Zhi Tea

I looked but couldn’t find this tea on their website. This is an iced tea blend, prepackaged in a large teabag for cold brewing (or hot brewing if you prefer). I cold brewed it.

TART!

I had to add an ample amount of agave nectar to this to curb the tartness. It is now quite drinkable (and tasty), but, I don’t think I could have drank it without the sweetener.

The hibiscus is still the strongest flavor, with the peppermint lingering in the background. It’s refreshing and tasty, but as I am not a fan of hibiscus, I can’t say it’s my favorite from Zhi Tea.

ChOTD…..

Looking for a good dose of ginger for my cold. This was divine. I am really loving chai. I need an herbal chai very soon. Any good suggestions? Rooibos will be fine for this as long as the usual chai flavors are very present.

Prepped by the usual pan method.

ChOTD

Yes, I forgot this one was in transit….
This one is lightly chocolate, and definitely has a heat to it. I think it might be the ginger. It is good if you like a spicy chai with a little twist. Very enjoyable, but not top on my list as I tend to shy away from the more spicy blends.

1 1/2 cup water, 3 heaping tsp chai, simmer 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup skim milk and simmer for 2 more minutes. Strain. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the morning….

I recently ordered from Zhi to stock up on Gong Fu Black, and this was a 20 g free sample. Smell is of coconut, and the steeped tea is rather smooth, slightly malty, lightly coconutty. There is a good balance between the base and flavor. Even though this one is also slightly buttery, it is much more subtle in flavor than something like David’s Buttered Rum. I would call it more sophisticated. I do think this will be up for condsideration the next time I order at Zhi, but it is not the kind of tea you plan an order around, if that makes sense.

24 oz teapot, 6 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 3 minutes. Lightly sweetened. Second steep at 5 minutes was just as good as the first.

The more I drink this cup the more that lozenge feeling comes out over my mouth and is getting unpleasant. I’ll have to rate this one pretty low because of that despite the actual flavor not being bad.

This smells of green tea and cherry syrup… not badly, but there’s definitely a candy aspect to the cherry scent.

The taste while very hot is a pleasant mix of the green tea with the cherry flavor a little more Sucrets-ish but not strong. It is lightly there overlaying the green.

As it cools the flavor stays quite nice, but that Sucrets lozenge feeling stays in your mouth (especially along the roof) after you swallow. Not as a flavor, just as a feeling.

It’s not bad but I doubt I’ll have another cup.

Ah, what bliss, starting my Sunday with this most satisfying tea! By now I am convinced that this actually IS the same tea as Panyang Bohea Supreme, just going by a different nom de the. Having a supply of it makes my cupboard and my tea-drinking life complete.

Today is my birthday, and my present to myself was to brew an entire carafe of this for breakfast.

This wonderful tea has filled the place in my heart and my cupboard that was previously occupied by Upton’s currently unavailable Panyang Bohea Supreme. That insanely cocoa-y tea had become a minor obsession, as I compulsively checked the New Arrivals section of Upton’s site almost daily, knowing full well that, barring a miracle, it would not be restocked until late fall. If ever.

Zhi’s Gong Fu Black is, so help me, the identical twin of Panyang Bohea Supreme: rich, naturally cocoa-y to the max, little to no astringency. To me this is the pinnacle of what Chinese black teas, particularly Fujians, can be. And because it is readily available, I am able to stop my frantic stock-checking, relax and enjoy a pot of it whenever I like.

As I take stock of the many blessings in my life, I must include this remarkable tea among them. Thank you for restoring my mental health, Gong Fu Black! And a million thank-yous, Zhi Tea, for offering it!

A mighty-fine flavored Sencha! It’s a nice medium flavored Pink Grapefruit – just enough to be mouthwatering but not overly intense! This is nice!

Rich, smooth, fairly bold, a little nutty and fruity, too! Very nice selection from Yunnan!

This tastes like a light Assam to me; I’m really not getting any mango from it.

My tea of the afternoon….

Smooth base, light vanilla, and then the rose. If I could change one thing, it might be to have a slightly more intense vanilla, but the rest is very good. It is very much a tea party tea. The rosebuds are whole and beautiful, even after steeping.

24 oz teapot, 5 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly Sweetened.

Tea of the morning……..

I have not had this one in a while. I love gong fu black tea. The cocoa notes are so wonderful, especially when you are trying to avoid too much sugar in your life. I really should be drinking this type of tea more often, but I always seem to get distracted by the teas that are more fussy than this. This is awesome, but still, everyday tea.

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the morning….

Finally, a craving for something different. After having that cold where all I wanted was all Hot Cinnamon all the time, this is wonderful. It is cocoa-ey, roasty, and is just hitting the spot today. Mmmmm. Bliss.

Steeped by the norm. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the late morning……

After JacquelineM posted to LadyLondonderry that she bought some of this without sampling, I had to brew some up. I am really a sucker for the power of suggestion these days. Lately, there have been so many tasting notes or posts read that have driven me to drink….. ;)

Great as always! I do love this one and am so happy I have nearly a Winter’s supply….

Steeped by the usual parameters.

Tea of the afternoon…..

This one is so good. That is all.

Steeped by usual parameters.

Ummm, Wow. I think I have a new tea amongst the favorites. This one is kind of reminiscent of Premium Steap’s Emperor’s Red and Angelina’s Imperial Red (Da Hong Pao Black) except less roasty and more cocoa. This one almost tastes like it is flavored (which kind of seems like an insult to this tea, but how else to describe it?), the chocolate notes are that present. One might even call them overtones on this one. I have not gotten to a resteep, but that will be the true test. Fortunately, this one is lower in price than the teas mentioned above which helps, even if a resteep is not as good. I am also not beyond adding a little more tea if necessary for the resteep on this one if it needs it.

tl;dr LOOOOOOOve it! :D

24 oz teapot, 4 tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the afternoon………

I have decided that this is the opportune time to start drinking the teas that aren’t my first choice for a certain type. I usually think this one is a little strong due to the lavendar. It is about perfect for me right now….. I can actually taste this one even with my cold and it is good. The base is smooth and the bergamot and lavendar are definitely present. I guess this one will be held in reserve for the days I need Earl Grey with a punch. You know…Sup-er Earl!

I have decided the tins are a pain because the lids don’t fit well (I have 4 teas in this type of tin, so it is not just one that I am using for my observations). They are pretty, but give me functionality first any day. I say skip them and buy a bag…..

Steeped by the usual parameters.

(Got the sliders sort of working this time…. Don’t you love a browser upgrade that really isn’t one?)

Tea of the early morning….

The tea base on this one is very smooth and relaxing. The bergamot is present, and I do get a hint of lavender. This is my first Earl Grey with lavender and I like it. There is definitely a lavendar punch, but it works in its subtlety. I will definitely enjoy this tea, but we will see if it makes the repurchase list.

The packaging from this company is unique, and the product out of the box is beautifully wrapped in tissue. The tins are an oval shaped cylinder. I am not sure how I feel about the lids, but I do think they could fit better. Really, it is a lovely presentation.

24 oz teapot, 5 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Great aroma- a good combination of ginger and peach. As for taste, it was a bit heavier on the spice than peach.

Overall a decent cup when you’re looking for something spicy and sweet.

So….I have a massive amount of backlogging to do. I ordered the giant box of fun from LiberTEAS on TeaTrade (aka the flat rate box of 30+ teas) a little while ago (I think it’s been a month…wow) and I have been drinking them but I never remember to log anything :P

BTW…thank you so much LiberTEAS, this was a really generous box of tea and I can’t wait to try them all (30 was definitely an understatement :) )

So this is the most recent one that I have tried from the box. I wasn’t able to pick out any of the specific flavors in this one…it just tasted “tropical-fruity”. Really good though – it’s smooth and the flavors blend together nicely.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. It is nice to be tasting this one again. I reviewed it for the Tea Review Blog previously: http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=9930

It’s a good one!

Maybe, I should experiment with longer steeps, but at the recommended 3-4 minutes, this does nothing for me. It just tastes…dead. I was hoping for something similar to the glorious Ancient Tong Mu at Postcard Teas, but this one to me is like a black void. If I get any better results, I’ll change my post.