Zhena's Gypsy Tea

My parents came to visit me today and surprised me with this tin of tea! It was so sweet and thoughtful of them! I had never tried Zhena’s Gypsy Tea before, though I had eyed it several times at the grocery store. This one is a special holiday blend with a really cute and festive tin! I love how it says “Happy Holidays” in several languages on the tin.

Of course, I couldn’t resist and opened the tin to get a whiff of it. Hmm… smells so delicious! It smells sweet, refreshingly minty, and spicy. I couldn’t wait to try it! The sachet is round just like RoT’s sachets and has no tag.

I boiled water in my kettle, and since its a green tea, I let it sit until I can barely see the steam coming from the spout. I don’t have a thermometer, so I like to guess the temp. I steeped it for a little more than 3 minutes.

Wow smells so good! I can make out the cinnamon, cloves, and mint. It felt like a party in my mouth! It went down smoothly, and the mint wasn’t very overpowering, which is great. The blend is very refreshing. On my way in, I could smell the spices. The scent is strong and sweet. When I drink tea, I like to take my time, and even as it began to cool off a lot, it still tasted good. :) This will last me a while since there are 22 bags. I have to say… THANKS Mom and Dad!! :)

Had a free cup of this while shopping at Wegman’s today. “E” for Effort but I wouldn’t buy it myself. It was Green Tea meets Medicine-E taste. Couldn’t really taste the flavors. It wasn’t awful but not great either.

Brewed iced with half this and half Pomegranate Green Tea from Republic of Tea…delicious. This tea tends to be heavier and more fruity, while the Republic of Tea tends to be a little lighter. They worked well together to create a refreshing and pink iced tea perfect for a random 70 degree day.

Yet another tea sample from MandyB. Thanks Mandy! The aroma of this is more of a green tea with mint flavoring. The coloring is very close to that in the photo. The overall taste is fairly good. I can taste the Peppermint first with a hint of rum which gives it a distinct taste. I think I can even the lime but am not sure about the lemon…unless it’s a lemon/lime combo I am getting. Regardless it’s a creative blend in a bag and I think I like it.

I really enjoy this tea. I love that it’s naturally decaf, and with the splendid rooibos color. I enjoy it both with and without milk depending on my mood. It is extremely fragrant, but the taste itself isn’t overwhelming.

Still on my first and only tin of this, bought ages ago. Not a terrible blend, but nothing worth buying an entire tin of. Pretty forgettable, in my opinion!

Good, but not fantastic. It is soothing, but if you dare steep it over 3 minutes it turns bitter.

Good tea, but just a little too heavy on the ginger side for me.

Drinkable. Barely.
As prolific as I enjoy being in these reviews, I’ll just sum it up with
Blegh.

It makes me crave (good) Moroccan Mint tea, though. I’d make myself some, but I’m lacking gunpowder. Oh well, life goes on.

Unrelated question to anyone reading: What’s a GOOD brand for Earl Grey? I’ve never been a fan of it, as I’m not particularly fond of flavored/scented teas in general, but I figure I might as well give it a fresh chance. I’ve rather neglected the United Kingdom in my tea venturing. On that note, what’s a good English/Scottish/Irish Breakfast tea?

Thanks in advance if anyone offers up info.

Another great one from Gypsy teas!

What’s this? A rooibos I can stand?? Sorry, had to get that out. This is a very mellow, lightly spiced tea. It still has a bit of that rooibos aftertaste that I don’t really like, but it somehow goes well with the apple, cinnamon, and chamomile flavor. The taste reminds me of real apple cider, just not as strong and sour.

AMAZING. this tea takes your taste buds on the adventure of their lives. best tea ever

Meh, like I said before, not nearly as good as Adagio’s Thai Chai. My boyfriend and I made a cup of each and tasted them side by side and he agreed with me. I’m half thinking of offering this tea up for adoption.

I’ve come to the sad conclusion that this tea, while decent on its own, doesn’t compare to Adagio’s Thai Chai.

Drank it with milk this time, not bad.

I like the blend of spices in this chai, the coconut flavour is there even if you have to ‘look’ for it – a touch stronger would be nice.

When brewed for exactly 3 minutes, it has a great taste/aftertaste. One of my favorites.