Harney and Sons Egyptian Chamomile

This was given to me from a friend after I told her about my growing love for Tazo Calm.  Although Tazo is a blend of a few ingredients, the chamomile is the most prominent one and I've just been liking the natural sweetness that this tea has.  She mentioned that this tea tastes a bit different from normal chamomile so I'm curious to find out how different it really is.

Outsides:  Harney and Sons does what any tea company you should be caring for does and packages their teabags in individually-wrapped foil sachets (with paper on the outside so it looks pretty).  The ingredient is pure Egyptian chamomile.  I put the teabag in 8 oz of boiling water for 5+ minutes.  The color of the liquid is yellow and the tea smells fruity and sweet.

Insides:  When I think of chamomile tea, I think of a sweeter herbal with a fruity-floral scent and a thicker mouthfeel.  This particular chamomile tea tastes fruitier but also the scent is much more fragrant than what I'm used to getting with chamomiles.  There also is the slightest cooling sensation when it goes down the throat.  The liquid doesn't have as much of a mouthfeel as normal chamomile but I'm honestly not sure whether that's because I should have brewed it at 6 oz, my friend gave me slightly old tea (tea in teabags is usually dust and fannings or really small tea and that tends to degrade a lot faster than loose-leaf) or it's just different.

Tilt: Harney and Sons sells this in many varieties including 1.5 oz loose for $5.75 (including their classy-as-hell tin) or a 20 count box for $6.  Yes, that's a bit expensive but I think that the quality in Harney and Sons products makes them worth it.  Chamomile is one of those tissanes that you're probably going to have in your house whether you like it or not so the only thing really unique about this is the different taste notes.  Chamomile is an herb so it should be safe for children and I think it's good sweetened and iced.

Overall:  Whether you like it or not, chamomile tea is a bit of a necessity for everyone.  You don't need to get this if you already have a chamomile tea but if you don't, I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a pure herb.

My Rating:  Buy It!

Harney and Sons is a British tea company that sells mid-quality tea at a pretty reasonable price.

Stash Jasmine Blossom Green Tea

When people tell me that they love tea, I tend to put on my snob glasses and judge them because too many people I know who say they "love" tea just drink Lipton bagged black tea (there is nothing wrong with that, but I would inform you that there are better options out there).  Well, one of my friends is a tea snob equal to my snobbishness but without a blog, and when we got into a discussion on Jasmine teas, she recommended this one to me because she said it tasted similar to dragon pearls but at a fraction of the price.   I then got this tea when it was on sale and now I have three bags of this stuff so I hope she's right. 

Also sorry for the crappier photos, especially my stained cup.

Outsides:  I got the 3 pack of the 3.5 oz loose leaf and they come in these foil pouches and the ingredients are just green tea and jasmine blossoms.  Much like any jasmine green, it smells strongly of jasmine.  I brewed a teaspoon in 8 ounces of 170 degree F for 3 minutes.  It has a more golden color to it and smells like sweet jasmine.

Insides:  My friend was almost right about this tasting like jasmine pearls.  The tea isn't as sweet as the ones I've tried but compared to other green teas I've tried, there's a more prominent sweetness and less astringency than normal.  The jasmine is very fragrant but you never get the feeling that you're drinking a flower.  Honestly, this is just a well-balanced tea that gives you a good feeling of zen. 

Tilt:  I bought the 3-pack on Amazon which is normally priced at $19 but since there was a 20% off Stash coupon, it would have cost $15.20, so a little more than $5 for 3.5 oz of tea.  Even at the regular price, it isn't too bad as another tea which is comparable is Adagio's Jasmine Chun Hao which is $8 for 3 oz plus cost of shipping (I will say that the Jasmine Chun Hao is better though).  This is a good everyday jasmine green that's quality is between "I don't care, I just want something floral and cheap" (Sunflower Brand Jasmine Tea) and "Oh god, this is too expensive so I'll just drink it for special occassions" (pretty much any Jasmine Dragon Pearl from a shop, Jasmine Chun Hao).  I'd save Sunflower for iced tea but this one would probably be good too and is just a nice tea to have around. 

Overall:  I like it and it will be consumed.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Stash Tea is a popular American tea company.  Also, they're having a 20% off Friends and Family Event until 11/12/13 by using the code FAMILY13 at checkout. 

English Tea Store Bingo Blueberry Tea

First off, I got this tea at Margaret's but they purchase their tea from English Tea Store (I could tell from the artwork and names).  Blueberry herbal tissanes are something I always seem to gravitate towards and I think they tend to work all year round.

Outsides:  Ingredients for this tea are Luxury natural dried currants, blue berries, apples, rasins, hibiscus, cornflower petals, rosehip pieces, and natural flavors.  This is a bit different than the other tissanes I've tried in this variety because most of them use green rooibos as a mixer.  I brewed 3 teaspoons of this in 16 oz of boiling water for...7 minutes (it doesn't matter with these kinds of teas).  It's a lovely dark crimson color and smells like berries.

Insides:  This tea is very tart yet sweet and almost has the mouthfeel of a juice or punch.  It seems a bit thicker than your normal tissane and every sip is full of blueberry and currant flavors.  Compared to the other tissanes of this type, this one has a prominant cherry note which I haven't noticed with other teas of this type and lacks any spice notes (like the cinnamon in the Davidson's bulk).  There is a floral top note but it isn't as noticeable as the others.  

Tilt:  It's $5.99 at Margaret's and $7.30 on Amazon for 4 oz of this so more expensive than the other places but less expensive than Teavana.  However, the subtraction of the green rooibos means that you can mix it to make a similar product to the others so that actually helps lower the price (I actually got a 16 oz bag of green rooibos for $12 so that's how I got reminded).  Like all of the other blueberry tissanes I've reviewed, this one is caffeine-free so it's great for before bed, pregnant women and children and even better for the later since it's fruity and yummy but without the sugar.  I think this kind of tea works well for all seasons and is great iced or hot.

Overall:  I'm going to buy it again since I need something to mix into the green rooibos I bought and I think it's a good tissane to check out.  It also makes a great air-freshener when brewed.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Here's the Amazon link.  I'm sorry that that tea is Add-on only, but it's something for non-Pittsburgh dwelling people.  Margaret's is found in the Squirrel Hill district of Pittsburgh.  I really hate their website, especially since they've Tea-Pittsburgh.  Seriously?  Prestogeorge has a MUCH better selection than you do.  /rant

My Cuppa Tea Peachy Liz White Tea

It can be both a good and bad thing to live three minutes away from a tea store.  On one hand, it's nice being able to quickly stop in if you need to pick something up.  But then you find out that they're discontinuing a bunch of teas and they're marked down 50% off and end up spending 30 dollars on tea that you just don't need.  Peachy Liz was something that I don't think I could part with partially because of the unique ingredients and partially because I love me some flavored white tea with peach being a classic flavor.  

Outsides:  Peachy Liz is a fruit and floral white tea with the ingredieents of Bai Mu Dan white tea, marigolds, golden chrysanthemum, peach pieces, vanilla bits, and peach vanilla flavor.  I love the big fluffy white tea leaves but am a bit conflicted on the scent.  On one hand, it's very sweet smelling and is reminiscent of peaches and cream.  On the other hand, it reminds me of cough syrup.  I brewed it for 2 minutes in 170 degree Celsius water.  It's a light yellow color with a peaches and cream smell to it.

I want to get a picture showing the color better but here's Rusty for now.  I've had this at home before and no, Rusty does not make a good infuser for this tea.

Insides:  This tea is pure sweetness.  Whatever floral is in here just adds to the syrupy sensation that this tea invokes.  The peach and vanilla flavor is very strong with a slight tea hint to it and the chrysanthemum and marigold add more of a rounded sweetness (and I'm guessing a yellow color) while giving it a bit extra body.  Even without the ridiculously strong smell, this tea is just naturally sweet.  Not sugar sweet, but there really is no reason to sweeten it.  That all being said, this desert white tea only has that strange syrupy taste which I think most people would be able to ignore, no bitter aftertaste or strange chemical tastes.  For a desert substitution, it works well.

Tilt:  Since I bought this tea on clearance, it's not fair for me to tell you to price I paid for it because of course it's worth it but you won't be able to get it at that price.  I found this site though and I have to say that as much as I love this tea, I would never pay that price for it.  Because of how light and fruity this tea is, it's very good for people who aren't the biggest fans of tea yet and also those watching their sugar intake since it's naturally sweet.  It's also pretty flavorful so it should make a wonderful iced tea.

Overall?  I already bought 8 oz of this (and considering how fluffy this stuff is, that is a LOT of tea).  I like it, my tea-newbie boyfriend loves it and if it's cheap where you live, you probably would at least find a use for it.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Margaret's is located in the Squirrel Hill district of Pittsburgh.

Prestogeorge's Raspberry Passionfruit black tea

It's a good thing that tea shops let you smell their tea because I wouldn't have gotten this if I haven't.  I'm not the biggest fan of raspberry tea since a lot of them use raspberry leaf and that tends to make the tea super bitter.  However, I adore passion fruit and like how you have a commonplace flavor mixed with a tropical flavor.  I actually got this a few months ago so the purpose was to make iced tea, but it's 40 degrees here so I need a summer pick-me-up.

Did I show you guys this cup?  It's the Kati Brewing system by Tea Forte.  The holiday season IS coming and this makes a pretty nice gift for that special tea lover.

Outsides:  It's loose-leaf tea with a few raspberry leaves, dried passionfruit bits and red things for color.  I put in 2 tablespoons per 12 oz of almost boiling water for 5 minutes.  The color is a typical black tea color with a small hint of red.  In the bag, this has a lovely fruity smell that has an overtone of passionfruit with a berry undertone and it keeps it when brewed.

Insides:  First off, the tea is much more flavorful after cooling for 5 minutes or as iced tea, but I would not advise drinking it right away or you might be disappointed.  I like the way the two fruits combine.  Passionfruit is good but tends to not add a ton of flavor unless you really pile it on.  The raspberry complements the sweet and sour aspect while adding a bit of an earthy undertone.  The tea part is ok, it works well to complement the fruit flavors and I know I'm drinking tea and not some fruit drink.

Tilt:  This tea is $1.92 for 2 oz which is honestly a pretty good deal.  Sometimes, I get tea at Prestogeorge that's super cheap but is a little weak in terms of flavor but this stuff has a good, strong fruit flavor.  It makes a good iced tea and honestly, that's what it should be used for.  This would be super tasty at a get-together especially with some passionfruit syrup.

Overall:  I actually really like this and think it's worth the price.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Prestogeorge is a local tea and coffee retailer located in the Strip District in Pittsburgh.

Prestogeorge's Coconut Vanilla Black Tea

So, I'm kind of in a tea no-buy right now.  Part of it is honestly because I have way too much tea and need to drink the stuff I have.  For example, I think I got this one in November and have only really gotten rid of it via mixing it with the Bananas Foster tea (which is another one that I love but never drink).  I figured that I'd try making some iced tea with this for dinner and see what it's like.

Outsides:  Prestogeroge just puts their teas in paper bags with ties on the end, which seems to work because I haven't noticed too much of a degradation in flavor.  I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the leaves but they're pretty much your standard black tea.  I brew 1.5 teaspoons of this in almost boiling water for 4 minutes.  The tea looks dark and has a light coconut scent. 

Insides:  The coconut and vanilla flavors bring a lot of sweetness to this while also offsetting the bitterness.  They also are a great combination (which isn't too surprising) because of how the vanilla adds a slight bit of creme flavor to the vanilla, making it more decadent.  The base tea is flavorful but not too robust.  I think the flavor diminished a bit over time, but it seems like an assam and ceylon blend.  I do like this hot and it makes a great winter treat with some added milk, but this REALLY shines as iced tea.  OH MY GAWD, it tastes like summer.   The sugar really brings out the sweetness of the coconut while the tea keeps its light texture. 

Tilt:  Obviously, this is a summer drink.  It's also pretty cheap, much like the vast majority of teas from Prestogeorge.  I don't think a coconut tea is unique to them so I'm sure that you can find an equivalent somewhere else.  I just really should use up more of my teas.

Overall:  Obviously, you need to like coconut to like this.  But I can't think of many teas more perfect than this for the summer.

My Rating:  Buy (for the summer) and Try (for every other time)

Prestogeorge is a local tea shop in Pittsburgh with a wide variety of tea and coffee. 

Harney and Sons Paris Flavored Black Tea

 

So, I go on Reddit's /r/tea fairly often and one of the companies I see mentioned fairly often is Harney and Sons with the Paris blend being the blend I hear about the most.  I've seen some of their teas at Macy's but they are way too expensive and in bags anyway.  However, Amazon has a good selection of the loose-leaf tins and you can even buy by the pound if you like it.  Paris sounded particularly interesting because it's a blend of black currants, vanilla and bergamont.

Outsides:  This particular tea was in a 4 oz black tin, which is actually quite informative.  It tells you the caffeine level, how strong it should taste, what it really is supposed to do (relax or wake you up), so I thought that was really cool.  There's only the tin protecting the leaves.  The initial smell you get is very heavy on the berry and vanilla with an interesting tartness mixed with the sweetness.  I brewed 1.5 teaspoons on 8 oz of 95 degree Celsius water for about 4 minutes.  The brew is a darker black tea color and doesn't have as strong of a scent but is still strong.

Insides:  First off, I've tried drinking this with milk and sugar, but I prefer reducing the amount I add from 2 teaspoons to 1.5 and just drinking it plain.  There isn't a really pronounced bergamont flavor despite it being in the list of the ingredients.  Rather, it's a hint that brings a nice citrusy zest to the berry vanilla flavor that's going on.  I think this tea tastes a bit like a berry mouse or some kind of berry desert.  It's pretty naturally sweet so you can definitely drink without sugar.  The tea seems to be a blend of ceylon and is strong but not overpowering to the blend.

Tilt:  So, the tin it came in is really good quality and the label design is simple yet classy.  The tea is pretty unique and is hard to give a real food analog, but is also pretty drinkable and something that I personally reach for.  This would be nice to drink in the fall since the berry flavor is a bit reminiscent of summer but the vanilla flavor gives it a bit of extra richness that would be a bit more appropriate for this time.  I've heard people describe it as tasting like pipe tobacco, but since I don't know what it tastes like, I would still say some kind of berry desert.

Overall:  It's unique but still something you might grab for.  It's a unique bergamont blend and I'm really excited to try more from Harney and Sons.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Harney and Sons is a British tea company.

Yorkshire Breakfast Tea

As you may know, I try to not buy too many teabags because they are expensive for what you are getting and usually not the best quality.  However, I've been craving a good black tea lately and have heard great things about Yorkshire.  This box of 20 tea bags was $2 at Big Lots, so I figured I'd give it a try.

Outsides:  I have no idea what kinds of teas are going into this breakfast blend, but they're typically largely made up of Assam and this one smells like it.  I really appreciate the packaging on these.  The sachet is inside of a nice foil/cellophane packet that will keep it waterproof and the actual tea sachet is very large and gives tons of room for the tea to expand.  I was making a pot of O'Sullivan's favorite so I just used the leftover water (it's probably 98 degrees Celsius or lower) and let it steep for about 4 minutes.  The color is a rich reddish brown and it smells like a strong breakfast tea, a little citrusy and a little sweet.

Insides:  First off, this tea is incredibly smooth.  There's a bit of bitterness, but it's not really a problem since the tea itself is rather crisp and sweet.  The quality used here is good and I feel like the bag's design helped it develop a full flavor with sweet notes and more citrusy notes while not tasting as acidic as a lot of cheaper teas tend to be.  The finish is nice and smooth too, no bitter aftertaste.  I've been drinking this a lot between classes in order to pep up a bit, and it's great with sugar and cream (I'm drinking mine with honey and lime right now).

Overall:  I'm glad I bought this tea.  It's a great bagged black tea

My Rating:  Buy it!

Yorkshire Tea is a fun little English tea brand that is owned by Taylors of Harrogate.  You can probably find this at Big Lots but I've seen it at local grocery stores.

Tazo Refresh Tea (herbal mint tea with Tarragon)

As you may know, I'm not the biggest fan of Tazo.  I find that their tea seriously lacks in flavor or is just god-awful.  There are exceptions, such as their whole leaf teas, but Tazo as a company has just not impressed me.  That pessimistic thought aside, I was cleaning my backpack today, which is shocking for me, when I found this tucked in the same compartment as I put my make-up that I never wear.  My first thought was "Oh, that sounds tasty" and I needed a drink, so I fired up the Keurig and decided to give it a go.

Outsides:  I kinda ripped the label before I could read all of the ingredients, but it looks like there's only peppermint, spearmint and tarragon.  The sachet is nice and individually foil-wrapped, and is your standard tea bag.  I just stuck the bag in 8 oz of boiling water and honestly don't care about the time because it is an herbal.  It's a bit darker than your standard herbal tea and smells extremely strong for something that has been in my bag for 2 months.

Insides:  Well color me impressed, this is some potent mint tea.  It has that hint of sweetness that most mint teas do and the tarragon is only evident in the beginning, but the mix of peppermint and spearmint really brings a lot of good minty flavor to this.  Is it revolutionary?  Not really since most mint teas taste like the same thing, but this one kicks it up a notch in terms of intensity.

Overall:  I actually recommend this if you want mint tea.  You could probably buy mint leaves cheaper, but this is a nice mix and would probably do wonders for a stomachache. 

My Rating:  Buy it!

Tazo is everywhere.  Starbucks, grocery stores, department stores, everywhere.  

Prestogeorge Herbal Red Pomegranate

I need to review more teas from Prestogeorge, but since I have about 20 teas from Zen Tea and 10 teas from Prestogeorge, Zen Tea has won priority (although, it's also because I just bought higher quality tea from Zen Tea and it's something I really need to do at Prestogeorge).  I'm not the biggest fan of Rooibos since to me, it's not complex enough on it's own.  Pomegranate is another story and I will gladly consume anything that reminds me of that fruit, plus the sweet and tangy taste with a hint of floral should do wonders for Rooibos. 

Outsides:  What's unique about this tea is that it's a blend of green and red rooibos, which I rarely see together.  It also contains safflowers, rosehips and, of course, pomegranate.  I brewed a teaspoon and a half of this at almost boiling for 5+ minutes.  The color is lighter than most rooibos teas I've tried but still that rusty orange.  It smells fantastic, juicy, sweet and tart.

Insides:  The rooibos actually serves as a nice base for all of the other flavors and doesn't hinder the wonderful pomegranate smell and flavor.  This smells a lot stronger than it tastes, but there is a hint of natural sweetness and a little needed tartness from the pomegranate.  There's also a slight floral flavor but it's more of a complement to the fruit than a flavor on its own.  I think this would go great with sugar and would make a nice iced tea.

Overall:  I've decided to change my thoughts on rooibos to not liking it unless it has some stronger flavor added to it.  This is a very nice blend and worth the extra dollar or so I spent on it compaired to the other rooiboses.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Prestogeorge is my local tea shop in Pittsburgh.  They deliver to other parts, but their shipping is expensive so I'd just look elsewhere for other tea.  

Zen Tea Pu-erh Vanilla Mint

I kinda feel like I'm cheating a bit because I haven't really tried good Pu-erh yet (I have another Zen Tea sample sitting in my tea storage), but pu-erh is another tea that you're supposed to drink in multiple infusions and I just don't feel like doing that right now.  I also feel as though this is a great tea for around the holidays since it's a sweet peppermint and all.

Outsides:  First off, this one blatantly states that it's organic and fair-trade so it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling for supporting a good tea cause.  It contains pu-erh, peppermint, cinnamon (which seems almost contradictory to me), vanilla and the bane of my existence, licorice.  One annoying thing that Zen Tea did was not include how much of this you're supposed to put per cup, so I'm just going to assume that it's a generous teaspoon per 8 oz of boiling water.  This tea is DARK but smells fantastic, like candy canes and holiday cookies all rolled up into one.

Inside:  I know that Pu-erh is different than black tea but I'm going to revoke Adagio's Candy Cane Tea's honor of being the best black tea because this is fantastic.  Pu-erh doesn't seem to be as bitter as black tea and the mint and vanilla flavors come through so nicely.  The licorice is barely noticeable and is actually done right by having it act as a slight sweetener.  I'm going to include a picture of when I add creamer to it because the milk tea has this slight reddish tone to it which I think is very pretty.  Oh, and this is amazing with creamer.  It's like you're having milk and cookies with a candycane in there. 

Milk Tea Goodness

Overall:  I felt like I took a risk getting the 50 gram pouch of this but I'm glad I followed my instincts.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Zen Tea is a Canadian tea retailer specializing in mid to high quality tea.  

Zen Tea Tie Guan Yin, ofren called Monkey-Picked Oolong

Here I am with yet another Zen Tea purchase.  Tie Guan Yin is a common type of Oolong and what makes this one interesting is that you are supposed to do multiple infusions using this.  There are lots of different types of tea that can be used for multiple infusions but they work best with Oolongs and not the terrible ones. 

Outside:  The tea looks like little rolled leaves.  I brewed the tea at a 80 degrees Celsius (which might be a bit too low for this) and varied the steeping time depending on which infusion I used (you're supposed to add some time each infusion).  The first infusion is light but it gets a little darker each infusion.  The first one smells the most vegital while the second smells more floral and the third is a weaker floral.

Insides:  I'm going to divide this into the infusions.

First infusion:  The tea is very vegetative in taste with a floral note intertwining.  Overall, this is a light tea with a medium body and a slightly sweet taste.  It reminds me a bit of sencha except a bit heavier and with more of a floral scent. 

Second infusion:  This one is a LOT more floral and my favorite infusion.  Less vegetative than the first infusion but this one has a nice floral scent (my first thought was jasmine, but the bag says jasmine and orchid).  It has the same body as the first infusion but the tea is a little bit sweeter.  This is really a nice introduction to multiple infusions.  Also physically, the leaves are opening up so if you put a tiny bit of tea in the infuser, the tea has doubled or tripled in size.

Third infusion:  This is the first noticeable drop in flavor, but still drinkable and actually good.  The tea is light-bodied and there's still the floral scent, but no vegetative taste and yet the same amount of sweetness.  I won't brew any more infusions of this because it lost about a third of the flavor.

Overall:  I really like this.  It's a light floral with a medium body and you definitely get your bang for your buck.  Check it out.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Zen Tea is a Canadian Tea retailer that sells mid to high quality tea.  

Zen Tea Jasmine Dragon Pearl

So, my last 4 days have cinsisted of 7 to 9 hours of baking cookies (we have at least 13 different kinds right now) and honestly, I need a break.  NO MORE MOM, I'M GOING ON A DIET!  Anyway, I need some jasmine tea to relax and this one looked interesting. 

Outsides:  The tea is just chinese Jasmine Green tea buds, but it's shaped like little spheres.  The instructions say that you can use 3 to 5 of these per cup, so I put in 4 big ones and one derpy looking bud in 8 oz of 80 degree Celsius water and just kept them there (I want to see if they bloom, which they kinda do).  The fluid is a very light orange (it almost looks pink to me) and have a nice fragrant scent of jasmine.

Insides:  This actually works pretty well without an infuser because the leaves are very tender when brewed.  What really surprised me was how naturally sweet the tea is without sugar.  It has a light body and a delicate green tea flavor with a pleasant jasmine scent, but there's a sweetness to it which makes this extra special to me.  Plus, it's so fragrant that you can probably get away with using 3 buds.  Anyway, this is a fantastic tea to help introduce people to floral tea and for people who don't want to consume as much sugar.  I image that this is great cold.

Overall:  Apparently you can get this cheaper at the Asian markets, but this sample size gives you good bang for your buck and it's darn tasty!

My Rating:  Buy it!  

Zen Tea is a canadian tea retailer that specializes in mid to high quality tea.  

Zen Tea Earl Grey Blue Flower

 
So, I made a mistake.  For some reason, probably my own stupidity, I thought this was the same as Earl Grey Creme.  Well, it isn't.  It's just normal Earl Grey, which I'm ok with but I really love that Earl Grey Creme.  But, Prestogeorge seems to have something similar to that so I might not be out of luck.  Anyway, I'm sure this will be a perfectly good Earl Grey.

Outsides:  This tea contains black tea, bergamont orange and blue cornflowers, I feel as though the flowers are almost pointless because you can't really see them that well in the blue base, and they don't really change the color of the tea.  I brewed a teaspoon and a half of this in 8 oz of near boiling water for about 4 minutes.  The color is a medium orange like most Earl Grey teas are and smells strongly of bergamont. 

Insides:  I immediately added milk and sugar to this because the bergamont is too strong to drink on its own for me, but it goes great in milk.  The flavor is strong, citrusy and a bit spicy and floral, but there still is a noticeable tea flavor that pokes through so Zen Tea clearly didn't use the extreme bottom of the barrel when it comes to tea. I think this earl grey is actually well balanced, doesn't lose flavor in cream and yet doesn't taste like soap.  It's not quite as good as the Earl Grey Creme but it's pretty close to a perfect normal Earl Grey for me.

Overall:  If you like normal Earl Grey, you'll probably like this.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Zen Tea is a canadian tea retailer that specializes in mid to high quality tea and bringing the world of tea closer to your home.  

Bonus:  Lazy Christmas Mani

Zen Tea's Darjeeling Margaret's Hope Second Flush FTGFOP1 Organic

Yes, that is the full name and yes, it's a bit overwhelming but this is actually more of a personal project than just me writing whether I like a tea or not.  It starts with a question.  What is the difference between this tea and that tea, whether it just be a different type of tea like green versus oolong or a different region that the tea is grown, like Ceylon versus Darjeeling or maybe the difference between good quality tea and poor quality tea?  You can read how they taste on blogs (like mine) but it just isn't the same as actually tasting it.  It was a slippery slope to this, going from Big Lots tea bags to loose-leaf flavored teas to reading about these different origins and extremely detailed teas to finally just getting a bunch of samples and trying a bunch of high quality teas.  I picked Zen Tea for 2 reasons:  The teas I have tried from them have been of a pretty high quality in terms of ingredients and they were having a 50 percent off sale, so I got about 18 teas (some sample and some big sizes) for $35.  But ultimately, I want to know what a good quality Darjeeling, Keemun, Ceylon, etc. tastes like and that's what I'm doing now.

 

Outsides:   I know there's something you guys want to know and that's what FTGFOP1 means.  Well, here's an answer but the short version is high-quality, unbroken leaves.  Darjeeling is a mountain range in India where tea is grown and honestly, I have no idea of Margaret's hope means anything.  I brewed about a tespoon for three minutes in 8 oz of boiling water.  The color is the golden amber color while the smell is fruity with almost a hint of honey to it.

Insides:  The tea is extremely smooth with a medium body and very little astringency.  It's sweet, with a warm, nutty note to the flavor and a fruity aftertaste as well as a hint of floral.  So far, this is sweeter than the Assams and Ceylons I've tried, but closer to Ceylon in body but reminds me more of the Assam in flavor.  The flavor is bright and crisp and I'm sure you can drink this iced (it's definately mild enough to drink without sugar or milk).  Honestly, it's taking a bit of self-restraint not chugging the thing.

Overall:  For all of the high-quality teas, I'm going to say try because everyone should figure out what they like, but I really like this one

My Rating:  Buy it!  It's very good!

Zen Tea is a Canadian Tea Retailer that specializes in mid to high quality teas.  The sample size was normally $2.20 but I got it half-off.  Also, apparently this wasn't the most expensive one, but it's still very good.

Zen Tea Tender White Tea 3-tin Gift Set

Not many people know about Zen Tea, but they are a Canadian Tea retail company that seems to specilise in tea drunk in the international style.  The variety they have is small, but mostly consists of mid to high quality teas with high quality flavor.  They also are having a 50% off sale until December 24th on tea and tea gift sets (including this set) so I figured that now was a good time to try.  Plus I needed tea tins, which apparently have to cost $10 if you don't want them plain (I'm thinking about just making them myself).  So in conclusion, this white tea gift set ended up costing me $15 and included 3 tins of tea.  Does the tea suck?  We'll find out.

I received this in the mail about 4 days after I ordered it, which isn't too bad considering that it was from Canada (you have to get Canadian Priority or USPS Priority, which isn't cheap at $5 but isn't exorbitant either).  The tea set came in a sliver box with a cute little bow in it, so perfect for the lazy and extremely cute.  Each tin is metal with patterned paper on it and apparently holds about 3 oz of tea, although if you want to get rid of the label then you are going to have a bad time ripping the paper.  Now, I was a bit surprised when I saw just how much tea was in there because the website said something like 3.5 oz of tea, so I was expecting about 1 oz each.  This was an extremely pleasant surprise and an astonishing buy for $15.

the big Silver Needle leaves

The teas included in the Tender White Tea set are BaihaoYinzhen (White Hair Silver Needle), Tear of Peony and Toffee Dream.  I feel a little bit at a disadvantage because I've never had these kinds of tea before so I can't really comment that much on how it compares to others.  I will say that the tea leaves in these are huge and it's better to invest in a gaiwan because they don't really fit in a normal ball infuser.  All three teas are unique from each other and there seems to be something for everyone from the purists to the floral fans to the desert fans to the fruity fans.

Now onto the teas:

BaihaoYinzen:  Very pure and delicate.  It's not the most flavor heavy and is more of a sipping tea, but it's very nice for relaxing and reminds me of a forest on a spring day.

Teardrop of Peony:  I'm actually drinking this right now and think this is the most heavily flavored of the teas, but still has that light quality that white tea has.  I like that although this is pretty heavily floral scented, it actually tastes very sweet and fruity.  I also like how the white tea flavor here is less subtle.

Toffee Dream:  Probably my favorite nutty tea and one of the nicest desert teas to drink without sugar or milk.  It's definitely a lovely drink to have when you want a bit of caramel but not the calories.  It's also one of  the most colorful with these random blue flowers in it.

Overall;  This set is what I would want someone to get me because I love tea and all three of these are delicious.  For $15 or even $34, this is a great buy and a great way to treat the tea lover you love.

My Rating:  Buy it!