Chroma Tea

I’m liking this cup. It’s like a savory chai. The cardamon gives it the impression of chai. Can’t tell what is giving it more savory notes. Caraway? It’s well balanced, but slightly on the airy side. I sipped this cup somewhat mindlessly for most of it, mildly aware I was enjoying it through the slow haze of waking up.

Skipping my advent tea since it is another repeat and am reaching into the depths of my cupboard instead.

It’s a rainy day which is perfect for staying inside with cups of tea, although that doesn’t seem to stop the hummingbirds from chirping their little hearts out. On days like this I wish this house were better insulated so I could feel cozy inside, but that isn’t the way of 140 year old Victorian homes.

This cup of tea is changing a bit as I sip along. The coconut was prominent on my first few sips, then the roasty flavors took over after that. If I sip too quickly there is a flash of something sour at the start of the sip, a similar tang that dark chocolate sometimes has. Something in this blend is making my throat feel scratchy. I’m trying to ignore it, but it’s getting stronger. It’s a very dark deep tasting blend. Roast flavors with chocolate and the coconut filling in with cream. I’m not finding jasmine at all. It’s warm and comforting if I ignore the throat thing. It’s not as bold as I was hoping for, but it would be perfect if I was in the mood for something more mellow. I’m glad to have tried this, but it isn’t something I’d restock.

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First one for August, yay! \o/

I found this one a tad bit disappointing. That being said, it’s only because of the goji berries. I was looking forward to seeing how a touch of fruitiness would meld with a genmaicha, but I couldn’t taste even a hint of goji here.

It is a nice enough genmaicha though. The Laoshan green is naturally super nutty and beany tasting, so it goes splendidly with the toasty rice. Overall, it tastes like creamy edamame mixed with toasted cashews and a bit of brown rice. Sweet and savory, a bit brothy, and very restorative.

Not sure I would order it again, since I could just mix something similar myself. But a very tasty tea!

This one smells like incense indeed with its sandalwood and spice aroma. I was a little worried it might taste overly incense-y and was relieved to be greeted with warm spices and honeysuckle instead. It reminded me a LOT of another favorite: Kashmiri Chai.
It makes sense as Kashmiri chai has similar spices (cardamom, star anise) and uses either green tea or lightly oxidized oolong as a base instead of black tea.

For those unfamiliar, this is a unique chai served in Pakistan that’s creamy, lightly spiced, and has a beautiful pink hue. A quick video showing what Kashmiri chai looks and how its prepared: https://www.tiktok.com/@kitchen_diaries_by_zubda/video/7186720975180860677?_r=1)

Thanks derk for sending this tea!

Steeped this one up on Thursday when it was grey, cold and heavily rainy all day. Truthfully I think it’s the weather that pulled me towards this blend and a few others teas that amplify that taste and feeling. It was the notes of earthy shou puerh and crisp and forest-y herbal ingredients like fennel, burdock, and different mints – peppermint, spearmint, and tulsi – that I wanted. Flavours ofnature, if you will. It feels very much like it rides the line between that moment of cool, fresh air and calm before a thunderstorm and the sweet, natural petichor that floods the nose from everything that’s been left soaked by the rain in the moments after.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqJaBFQObBq/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGxZrYZ71bE

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Yay, the last one from Chroma! \o/

This is a soothing and enjoyable tisane. The ratio of the mints is spot-on, it has the sweetness of the spearmint without tasting like chewing gum. The fennel adds a warming quality, and then the burdock has such a nice earthy, rooty quality to it. I’m a fan of burdock in general, so I’m always happy to find it in tea.

I tried three versions of this blend, and I think my favorite was actually the shou puerh version, Celadon. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll be reordering any of these Chroma teas. There are a few more I still want to try, but it seems like it’ll be a while before they’re restocked…

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I was a bit underwhelmed by this one, especially considering the glowing reviews.

It sounds nice in theory, but in practice I find there to be way too much chamomile (and maybe it’s the marigold too, I’m not sure I know what that tastes like). I can taste some spearmint as well, and a touch of roasty oolong, but I only get bits and pieces of the other ingredients. Mostly I taste the honeyed pollen notes of the chamomile, paired with sweet and cooling spearmint.

Obviously it’s not bad, I just wanted more of the fennel and any of the cinnamon or cacao. Not sure what the black tea component is, but I’m not tasting that either. Maybe it’s heavy on the honey notes, and for that reason it’s melding in with the chamomile? Oh well, clearly I’m in the minority on this one! :P

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So this one is a blend of sheng, crassicolumna sheng, and cypress oil. I love evergreen-y notes in tea, so this sounded lovely to me. The dry scent, though, is almost a bit chemical? It reminds me a bit of burning rubber…

By contrast, the flavor is very mellow. It tastes like a mix of an earthy Chinese green tea and maybe an aged white tea. It’s smooth, but has a noticeable mineral note to it along with a touch of earthy smoke. And then there’s a stonefruit flavor that reminds me of apricot fruit leather, albeit perhaps a bit less concentrated and certainly less sweet. Overall, I’m actually reminded of a gunpowder green tea.

I don’t get any cypress notes at all, and I have no idea what the crassicolumna would possibly taste like. Mostly it’s just a mellow and very mineral sheng. Meh.

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Is it just me, or does Chroma really like coriander? It seems to be in a lot of their blends.

Anyway, this one is interesting. It’s like a tart berry-ish fruit tisane, heavy on the hibiscus, but then the coriander adds this odd savory edge. Sometimes it almost tastes salty. There’s also a slight musty note, maybe from the rose? And then in the finish I can taste the coating sweetness from the licorice root.

A weird one to be sure, and not one I’m likely to reorder.

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So this is a gorgeous blend, with the chrysanthemum blossoms mixed with rosebuds and the bright blue cornflower petals. Plus I generally like TCM ingredients, so I was excited to try it.

But… This pretty much tastes like chrysanthemum, and a very peppery chrysanthemum at that. I get a bit of the rose I guess, but the whole thing leans very savory, and the strong peppery notes make me feel like I’m eating biscuits and gravy LOL. I was hoping to taste the goji as well, but there’s nary a hint unfortunately. I do get a little touch of the licorice root in the finish.

Still a nice tea, as I do like chrysanthemum, but not what I was hoping for.

I finally got my 50 grams, and Chroma was extremely kind when I contacted them about my order. They fully refunded me, and got my tea about three days after. I wasn’t upset, but I deeply appreciate it.

I’ve only had the tea western and tumbler/grandpa. The aroma steals the show reminding my of an almond joy, or a coconut stuffed piece of dark chocolate. Flavor wise, it’s pretty close, but it’s more savory and buttery. I mostly taste the Laoshan and don’t get to much of the other ingredients in flavor, but some. I get more of the rice and coconut in the mouthfeel and aroma.

I can see why people rated this lower and wrote about liking it. It’s not quite as complex as the original blend was, and I think it’s due to the lack of oolong and a few other ingredients. Otherwise, this tea is a frickin’ deal and a good way to get Laoshan for cheaper. I’m clearly into it, but I’m not ready to rate it quite yet. I also got to comment-this tea is pretty to look at even steeped. The black tendrils accented by the white coconut is really cool.

I ordered some of this through Chroma, about $15 in total with shipping, but I haven’t received a receipt from Chroma’s website. I have the paypal receipt that’s addressed as Verdant, but no sign of shipping, and it still hasn’t showed up since I ordered February 2. Is this normal for Chroma Tea? If not, I’m definitely going to contact them. I’m usually not that particular about shipping, but I’ve usually had a lot shorter times, even with Verdant.

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So this is the same ingredient mix as Mauve – peppermint, spearmint, fennel, burdock, and tulsi – but this one has a shou puerh base instead of green tea. There’s also an herbal version (Laurel) that I haven’t gotten to yet. This tea does have cinnamon as well though, which the others do not.

It definitely tastes similar to Mauve, but I like this one better. I can taste the actual tea much more, and I like how the earthy shou brings out more of the burdock. I really like burdock root in Japanese food, like the classic kinpira gobo, so it’s fun to recognize it in a tea. The shou adds a nice rich and earthy base, but the freshness of the mint helps to lighten it up a bit and keeps it from being funky. The fennel and cinnamon add a bit of sweetness as well. I really like the combination of mint and warm spices together, it has such an exotic quality to me.

Anyway, very nice tea for relaxing as it has such a refreshing and cooling vibe to it. It tastes like something that’s good for you, but in a very enjoyable way. I would consider ordering this one again. :)

I read my last note on this tea and I think I’m enjoying this cup a little more this go. There is an underlying sweetness and a mix of malt and hay that is pleasant. Something in this is making my throat ever so slightly scratchy. Overall it’s not as exciting as I like my teas. The first Chroma tea I had was very exciting, so I was expecting the others to be loud as well. Alas, they are not. Still, it will do for a gloomy day as I hover over my new 3D printer and monitor it’s progress. So many settings on this thing that my mind is boggled with the crash course learning. I need to design a print to hold all my David’s tea perfect mug lids that only stack so high before toppling over!

I recently purchased several Chroma teas after sampling one and really liking it. So far most of them are falling flat for me. This is a nice roasted tea with a little nuttiness in there and a touch of grass, but it feels like there is room for more pizzazz. I don’t believe I’ve ever used the word pizzazz when describing a tea, but there you go. I keep waiting for there to be something that stands out and makes this cup spectacular, but it’s just it’s mellow well rounded modest self. There is nothing offensive about it at all, but I was hoping for more.

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The only green oolong from Chroma. I hope they’re planning to add some more green oolong and white teas to their lineup, since right now there’s only one of each.

Anyway, I liked this one but I didn’t love it. I do like licorice in general (not licorice root, but licorice candies, etc.) but here it was almost all I tasted. I actually picked out the star anise bits because they just weren’t necessary at all, the tea was already strongly anise-scented without them. I found I couldn’t really taste the lemon or the juniper. And honestly I just didn’t love the combination of the floral green oolong with the anise? Maybe I would’ve liked it better on a milk oolong base.

It was fun to try, but not a favorite for me.

I agree with Cameron that the green tea base is very much drowned out by all the strong herbs in this tea, though I do think it’s maybe adding a bit of body and astringency that they would have lacked otherwise. In particular, I think that’s helpful given how sweet the combination of mint and fennel reads. For that to not come off as terribly cloying I think it needs some of the texture and coarseness of the green tea. Perhaps that’s incidental though, and not what Chroma actually had in mind with this tea.

I say that because my best guess is that they were going for some type of riff on a Moroccan Mint. To be fair, I have no real reason to assume that – it’s just that the dual combination of mint (spearmint reads more strongly here, IMO) and the suggestion to make it iced/cold brewed gives me strong “upgraded Moroccan Mint” vibes. So, totally just conjecture on my part.

Anyway, it was fine – but definitely not my favourite from Chroma.

I tried this hot and was not a fan. I don’t recall why, but I thought it would be good cold steeped so I dumped the entire bag into a mason jar and stuck it in the fridge for a few days. This mix is really frustrating because the pineapple bits are huge and light, so they rise to the top of the bag and all the other ingredients fall to the bottom. It was hard to get my spoon past the pineapple and get an even mix of ingredients, so I think the dump it all in the mason jar was really the right way to go.
It’s has a very bright and cheery taste. The sip is juicy, fruity and tangy. Pineapple is woven with the lemongrass. As those flavors fade, the cinnamon pops out. I wasn’t getting cinnamon in the hot cup at all. I didn’t think I really liked it at first, but the more I sip the more I appreciate this. I’m not sure if it’s something I’d buy again, but it is something I’m enjoying. My only regret is not saving it for warmer months when I want something cool and refreshing to enjoy.

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So this wasn’t my favorite, just because I’m not a ripe puerh fan. That being said, it was still very enjoyable. The cardamom and the tulsi do a nice job of freshening up the damp earthiness of the puerh and counteracting its slight fishy notes. I don’t actually taste much of the chrysanthemum, but it’s probably just melding with the tulsi since they’re both a bit peppery in flavor.

A nice tea, just not one for my personal preferences. Also the color seems like an odd choice given how earthy and herbaceous this tastes…

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So I seem to like this more than a lot of the other reviewers.

Yeah, it has a lot of stuff in it, and I’m sure I’m not tasting all of it. But I don’t really find it muddled. To me, the spices are the main flavors, and I can taste mostly the cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and a bit of clove. The vanilla sort of rounds out the edges and adds a touch of creaminess. And then I can taste the elderberry in the background, giving a hint of dark and jammy berry that I actually really like with the spices.

This last cup is a tad heavy on the black pepper, so I guess there must’ve been some dust at the bottom of the pouch. But in general, I quite enjoyed this blend and I could see it being nice in the fall and winter as an herbal chai option, or a mix-in for other teas.

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So, this one is fine. It’s mostly pineapple, so it mostly tastes like pineapple. There’s a bit of coconut as well, and a bit of cinnamon. But I don’t taste the vanilla or the turmeric, and certainly not the yuzu. Also, what an annoying tisane to try to portion out – the pineapple chunks are massive and everything else is tiny, so I had to dump it into another container to try to get a good distribution of ingredients.

Also, this was another pouch that was blended in mid-2020, which makes me a bit nervous for a fruit tisane with coconut? This last cup did taste a bit soapy, so I wonder if the coconut had started to go a bit rancid. Anyway, not something I would reorder, but I don’t tend to order fruit tisanes in the first place.

ETA – Also just noticing the photo and mine looked nothing like that, it was probably 90% giant pineapple chunks with some bits of cinnamon at the bottom of the bag…

Just picked up my last tea order of 2022. Almost feels like cheating to get new tea in a new year that doesn’t go on my totals for the year!

I’m not a huge fan of oolongs, but this sounded interesting. It smells very anisey and that is the dominating flavor in this cup. The coriander comes out in the finish a little where it turns a little more savory. The oolong seems to blend well with the anise, to the point that it’s hard for me to separate the two in my mind. This is very well balanced while being complex and is interesting, but it’s not jumping out at me right now either. I’m hoping this one grows on me.

I honestly can’t describe the flavor but I love it. All the ingredients meld into one cozy flavor.

This tea is a prime example of why you shouldn’t mess with a good thing. The base of this blend is Laoshan black which is naturally very chocolately. The cacao nibs slightly accent the chocolate but don’t really enhance the base tea.

The coconut and toasted rice lend a delicious aroma that’s reminiscent of chocolate coconut date balls but I can hardly discern either in the tea. For a tea that’s billed as black chocolate genmaicha, I wish the toasted rice was more prominent.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good dessert tea. It just doesn’t differ enough from Laoshan black tea to be compelling. I think I would have been more impressed if I hadn’t tried Laoshan black on its own first.