Zen Tea

I had a few cups of this earlier, but no time to review. I just wanted to note that my cooled cup tasted good, so I should try this as an iced tea!

Sipdown! From forever ago. I liked the idea of this tea, but it always tasted unfortunately chemically.

Thanks to Zen Tea for a sample of this tasty-sounding tea!

Another tea I’m a bit apprehensive to try due to mixed reviews, but here goes nothing! The tea from the packet smells tasty enough… sure, the flavouring smells artificial, but sometimes that works. I’m not opposed to artificial flavouring if it tastes good! :D It does smell nutty to me, with vanilla undertones. So far so good!

After a couple sips, I have to say that the flavouring is working for me more than it did for most, I think. I’m tasting a lingering nuttiness and some delicious sweetness. I’m having trouble picking out the oolong, but it’s certainly a better choice than a black base, in my opinion. There is definitely an artificial taste going on here, but it’s not a huuuuge problem for me (ok, until I got a sip that was very artificial-tasting).

All in all, probably a pretty decent tea for tea newbs, but a touch too artificial for me. I do still like it enough that I’ll finish it, but I probably wouldn’t purchase more.

ETA: Second infusion had somewhat of a bitter note. Although I drank the infusion, I did discard the leaves.

One thing I love about Zen Tea is that they include the steep times right on the package. I’ve been spared many an over-steeped tea thanks to companies that take that extra step (putting the info up on their website just isn’t the same!).

I was worried that the tea would be a bit cough-syrupy from the very powerful dry leaf smell. Fortunately, that’s not the case at all. The tea retains the cherry smell once steeped, but the taste itself is much more subdued. It’s rather floral, rather grassy, just a bit fruity. Everything is in moderation and it’s very smooth on the palate.

I wish I had ordered more than a tiny packet of this now that I know it doesn’t taste like candy, but c’est la vie. I’ll enjoy what I have and hope that it’s a tea that comes back when they restock.

There’s something whimsical about this tea. The dry leaves look so pretty and unusual, I’ve never seen this rolling method, very different from oolong.

Before they go for a swim, I take some in the palm of my hand to observe them… they look like little silver grasshoppers about to jump!

I’m always in awe of the craftsmanship that goes into hand rolled tea. I can’t help thinking about ancient times and how luckily for us, some traditions are still anchored and necessary, too extraordinary to die…

They smell very sweet, promising a real treat when infused.

I’m using about 3 gr in a small clear glass gaiwan.

I won’t be describing infusion time cause as I’m getting more experienced with gongfu brewings, I have developed a sense of knowing what’s best for me, so I increase time as a «feel and smell» technique rather than a fixed time parameter. The purists might say I have this all wrong, but it works great for my own tastebuds! However, this method would have been such a disaster on my first gongfu session a couple of months ago :-)

The first steep renders a delicate sweet and floral taste, paired with a «not in your face» grassiness. What a nice morning buzz that is! Unlike oolong, the leaf almost opens up immediately, eager to reveal its splendor to the world!

Second infusion is a little more grassy and crisp, but still sweet . It’s delicate it every possible way, but yet, it gives such burst of flavour. The leaves are now fully opened, I think they are the most perfect leaves I have ever seen. No trace of discoloration on ANY of them… Full, beautifully twisted and unbroken, tender uniform green color, that’s got to tell you something about the way this tea is cared for when harvested…

The later steeps added more bite to the taste, tickled my tongue just a little :-)

I come to the conclusion that this embodies everything I love about green tea in one package. Like a fusion of my 2 favorite greens…
… Pssst…trying not to alert the Paparazzi Tea Press, but I think Mr Dragonwell got married to Mrs Sencha and harvested this Curled Dragon…mmmm, really wonder who it got its curls from!

It’s been a while since I’ve drank any oolong, and this wasn’t a bad way to get back into it. The coconut smell is rather strong from the dry leaves and stays present once steeped. It brews to a pale golden color with a very, very buttery mouthfeel. Seriously, this is one of the most buttery teas I’ve tasted. There’s a bit of a vegetal aftertaste. This one won’t win over anyone who isn’t a fan of oolong, but it’s not bad to have in your cabinet. I think I’m going to ice my next cup and see how that turns out.

SUCH a pretty tea!!!
Tastes wonderful!
Here are snippets from my review to be posted on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 10th

What a beautiful looking tea! When looking at Curled Dragon Silver Tip from Zen Tea Life, the leaves are all curled and have variegated colors of light to dark green. The appearance is almost fluffy. Its a fairy tale dreamy sort of tea that makes me feel like a Princess.

Regardless, this tea has an equally lovely aroma of sweetly steamed veggies perhaps caramelized in a honey butter, white flowers, and summer grass. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy sniffing it.

I really appreciate the masterful art work of this hand rolled tea.

This is what all of those dusty sort-of fruit teas from Celestial Seasonings wish they were. This blend does everything better: a widely varied medley of real dried fruit and hibiscus as a supporting role, not the main character. The taste is tart berry jam through and through. I’d be interested in sipping this next to a cup of that Buttered Toast tea 52Teas makes. My only complaint would be that most of the flavor dominates up front but doesn’t give much of an aftertaste. Still, I can say without hesitation that this is one of the best herbal fruit infusions I’ve had the pleasure of tasting.

Additional notes: So I’m trying the NEW new batch of this that I just ordered, and it still isn’t quite the same as the older EGC. Not the same bergamot, not much cream. The black base seems the same or similar though. Now there are also rose petals in the blend, which doesn’t add much new to the flavor but it’s an interesting addition. Definitely still not one of the best EGCs as before.

It’s a sad day for tea when my favorite EGC is no longer the same. I received some of the new batch recently. This is an entirely different EGC in my opinion. (Zen is telling me the supplier changed it on them.) Less of that amazing cream (if any) and definitely a different bergamot – and not one I particularly want to drink. It’s probably okay for an EG but not the magic it was before! Sad stuff.

Additional notes: I’m sipping this one right now and I LOVE it. It will definitely be my replacement Earl Grey Cream when my others run out (since my favorites have disappeared by now). This one is just delicious. Next cup will be a sipdown of my sample.

Thank you zentealife.com for sending a sample of this with my order! With teas so good, it’s definitely a smart idea for zentealife.com to send out free samples. It is impossible not to order anything from them after you’ve tried their teas! I knew I would love this one, since it’s Earl Grey Cream and also from Zen. The dry leaves here just SMELL creamier than other EGCs. And the taste is creamier too! There is actually a creamy texture left on my tongue. The black tea isn’t too tough, so that may be why the cream flavor can stand out. The bergamot isn’t too strong… I would have liked it stronger anyway. This is definitely the one to replace my beloved SpecialTeas Earl Grey Cream when that one runs out! Any tea fan really needs to try an Earl Grey Cream, and this is certainly one to start with.

This is such a mellow green; it’s light, floral and very grassy. I have a sudden craving for sushi. I can see why this would be a standard tea to keep around. I could easily drink an entire pot!

I’m off to drink another cup!

This is a really nice light and mellow tea, lil bit sweetish, and the 2nd steep is lovely, too. Thanks @cavocorax! K & I gobbled this up.

(*But I really don’t taste any toffee! Mostly kinda sweet grassy.)

Good stuff tonight. I rarely want this tea but it’s perfect when I do. Made an apple-pear crisp tonight which was too sweet… damn you, pear!!

YUM. That is all. Zzzz.

Thanks to Zen Tea for this sample.

This is yummy green tea that looks very interesting, too. It has a nice green tea taste that’s not too vegetal, although there are some notes there. It’s more buttery than anything else. It is not overly floral, which is nice since I find a lot of these hand-rolled teas can sometimes tend to be.

A very smooth tea with no bitterness or astringency. Definitely a pleasant tea for green tea lovers like me.

I was so confused by these little leaves before I tasted them. I’m accustomed to my black tea turning large and leafy during brewing, and these just look like coffee grounds! But rest easy—this is not tea dust.

The taste is best summed up in one word: Robust. More robust than any English or Irish breakfast I’ve had before. If you like your tea weaker you might want to give it a pass (or brew with half the recommended amount), but if you’re like me and you want a strong, flavorful tea to knock your socks off in the morning this is a worthy contender. It’s like the hardy Dwarven warrior of teas coming down from the mountain halls to smack you awake, and I respect that.

An interesting tisane with just a bit too much going on to be truly successful. I love a good herbal, and I appreciate what they were trying to do here, but every sip has several herbal flavors vying for attention. Each sip starts nice and ends nice, but there’s quite a bit of turmoil in the middle. I also wish there was a bit more rose to add some sweetness and round things out. I’m sure I’ll finish the packet eventually, but this won’t be my evening blend of choice.

Not bad for a rooibos! haha
My first note from my giant Zen Tea order, eep – I used it to help me sleep last night while playing Sims 3 (yay Steam Sale!)

The blend smells like strong rooibos but after steeped it’s a great balance with just a hint of lavender. Very enjoyable!

Another great tea from Zen, many thanks for the sample!

I love coconut as well as oolongs, so this was a big hit. The coconut flavoring is very similar to the Coconut Sencha that Zen also offers, but less toasty and more creamy – partially the oolong base I would imagine.

I’m on my 5th steeping and the coconut flavor has just started to fade. Impressive!

I’m torn between the Green Sencha and the Oolong to be honest. I think I might prefer the creamy nature of Oolong a little over the Sencha, but it’s a close call. Hmmm…I might just have bite the bullet and order both!

This is pretty good! Very much like Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong, although it tastes a little more “flavoured”. Basically, you can taste the delicious pouchong base with toasty notes of coconut and as it says in the description, a nice hit of floral from the base tea as well. IMO it’s a bit less subtle than Coconut Pouchong, but perhaps I used more leaf here. My mom likes coconut pouchong (but I didn’t really want to leave my whole package here), and she seems to like this one as well, so I’m leaving the rest of my pouch here.

Thanks to Zen Tea for this sample! It’s nice to know that I can get a good coconut oolong from a Canadian company!

Another gorgeous tea from Zen.

Dry, this smells amazing! Granted, I absolutely LOVE coconut. I’ve been on a search for a Coconut green and I think this might be it! It’s just lovely – smooth, toasty coconut with a great sencha base. Mmmm, so good!

All of the Zen teas I’ve tried thus far have been hits, and writing a review seems to be difficult as I’m not wanting to stop sipping and put the cup down. So good.

So this is me right now – http://i.imgur.com/TmYTu.gif

Whatever they use as the black base is really nice, and then the creamy note with the strawberry…amazing! There are no artificial or bitter notes at all, which I was surprised about since Strawberry can be such a hard flavor to pin down right.

Definitely going on the shopping list. YUM!