Zen Tea

A review of Arabian Night Green Tea Flavoured by Zen Tea

Date: 11/ 07/2012
Company: Zen Tea
Tea Name: Arabian Night Green Tea
Tea Type/ Green
Region: China
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: light amber
Leaf Characteristics:

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 195 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I selected this tea this morning since I wanted something very fruity and exotic. While fixing a cup of tea before my husband’s departure for work, I asked him to sniff the aroma of the tea and he said very interesting. I said: does it make you think of pineapples? He nodded.

I place 1 teaspoon of this tea in a tea mug and pour in the boiling water and left to steep for few minutes. I waited for the tea leaves to settle at cups bottom since I did not wish to remove the leaves for this fixing.

I know that this tea is comprised of Jasmine, sunflower and rose but somehow this morning in particular it is making me think and smell of pineapples. As I sip and sip this tea, I get the rosy scent but not of jasmine but of pineapples instead. I am noticing the citrusy aspect of this tea and it is wonderful. I am having this tea very hot with leaves settling at the bottom of my cup and I plan to on having this tea for most of the early morning by simply pouring more hot water into my cup.

Overall, this is a lovely tea, if not for early morning than it would make a fine afternoon to re-awaken the senses that might be dulling by mid-day.

A review of Arabian Night Green Tea Flavoured by Zen Tea
Date: 10/24/2012
Company: Zen Tea
Tea Name: Arabian Night
Tea Type/Varietal: Green
Region: China
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: Cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: lovely green/ auburn like directly under the light.
Leaf Characteristics: Tea leaves are darkly green and finely cut with mixture of rose, jasmine and sunflower blossom; it smells of green and fruity.

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: this is such a lovely tea to simply view from the tea bag and into the saucer and once scooped into my cup and adding the boiling water; tea’s aroma is that fruity blend of paradise. It conjures pleasantness all around you even when there is not.

I chose to have this tea in the morning as my waking up cup of tea. The tea’s liquor is lovely amber and smells very aromatic of fruit and floral blend. There is the rose and the jasmine/sunflowers intermingling in the air and when I taste this tea, it is naturally sweet and very light on the tongue.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 2 minutes

Note: For this second steep, I decided to try it hotter and steep for less time. Tea’s color is lighter and very aromatic; a pleasant bouquet. This tea has not astringency; it is light and sweet and tastes more like an herbal blend.

The teas’ aroma and scent is really enchanting. It is a cup of enchantment; gaiety and if not festive at heart; then it renders you to want tranquility while taking in the tea’s delightful liquor.

Thank you Zen Tea for sending these wonderful teas my way. I do feel blessed and I am not just saying so. Bless in the moment!

This was a free sample from Zen Tea Life – thank you!
I am exactly in the mood for genmaimatcha right now (I love finally having a variety of teas for just this reason!)
I really like this version of genmaimatcha. It is nicely nutty and the matcha is pretty smooth and fresh in this blend.

Yay, a green tea I have liked!
I got this as a free sample from Zen Tea Life (thank you!) and just brewed it up today – I haven’t really been in a green tea mood for a long time.
I used a little bit more leaf and a little cooler temperature than called for and steeped on the short side because I’m cautious with green teas now.
And… I like it! It is nutty, with a little bit of walnut like astringency but just the right amount. I get hints of almonds, green beans, and a little bit of butteriness at the end.
I’m rather relieved – I think I’ve broken through my green tea aversion now.

It was 50+ F today – Yeah! In the morning we are expecting to wake up to Ice + sleet + snow, BOO! So we ran around today. Judging by the roads apparently everybody around here did the same thing.

So this evening I had my first cup of tea. I didn’t even remember having this one. I reached to the bottom and grabbed. I really have got to organize. It is so out of hand.

Moderately roasted. It was not bad, but I have learned I just prefer unroasted greener oolongs.

They say this smells of spices and flowers and the primary taste is lingering peach. This is a good tea but I don’t make any of those associations. Maybe Jedi mind tricks just don’t work on me. I must be tapped into my inner Yoda :) This smells of moderately roasted oolong. It tastes of roasted oolong and feels like drinking milk. Once the roasted flavor subsides it has a nice TGY floral/latex aftertaste. Maybe a little nutty. A nice oolong it is.

My review appears to have gotten lost in cyberspace. Short version – 1st cup weak. 2nd cup a very good dark roasted cup. Tasted a bit like orange to me. 3rd was weeker but with nice melon and fruit aftertaste.

Sipdown! I’m totally on a roll here for sipping down and finishing off teas!
Muhahahahaaaaaa!

This was a good cup, after I drank it my husband asked why I smelled like caramel and if he could have some. It was the tea! (he didn’t want any once he found out it was tea)

Woot! all the family is gone! Life is mostly back to normal post wedding, I just have lots of cleaning and laundry to do! Oddly, the wedding gift I’m most excited for is the new vacuum and steam cleaner from my dad – he said for the vacuum the commercials showed it can suck itself onto the roof, Swwweeeet! I can retire the Roomba that gets stupider each time I use it.

Before that, I need to try a new tea to feel like things are normal. .

DRY: melty butter toffee smell, delicious! The toffee chunks are little cubes that seemed to of moved to the bottom of the bag – make sure you mix the bag before making a cup! Beautiful looking tea too! I love the blue flowers!

STEEPED: Slightly buttery sweet smell over gold coloured tea. Annoyingly my 2 toffee bits did not melt that much in my steeper. I cheated and after my steeper strained to my tea pot, I dug out the toffee and tossed it in. Sadly, at the end of my pot, they still aren’t fully dissolved.

TASTE: Nutty, smooth, creamy mouth up front, taste of crisp toffee, then delicious white tea. Slightly sweet as well. The nuttyness is great and natural tasting.. reminds me of walnuts I think. The toffee and nuttyness reminds me of those honeycomb kind of toffee, but very light and less artificial.

WHO SHOULD TRY THIS TEA: someone looking for a nice light dessert tea – especially if you like creamy/ nutty or tired of fruity white dessert teas.

COMMENTS: This is the last of the Zen Tea samples I have at the moment, and I gotta say this one is the best. The combination of flavors is nice, the nuttyness was very good – and I wasn’t excepting nutty as I thought it would just be basic sweet/cream over white tea. Very tasty Zen Tea!

A review of Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea by Zen Tea

Date: 10/16/2012
Company: Zen Tea
Tea Name: Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: Oolong
Region: China
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: very light brown
Leaf Characteristics: leaf are dark green and when steeped they are darker still and smells very strongly of greens.

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I wanted to try this tea again and again; as I had been drinking it throughout the day prior. I realized with more steeps the complexity in the tea evolves more with multiple infusions. I was able to taste some of the vanilla essence that is to be found in the cup but not with the first infusion. I would say with the 3rd, 4th cup of tea I could discern less of the smoky aroma and find that fruity quality that this oolong has.

I was able to experience this only as the tea cooled down in my cup. As I took sip after sip, it seemed to be lighter with a sweet orchid like taste and finally of vanilla bean like; or the essence that is to be found in vanilla extract.

The tea bag oolong that I had needs to be steep/boiled to be appreciated and yet with the loose leaves, once the boiled water is added to the tea, it is the multiple steeps and the cooling down effect that allows for the tea’s complex layering to come through.

A review of Tie Guan Yin (Oolong Tea) sampler by Zen Tea

Date: 10/15/2012
Company: Zen Tea
Tea Name: Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: Oolong
Region: China
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: pale green
Leaf Characteristics:

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 2 minutes

Note: I received this tea sample from the folks at Zen Tea and it is a delight to finally be able to sample such fine tea. I cut open the tea pouch to find small pellets of leaves which smells very grassy. I take one teaspoon and put this in my mug and I add the boiling water into the cup and leave it to steep for only two minutes.

When I remove the saucer, used as a lid from the cup I find that the leaves have unfolded and as I scoop out the leaves, their color is green and the aroma that permeates the air is that of green leafy veggies. Once having scooped the leaves from the tea, I am now able to notice the teas’ color which is a very pale green color and the aroma is of veggies and green.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: Using same tea leaves I steep this time for few minutes and the teas color is still a very pale green color. I must say it is one of the lightest tea color that I have come across. I scoop out the tea leaves and sip the tea slowly while trying to discern the taste which is very complex with a layered combination of vanilla, violet and orchid flavour.

I am sorry to say, I am not getting this at all. There is faintness of honey once one is passed the leafy/veggies and to finding the creamy smoothness of this oolong. And yes, one can say there is a slight orchid flavour.

I like this Tie Guan Yin and I realize I must experience it many times more to find the hidden complexity that’s offered.

This tea had a very strong roasted oaky taste that was different than the other monkey-picked oolong I tried from Teavana, but I could tell it was of a better quality as it retained its flavor even through the 6th infusion unlike Teavana’s weak version. I normally don’t like a roast this dark, but the flavor slowly grew on me and it tasted good with meals. So if you like a roasted taste combined with the light floral notes of an oolong, you would prefer this over Teavana’s.

This smells like coconut candy. Which is amazing right now because I seriously need something sweet and relaxing.
Actually… it really smells like buttery coconut shrimp. Which sounds weird but is, again, amazing. I seriously love oolongs.
I was a little disappointed with the flavor – it was kind of thin. I added a little extra leaves anyway so I think I would need to brew this longer, closer to three minutes to really get the flavor – I was missing the lilac notes too.
It does smell amazing though.

I was looking for something that would taste a little like Irish breakfast tea. it has a dense smooth flavor with hints of malt. taste good with a dash of honey. its is a good tea warm up in the morning. if zen tea ever decides to produce an Irish breakfast blend it should include this tea.

Finishing off the last of this sample this morning. This is a nice strong morning tea. I wish I had time to make some pancakes to go along with this one. It really makes me think of hot maple syrup.

I steeped the leaves again this time for four minutes, threw it in a tumbler with half and half and sugar and plan to take it to work with me. I need some energy this morning! I just have to get through today and I have two days off. I plan to spend them with some pu-erh…

On another note, I think today is going to be the day I’ll put up my beloved Christmas tree. It’s almost time to get out all the Christmas decorations for the rattie cage too.

http://flic.kr/p/dtgFMz -—- A picture of my Fintan when he was just a little baby! Isn’t he just a ham?

I feel like I’ve really been slacking on leaving reviews for the various samples I’ve recieved, but that’s going to change today. Yup. I’m inspried today. I’ve got all day to myself to spend with the new Coheed and Cambria album and tickets to the show on tuesday and so this is possibly the greatest thing that’s happened to me all year. dkalfjioeahfenl =).

Okay so onto the tea. This is a pretty nice black tea. Not bitter at all really, but it does have a little edge at the end of the sip which I do appreciate. There’s a great rich flavor here, I’m actually getting maple. This is a great breakfast tea and it would go awesome with pancakes. This experience is exactly the reason I switched from coffee to tea. Every tea I taste has a completely different mood to it and I can always attribute it to something I’d like to be doing while drinking it. It’s inspiring in a way. Very happy with this sample.

With this being a good morning tea I just had to try it with a bit of cream and sugar (sometimes my coffee addiction does come out). I really did enjoy it much more without any additives. All they do is dull down the feeling I was getting from the tea. I’ll be sure not to add anything to it in the future.

“Your selfishness has robbed you of the man you could have been. I wouldn’t change a thing about you. I love you dearly, my friend”

Because I just had to.

I resteeped the leaves and am loving the second pot of tea as much as I enjoyed the first. The flavors taste even smoother now than the first time, and the first time it was remarkably smooth.

This tea is incredible. Definitely one worth checking out.

These leaves are gorgeous! And they brew up the most beautiful, pale green colored liquid. So very pale … like a color blending of alabaster and the softest, palest green. So beautiful!

The flavor is unbelievably good. So sweet and it seems to sparkle on the tongue… it’s almost effervescent. The flavor starts out with a very, very subtle vegetative tone – almost barely existent – tasting of the mildest, youngest steamed artichoke heart. Buttery and rich, but with only a hint of vegetative taste. As I continue to sip, the vegetative tones develop somewhat, but they never become a really STRONG taste. Everything about this tea is very soft, delicate, and almost white tea-like. I mean that to mean that it tastes of such an exceptional quality, something that is in the furthest reaches of green tea (I like green tea, but, this is like a step beyond green tea, even).

I really love this. A truly remarkable tea.

A review of Coconut Oolong (Oolong tea flavoured) by Zen Tea

Date: 10/10/2012
Company: Zen Tea
Tea Name: Coconut Oolong
Tea Type/Varietal: Oolong
Region: China
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: light brownish / amber
Leaf Characteristics: tea leaves appeared to be withered then fried perhaps when I open the tea packet. It smells strongly of the coconut.

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 175 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I took one teaspoon of the leaves and put this in my cup and poured the water that began boiling and let to cool into the cup over the leaves and left to steep for a few minutes. After the set time, I strain out the tea leaves and pour the tea into another cup and the color is light brown and smells strongly of coconuts. I find this a bit over powering because I tend to not like coconut. When I taste the tea it is very sweet as if sugar is present but I have not added a thing to it.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I decided to boil the water longer and using the same tea leaves I pour the water over the tea leaves in my cup and left to steep for 3 minutes. I want less of the coconut this time; or I am hoping to not smell it as much. With the first cup of tea I had I thought I smelled something like vanilla but it may have been the lilac, but I am not sure. There is a faint scent underneath the coconut which makes me think of vanilla bean.

The teas’ aroma is lightly coconut and floral like with sweetness to it as well that permeates the air. It is like candy / sugary. I don’t smell the coconut as much now; it is not as annoying I should say.

I will have to leave this oolong alone for a while. I am happy to review oolong teas but this one seems a bit too strong in aroma.

LAST DAY for Zentealife.com’s super sale 50-60% off all of their teas. Inventories limited to make way for the new harvests. Coupon code: Steepster

Sipped this one down today. Still delicious! Also sipped down Davidstea’s Root Beer Float (mixed the last with some of Adagio’s Caramel tea!)

Thanks Zen tea for sending me a sample of this one! This was my first matcha! I may be a bad judge of matcha, since I’ve never had any before. It intrigued me that it was blended with genmaicha though, which is a favorite. I waited for the water to cool a while so the matcha wasn’t bitter and steeped for a minute thirty. It’s kind of hard to tell where the genmaicha ends and the matcha begins, since I’m not exactly sure what a matcha should taste like, but this was good! The genmaicha is a delicious base and was dusted with matcha powder to make it an even brighter green. The steep color was a cloudy bright green. The flavor has that toasty roastiness of a perfect genmaicha. I feel like I keep using the same words to describe genmaicha (toast, roast) but are there any others, really? I love the balance with the fresh & clean sencha. I just wish I could tell how good the matcha is compared to others. I wasn’t planning on it, but I infused the leaves for three cups, I loved it so much. The other steeps were for a bit longer, but other than most of the matcha powder disappearing, the genmaicha flavor was still as strong as the first cup. This is three for three with amazing samples from Zentealife.com. I’m looking forward to trying more and will be placing an order when my tea stash is depleted a bit… that may be a while though!

Thank you to Zen Tea for this sample! This and the Monkey Picked I drank last night are like night and day! This is a green, floral oolong like I’m used to, nice and smooth (though not quite creamy) and very spring like. None of the dark cloying charcoal. In fact if it was up to me I would switch the names, the dark roast has more “iron” conotations to me. And yet, this one still created a slight buzzing sensation on my tongue like I’ve been experiencing with the medium roasts… hmm perhaps it’s just something I’m starting to tune into. Personally I would prefer something in between the two and will continue to seek the light and medium roasted traditional style tieguanyins.

Edit: Enjoying the second half of the sample today, following the company’s brewing parameters rather than gongfu style. I didn’t care for the first infusion so I tossed it but the second was very nice, I actually got the vanilla and gardenia notes. The third starts off with a bit of umami then turns… fruity. That’s interesting.

This is a very dependable Tie Guan Yin, buttery and floral. It doesn’t have any roasted flavor like some tie guan yin’s and the buttery brothy flavor is more subdued. Like others have said this has a strong grassy taste, it’s not bad it just reminds me more of a green tea at times. Further steepings lost the floral aspect and added a little more buttery taste followed by grassiness. I think I’ve had more tie guan yin’s then any other kind of oolong and I love the myriad variations that can be found among the different companies or even the same company but different times of year. There is something nice in the unevenness of quality among tea from purchase to purchase. It reminds you that tea is produce and not like other dry goods that are replenished without any change.

Arggg, I got a long day today with a crazy jitz class and making lots of filipino egg rolls (lumpias) for my wedding. UGGG.

Thanks to Zen Tea for a sample of this tea!

STEEPED: Light brown tea, coffee like smell.
TASTE: Light oolong taste, smokey roasted nutty flavor. I didn’t get much of the vanilla / creamy taste.
Sweetened, the nuttyness comes out more. I even get that nut skin taste. I think I prefer the unsweetened tea more as it seems more sophisticated in taste.

COMMENTS: This is a great alternative to someone who doesn’t want a black tea, but wants a bold nutty taste. Overall really good for hazelnut lovers. However, this wasn’t creamy for me and I felt this needed another dimension for me. Maybe a longer steep would bring out more of the oolong?