Zen Tea

I like hojicha and this is a nice example of it. I really don’t have much else to say. This is good hojicha and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much TheTeaFairy for sending some my way.

Having been having conversations about coconut oolongs and all the different versions of it.
ifjuly sent me a couple that I didn’t really like – very green, very floral oolong with coconut. Those are her favorite types. I normally prefer the darker oolongs with coconut, and then TheTeaFairy sends me this (ok I also have more in my cupboard from my Zen tea order).
I’m really glad that I have more of this in my cupboard. For me this combines the best from both styles. This is greener than I normally like BUT there isn’t a hint of floral. YAY light oolong – no floral, add to that a really nice natural creamy coconut, and you end up with a really nice, light, well balance, naturally sweet, coconut oolong. I really like this. Top 3 coconut oolongs for sure.
Thank you TheTeaFairy for sending me some of this. :))

Sipdown (198/202)!

Well, sort of a sipdown. There’s enough for a cup left but that’s being set aside until it can be sent to someone else in a swap VariaTEA, so I’m just gonna take it out of my cupboard in the meantime.

This is my first Hojicha but I’ve read a fair bit about them so I had a relative idea of what to expect. Dry, it smelled like straw and steeped up, it smelled very much like a Genmaicha.

Taste wise, it was like a Genmaicha in the toasty, roasted quality of it but it didn’t have the “puffed wheat” taste. It gave me the same kind of “hug it close to your body for warmth and comfort” kind of feeling, though. It was really yummy, although it got relatively bitter by the time I was at the end of my mug.

I hope VariaTEA likes it! I’m not sure why, but I just have this feeling that she should really try it.

Sipdown (191/193)!

Cold Brew: Total time 13 hours.

I’m so glad that this is how I chose to finish off this one, because it’s AMAZING! Basically, it’s like drinking super, super refreshing and yummy coconut water. Just very fresh and delicious and creamy. It totally screams “Spring Time Tea”. Which is exactly what I was wanting and needing!

Nom.

And so concludes four days of backlog! Yay! And it only took me about two hours to write everything out. Not so bad at all. It’ll be a relief when I get my computer back, though.

Anyway, I enjoyed a nice piping hot mug of this last night in celebration of our water being turned back on, and it was just absolutely lovely! Definitely made me want to get make a lot more coconut tea, which I very well might just do later this afternoon (I’m thinking Butiki’s Coconut Creme Pie). I think I want something heavily caffeinated right now, though. I had a miserable night’s sleep (being really sick doesn’t help at all) and am dreadfully sore.

So I remember that this came from the “Take it Away” thread, and that it was added in as an extra by the same person who added in the Taiwanese Mountain Assam, but I can’t for the life of me remember whom that was from! Damn! So sorry to whoever that package came from – I definitely appreciated it even if my lack of recollection may make it appear otherwise.

Dry the smell from this one is intense. I have it double bagged right now and can still slightly smell it. It’s amazing, delicious coconut – and so fresh, too.

Steeped up, this is really, really damn good. It’s a very buttery, and true kind of natural coconut. No frills or anything fancy to it – just coconut. I like that; it’s not trying to be anything else and it doesn’t over complicate itself because it doesn’t need to in order to be flat out amazing.

Why did I let this sample sit so long before trying it? I’m really happy to have more cups left of it, anyway! Mmm!

This is the first grown-up straight black I took to bed. I mean that in a non-dirty way: I made a small pot and brought it upstairs to the bedroom. I rarely do that with this type of tea because I never love it enough to commit, it’s usually one cup that I know I’ll hate but have it anyway. Not tonight. I took a chance with this one, made a pot so I have enough to satisfy me for a while and I don’t have to break the spell and go back downstairs.

I teased it with just a little breath of honey although I have to say there’s not much change in flavour even with the addition. Probably because I didn’t add enough but I didn’t want too much in there.

I am surprised at how nice this is. How smooth. I mean, black teas to me are strong, astringent and I can only drink them if I add quite a bit of stuff to them. straight black teas usually scare me.

This came from TheTeaFairy and after spending the day oh so pleasantly I decided to stretch the feeling and make this one. For a second, as I smelled the brewed aroma I thought it smelled just a bit like a puerh. Not fishy but aromatic and earthy. This is no puerh of course but to me the aftertaste is a bit… bready. Like puerh can sometimes be.

TheTeaFairy loves this one according to her note which also says this is “so cute to look at”. I needed something cute to look at, remember I’ve been all alone for a week now. It is indeed pretty to look at, all curls. It also has a pleasant, inviting colour, not the way some black teas brew dark and menacing.

It’s amber, smooth and tastes like an unsweetened roll of sorts. I’m pretty impressed. Thanks, TheTeaFairy — i’m sure this is a tea you thought I’d hate and are just sending it to take me out of the comfort zone. Surprise!

Sip down of a sample while trying to decide what to order from Zen … I’m terrible at decision making! I remembered that I had a couple of samples and thought I should try them again before I place my order, this was one of them. Thanks MissB for sharing this one!

I glanced at my tasting note for this one yesterday and I know my tastes have changed a bit about greens since the last time I had it so I was curious if I would feel the same about this one as I did before.

While hot, this one is still a little vegetal to me, but not unbearably so. After it cooled slightly, it was an enjoyable cup of coconut tea… slightly sweetened as always. I do find the aftertaste a bit drying.

I’m curious of those of you that have this and the oolong, which do you prefer. Is one more vegetal than the other? More coconut?

I had a cup of this on Friday afternoon when I was in the mood to try a green… they aren’t always my thing but I do get in the mood for one and eventually get through samples.

This one being coconut sounded like a good choice since I’m enjoying my teas w/coconut right now. Maybe it’s my longing for Spring/Summer that is pulling me towards the flavor… Seems a never ending winter this year!

Dry leaf, this one smells of sweet coconut. Steeped I get both green tea and coconut…. but with the green coming through just a bit too much for my liking. Must have been the day since it looks like I really enjoyed this the last time.

I gave this one a go this morning.. Thanks MissB for sharing this with me!

I do think I am still coming around to greens, so long as they are flavored and balanced well.. and this one certainly works.

I have found that I really enjoy coconut in tea and this one is mostly that.. ! Dry leaf smells great. Steeped and while very hot it comes through as mostly a green tea, but as it cools to warm and drinkable, the coconut shows itself.

I added a touch of my normal raw sugar to help bring out the coconut sweetness. I found that they do make an oolong version which might be nice to try sometime, but I’m not real familiar with those yet.

I think this is one you have to be very careful with when measuring out the leaf. You have to make sure you get enough caramel pieces and I think it does better with a little bit more leaf than less. The first time I had it I underleafed it and it tasted of slightly sweet watery rooibos. This time I used 2tsp for about 11oz of water. It came out smelling like nutty skillet toffee. The rooibos is still there contributing a little dryness and a nutty woody note, but the flavour is of vanilla cream caramels. Pretty nice tonight.

TTB #12

This is such a sweet tea! The color of the steep is pretty light, almost like a dark oolong’s light brown hue. It is most definitely a full-bodied tea, tasting of chocolate and, actually, dark bread. I also detect a tiny hint of smokiness. It’s one of these sipping experiences where every sip is a surprise of flavor.

I am definitely in love with Chinese black teas and they are the ones I want to continue exploring. Not that I find the Indian and Sri Lankan ones hideous, definitely not. But these sweet, rich yunnans… They are going to be the death of me.

Sipdown! Well, not really since I have a bit I ordered from their sale sitting in a box on the counter. Thanks MissB for sharing this with me!

I’ve been trying not to open my Zen teas until I do some sipdowns. I don’t think I can count this one since I ordered more of it.

With a touch of raw sugar, this is nice light sweet toffee. Nothing heavy or in your face, just a nice light blend w/no grassy notes .. Yeah!

Had this one yesterday while considering what to order from Zen. I knew I had a couple of samples and decided maybe it would be good to try them again before I decided on an order. Sadly that cost me both of the freebies they had on their site that were expired.. :(

I have to say that it’s hard to measure, as I’ve found most white teas to be due to the large leaves. This one is a nice mild white tea with a nice sweet toffee flavor that I added a touch of sugar to. Easy to drink and went down fast… :)

When I first started really getting interested in teas early last winter I was only familiar with black and chai teas, and mostly tea bags. It has taken a bit to get used to whites and greens but I do find that I enjoy them more and more.

Gave this one a try this afternoon… Thanks MissB! Going to try a resteep & see if it holds up to it for another cup.

Dry leaf smells nutty, buttery.

Steeped I get white tea with toffee & maybe a hint of cream. I think the white base here is nice because it doesn’t overpower the toffee flavor.

Generally I prefer black, white, green teas in that order (not counting herbal/rooibos).. I think my taste buds may be coming around more to whites and greens as I’ve had more of them (flavored ones primarily so far though). Having grown up on mostly black teas, I guess I can understand the reason there. I’m glad they are becoming more welcome to my pallet so that I can enjoy more variety :)

Much thanks to OMGsrsly again for sending me the last of her sample of this tea as well. I wanted to try it because a lot of people love this one as their perfect EGC, so I had to see what the fuss was about!

I have to say, this comes across as a fairly standard EGC to me. Not only that, there is an underlying bitterness that reads as citrus-pith bitterness, not black tea bitterness. Maybe I accidentally overleafed without realizing it? Yeah, the cream is nice, but not extraordinary. The black base is hardly noticeable. I’m glad I got to taste it, but it won’t be making a home in my cupboard any time soon. :)

Quick log of this sipdown at work – it’s been a busy week with final house items so I haven’t logged many notes! Can’t wait to move tomorrow!! :D see previous notes on this lovely tea, might have to get it again!

Lol well since I only have enough left for one more cup of this tea, I should finally review it :P this is a very good flavored pu’erh. If you are wanting to delve into the world of pu’erh I highly recommend this one as a starter as it is really tasty! The dry smell is minty with a hint of cinnamon, no pu’erh scariness for me!

I steeped this for 5 minutes today, I think the rest of the cups have also been that long. It brews up a dark deep reddish brown, almost coffee-like, but nothing like coffee. The aroma is creamy vanilla with mint, and again that hint of cinnamon.

As for the flavor, this is a comforting hug on a warm day and is awesome for the stomach! The pu’erh and mint do a great job evoking a sense of calm, while the vanilla and cinnamon add a richness and a cozy sensation. The 5 minute infusion really makes for a satisfying cup, it’s hearty but not too harsh. I don’t remember if I’ve tried this with milk, but it definitely would take it nicely. Oh, and as for the pu’erh, it adds a pleasant earthiness and to the full body of the tea!

Overall, I should order more of this haha, I forget how enjoyable it is until I’m down to the last few cups. Very tasty, and a great starter pu’erh tea in my opinion!

Thank you to TheTeaFairy for a sample of this. I used the entire 2-cup sample. I have to say I am not getting a lot of toffee. It’s an ok tea but I sweetened it with honey and so I’m getting mostly honey flavour. I tasted it before the honey went in though and it was slightly … toffee. As in, if I try really hard and someone whispers to me “toffee”, then I’ll be like “yes, yes, you’re right, toffee!”

My first Zen tea. Didn’t make a whole lot of impression.

Happily sipping on my fav EG variation and listening to the new Tori Amos album that is not half bad!

The weekend is here and I will be away for a few days (from the computer, from the Internet = from Steepster), but I am going to try a lot of new teas and then I will be backlogging them the entire next week… and then the weekend comes again… and so on. You see a pattern there :D

Wishing a great weekend to all the Steepsterites! :)

This is an absolutely fabulous earl grey! I am upping my rating. Also, see my previous tasting note about it… I will be definitely re-stocking this after I’m done with my sample.

By the way, Zen Tea’s samples have really decent sizes. Especially if you consider for how cheap they come.

Also, thank you Steepster guys, now every time I see “bergamot” in a description of tea, I always read it “blergamot”.

TTB #3

In my pursuit of awesome loose leaf teas I have been totally ignoring two subtypes: chai teas and earl greys. And while I am still unsure about chais, I am recently starting to realize that I have definitely been missing out on earls.

While this is not as good as the JusTea earl that I had a couple of days ago, it is still a splendidly smooth blend, very energizing and naturally sweet. It doesn’t seem to be particularly bergamot-y, more lemon-y, but that doesn’t subtract anything from its overall deliciousness. Oh yeah, and it smells absolutely delicious, like cream of lemon. Yum!

This was my tea of choice at work today. Thank you so much TheTeaFairy for sharing one of your favorite “morning” teas. :))
I don’t normally do very well with darjeelings. I usually find them to be too light and astringent for my tastes. This one wasn’t that bad. It was more of a “medium” black tea. Not really light and bright, not really big and bold – some where in between. This was still a little too astringent for my liking, and didn’t have the chocolate, malty notes that I adore from the Chinese blacks.
I’m sure this s a good quality tea for Zen Tea, it’s just not my favorite style.
Thanks for sharing. I may find a darjeeling that I like yet. :))

BAM! Sip down. I was gone all day and when I got back, I was so thirsty. The cold brew didn’t have a chance.

(neither did half a bottle of wine)