Zen Tea

Cold cold cold out today, rainy, almost snowing. Definitely an EG day! I made this in my morning travel mug, lots of vanilla cream flavor it in today, cozy and delicious. Hehe, I’m wearing my new bright red sweater with a tiger on it today to work too :D this tea fits the cozy feeling. See previous notes!

Tigress_al inspired me to have a cup of this tonight. I have also been craving an EGC but haven’t wanted to have it so late in the day, but oh well, I am tonight lol. Oh I have missed this tea. I also made it with a bit of milk tonight, and it is so creamy and soothing. I’m not sure if I prefer it with or without milk now. This tea also makes me miss DavidsTea’s EGC, I haven’t had it in ages but it is probably my second favorite to this one. That one is a bit more earl gray like, while this one is cream all the way. Delicious! See previous notes :)

Cup of this at work, creamy and tasty as usual! I really enjoy this EGC, although I want to try the DAVIDsTEA version again to compare the two, because I did like that one quite a bit when it wasn’t at the bottom of the bag. Oh, and the Sloane Tea one is tasty too haha. But this one will do for this morning, supposed to be super hot out this afternoon so I might have to make iced tea at lunch. See previous notes on this one.

I love that I get off early on Fridays :) it’s an on/off cloudburst kind of day, heavy rain one minute, nothing the next, so I am having some Earl Grey Cream, also because I’ve been in a EG mood this week, leading to my A&D order. Ick my head has been feeling gross today and last night, probably all the tree fuzz and a new pollen allergen out in the air, I had my allergy/sinus pill and it helped a bit. I will finish off this cozy delicious cup then maybe a nap. Busy week at work is taking its toll I guess haha. See previous notes on this tea :)

It’s thundering away here, so I had to make some earl Grey cream. For some reason I love having this kind of tea when it is raining and/or storming. They are just cozy and perfect for it haha. It’s still too hot to drink, but it Smells yummy. I know these are supposed to be ‘tasting’ notes but i always start to write them before I drink the tea! I’ll try to remember to come back and update with the taste. In the meantime, see previous notes haha.

ETA – tasting part of tasting note! This was nice today, it actually put me to sleep haha long day at work, still sipping on the cup cold and it is nice and creamy.

Lol, this tastes kind of strange after eating lemon hummus! Anyways, I have a massive, massive headache due to how freaking windy it’s been here today, so I am trying to tame it with some caffeine, if that will help, I have no idea, but I also wanted this tea. Just going to wait til the hummus taste is gone before I have any more sips lol. Still tasty underneath though :) see previous notes on this tea!

I think I finally am getting the excellent flavor from this tea! I’ve drank it a few times before and it was not doing it for me, it was too bland or too perfumy or something. It might be the dry smell that puts me off a bit too, my bag seems very bergamoty and not creamy at all, almost soapy and very perfumed. But I have been craving EGC, so I needed a cup tonight, hoping the caffeine doesn’t bug me like it did yesterday!

I steeped for 4 minutes, that might also be a different, I think I tried 2 in the past and it was just too weak. The steeped smell definitely has some cream and is a lot lighter than the smell from the bag.

As for flavor, yes, there definitely is creaminess in it this time! I am finding that it seems to diminish as it cools, so might have to drink it hot in the future, or my taste buds might be acting up from my allergies. Anyways, it is hitting the spot and satisfying my EGC craving perfectly! Definitely a nice light black tea, but the creaminess makes it seem richer and just lovely.

Overall, I am happy that this is starting to work for me. I have a big 2 oz bag of it and I was worried I preferred the DavidsTea version better, but this one might make the cut after all! I’ll potentially up the rating after a few more cups at a later date as well.

This one didn’t really live up to its name and description for me. I couldn’t really taste the “sweet almond with cherry-like notes”. It wasn’t horrible, but I expected a deeper and richer almond flavor. (I probably won’t buy this one again, but if it were given to me, I would drink it.)

Ozli was right. This is just an… odd/awful blend. She sent me two cups, but I don’t know if I’ll bother with the second one. Or finishing this one.

Too bad because the ingredients sound interesting.

So after a few cups of the rich and awesome Wuyi oolong I have been drinking this evening, I needed something a bit lighter and fresher, so I decided to have a cup of this. Now, I wasn’t really a fan of it last time I had it, it was just too floral by the end of the cup. This time, it seems a bit better, still quite peony flavored and scented, but I think I found a bit of white tea taste underneath at least haha. Maybe I steeped it for a bit shorter time or got more white tea in the spoon, I’m not sure. This was a nice one to try, and if I am in the mood for it, it is nice, but I don’t think I’d restock this one just because it is soo floral. Happy to have tried it though, and I will get through the bag by the end of summer I think! See previous notes :)

The description of this tea looked intriguing, so I had to order 20 g in my latest Zen Tea order. The dry smell is very fresh and lovely, the peony is present mainly but very light, reminding me of rain in a garden, a garden with peonies of course. I should mention that at my parents acreage, the peonies bloom profusely sometime in June, and they are big and beautiful. The petals in this tea are red, so I am assuming they are some sort of pink peony?

Anyways, onto steeping..I steeped for 2 minutes with 185 degree water. The resulting tea is a very pale yellow, definitely a white tea. And man, does this smell floral!! It’s like a bouquet of flowers is in my cup! Peonies, that is :) I don’t smell any lychee that I can tell, although it is sort of floral too, so it might be blending in with it.

The flavor is also very floral, although as it cools it is not as strong. It has a very clean finish as well. I am not sure of the flavor of the white tea yet, but it is supporting the floral burst quite nicely. Next time I might try brewing without a giant petal in my infuser lol, and see how that is.

Overall, this is a nice change from other floral teas such as jasmine. It is a bit strong on the flower scent, but makes for not a bad cup. I love how the cup invokes images of spring and rain-soaked flowers on an overcast day. I will have a few more cups before deciding on a rating.

Seems like an odd combo – hazelnut and oolong? It’s pretty good though. I enjoyed it, even if it was slightly artificial tasting. Drinking the rest of my 1oz pack won’t be any trouble, but I probably won’t rush out to get more.

While I can’t say I loved this tea, I won’t say it was bad. It has a heavy taste and no one flavor or fruit shines through. Maybe the problem is that there are too many good things in the blend and they have to fight for attention.
Nonetheless, I am grateful I got this sampler from Zen Tea and for such a good price. (I can’t recall exactly, but it was under $2, I think.) A sampler from Zen gives you enough to taste a few cups and then decide and that’s what it’s all about – finding what you like. (For future reference to myself, don’t be in a hurry to re-order.)

TTB-A sample. There was just about enough for one more cup left of this one, so I snagged it. Actually a tiny bit more than I would normally use in my cup (but only barely) so I decreased the steep time to account for it.

I love black pearls so of course I was intrigued. These aren’t so much pearls as little wadded up leaves; the look of it almost reminds me of the shape of the Laoshan Black first picking. Steeped, it does have a bit of a chocolatey aroma but its tempered by some high fruity notes and a hint of… coffee? Well that’s weird, but it did pop into my head while sniffing it.

The flavor is pretty classic black pearl, which is to say pretty tasty. I’m not getting any sweetness in the first steep, and the chocolate is definitely muted. Definitely on the earthy side of Yunnan blacks, with a bit of woodiness as well. It was smooth and malty when I first started drinking this cup, but it’s getting a touch harsh as it cools, and as such my rating keeps dropping as I sit here writing this tasting note. I mean, it’s still tasty, but my desire to have another cup of it is waning. Maybe it’s because I just had my One True Pearls (Teavivre) the other day, so they are fresh in my mind.

Second steep, at four minutes, wasn’t really worth it for me. Thin and lacking in the flavors I like (cocoa, grains, malt), with more of the flavors I don’t (a weird darjeeling-like fruitiness). Ah well, so it goes. This tea wasn’t sealed in an airtight pouch, so there is always the chance of flavor loss over time, but the first steep was quite strong so I kind of doubt that. Glad I got the chance to try these but they won’t be replacing my faves any time soon.

From the Traveling Tea Box! There a few rooibos blends in here and since I am way low on herbal teas for the evenings, I’ll be trying them out. Also, it is awesome to be able to sample all of these teas without having to add them to my cupboard.

So usually I don’t do mint teas, and usually I don’t do rooibos, but together they seem to be working out for me. The mint is smooth and not too “brisk”, and it seems to totally mask the weird, fruity, medicinal quality that rooibos often has. It does taste like Junior Mints or maybe a York peppermint patty. Definitely one of the better rooibos blends I’ve tried!

Quick sip down. Glad it’s out of the way. I brought a bunch of tea home with me and am hoping to finish off the majority of it to make room in my luggage, and to perhaps pick up some Tea Desire and Steeps goodies!

Not cherry enough and the base is meh.

Hi hi hi Steepsterites! Back from the mountains. It was fab. Apart from the cave and basin STILL being closed off since last year, and Moraine Lake closed off too, it was a great getaway. I even got a tan. Go figure! And some highlights, so you’d think I was in Malibu.

It’s so hot here now, tornado weather hot. Actually, the power just went back on. So all this heat made me crave iced tea, so into the fridge this went.

I figured this was going to make a better cold brew, and while it does, honestly, it’s incredibly dull. The cherry is very faint, and there is something about the base that’s dry. “Dry” is that word I seem to use to describe most of the Zen Tea bases so far. Odd.

But the price is right. There are better cherry greens out there, though.

I bought this more for iced tea but seeing that I’m going to Banff tomorrow (exciting!), I’m not going to start busting out my mom’s iced tea jug only to have to clean it again.

Anyway, the dry leaf smells very subtle. There is a touch of cherry. Middle of the road scent, neither natural nor artificial if that makes any sense.

Hot, it’s what I had expected. The cherry is on the duller side. It’s there, and a little on the sweet side. It’s not tart at all. The rose is hardly palpable here.

It’s pleasant but there’s nothing more to really say about it, except that I’m sure it’ll make a better cold brew.

I still need to try cold brewing this one, but I made up some hot the other night and stuck it in the fridge. I think I added a little honey.

It’s really not bad. A mild orange flavour, nice tea background. I wonder why I thought it was bitter my last tasting note. There are some tannin flavours, but nothing to write home about.

It tastes like a really decent orange flavoured iced tea. It’d be great with a little OJ squeezed into it, actually. And I have oranges. Hmm…

(OH YEAH. Actually, with OJ in it it reminds me of the Canton Orange [Silk Road] iced tea at Rebar in Victoria.)

I’m having this iced today. Brewed double strength then poured over ice. It’s pretty good with a little honey, although I forgot my bit of baking soda so it is a little bitter.

I don’t think I’ll get this one again, but it does make a pretty good iced tea. The blood orange is coming across a little like orange cleaner, but I still have that horrible metallic-ness in my mouth which is probably changing the flavour a lot.

Oh well. Breathing is important, so I’ll keep using the inhaler.

I ended up having an interview today, so I brought this one with me in a travel mug.

It does well! The flavour is muted, and I left most of the honey in the original mug by accident, but I thoroughly enjoyed this tea. Oh, the water was quite cooled because I got distracted by emails from my references. Ha! The tea still worked!

As far as the interview, I think it went well. It was with a temp agency (most of my interviews will be!), and I was sent this hilarious personality test. So awesome. Told me exactly what I know about myself and my working preferences. A work culture that emphasizes constructive criticism and work-life balance? Oh, that’s for me. A job that includes opportunities to sort, as well as opportunities to create or innovate? Please and thank you. I love sorting things. I also love analyzing things and problem solving. Yep yep!

I actually really like this one! It smells strongly of orange when you first open the package. I ended up putting 2 tsp in my tea pot this morning, then forgetting about it and making something else. So when I got home about an hour ago, I boiled some water and made this.

The water cooled for 3-4 minutes, as I was using the timer for some instant noodles I’m testing for hiking (They were OK. The canned chicken was surprisingly decent [PC Blue Menu chunks], so I’ll be getting more of those and drying them.). Steeped for almost 3 minutes, poured into a mug with a little honey.

Yum! Because it’s not bergamot, I wouldn’t really call this an Earl Grey. It is a really nice orange tea, though. ahem It has a much nicer orange smell and flavour than the Murchie’s Mandarin Spice.

I’m really enjoying this with just the honey, and can hardly wait for the weather to warm up again so I can try it iced. I’ll probably get more of this one for the summer (free shipping in BC is just so incredible!), because I can see myself going through a lot of it.

I usually don’t enjoy “dessert” teas, but the second steep of my first brew of this was wonderful and I LOVED it. It really tasted creamy and caramelly (if that’s a word). My taste buds were so happy and craving more of that sweet stuff. Subsequent steeps have not been as successful. Directions say 5 minutes, but perhaps longer is the answer? I’m not sure. (It’s 70/30 that I would order more of this.)

So DavidsTea posted a recipe for their tea lattes.

10 tsp tea. (I KNOW RIGHT?!)
hot water to the top of the logo in their steeper (6 or 7 oz I think)
steep.

Take 8 oz milk, shake it up real well in a microwave safe container, take the lid off and microwave for 45 seconds. Your milk should be warm, if not, shake some more and microwave it a bit more.

Put tea in mug, add milk (holding back the foam) and top with foam. Drink.

I added 1/3 tsp sugar to the milk before I shook it up.

It’s… really good. Super milky, which I guess I should expect seeing as it’s a latte, but lots of flavour. I only had 6 tsp of this tea left, so that’s what I used.

If you have a tea that goes well with milk, I’d recommend trying this. Maybe just double the amount of tea you’d usually use for 16 oz, instead of using 10 tsp though. Unless you’re REALLY trying to use something up. :)

Ooh, I’m going to have to make a tea latte with O’Connor’s Cream and some whisky. Hmm…