Zhi Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

85

A nice middle ground taste of Gunpowder green and Karigane. A tad bitter and bold with a little grassy taste.

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78

One time, when I was a kid and strolling through six flags over Texas, a thunderstorm hit. Right out of nowhere, thunder and lighting, and rain and wind that blew my hat off. All of the guests were directing into the nearest shops for safety. My mom and I were pushed into the candy shop along with about thirty other people. A crack of lighting turned the power off, and I remember talks of a tornado. The wind, rain, the fear and the sweet smell of candy. That’s what this tea reminds me off. Minus the fear.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 6 g 14 OZ / 414 ML
Man O' Tea

This is the best tea review that I’ve ever read.

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90
drank Gyokuro Imperial by Zhi Tea
19 tasting notes

Subtle. Like the ocean. A hint of caramel? Smooth, tasty, a hint of bitterness. Refreshing. Is that smoked salmon? Ooh the smell. Such a nice tea

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 1 min, 30 sec 6 g 14 OZ / 414 ML

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100
drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
7 tasting notes

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100
drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
7 tasting notes

I literally made this account to review this tea. if you have not tried it yet plllllease do. It’s probably the best oolong on the market. They have a website. Not sure if I’m aloud to say it tho.

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77
drank Wuyi Oolong by Zhi Tea
53 tasting notes

Tasted at Radio Coffee & Beer in Austin, TX.

I’ve been enjoying this tea quite a bit. Very smooth and satisfying. We resteeped this tea 3 times the other night and were very happy with the consistent flavor.

The only thing I don’t like is that the leaves are not full, they’re broken up into halves and quarts which causes smaller bits and pieces to break up and I have a layer of sediment that makes it through the strainer.

Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Bark, Toasty

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drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
1 tasting notes

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83
drank Cloud and Mist Yun Wu by Zhi Tea
4334 tasting notes

Thank you for the teas, TheLastDodo! I don’t think I’ve ever had a plain “Cloud & Mist” green tea without additional flavors (like the delicious 52Teas blend). This one is a revelation though! The description mentions honey and peach and it sure is a sweet fruity something or other, especially as it cools. Green teas aren’t usually this fruity! I could swear this is peaches and cream flavor or something. The leaves themselves look like the closest thing to a gunpowder green. The second cup has more of a vegetal flavor that I’m used to. Still good but the first cup is magic.
Steep #1 // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 30 min a.b. // 2 min

MzPriss

YAY Zhi!

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78
drank Coconut Chai by Zhi Tea
4334 tasting notes

additional notes: This ANCIENT tea is quite good for having old coconut in it. I’d say it ages very well! I love the mix of spice and coconut here, but I could never truly love it for the weak black tea base. Chai needs a strong base! Next time is a sipdown. I’m raising the rating from 73.

Dustin

I love Zhi’s chais! The masala and cacao are staples in my cupboard!

tea-sipper

Good to know! And oh, looks like Zhi still has a website active…

Dustin

Zhi is still going strong as a company. A couple of years ago they moved from the tiny run down spot across the train tracks that they started in to a new very nice looking shopping development.

tea-sipper

That’s always great to hear for ANY tea shop. :D

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78
drank Coconut Chai by Zhi Tea
4334 tasting notes

Thank you for this one, TheLastDodo! This looks like a really nice blend, lots of big spices. But it turns out it makes the black tea on the weaker side. Not a strong chai! The brew is such a light brown. I’d say somehow the coconut is the most prominent, though I don’t see big coconut pieces. It seems more like an added flavoring than flavor from coconut. But that just means the blend will last longer. The coconut is sweet and tasty. I’ll have to add more than a heaping teaspoon next time though, in order to get a caffeine kick.
Steep #1 // few minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
Steep #2 // filled half the mug // just boiled // 4 min

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drank Cacao Chai by Zhi Tea
1779 tasting notes

After a morning of dumping out several mediocre cups of tea I had to turn to one I know I love to restore my faith in my love of tea. It is flavorful, smooth, warming with a hint of chocolate under the spices… it’s dreamy. I want to soak in it! …which could totally be a thing! A spa with tea soaks! It could be like a mud bath with all the peat in it, bottom fed with hot spring water, but with tea instead of peat! I’m going to have to google and see if this fantasy exists!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Cacao Chai by Zhi Tea
1779 tasting notes

SO good! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Zhi does the best chais! On a recent trek to Austin I picked up 8oz of this chai. It is so well rounded with base mid and high flavors. The sip is a little spicier and the finish reveals a bit more base with cacao. It’s such a delightful chai and is very forgiving. I have yet to get a back or sub par cup out of it. I keep trying to pick a favorite between the Masala, Cacao and Coconut chai and it’s hard to pick a clear winner. I’ll have to keep steeping!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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drank Cacao Chai by Zhi Tea
1779 tasting notes

I walked into the kitchen where I had this steeping and was met with the lovely scent of chocolate genmaicha chai. It was the combo of my tea steeping and the genmaicha that my husband had just steeped. It smelled wonderful and now I’m craving chocolate genmachai.

As it is, this is a really nice cup. Heavy on the cardamon as most Zhi chais are, and no cloves (which I mentioned tasting on my last note on this tea… strange). I do get a deep chocolate flavor that merges really well with the tea base. The sip has a rich feel, but weak flavor leaving all the taste and enjoyment in the long finish. It makes me pace myself drinking this cup. I’m having it without any additions so far.
Adding cream… First few sips I wasn’t impressed with. Sipping further gives a more flavorful sip. I can taste mellow cardamon, some ginger and a creamy richness. The finish comes alive even more with the chocolate becoming more well rounded. It’s smooth, it’s gentle, it’s warming, it’s chocolate and spice. What more could you ask of a chocolate chai? Genmaicha? Zhi, if you are reading this, I’d like to request a genmaicha version of this tea!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Cacao Chai by Zhi Tea
1779 tasting notes

Have I really never reviewed this tea before?! How is that possible as I near the bottom of my 2nd tin?!

I really love this chai. It’s a good staple in my cupboard. I’m trying to get my stash under control and haven’t bought any tea yet this year in that effort, but I’m going to have a hard time not immediately restocking this. Zhi chais tend to be heavy on the cardamon, which I really enjoy. This also has a good clove zing and a bit of cinnamon in the end of the sip. The cacao is more noticeable at the end of the sip and really shines in the aftertaste making it smooth. The Zhi blends that I have tend to be well caffeinated, which is appreciated on sluggish mornings like this one where I need that bit of extra help motivating.

I have one more cup worth of this tea and it’s going to be hard to say goodbye, even if I know it’s not permanent. Once my tea hoard is in a manageable state, I can start adding favorites like this one back.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Dustin

How was I tasting clove in this before? I must have had clove and ginger mixed up!

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92
drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
4334 tasting notes

Additional notes: Decided to finish this one (sipdown!) today because a couple days ago it actually hit the top rated tea on Steepster spot! Maybe I’m not finding the sweet steep spot, but this one doesn’t seem like the top tea to me. (Or maybe it’s in the name: ‘gong fu’ and I’ve always steeped it western style.) The flavor is fine though, reminds me of Bailin Gongfu but now it’s gone!
Steep #1 // 1 3/4 tsps. // 12 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // later

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92
drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
4334 tasting notes

Thanks for a little of this one a while back, MzPriss! I’ve tried this one before but didn’t write a tasting note… the flavor was a little elusive last time. It still is this time around. It’s interesting as this one cools, it seems to get more flavor (but I don’t mean the bitter kind.) It’s starts a little watery flavored piping hot. Then there is a sweet spot at the right temperature. The colder it gets, the tastier it gets, even what’s left in the mug the next day. The flavor is something like vintage chocolate, if that was a thing… and I’m not even sure what that means. I just realized I haven’t been comparing tea to chocolate lately, maybe because I haven’t been consuming as much chocolate… but a certain holiday lately remedied that. :D This is comparable to Teavivre’s Bailin Gongfu. I wish I had more to say on this one, and since it’s tough to pick out flavors, it’s probably not a tea I would need to stock up on. One serving left anyway!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 tsps. // few min after boiling // 4 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 min

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90
drank White Rose by Zhi Tea
448 tasting notes

I visited Zhi Tea this weekend and picked up a couple of teas to try. I love the store, I just wish it was slightly closer to me.
I cold brewed this tea overnight and brought it to class with me this morning. I thought I had added too much tea, but this still tasted great with no astringency. My suspicion is that this holds up very well to being oversteeped. The flavor is very light and delicate, with just the hint of floral rose. It is not an overwhelming rose flavor, and that’s due to the fact that this tea is not actual flavored, but instead gets any rose flavor from the roses mixed in with the tea leaves. Another bonus to that is that this is quite a beautiful tea to steep up, with the roses floating around. I’m really happy with this one!

Flavors: Floral, Rose

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more

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86
drank Coconut Chai by Zhi Tea
296 tasting notes

Dry leaf: Coconut Cream Pie with spices

Liquor Color: Cocoa Cola brown

Leaves: Dry – black broken leaves with stringy dried ginger, whole cardamom pods, cinnamon bark chips, and large strips of toasted coconut. Wet – all the spices have taken on the same color as the liquor. Still quite fragrant.

Notes: Ahhh, Coconut Chai. This has become one of my daily drinkers. It has one of my favorite two flavors ever, coconut and chai. The coconut is rich and toasty, and complements the spices well. As the for the chai parts in this blend, it’s a mellower chai and the cinnamon is the forefront. The ginger and the cardamom are there, just in the background. I love the shit out of cardamom, but some blends I have had lately use a heavy hand with that spice that adds a sickly rose-spice essence to the blend that I do not like. Fortunately for this tea, it was not the case. The combination of these flavors is a match made in heaven for me. The malty black base is also divine. It grounds the spices and the coconut and brings a fullness to the blend that makes it great for a cold morning, or even in a hot afternoon.

Today I brewed this tea in my western-style teapot and took it with me in my oldest thermos. No sugar, no milk. But I bet this would be great with some coconut milk :D

Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Coconut, Ginger, Malt

Preparation
3 min, 0 sec 3 g 12 OZ / 354 ML

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drank Jasmine Green by Zhi Tea
1779 tasting notes

The green part of this tea is nice and smooth. Mellow with a touch of hay on the end. The jasmine is present in the scent, but just barely there in the taste. I don’t get that soapy taste that I have found in some jasmine teas, but I’m not getting much jasmine either. I like my jasmine bold, not shy. Kind of a bummer cause if they upped the jasmine it would be excellent.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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87
drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
278 tasting notes

Got a sample from my darling MzPriss, which I am drinking in the nook for Saturday AM tea time!!!

This is good stuff. Pleasant and sweet. This is a great nook tea for a cold day. 9 degrees and I am not going anywhere today!!!!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec
MzPriss

This is a comfort tea for sure

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86
drank Gong Fu Black by Zhi Tea
790 tasting notes

This was another in Veronica’s Christmas card! The scent of this was completely misleading to me. There wasn’t much of one and then a nice, moderately malty taste hits. There were some sour notes as well but not in a bad way. This can take a long steep. I forgot about it and it sat for quite awhile. :) It was tasty and I’m glad I have enough for a few more cups!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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drank Violet Femme by Zhi Tea
307 tasting notes

From the Here’s Hoping TTB, Round 4

Happy Thanksgiving! I was supposed to make pumpkin pie but didn’t prep enough so I’m making due with apple pie and some green bean casserole.

This tea smells deliciously sweet and creamy. Almost too creamy. I never really got into lavender scents until recently, and this certainly appeals to that sweeter type of lavender. It ends up just smelling delicious instead of bathroom-perfume-herbaly.

The tea is actually kind of brisk, which is a nice contrast to the how thick it smells. It’s a little astringent in that good way, and makes for a very nice morning cup.

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drank Blue Earl Grey Decaf by Zhi Tea
1779 tasting notes

I am really enjoying this as a decaf option! I can taste the bergamot, but I swear I’m tasting lavender as well. It tastes like a toned down version of their Violet Femme which is a super strong lavender EG that is also quite delicious. A little cream and sugar is making this a very nice evening dessert like cup.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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84
drank Ambrosia by Zhi Tea
1 tasting notes

No notes yet. Add one?

Flavors: Coconut, Floral, Pineapple

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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