Zhena's Gypsy Tea

Light, creamy, vanilla. It’s nice, although there’s something metallic in the finish that’s ruining it for me. Otherwise? Simple and lovely. Used two teabags for 12 oz.

Thank you to Janelle for giving me the opportunity to try this one out!

Last night I was looking for something w/o a caffeine base, but wanted something easy as we had had a long day. I had picked this up earlier in the week when Hubby and I made a trip out of town for a little shopping. Unfortunately, we weren’t near any tea shops, but we did make it into a HomeGoods so I checked out their tea section and found a stackable set of Zhena’s Chai teas and picked up a Zhena’s Raspberry mint as well. MissB had sent me some of the coconut chai recently, and although I hadn’t tried it before this trip, I had read the reviews and was expecting a good experience with their chais. Knowing I have little opportunity to pick up great teas locally, I grabbed at the chance.

Cinnamon and chocolate are not a favorite mix of mine if you are talking dessert. My mom makes a cake that is rich & chocolatey… I’ve had others versions of the same cake with the addition of cinnamon and I’d rather just pass on them. Somehow though, it seems to work for me in tea.

I found this blend to be rich and inviting as I had wanted for something warm when we came in from the cold. We have had a couple of nice days where you just need a jacket or a sweatshirt, but last night.. cold again, Ugh! The rich chocolate paired with the spice, although not overly so, of the chai made for a nice heartwarming cup… I can see why MissB has been a fan of chocolate chai as of lately. This was a nice blend of the two and with little to no caffeine (not sure if the cocoa they use has caffeine). Glad I picked this one up.

I’m not finding this one to be as great today as the last time I tried it, but I’m thinking my taste buds must be off today because I’ve tried a few and gotten the same response with each one.

I went for trying this one as an iced latte today, and although it is sweet and creamy, thanks to my normal added raw sugar, the spices and coconut aren’t coming through like I would have liked. I think if I try it again, I will steep it a bit longer and maybe use less milk than I would for a hot latte.

I’ll leave the rating as it was since I seem to be having an off day.

Snowing Again!! I thought it was supposed to be Spring!

I had this late last week and just now getting around to writing a note. I love coconut & spice in tea, so theoretically this should work for me… Thanks MissB for sending some my way to try.

I finally got around to trying this one. I sometimes have trouble getting myself to try teabags because I think I’ll save them and take them with me for easy tea on the go, but then I always forget them.. sigh.

This is the first tea bag I’ve seen that seems to turn itself into a bubble and float while it steeps. I was a bit annoyed at this at first, but decided it must be the way it’s made and let it go.

I found this tea to be an interesting blend. First sip I got all coconut with a touch of spice behind it.. Yum! The following sips were more of a blend of the flavors, although I had to think about coconut to notice it sometimes. I’m not used to having chai w/other flavors, so maybe it’s something to get used to for me. I like this one, not my favorite chai right now, but thinking it may grow on me some.

I felt like something flavoured, so I took a break from the pu-erh to have some of this instead. I chose this after a heavy lunch, due to the ginger, and am not disappointed.

The sweetness of the ginger and peach really meld here, though I imagine it would taste even better enhanced with some sugar. But it’s interesting because I can’t quite tell where the fruitiness begins and the ginger ends or vice-versa; the two flavours just go together into a whole so well.

I can’t say it’s my favourite tea ever, but I can imagine this being really good for a bit of indigestion; sweet and enjoyable but still soothing.

Unfortunately, I burnt the roof of my mouth earlier today, so the first thing I get when I taste this is pain. :(
Ignoring that and sipping onward, it’s another understated fruit tea, actually reminding me a lot of the Exotic Fruits tea I reviewed recently. The peach lends a softness, though it doesn’t scream peach. I think it would pair very well with something sweet — this seems like a tea that would be even better with a pastry than on its own, though unfortunately I’m not hungry enough to test that hypothesis right now.

I’m drinking this straight today. The coconut adds a creaminess to the flavour that goes well with the spices. I can imagine already how some milk would add to it, but it’s not bad at all on its own. Again, coconut is not my favourite flavouring, but especially when mixed with chai, it’s really not that bad.
I wouldn’t mind having another cup of this!

For something coconutty, I actually don’t mind this. I’m having it clear… the coconut is actually adding a sweetness to the spices. I think I’d still prefer a more classic chai… but this really isn’t bad at all!

I got a couple bags of this tea to try thanks to Skysamurai!

This tea smells really lovely and spicy. I can smell a little coconut in there too. The spices mesh so evenly and well together that they are hard to pick out on their own. I’m guessing cinnamon, cardamon and clove. Drinking this unsweetened, which is unusual but I have been giving it a go more often lately and it tastes alright on it’s own. The clove comes out a little more in the sip and the coconut is pretty subtle acting more like a background creaminess and comes out in the aftertaste. I like it and it is one I’m glad to have tried, but it won’t be making it as a cupboard staple.

Sigh. After the four comment eaten, I’m giving up on trying to comment and be social on Steepster tonight. Growl.

This is a pleasant cup, more so as it cools, and the minty chocolate comes out to play more.

Shockingly good! Two bags in a small cup, short steep, a touch of sweetener, and it really is a peppermint mocha. As it cools it gets a touch woody though, with more mint flavor. Oh Yea, and in the can? This smells yuck, something chemical or clove like, not sure.

This is a nice chai with a mild caramel flavor. I also like that it is a rooibus, so I can drink it late in the afternoon or evening. I did add sugar and coconut milk to make it more traditional. I like the smooth taste, very nice to relax with a big cup.

Had a cup of this last night: 2 teabags for a 12 oz. cup. A pretty good brew, especially because it’s rooibos. Yes, I can taste the rooibos, however it’s faint and way in the background. This is mostly caramel with only a hint of chai spices. I wish the chai was more present, but otherwise I’ll have zero issue drinking this down – especially since it’s so rich and has zero added sweeteners.

I made this tea this morning to take with me to work. I added sugar and creamer to make it like a traditional chai. I liked the tea and will definitely make it again, but I am not sure that it had a distinct coconut flavor. I love coconut in just about anything, so I was hoping it would have a stronger coconut flavor to it.

Its flavor mostly reminds me of, uh, toothpaste. I guess from the mint. I can’t taste much else.

I’m not picking up as much lemon in this tea as I’d like. I’ve had some lemon teas that are just so lemon-y, and it is so wonderful when that happens, but this is… much more rooibos and flower with a touch of lemon than the other way around. It’s a nice, soothing blend, but it disappoints me that it doesn’t live up to its name.
A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but words come with promises and expectations, and the right name would let me appreciate this tea much more, I think.

There’s a liquorice note to this tea, along with the taste of the chamomile flowers, and a hint of sweetness, like honey. I haven’t quite developed a taste for chamomile tea yet, but I can’t say that I hate it either?

Tired, but staying away from caffeine for a few days, meaning that I should have a few good herbal and fruit teas up here this week. Starting with a few from this company, as I’ve got a nice little sample pack.

This tea is a little fruity, and more herb-y than I’d expect from a tea named after a berry. Almost a little medicinal as it cools. I’d like it to be a little sweeter and fruitier, but it’s an interesting tea regardless.

Sipdown!

Although, not very impressive, since I only got the sampler with 4 bags each of various chais. This one was pretty good, not very chocolatey though. This round, I combined it with a sachet of the caramel chai and it was actually better as the caramel toned down the spices in the chocolate chai. Not sure I’d repurchase, but a little bit of spice always helps when things that my body doesn’t like are blooming outside!

I bought a sampler of Zhenas Gypsy tea a few months ago and I carry it around with me whenever I travel. Today was an especially trying travel day. I left my house at 5am and I got to the hotel in the destination city at 7pm (or 9pm in my normal time zone). So, to unwind, this seemed like the perfect option. I wouldn’t really call this chocolate chai, but it’s a nice smooth blend that doesn’t scream rooibos. Now I’m going to bed!

You know, this doesn’t really do much for me in the chocolate department. I mostly get rooibos from it. Not even really great rooibos. I’ve tried steeping it for many different lengths of time, and the spices of the chai don’t even come through very strongly. There might be a faint sort of gingery tang, but I’m really trying to perceive this. Mostly I’d say the flavoring is quite weak.

Pausing to sip and think some more ****

Maybe a touch of sweetness in addition to the rooibos? But I’m definitely trying to taste it. Maybe this tea has gotten a bit stale, but I wasn’t very impressed with it when I first opened the tin either.

This was the first tea of my girls trip to Edmonton without the baby! How exciting for me!
I found that the coconut provided a nice smoothness to this tea. I did add a tiny splash of milk, I felt that it was just one of those mornings. The chai spices weren’t super spicy, which I kind of actually liked.

Sipdown (195/197)!

Thanks VariaTEA for the sample; it was pleasant enough and easy to finish off which are both winning traits for me!

This cup in particular, was more coconut and much sweeter than my first mug, which was more heavily spiced. So it goes without much saying, that I enjoyed this second cup a lot more. I wouldn’t get it again though – there was too much inconsistency between the two cups to prove to me this could be a reliable sweet chai and not just a cup of spices.

I will bump up my rating ever so slightly, though.