Zen Tea

Received this one from RogersCK in round 1 of the secret pumpkin swap.

I had been avoiding this one because for some reason I thought it was green tea. But on closer inspection today I realized it was a herbal (confirmed by looking it up here on steepster).

This one tastes very similar to Lucky Bamboo from McQuarries, which I quite like, even though the only similar ingredients appear to be apple, verbena and lemon grass. This one has a very sweet and light lemon grass flavour. It is quite refreshing that is isn’t knock your socks off lemon grass. I can taste the verbena as well. There is a definite sweetness to this tea. I had anticipated it to be tart due to it being cranberry acai but I am not picking up any tartness at all. I am getting the slightest hint of saltiness that reminds me of Tulsi. Not sure if it is from the flavouring or what, but it is working with the blend.

Overall I think I prefer Lucky Bamboo but this is a good substitute.

This definitely smells like ripe blueberries out of the bag, and a bit less so after steeping. I was surprised at the first sip how much this does taste like blueberries, if a bit tartly (kind of like a dry wine). Truvia made it juicier, yet drier at the same time. The raisins are definitely prominent.

I like this, and I can imagine it amazeballs as an iced tea. Yummy, although I’d prefer it a bit more complex. Maybe it’s the cold, so I’ll definitely try this again in a few days.

I have tried this 3 times now and I’m just not getting what other folks (with whom I generally share tea taste) are getting. I just don’t care for it much. It is far too smokey, especially when it cools off. When hot I get a dusty smokiness that is okay, but not awesome. When cool, it turns to a harsh ashy-ness. I suspect because I have been busy enough that I don’t get through a cup before it cools I have not been interested enough to do a second steep. Perhaps I would like that more. I also want to try this with my water at home – all of my cups have been at work and I find that I prefer my unfiltered water at home for some of the heavier blacks. So, no rating for now since I’m not really sure what I think. :)

I still really enjoy this sweet toffee cuppa. White tea is one of my favourites for sure. There are slight nutty notes as well hiding in the background. The white base is light and adds hints of hay notes.

No surprise that I really enjoyed this tea. I rather enjoy whites and I enjoy the sweetness of the toffee. It is also a little nutty which I really enjoy.
Rating 93

Sipdown!

Liking this more with one tsp of Super Ginger added, as I’d predicted. Seems to mellow out everything a bit more, and I can actually taste the tumeric this time around. Will I order it again? Guess it depends if I wake up head cold -free tomorrow.

Left this out overnight, and it was a pleasant surprise to awake to, along with a nasty sore throat. Off to sleep a bit more, as I was up until 3am with my 5-year-old who was determined to have dinner in the middle of the night after waking up with a wet bed. :( It’s days like this that I’m grateful I work for myself!

Still just as spicy as last night, and it’s helping clear things up and out a bit.

I love tumeric, and ever since DAVID’s stopped carring Tumeric Snap! I’ve been searching for a replacement.

Dry, it’s overpoweringly gingery – a good thing in my books. Considering how much lemon there is in this, I thought I’d smell that too, however it was all ginger. Steeped, it still smells like ginger, with a hint of something I couldn’t quite place. Perhaps the lemongrass.

Sipping this is like setting your mouth on fire with ginger, and then putting out the flames with licorice. There’s only a faint lemongrass in here, and the lemon is like a flash-in-the-pan. I can taste it, however only for a split second before the heat takes over.

Do I love it? Yes. I’m also hoping it helps this nagging sore throat of mine. I initially steeped Gail’s Cold Remedy from DAVID’s Tea, and then in my stupor saw it’s a green. Duh, Bonny. So, in the cold steeper it went, and I made this instead. I’ll definitely enjoy finishing it off, however I prefer DAVID’s Super Ginger, as it has zero weird, almost metallic, aftertaste like this one does.

Opening this bag was quite a treat for me today. It smells like sweetened coconut, minus anything cloying…. just rich and creamy coconut. Steeped, it smells just as strongly, however you can also smell the faint grassiness of the tea, and they complement each other well.

Like many of the teas I’ve been drinking of late, this one is nice hot, however it’s much better warm and with just a touch of Truvia. The creaminess comes out even more, and the coconut is evermore present. It’s a light, refreshing and comforting sip. I’m not sure if I’ll ever order it again, as I like it however don’t love it, but it is quite enjoyable. If you’re a huge fan of coconut and green teas, this is a must-try.

What did I do wrong? This smells lovely out of the package, and I steeped it for 6 minutes (plus all the floaties that my strainer missed). All I get is faint caramel notes, and little else. It’s a basic rooibos. Another cup and I added some Truvia, and sipped it cool… okay, it’s a bit sweeter now, and the caramel is lingering at the back of my mouth. I still don’t get it, this is just meh, at best.

Used all of my 10g to make this pot, and I doubt I’ll buy it again – unless someone can convince me I’ve done something horribly wrong here.

Leafing this one is tricky, as the leaves are huge… I so wish it was a gram measurement as well. Thinking I missed some of the toffee bits in this, because it’s less creamy than how I remember it. Still delicious, especially as it’s cooling.

2.2 tsp (I think?) in 12 oz.

I need to up the rating on this. It’s consistently good, even if I only steep it once (it’s rare I steep a white twice, especially a flavored one). As long as I keep that temperature down, it’s pure toffee.

This is exactly what I wanted tonight. Sweet with a hint of cream, light and tender, gentle and airy.

Second cup, and it’s obvious to me this is one of those finicky teas that wants perfection in order to be sippable. Cooled, it’s quite lovely, and even my daughter was sold on it at first taste. Also needed more tea than normal, and a very short steep time – and then more time to cool down a bit.

Really wanted more of the White Chocolate Peppermint rooibos from Teavana this morning, however I knew I needed more caffeine than that. So, Toffee Dream, you’re up!

I love delicate white teas, which goes right in the face of the full bodied, awesomesauce flavor I normally seek out, I know. I think it’s that I have to be in the mood for them, and perhaps I should have rooted around my newly opened box of Zen Tea teas a bit more for the right feel.

When I opened the pouch, toffee wafted out, and I thought, “Yum!” Then I saw how tricky it is to measure this tea out because it’s a full leaf. 1-2 tsp/8oz makes more sense now on the package. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough tea in there, so I put in more than I normally would (eyeballing it).

Steeped, it also smells of toffee, although less so. Drinking it is like sipping a gentle white breeze with a hint of toffee at the end – and the toffee lingers surprisingly well, and for a long time. A touch of Truvia brought the toffee notes up a bit earlier in the sip, however I quite liked it without.

Classic, subtle, and calming. This tea is super-forgiving, and it lasts for around 4 brewings. Probably THE perfect evening tea in my book.

First tea out of my new stash from Zen. So excited to try something local again!

First off, I should note that I ordered online, and had every intention of picking it up. So, I paid for zero shipping. Yet lo and behold, Zen shipped it FOR FREE, and it arrived two days after I ordered it. Seriously?! Wowza. Thank you. I will definitely make contact to see if I need to pay them some extra for their time.

All I’ve been drinking the past 24hrs has been some form of ginger tea or another, so I knew my tastebuds were a bit off. I smelled zero ginger or anything other than green tea from the bag, as well as while it steeped. As it cools, I can smell a bit of lemongrass, however it’s very faint.

Flavor-wise, this is definitely a green tea, with only a smidgen of lemongrass flavor, while the lemon follows shortly after sipping (and again, oh-so-very-faintly). I taste zero ginger, which makes me a bit sad.

I’ll mix this with some stronger ginger tea in the future, because I do like the delicateness of the green tea.

Creamy, malty, fruity… it is, it is! This is a super tasty Assam. And this is a super lame tasting note. Just don’t have much complex to say about this one. It’s a great tasting cup.

I really love Hojicha, but there aren’t many in my cupboard! I was happy to try this one for free with my Zen order a while ago. This one is NICE. Two teaspoons around boiling for one minute for the first steep. Two minutes for the second steep. Both cups tasted the same and SO GOOD! This isn’t the hojicha with the deepest flavor I’ve tried.. it is lighter and sweeter. It tastes like I added sugar somehow. I love hojicha more than most non-roasty toasty green teas (unless it is a REALLY good one.) I would definitely buy this one as Hojicha staple for my cupboard! Honestly, it reminds me of the Honey Smacks cereal it tastes so sweet (I swear I haven’t had that cereal in forever.) So you’re in luck if you happen to read this review, you are addicted to Honey Smacks, and want something healthier as a replacement. I doubt that will happen though!

Sipdown! This was my post-tornado-warning, get-through-the-rest-of-the-evening tea. It’s been surprisingly enjoyable. It’s not at the top of my list for a restock, but I wouldn’t mind having it again.

I’m trying a new morning schedule. Starting today, I’m waking up an hour and a half before I have to leave for work rather than an hour, which was resulting in me being cramped for time, not getting enough breakfast, not being able to make tea, looking like poop when I left the house, and being late anyway.

I am happy to announce that I have been left with enough time to make and enjoy a nice, big cup of tea. The thing I like about this tea is it’s simple. I don’t have to feel guilty when I make it wrong and can’t taste any of the little nuances. Also, I am surprisingly close to a sipdown!