was quite delicious. They really got both the strawberry flavour, and especially the cream flavour down. The black base added a nice touch – it wasn’t overpowering at all and balanced the flavours out well.

Thanks Cavovorax :)

Mmmm, coconut. I just couldn’t resist. The dry leaf smells like creamy, creamy coconut. Straight up, simple yet that’s how it sometimes should be.

I’ve only had this iced so far. In fact, I’m on my third jug, cold brewed, and I’m super happy with this. The base is mellow and refreshing, and the coconut tastes like freshly shredded coconut. Wonderful choice for the hot weather.

Definitely my favourite Zen Tea so far. I’m curious about the oolong, but will maybe wait a few more days before trying it.

I think I finally am getting the excellent flavor from this tea! I’ve drank it a few times before and it was not doing it for me, it was too bland or too perfumy or something. It might be the dry smell that puts me off a bit too, my bag seems very bergamoty and not creamy at all, almost soapy and very perfumed. But I have been craving EGC, so I needed a cup tonight, hoping the caffeine doesn’t bug me like it did yesterday!

I steeped for 4 minutes, that might also be a different, I think I tried 2 in the past and it was just too weak. The steeped smell definitely has some cream and is a lot lighter than the smell from the bag.

As for flavor, yes, there definitely is creaminess in it this time! I am finding that it seems to diminish as it cools, so might have to drink it hot in the future, or my taste buds might be acting up from my allergies. Anyways, it is hitting the spot and satisfying my EGC craving perfectly! Definitely a nice light black tea, but the creaminess makes it seem richer and just lovely.

Overall, I am happy that this is starting to work for me. I have a big 2 oz bag of it and I was worried I preferred the DavidsTea version better, but this one might make the cut after all! I’ll potentially up the rating after a few more cups at a later date as well.

This one didn’t really live up to its name and description for me. I couldn’t really taste the “sweet almond with cherry-like notes”. It wasn’t horrible, but I expected a deeper and richer almond flavor. (I probably won’t buy this one again, but if it were given to me, I would drink it.)

Quick sip down. Glad it’s out of the way. I brought a bunch of tea home with me and am hoping to finish off the majority of it to make room in my luggage, and to perhaps pick up some Tea Desire and Steeps goodies!

Not cherry enough and the base is meh.

Brought some of this with me on the drive over to my brother’s. I love ginger and lemon together, and if steeped 2 minutes at a cooler temperature the green tea base isn’t too bad.

I need to try this one iced.

Ozli was right. This is just an… odd/awful blend. She sent me two cups, but I don’t know if I’ll bother with the second one. Or finishing this one.

Too bad because the ingredients sound interesting.

So after a few cups of the rich and awesome Wuyi oolong I have been drinking this evening, I needed something a bit lighter and fresher, so I decided to have a cup of this. Now, I wasn’t really a fan of it last time I had it, it was just too floral by the end of the cup. This time, it seems a bit better, still quite peony flavored and scented, but I think I found a bit of white tea taste underneath at least haha. Maybe I steeped it for a bit shorter time or got more white tea in the spoon, I’m not sure. This was a nice one to try, and if I am in the mood for it, it is nice, but I don’t think I’d restock this one just because it is soo floral. Happy to have tried it though, and I will get through the bag by the end of summer I think! See previous notes :)

Hi hi hi Steepsterites! Back from the mountains. It was fab. Apart from the cave and basin STILL being closed off since last year, and Moraine Lake closed off too, it was a great getaway. I even got a tan. Go figure! And some highlights, so you’d think I was in Malibu.

It’s so hot here now, tornado weather hot. Actually, the power just went back on. So all this heat made me crave iced tea, so into the fridge this went.

I figured this was going to make a better cold brew, and while it does, honestly, it’s incredibly dull. The cherry is very faint, and there is something about the base that’s dry. “Dry” is that word I seem to use to describe most of the Zen Tea bases so far. Odd.

But the price is right. There are better cherry greens out there, though.

I lied. I snuck in one last sipdown!

No idea how this compares to other chocolate mint rooibos’, but I will need to replace it. Chocolate mint tea before bedtime is kind of essential you guys!

Sipdown of this one! I’m trying to convince my bf that this will be tastier than the flavored spearmint water he buys, especially because he likes caffeinated drinks. Will update later with the results.

Seems like an odd combo – hazelnut and oolong? It’s pretty good though. I enjoyed it, even if it was slightly artificial tasting. Drinking the rest of my 1oz pack won’t be any trouble, but I probably won’t rush out to get more.

While I can’t say I loved this tea, I won’t say it was bad. It has a heavy taste and no one flavor or fruit shines through. Maybe the problem is that there are too many good things in the blend and they have to fight for attention.
Nonetheless, I am grateful I got this sampler from Zen Tea and for such a good price. (I can’t recall exactly, but it was under $2, I think.) A sampler from Zen gives you enough to taste a few cups and then decide and that’s what it’s all about – finding what you like. (For future reference to myself, don’t be in a hurry to re-order.)

TTB-A sample. There was just about enough for one more cup left of this one, so I snagged it. Actually a tiny bit more than I would normally use in my cup (but only barely) so I decreased the steep time to account for it.

I love black pearls so of course I was intrigued. These aren’t so much pearls as little wadded up leaves; the look of it almost reminds me of the shape of the Laoshan Black first picking. Steeped, it does have a bit of a chocolatey aroma but its tempered by some high fruity notes and a hint of… coffee? Well that’s weird, but it did pop into my head while sniffing it.

The flavor is pretty classic black pearl, which is to say pretty tasty. I’m not getting any sweetness in the first steep, and the chocolate is definitely muted. Definitely on the earthy side of Yunnan blacks, with a bit of woodiness as well. It was smooth and malty when I first started drinking this cup, but it’s getting a touch harsh as it cools, and as such my rating keeps dropping as I sit here writing this tasting note. I mean, it’s still tasty, but my desire to have another cup of it is waning. Maybe it’s because I just had my One True Pearls (Teavivre) the other day, so they are fresh in my mind.

Second steep, at four minutes, wasn’t really worth it for me. Thin and lacking in the flavors I like (cocoa, grains, malt), with more of the flavors I don’t (a weird darjeeling-like fruitiness). Ah well, so it goes. This tea wasn’t sealed in an airtight pouch, so there is always the chance of flavor loss over time, but the first steep was quite strong so I kind of doubt that. Glad I got the chance to try these but they won’t be replacing my faves any time soon.

From the Traveling Tea Box! There a few rooibos blends in here and since I am way low on herbal teas for the evenings, I’ll be trying them out. Also, it is awesome to be able to sample all of these teas without having to add them to my cupboard.

So usually I don’t do mint teas, and usually I don’t do rooibos, but together they seem to be working out for me. The mint is smooth and not too “brisk”, and it seems to totally mask the weird, fruity, medicinal quality that rooibos often has. It does taste like Junior Mints or maybe a York peppermint patty. Definitely one of the better rooibos blends I’ve tried!

Three steeps of this today – it’s nice to have something easy you can just add hot water to with no stopping to clean out the infuser. ;)