Zenjala Tea Company, Coconut Almond

Chinese sencha green tea, shredded coconut, almond flavor, coconut flavor and almond slices give this tea a nutty flavor.

This is the sixth of the samples provided by Zenjala Tea Company. I have enjoyed all of their teas immensely. The one ounce samples came sealed in a black plastic pouch and then packed safely inside a pretty tin. The sample bag is clearly labeled with steeping instructions.

When you open the bag, you are greeted with the scent of coconut. Taking out a scoop of leaf for examination is a visual treat. Among the green sencha leaf pieces are shreds of coconut and slivers of almonds. Yeah, it looks like the picture.

As usual I used my French Press with 1 healthy scoop of leaf. 12oz of water, heated well below boiling in my kettle, was poured over the leaf and steeped for two minutes.

Oh wow! This is good. Sweet shredded coconut, almond slivers. Mmmm. You don’t really taste the green tea which seems a shame but you really don’t miss it because, well its coconut and almond. This is naturally sweet and no additions are necessary. Adding sweetener does not change the taste so much as brings it better into focus.

I gave the second steep to a co-worker. He buzzed me later and said, “This is so good! You have got to try this one on ice”

So I did. The third steep proved he was right. Although a bit weak this was a great glass of sweet refreshment.

As I was drinking this I kept thinking I have got to mix this with the chocolate mint fusion puerh. I am thinking Almond Joy in a cup. I will make this thought a reality in the near future. Look for a review coming to an Everyday Tea Blog near you.

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UPDATE:
Ok, while it sounded like a good idea, mixing the Coconut Almond and the Chocolate Mint Fusion did not result in the joyful flavor treat I was expecting. The flavors cancel each other out, leaving a muddy blah cuppa. One tea friend suggested that coconut and mint do not mix. Apparently not. That's ok, I learned a lesson and I still have some of each tea to enjoy on its own. Looking forward to it!

Zenjala Tea Company, Citrus Sorbet

A blend of meyer lemon oolong and lime oolong teas make this brew sweet and tasty.

This is another generous tin furnished by Zenjala. This proved to be quite an interesting tea. When I opened the bag it was heavily lemon lime. Honestly it was kind of too heavy to the point of smelling artificial. I was concerned. The leaf is tightly rolled into nuggets typical of oolongs. You can't tell it by the picture but the appearance of the nuggets is a bit grainy or fuzzy looking.

The label on the inner bag is clearly marked with brewing instructions. I used a scoop of nuggets in my press. The first cup was not nearly as heavy on the lemon lime as it smelled but I couldn’t make up my mind about it. The oolong base was coming through, but in the background. The taste was like what I would expect from a flavored tea bag. Maybe if I used a short first steep it would be greatly improved. I'll have to experiment with that next time.

As I steeped cup two I noticed how full of leaf the press had become. The leaf has really expanded. This time the lemon lime is greatly reduced. This is a good cup.

As the cup cooled the highly floral oolong began to shine. Sweet, sweet honeysuckle. Now this is a great cup. I think the base is Huang Jin Gui also known as Golden Osmanthus. Whether I am correct or not it is still very nice. I didn’t have time to steep this further so I sat it aside, because I know it will go a lot longer.

The next day I continued to use the leaf and steeped three more cups for a total of five – 12oz mugs. The last still had nice floral flavor and the lemon and lime were still mildly present.

Rehashing a bit, though I didn’t care much for the first cup as it seemed too heavy on the lemon lime, the rest of the cups were excellent and highly floral like a high mountain oolong. The lemon lime move more into the background with each cup. Yet it is still present in every cup. I really like this one.

Zenjala Tea Company, White Monkey

A balanced sweet tea with earthy undertones

The fourth in my Zenjala excursion. Forget the suspense, this is a good one. The leaf is beautiful. Its white and fuzzy appearance reminds me of Teavivre’s Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun Green Tea. One ounce of leaf in this small tin appears to be a lot of tea. I removed the inner plastic bag to cut open the top. Once it was opened I thought it would prove impossible to put the bag back in the tin. It fluffs up that much. I did eventually manage to put it back in the tin.

This smells very fresh. I took a giant scoop and put it in my press with 180F water. The first steep was 3 minutes. The wet leaf is now pale green and not completely open. The brew is a pretty golden yellow.

The sip is fresh hay, with notes of caramel and brown sugar. This fades into a light white tea aftertaste that is somewhere between Silver Needle, which is very complex, and White Peony, which is delicate light comfort tea. As I continue sipping I am catching faint notes like chocolate. I have never had that in a white before. Pretty cool. As the cup cools I notice more of a melon flavor in the aftertaste.

With cup 2 steeped at 3 minutes, I see the leaf is now fully open. It is composed mostly of whole buds and leaves with some smaller pieces. The wet leaf now has a steamed vegetable scent. The sip is similar to the first but maybe slightly sweeter.

Cup 3 at a 4 minute steep. The wet leaf now takes on an ocean scent. This is still a nice cup but starting to weaken.

Conclusion – White tea with its light and delicate in flavor is great for quiet meditative times as it asks you to sit, relax and focus. This is an excellent example with some unique characteristics.

Zenjala Tea Company, Bohea

This is the original Lapsong tea, from the Wuyi mountains of Fujian Province in China. It has a sweet flavor known as "longan". Pronounced "boo-he" this tea was advertised for sale in Philadelphia in 1720, and 342 chests of this tea were thrown overboard at the Boston Tea Party.

My how my tastes have changed. I asked for this one not knowing what it was. The name just sounded interesting and it was thrown overboard in the Boston harbor. How cool is that? :) I opened the tin and could smell smoke. Uh oh. Last fall, my first Keemun threw me. It seemed so smoky to me. I didn’t know if I liked it or what to make of it. I eventually learned to enjoy it by using a very short first steep. Fans of this type tea tell me it isn’t very smoky at all, but it was to me and I have been avoiding smoky black tea since. Oops.

So here I go again. I took a scoop of leaf and steeped it in my press for 3 minutes (the instructions said 4-5, but I was afraid). It smells strong. I poured my cup, took a breath, and sipped. Wow, it doesn’t taste like an ashtray. There is a woodsy kind of smoky thing going on. This tea is lightly sweet. The smoke and sweetness linger long after the cup is gone. There is no bitterness. No astringency. This is really good. No one is more surprised than me. I had three cups. Go me!

I did some research and Bohea was at one time considered high quality tea (like in colonial times). In later years the name lost respect. This tea by Zenjala reintroduces this tea in its classic form. It is deserving of respect. If you get the chance, do not pass up the opportunity to try this one.

Zenjala Tea Company, Creamy Earl Grey

The addition of vanilla flavor and vanilla beans to the traditional black tea and bergamot oil makes this tea rich and creamy.

This is the second tea I have reviewed by Zenjala. The tea arrived in a really nice and reusable tin. Removing the lid reveals a sealed black plastic bag containing a full ounce of tea. The inner bag has steeping instructions printed on an affixed label.

I used scissors to cut the top off the sample bag. Immediately the air was filled with the wonderful scent of bergamot. I love the smell of bergamot in the morning. The leaf itself is CTC or small pieces of leaf. This is typical of most flavored loose black teas.

I used about 1 ½ tsp of leaf in my French press. Boiling water was used with a 3 minute steep. Zenjala recommends a 4 to 5 minute steep. That just sounded a bit long for my tastes. While steeping this has a strong black tea aroma like an Assam or possibly a Ceylon. I don’t know what kind of black tea base is actually used but it smells inviting.

Although the bergamot and tea scents are strong this is not an overpowering cup. In the sip the bergamot is medium strength. It is the main driving flavor but you can still taste the tea. I don’t get the creamy reference in the taste, as I don’t taste the vanilla. It does have a creamy texture. Possibly my sample is accidentally standard Earl Grey instead of Creamy Earl Grey or the vanilla is just very light. It is good regardless. There is no bitterness in the cup. It does have a nice light bite. This is a solid Earl Grey with what seems to be cinnamon notes. That is interesting as there is no cinnamon in this tea. I made 2 steeps from the leaf. This is quite nice.

Update! - I revisited this one today. After I filled my cup I noticed a drop hanging off the spout of my press. I wiped it with my finger (I know, I know) and of course, I licked my finger. I caught the vanilla flavor in the drop. When I sipped, I wondered where did the vanilla go? So I concentrated a little harder and the flavor became noticeable. Once I caught it it was easy to detect afterwards. It is quite light but it does make the bergamot very smooth. I like this even more today. This is a really good Earl Grey.

Zenjala Tea Company, Chocolate Mint Fusion

Ingredients: puerh tea, dark chocolate curls, flavor, spearmint, and peppermint.

It seems recently every time I have checked my personal Facebook account there is an ad along the side of the page for Zenzala Tea Company. I had never heard of this company before so eventually, I decided to investigate. The first thing I noticed is they offer flat rate shipping of $4.95. I recall once ordering a pound of tea from an Amazon merchant who charged me more for shipping than the tea cost. So I like this idea a lot. Then I notice they have been around for 15 years.

Scrolling through their offerings, the Chocolate Mint Fusion just jumped out at me shouting, “Drink me, drink me!” I contacted Zenjala, and they offered to send me samples to review. That being said, I do my best to present honest opinions of all the teas I review. So far I have not been offered a stinker. Let’s see if the trend continues:

The samples each came in a really nice reusable tin. Inside is a sealed plastic bag containing 1 ounce of tea. A very generous sample! The dry leaf smells of chocolate. Mmmm chocolate. The leaf itself is small cut pieces similar in size to most loose flavored black teas – far larger than fannings. On this particular bag there were no steeping instructions. Rather than look them up I used a healthy scoop of leaf (about 1 ½ tsp) and 12oz of boiling water. I steeped for 2 minutes in my press.

Afterwards I looked up the recommended brewing instructions. They say to use 205F water and an 8 minute steep! So the following is based on using my usual puerh brewing technique instead of their's.

The wet leaf smells lightly of spearmint and chocolate. There is also a light earthy aroma from the puerh. The brew in the press is dark and murky like river water. Pretty sure that is the melting chocolate curls. In the cup this looks thick, rich, and dark like molasses.

The sip is well balanced. The easiest to pick out is the spearmint but it is well behaved. In combination with the other flavors it has a slight peppery edge. You can definitely taste the chocolate under the mint and on your breath. It isn’t a decadent in your face chocolate but is powerful enough to sooth my chocolate cravings. (Had I gone the recommended 8 minutes this might be far more chocolatety)

For cup two I set the timer for 3 minutes, except I kind of got busy and forgot to watch. So this steeped anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes. I really have no idea. The nice thing about this tea is it doesn’t seem to care. There is no bitterness and no astringency. I actually like this cup better. The mint is less prevalent but does leave a pleasant zing in the aftertaste. The dark chocolate is smooth and creamy and moves more to the forefront.

Cup three I steeped for five minutes. It is the best cup yet. The chocolate and the mint are supporting one another. What I learned here is the longer you steep the more present the chocolate becomes and the less pronounced the mints. The puerh base adds a pleasant taste and shu aroma. I used sweetener as I think chocolate and puerh both beg for it. High yum factor.

I saved the leaf overnight to see if it could handle a fourth cup. I steeped about 6 minutes. It looked a bit weak but was still quite chocolate and puerh flavored. If you can’t tell I like this one a lot. This is a really good cup. Good job Zenjala.