Zen Tea

subtle malty cocoa notes and nice and smooth to drink

This one is from the teas Zen sent along for the teabox! The leaves are medium sized with a nice proportion of spices, including a lot of coconut. The flavor is mostly creamy coconut overall, so the name coconut chai is certainly accurate. The toasted creamy coconut flavor is really nice with the spices. The black tea itself is a great strength for a chai, but doesn’t overpower the flavor with its robustness. Though especially on the second steep, the black tea is a little light. I wouldn’t mind a stronger base. I love chai on a dark gloomy winter day. There has been many of those lately. I sipped this down much too quickly!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 5 minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 5 minute steep

Todays sipdown: Davidtea’s Honey Bee

The leaves here are a gorgeous fuzzy amber with hints of black. Some of them look sickle shaped, like an amber version of Silver Needle white. The dry leaves have a promising sweet fragrance. The medium amber brew is delicious – sweet malt with hints of chocolate and a lot of sweet potato and squash, that sweet yet vegetal flavor. Very delicious for this type of light Chinese black tea. It reminds me a little of Yunnan Sourcing’s Imperial Mojiang that I love, though the leaves don’t look exactly the same. Another great tea from Zen!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 12 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep

Zen just sent over some teas to include in the next round of the HH Traveling Tea Box! So nice of them. But this one is from my last tiny order. I think I’ll try a new tea every day and try to manage a sipdown every day. Well, at least a sipdown every day. I’ll see how many days I can go. Sipdown today: A Quarter to Tea’s Cranberry Orange

I woke up feeling great. You know that conquer the world feeling?

Yeah, that one. Since I’ve been ill the past few years, I don’t get that feeling very often. The first year or two, almost never, so waking up feeling that everything is magnificent and all things are possible is just wow for me. Really wow. Such immense gratitude for these moments.

One of the first things on my agenda today is to spread the joy and that means to initiate a surprise for someone. I love surprises, big or small. And because it is a surprise, that’s all I am going to say about that.

I have always loved the idea of this tea: hazelnut brittle, caramel. Truly, what is not to love?

That said, it is a tricky one. I find I need to be careful to not add too much leaf or the mineral element overwhelms.

This cup is all hazelnut brittle and mineral. Really enjoying my first steep today. I wonder what the next one will bring.

I hope everyone’s day and tea is glorious.
Spread the joy, people.

First thing is that I was really craving either a red fruit or citrus black this morning, but with having begun shuffling things around, I was unable to find my stash of either. And the boiling water was already cooling.

So. I don’t know how I made the grand leap to this choice, but here we are.

It seems unfair to give this a rating under these conditions, but if I were to today, I would rate it at a 75.

It’s fine, though in a perfect world, I’d like a richer flavour here, of the oolong, of the flavourings.

Slightly past boiling on first infusion. Boiling as per instructions on the second.

I will come back to this on a different day. A day on which I am not already slightly biased.

Found this poor neglected tea. I was so happy to come across it and it still delights me. And yes, it is a bit ancient and a bit of the flavour is fading, but the strawberry and cream are both there, supported by a solid base. I am putting this on my focus pile so that each cup of this is a happy cup.

In other news, it was lovely to have a brief visit with a tea fren today. More loveliness in the world.

Happy Women’s Day, tea people!

This is one very delicious strawberry tea. I do love a good strawberry tea. I have some favourites already, but I think this one will be added to them once I figure out the steeping parameters to take me to strawberry tea bliss.

I think I overstepped by a minute or so. The three minute steep brings out astringency in the black tea base that I think would disappear with a shorter steep at two minutes and/or two and a half minutes at a slightly lower temperature. I am going to try those and report back.

The strawberry flavour works for me. Not quite natural, but pleasant and lovely. No weird aftertaste. Sweet enough but not overly.

I am becoming a big fan of Zen Tea . Delicious. Canadian. Reasonable. And they haven’t steered me wrong yet.

I ordered this tea during the Black Friday 2015 sales based on reviews. Then rumour has it that this current batch, the new one that I am assuming I received, is inferior to the original.

Now, I haven’t tried the original EGC from Zen, but what is in my cup right now is pretty fantastic. It is not particularly creamy, perhaps that is the problem. However, it works for me. I have tried DT’s EGC and found it to be a disaster for me.

This vanilla is deep and grounded, with several levels of flavour, none of that false perfumey vanilla flavour or scent. The bergamot is there, also grounded, but with lovely floral and citrus lilts that surprise your sips from time to time. The tea base is a pleasant Ceylon mix, as opposed to the thin tinny nonsense that often finds its way into flavoured teas.

Word is that the original tea will be back in stock in two weeks or so. Can it get better than this?

Oh my god. This smells so damn good. Assam, cocoa, berries, faint hint of all spice, honey – but the mild light kind.

Plain – Oh my gosh, this is good. If I were having it plain, I’d reduce the steeping time as there’s a bit too much astringency for my liking. Rich cocoa notes and honey, still getting a hint of red berries. Gorgeous.
w/ Milk – Wow. What a delicious creamy cup. So so good. I must get more of this. Permanent addition to the house.
w/ Sugar – cuts the astringency that was too much for me, nicely. Delicious!
w/ Milk & Sugar – MMmmmMMmmmm! So good.

This. This is the type of black tea I love having in my house. One that is versatile and tastes fantastic any which way, for whatever mood I’m in, and so that I can serve it to guests who adjust to their preference – knowing that it will come out great.
Just making a note that this is the organic version, just in case this title comes in both organic and non-organic.

Mmmmmm…this has a heady chocolate assam aroma.

plain – would steep for 3 mins if having plain, astringency present but much less than anticipated, similar levels to Darjeeling. Very light floral undertone. Malty.
w/ sugar – astringency enhanced by sugar. prefer without
w milk – astringency still present, creamy malty deliciousness.
with milk and sugar – still good, but prefer without sugar.

My sample is gone, otherwise I would retry at 3 minutes.

Interesting smell – complex.
Light dried fruit like flavour. As I get towards the bottom of the cup I get orchid and violet.
It’s good, and very complex. A lot is happening in this cup.
Sadly there’s a note that I can’t quite pin down, that I’m not the biggest fan of personally. Had that not been present, I would love this tea since I’m a big fan of complexity.

I have made notes on this before, so just to say again that I freaking love this tea. It is one of my most favorite ever breakfast Keemuns. Rich, rich, rich, and I take it plain. It even tastes good cold with your lunch when you didn’t finish that pot in the morning…

My son and his fiancé were here last weekend to celebrate his birthday with us. On Sunday morning, I made a pot of this for breakfast. ChelseaR shared it with me and I am so happy that she really liked it. Of all the tea I drink and share with others, I don’t think I have anyone who loves Keemun to drink it with me. Now I do!

Tea happiness is when someone says, “I have to start keeping a notebook of what we drank and what I liked,” and “Someday I am just going to give you a bunch of money and say, ‘Buy me tea!’” That’s when you know you have helped create a new tea lover!

I was going to have something else tonight but there was a tiny bit of this left from breakfast. I drank it to empty the pot, and it was so good I decided to have another pot. The whole pot, all by myself, this late at night with an amazing candy bar that my daughter brought me from The Ganachery at Disney. Might be up late tonight…

This is my favorite Keemun right now. It has just the right heft to be delicious at any time of day and yet never need sugar or milk. But it isn’t one of those Keemuns that gets relegated to afternoon tea because of not being strong enough for breakfast.

Best of all, I bought more during that two day sale a few days ago. Between the coupon and the exchange rate, I almost feel like I robbed Zen Tea. I got so much tea for so little money! And then Ken included three samples in the box, and they are generous sizes. In addition, I added some of the free tea to the cart that is listed as not meeting their standards so you can get one pack free with each order.

Between the box of new tea and the candy bar, I would say my tastebuds have had a pretty awesome day.

My house sounds like a kennel. A kennel where all the dogs have kennel cough. I needed fortification this morning.

This is a really good breakfast Keemun with the nice scrape of unsweet cocoa on the tongue that I have come to love, and yet it has some of the fruity flavor found in some Keemuns. It really could take milk and sugar and I almost added them this morning just for the comfort, but decided to stick with my usual unadorned cup. Excellent. Will need to order more soon, and if you are placing an order you might as well get a little new teaware at the same time, right?

This has been my breakfast tea of late. I need the strength and bold flavor to give me fortitude!

My mother-in-law is in an assisted living facility. The administrator told us in early December that she could save about $200 a month if we do mail order pharmacy. I was elected to handle it. I don’t know how that happened since I wasn’t running! I was told it was because I was the only one who could pronounce the names of the meds!

Red tape. Doctor’s voicemail. Compounding pharmacies. Automated calls – three per day for every script called in and every refill that ships, and you have to respond if you don’t answer the phone and get that 22 digit tracking number written down. Studying the meds and realizing that one hasn’t been given to her in weeks – a strong narcotic patch that is no doubt being sported by staff and lasts three days – and also has potential fatal interactions with two of her other meds. Having aforesaid med cancelled so it won’t kill her since she says it has never helped her pain anyway. Also, the admin said he ddin’t want it in his facility because they know staff steals it off the patients bodies. (???) Finding an alternative source of protein because why should an 81 year old be forced to drink a nasty beverage they hate twice a day when there are other choices. Websites that don’t work properly, but finally with the help of their tech support who couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working, I have the ability to handle all of this online and cancel those stinking phone calls and bypass some of the nonsense to make getting her meds easier. This has been my thing lately.

Bring on the tea. This is a super tasty one. I drink it straight for breakfast and love the cocoa scrape across the tongue and the bloom of flavor. I have also added brown sugar and made a sort of milk tea with it and it was delicious. This will be a re-order when it started getting low. I do strongly prefer this one to Harney and Sons English Breakfast, which is also 100% Keemun.

Eldest daughter, SuperAnna, gave me this for Christmas. Sometimes she Steepster-stalks me for gift ideas, and sometimes she makes notes on what I like. She picked a winner here!

When she asked what I wanted for Christmas, I requested the beautiful Aurora matcha bowl from Zen Tea. She added this to the order and I am glad she did.

First reaction this morning was a growl as I lifted the cup. This is breakfast Keemun. Not so bold that you have to add milk and sugar, but bold enough that you are not going back to bed! (I don’t need tea to wake up – I am pretty at it once I awaken and I have to go out first thing and feed the chickens anyway, so that gets me going. If I don’t make it out quickly, the chickens “moo” annoyingly and I am afraid they will disturb the neighbors!)

There is the raspy scrape of unsweetened cocoa on my tongue and the very light hint of smoke, then as you sip, the building fruitiness. Nice tea! This would be very good with milk and sugar for those who like it that way.

Sipdown. Very floral, lilac (again). Not a tea I’m planning to reorder.

Very floral tea. Soft with orchid notes this time, not lilac. Enjoyed this tea more today.

17dec15
Interesting looking tea – leaf at the end of a long branch. I had a bit of difficulty measuring the leaf.
Wet leaves smell of lilacs at first then nuttiness. It looks like a bush exploded in my steeper.
At 3 min (1st steep) – taste is nutty then flowers kind of a lilac/violet chaser. Taste is soft. Neither flavor is very strong. When I was done, I had a very drying sensation in the middle of my tongue.
5 min (2nd steep) – still lilacs. I lost the nutty, just flowers. I feel like I’m eating them. I’m not sure the tea is improved with the longer steep. I didn’t steep this a 3rd time.
It was interesting to have tried this. I usually like floral teas, but I think their is just too much lilac taste in this tea for me.

Oh, yum. You know when a tea just really hits the spot? That was this tea for me, tonight. After sampling a whole bunch of straight black teas in a row, I wanted to try something different and decided on a roasted oolong. This is one from my Zen Tea order that I hadn’t had a chance to try yet. The scent of the dry leaf is sweet and floral and definitely roasted. The liquor is also roasty-toasty and sweet, with an underlying minerality as one would expect from a rock oolong. It’s like… toasted multigrain bread drizzled with honey. So far I’ve steeped it three times: 2min, 3min, and 7 min (I checked after 5min and it seemed light, so I gave it another couple). I’ll probably give it one more ultra-long steep via the “pour boiling water on and then forget about it” method to see if I can wring the last bit of flavour from these leaves. I’m drinking the 3rd steep right now, and it’s noticeably more mineral than the first two, but still very sweet. Nom nom nom.

I always love when Zen has a new batch of teas to try. There were plenty this time around. I had to try this one! It’s a medium strength, bright black tea (I would guess a Ceylon type base) that complements the fruit flavors nicely – plenty of fruit! There are pineapple and papaya chunks in the blend. Mostly, I’m tasting papaya which tastes like strawberry to me. It’s sweet and refreshing! The second steep still has a ton of fruit flavor as well. I’d definitely stock up on this one as tropical fruit black tea blend. I guess I say that about most of Zen’s teas. Most of them can represent a tea missing in your tea collection: like a tropical black tea or the lovely tropical herbal blend I had the other day.
Steep #1 // 1 1/3 teaspoons for a full mug// 7 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep
zentealife.com

Sipping down the rest of my delicious sample…. because I have some showing up in a Zen order! So I had to order a few of my favorites that I was thinking about ordering yesterday anyway. Good timing. This one works better with at least two teaspoons. I just love the flavor of this. Again, main flavor notes are pineapple and coconut so it is just like pina colada! It actually seems nutritious… so many great ingredients here. It’s so smooth and sweet. The perfect amount of sugar is already on the pieces of fruit. Brew this one hot and then put it in the fridge — it would be amazing that way! In the summer I’ll definitely be brewing it that way when I know it will be hot the next day, to give it plenty of time to cool in the fridge. This is the best herbal. It’s like magic.

This is the best herbal I’ve ever sipped! Whoa. I was intrigued by the ingredients: apple, carrot, pumpkin, pineapple, coconut. The flavor is amazing. The main notes are coconut and pineapple. So sweet and so delicious. I make smoothies with pineapple and coconut yogurt and I could swear there isn’t a difference. So it’s like a smoothie without the calories! The most delicious, sweet herbal tea you could possibly find. I have no idea how it tastes like so much fresh pineapple. Magic? This is the only tropical herbal blend I would need in my tea collection.
Steep #1 // 2 1/2 teaspoons // just boiled // 10 minute steep