355 Tasting Notes
This seems to be Zhi’s most popular blend. I’ve read a lot of great reviews of it elsewhere. It’s way sweeter than I expected, which is a good thing. I expected this to be very thick and full of chocolaty tannins, which was not what I was in the mood for. Instead, this is much lighter, with the coconut and cinnamon shining through, and the stevia sweetening things up. I can’t taste the rooibos at all! This makes me glad.
Can’t believe I’m the first to rate this! This is Zhi’s version of a traditional Kashmiri chai, which uses a green tea base and, typically, all of the other spices in a black chai. Unfortunately for me and my almond love, this version does not include the also-traditional almonds.. but I’ll live.
Zhi’s version strays a bit from the traditional, anyway, with the inclusion of vanilla. The vanilla is barely perceptible, but I definitely think it grounds the tea with a sweetness not typically found in chai. It’s not that this tastes weak – it really doesn’t – it’s just an adjustment when you’re used to more powerful chais like I am. No one flavor really stands out; cinnamon is the most easily identifiable, with that sweet vanilla coming in at the end.
This is a lot different than I thought it would be. I wish it were just a bit stronger, but I like it.
I love green based chai’s! I’ll definitely have to check it out, thanks for bringing it to my attention.
This sounds cool. I haven’t ever had Kashmiri chai before. I still haven’t found a loose leaf chai I like either…I think those Tazo tea bags are probably the closest to the same spice mix my mom uses when she makes it. Sigh.
Shanti, if you like spicy things and chocolate you must! try 52teas’ Mayan Chcolate Chai. Adagio’s are all good considering the quality. I actually really like their green chai. Their thai chai is awesome if you like coconut- unfortunately I don’t.
A tea swap tea. Not as strong as I expected it would be, or would like it to be, but it’s really good. It’s so nice to drink an herbal tisane that isn’t totally tart from hibiscus. Might buy a bigger size of this; I have such a hard time finding caffeine free blends I like.
The lemonade part scares me… I think hot lemon juice and that burns my throat (I tried adding lemon juice to tea once)
It’s not terribly lemony at all. Just some tartness from the lemon.
Hibiscus free herbal tea! Adding this to my “to try” list. :)
Definitely worth a try, Shanti! Have you tried any other hibiscus-free tisanes that you liked?
Tea Embassy, one of the shops I visited in Austin, had four or five different Earl Grey blends, including a berry version that had almost no smell of bergamot. I’d had a version of most of them – I would never betray my beloved SpecialTeas Earl Grey de la Creme – but had never tried a lavender Earl Grey. (By the way, did anyone else notice that Adagio now has an Earl Grey and cream blend called Earl Grey Moonlight? I placed an order for more filters today and saw that.. I’m scared to try it based on my terrible experience with their Earl Grey Bravo.)
The lavender is definitely most apparent in the smell, not the taste of this, which is fine. This has a nice strong bergamot taste without being soapy.
This is kind of an odd duck. Greenbelt is a mix of green yerba mate, green tea (unspecified kind), coconuts, cherry, and some flowers including cornflower blossoms and roses. I swear that at the store or on one of their websites, marzipan was listed as an ingredient, but I guess I’m wrong. There is definitely a strong smell of marzipan in the dry leaves, though.
This brews up to an almost radioactive yellow, I guess from the green yerba mate. I can definitely taste an almondy/coconut flavor similar to marzipan, but not as syrupy or sweet. Then the cherry, and a slight floral finish. I can barely taste any green tea; this tastes more like an herbal than anything else.
It’s soothing and relaxing. It’s definitely a tea to think on.
