Zen Tea Anti-Strain Herbal Tea

I'm going to assume Anti-Strain is supposed to be the Canadian Tension Tea.  I don't really drink normal tension tea, but figured I'd try a bag.  Plus, I've had too much caffeine already and don't want to be up forever.

Outsides:  This tea contains cinnamon, licorice, ginger, fennel, orange peel and cardamon and i have to say, it smells amazing, like a sweet and spicy chai tea.  I put a teaspoon and a half in 8 oz of boiling water and let it sit for 5 minutes.  The tea is the normal yellow herbal color (It's funny how many herbal teas get that color) and still smells amazing.  This also apparently supports the Dosha "vata" in accordance to Ayuvedic teachings, which I know very little about.

Insides:  Well, this smells great and it might possibly taste great except for the smack in your face of weird sweetness that is the licorice.  Is there supposed to be that much licorice in accordance to Ayuvedic principals, because the aftertaste is riddiculous.  Putting aside the licorice, which is pretty near impossible, the herbs used are the spicy sweet kind and the tea has a nice brightness to it.  But you better like licorice.

Overall:  Works great as an air freshener, not as a drink.

My Rating:  Pass.

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

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.

And now for my other obsession: Julep Maven Boho Glam intro box with Julep Essential Cuticle Oil

I know that this is supposed to be a tea blog and that this is obviously not tea, but I love nail polish.  It has become a recent obsession in my life and I paint my nails pretty much every day.  Well, a nail company called Julep recently had a holiday sale and I ended up getting a mystery box as well as an intro box for only $20 (the intro box only cost me a penny, plus it's free shipping).  You first take a "style profile" quiz, which asks you what kinds of accessories you wear and which outfit do you like the best, and divides you into categories.  Since I'm clearly a big hippie (not entirely sarcastic), I got the Boho Glam profile, which focuses on more earth tone colors with a few brights mixed in, but it doesn't matter what you get because you can change your box if you don't like the colors. 

Normally, these boxes cost $20 a month but you can get an into box for a penny if you're a new customer by typing in a certain code (mine was PENNY2012).  Each Maven box is supposed to contain $40 worth of products so theoretically, you're saving a lot by getting one.  The nail polishes are actually 4-free (free of Formaldehyde as well as formadehyde resin, Touline and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which are supposed to be carcinogens).  In addition, $1 of any product purchased goes to Girlfirends, a women's charity.  In addition to the box, you can also pay a bit more and get reasonably-priced add-ons (this month, it was 3 polishes for the price of 1) as well as 20% off online products (which is still overpriced). 



I got my box three days after ordering it (although I also got a mystery box and that hasn't come yet).  A lot of bloggers have pictures of them but mine was stuck in the snow for a few hours so it was all wet and frozen, not worth me taking a picture of.  There was a lot of black confetti, a pink bag with a bow and the presents.

This box also came with a red sparkle glitter and an opaque white irridescent glitter (which I'm a bit sad I didn't have for my snowflake mani), but they're glitter so I don't feel the need to review them.  They do make a nice touch though and think they'd be great for the holidays.

The back of the container.  Shows the glitter nicely.

Julep has their fancy emblem on the front.

Before I get into the other individual products, I'm just going to make some overall comments.  A lot of people have been complaining about the long, thin bottles and I agree that if you're a clumsy oaf then the bottle is going to be easy to knock over.  It's also an obscenely small bottle for $14 a polish (.27 oz or about half the size of a normal nail polish like China Glaze or OPI).  There is one good thing about these polishes in that the small, thin bottle will make it very potable and these will be good for traveling.  I haven't had issues with the actual brush but since the bottle is so long, the handle is extremely long so make sure you're quick or else you might end up with giant globs of nail polish everywhere.  On the upside, the amount of polish on the brush when I painted Michelle made it so that I painted my entire hand before having the re-dip. 

Toni

I will appologise for the poor quality of swatches, but I don't have a light box or a good camera and this is just to show you what you're getting.

Julep Toni:  I think this is supposed to be a taupe shade but thankfully (because I already have two identical taupes), it's more of a medium purple with a dusty pink and drop of grey mixed in.  This actually reminds me of grape popsicles except a bit pinker, and is actually both edgy and delicate.  The formula was a bit thick but in a creamy kind of way instead of a streaky kind of way.  This took me 2 coats and then I topped it off with Seche Vite.

Julep Michelle:  A very dark navy blue cream.  I think the color's right at that point where it's really dark blue but definitely not black in everyday light.  Again, I really liked the color and thought it would be flattering on pretty much any skin tone (I lean towards olive and it looked good on me).  Again, the formula was thick and creamy but this baby was (almost) a 1-coater.  Two fingers needed a second coat, but it did well.

UPDATE:  As for wear and tear, I've been wearing Michelle for 2 days.  On the majority of fingers, there is little if any tip wear although the polish is not as shiny as I'd like ti to be.  The only major chippers are my pointer fingers and that makes sense.  I was cooking and cleaning all day so honestly, that's not bad for a polish and unlike China Glaze or a few other brands, Julep's polish doesn't have any weird interaction with Seche Vite and my Orly Bonder Base Coat.  So yeah, it's actually lasting as well as my Nubar and Butter London so that's good.  

 

Michelle

  Julep Essential Cuticle Oil:  I have a few cuticle balms but never used a cuticle oil before, so this is a new experience for me.  One of the nice things about this is the rollerball applicator, making this ideal for on the go.  This is a blend of lavender essential oil and vitamin E, so it smells like lavender and herbs.  I like the smell a lot since it smells like my favorite sleep time tea, but if you don't like lavender then be forewarned!   The rollerball only leaves a small amount of oil that you rub in but it's fast absorbing and not greasy, so again, this is great on the go.  I'll write an update in a few days but I do think that my cuticles look noticeably better after a few hours.  There's a big problem area where a few layers of skin ripped off that still feels rough but is barely visible.  Another good thing is that you use so little of this per application that even with the
small size, this oil will probably last you 6 months with everyday use.  Overall, I like it and although I don't think it's worth $18, I think it's a nice thing to have.

UPDATE:  After using this a few days, I will say that this is a good product for everyday use, but you could probably find a slightly better one for problem areas.  My rough patch on my finger is not visible to the naked eye but I can still feel it a bit whereas I think my Burt's Bees Cuticle Balm would have made it softer by now.  However, this is a lot more portable than my BB or Posh Cuticle Cream, and will probably last a lot longer too.  It also doesn't remove cuticle like my Posh one does.  Still a good product and glad to have it.  

So, Maven Boxes are supposed to have about $40 worth of products but these prices are so inflated that it's silly to think that they actually are worth that much.  What I'm going to do is put down how much I would think is a reasonable price for each product.

-The glitter pots would probably cost me $1 or $2 for both.  They're nice, but you can get glitter in any craft store so it's not really going to add much value.
-The nail polish took a bit of thinking.  I think the formula in general is better than China Glaze and more opaque than my Butter Londons, but the brush makes it much more of a pain in the ass than it is.  Maybe if they improved the design a bit more then it could be better than Butter London, but it isn't (Butter London practically paints itself on my nails while this is obviously trickier).  I'll go with $6.50 a bottle since the formula is great but there's so little of the product.
-I can't deny that the cuticle oil is nice but the average price I see is around 7 dollars for the more expensive brands, some of which have twice as much product.  However, the applicator really helps push it up and also helps in not wasting as much product.  $10

$1 + ($6.50 X 2) + $10 = $24

There you have it.  Although I only paid a penny, it would have still been a net gain for me.  Can't wait to get my mystery box, which is supposed to have $100 worth of stuff at least. 

If you want to try Julep, here is my referel link or you can manually enter 7383222.  I get points for this so that I can save a bit when getting these boxes. 

Zen Tea Genmaicha

 
Genmaicha is not really an uncommon sight for tea lovers but toasted brown rice paired with green tea can turn a few heads for those not accustomed to it.  It has a unique flavor similar to that of popcorn and has more of a savory flavor than most flavored teas.

Outsides:  As you can see, this is Sencha green tea with a TON of brown rice and puffed rice.  I brewed about a teaspoon in 8 oz of 80 degrees Celsius water for about 3 minutes.  The tea is a nice yellow green and smells like tasty popcorn.

Insides:  This is probably one of the better quality genmaichas I've had.  The tea has a nice subtle vegetative quality while not being too strong, and the popcorn rice adds just the right amount of nuttyness and roastiness.  As it cools down, the vegetative quality becomes more prominent but still keeps a good balance between flavors.  This isn't really made for iced tea so drink it warm.

Overall:  At the price it's at right now, this is cheap so get it at 50% off or try a sample.

My Rating:  Try it!

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

Zen Tea Cape Town Flavored Rooibos

So, I ordered from Zen Tea all of TWO DAYS ago and just got their order.  WOW!  Anyway, I bought a crap-ton of sample-sized teas as well as a few bigger ones, so you guys are going to get a lot of reviews for their stuff.  This is the only Rooibos I bought though because quite frankly, Rooibos is a pain in the ass to clean up and although I like it, it's not something I reach for often.  This one seemed interesting in that it had floral blossoms and is quite colorful with blue and red and pink flowers inside the rusty orange base of the rooibos.

Outsides:  Cape Town Rooibos contains rooibos (duh), hibiscus, rose and blue mallow blossoms and marigold.  Despite this, there are not many other colors in the leaves other than rust, but it's still rather pretty and the occasional blue flower really adds to that.  I brewed about a teaspoon and a half of this in about 8 oz of boiled water for at least 5 minutes, but I didn't really keep time.  The tea is a clear rust orange color and smells like normal rooibos with a hint of sweet floral.

Insides:  So, rooibos is not really my thing but even with that being said, this is definitely a higher-quality rooibos.  Sometimes, a cheap rooibos will taste a bit like seaweed or dirt, but this one has a medium body, vanilla undertone and sweet floral notes.  That being said, this is not really that exciting for me.  The floral touch is nice but not really making it worth it for me.  I can't deny that this is decent quality and if you need some rooibos, this is not a bad base for adding juice to.

Overall:  Meh.  I'd say try it because it's cheap and not bad quality but you don't need to bend over backwards for it.

My Rating:  Pass/Try it (I need to think of a word for this).

Zen Tea is a tea retailer that specializes in mid to high quality teas.  They're having a 50% off sale until December 24th, so now is the time to try.

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!

Prestogeorge Bananas Foster Black Tea

I'm a little surprised that I haven't reviewed this yet.  Banana flavored tea is rare but an interesting and delicious combination.  The sweetness of the banana makes a nice juxtaposition to the more clean and bright flavors of (usually) ceylon tea.



Outsides:  Prestogeorge's Bananas Foster contains black tea and banana as well as other flavors which I can't name because this is apparently not on their website.  I can tell you that this stuff smells STRONGLY of banana, in an awesome way.  I brewed about a teaspoon and a half of this stuff in 8 oz of boiled water for about 5 minutes.  Now, it's a dark orange gold color like a lot of ceylons, but I immediately added cream and sugar.  It smells very similar to banana cream pie.

Insides:  Oh goodness, this is not just any flavored tea but a desert in a cup!  The tea is good and if you like strong tea, then it's perfectly fine to drink on it's own.  However, the flavors really sparkle with cream and sugar.  The banana flavor is enhanced by a little hint of molasses flavor while balancing out well with the tea.  The tea is a medium-quality tea with an ok body for black tea but a bit too much astringency, but still much better than the black tea I've gotten from Adagio.  I still love this and encourage everyone to find a tea like this and try it out.

Overall:  I love it.  It's unique, well flavored and an absolute crowd pleaser.  <3

My Rating:  Buy it (if you're even in Pittsburgh)!  Has my Seal of Approval.  

Prestogeorge is my local tea retailer although they technically specialize in coffee.  They have a wide variety of tea and ship a few of them, but at a bit of a steep price.