Floral Herb- Chi Whole Leaf

A sample from Chi Whole Leaf. This is the second of the five samples from Chi Whole Leaf that I’ve tried, and I picked it out this morning because it seems that I’m simultaneously terrified of it, and looking forward to it the most. The powder appears to be less finely ground than the other samples, and it’s possible to see much larger flecks of it both dry and when mixed with water. I used 1/2 tsp of powder for my cup, and mixed it into boiling water. The powder rose to the surface this time, creating an orangey foam, which was unexpected and a little disconcerting. The liquor itself is a deep dark red, as I’d expect from anything with hibiscus in it.

I left this one to sit for a few minutes, and the surface “foam” mostly dissipates. The powder is still visibly suspended in the water, though, and it creates a rather unpleasantly grainy sipping texture. The flavour itself is milder than I expected – it’s tart and sour in characteristic hibiscus fashion, but not mouth puckeringly so, and there’s a pleasant floral in the mid sip that does remind me of rose. It’s not particularly well defined, though, so if you’re looking for a clear “rose” flavour you’ll be disappointed. There’s supposed to be jasmine, but I can’t detect that at all. Mostly, it comes across as a hibiscus blend, with a hint of floral. Pleasant enough, but not amazing. It’s also quite “flat” tasting – there’s no aftertaste, and none of the flavours really seem to last beyond the immediate sip. I wanted to like this one, but I have to say that it’s really odd stuff, and not really my cup of tea groan at all. While I appreciate the chance to try these, so far I’m not sold on them at all.

The taste was much milder and smoother than I expected — the flavour of hibiscus was there, but I think the rose was more prominent. I added about half a spoonful of agave nectar and the sweetness helped bring out the fruity, jammy quality of the rose. I didn’t taste much jasmine, though.

As I continued to drink through the cup, the tartness of the hibiscus became more apparent, though it manifested less as a taste and more as a sensation of crinkling on my tongue. It’s interesting, but I would have preferred something a bit less astringent. The dry powder of this one was slightly less finely ground up than the others because individual flecks were more easily visible in the water.

Full review at: http://booksandtea.ca/2015/09/chi-whole-leaf-tea-reviews/

Water: 6oz

Leaves: Tea Powder

Steep: Instant

Aroma: Floral

Color: Dark rose

Taste: This was the first tea of the ones sent to me. As for the steeping process I used 1/4 teaspoon to 6oz of water. I started out with a smaller amount due to me not being sure how I would like this tea. The color was a pretty dark rose.I brought my water to a boil and let it cool a bit before mixing since this was my first time i expected the powder to dissolve when stirred with a spoon but that wasn’t the case. As for flavor I noticed the texture more so & not much taste. I couldn’t finish my cup due to the combination of the two. Hopefully my last 3 teas in this set I’ll have better luck.

Thank you Chi Whole Leaf for this sample

This tea is very tart with hibiscus as the prevalent flavor. I am having trouble picking up any of the rose or jasmine flowers. Not a favorite for myself overall, but for those hibiscus lovers out there, this is a marvelous tea to try. The tartness almost reminds me of a grapefruit. The liqour is very pretty and smells wonderful. I am however cautious to recommend this to anyone unless I am sure they like hibiscus.

Thanks to Chi Whole Leaf for the free sample! I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. The scent is faintly rose and heavily hibiscus. The brew is a lovely pink and the powder suspends well in hot water. The flavor is… mostly hibiscus. Tart and sweet. If I did not know that there were other flowers in here, I would not be able to guess. So if you like hibiscus, this is great. If you don’t, this is definitely not for you. If you’re neutral on hibiscus like I am, this is a nice choice on occasion but not a must-have. Sipdown!

This definitely makes the best looking cup of the bunch. This starts rose then turns tart from the hibiscus. I never really caught the jasmine. Adding a little sweetener opens up some space. Cold water bottle method is also good. I found the hibiscus to be far more present and tart than most every one here is saying. Though I wasn’t all that enamored with floral herb, it is my opinion this will probably be the most successful blend with the herbal crowd.

This tea smells sweet and sour which must be the hibiscus dominating over the rose and jasmine. It is a little floral but not enough for me to pick them out especially. The powder is red in colour.

Once boiling water is added it has been stirred very thoroughly.

Flavour is mild but sweet and slightly tart. There is some dryness along with a generic herbal taste with little to no after taste. The tartness from the hibiscus is only mild and does not last long. On the whole grand scheme of things this blend is much more mild than I was expecting but at the same time I like that. Reason being I think it would translate well to iced tea, which it does say you can use cold water for this blend.

As it cools the flowers pop up with more sweetness, pure tasting ie clean though still subtle. Still a little dry but it hasn’t increased.

This blend was the one I was most wary of since I dislike hibiscus but due to it’s mild nature I found it rather pleasant. I’ve been trying to go ‘caffeine free’ a lot recently and this was a nice example. Finishing this sample will be no problem.

For pics and info: http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/07/14/chi-whole-leaf-tea-sampler-review/

As a candidate for president of the HHH society (Heartily Hate Hibiscus), I will confess to scrunching up my face in preparation for eye-stinging tartness when I stirred a quarter teaspoon of this bright red powder into a chilled pint of water.

Surprise! Not one sting, not one tear, not one grimace: just a nice cool sip of fruit and flowers. Lovely cold on a muggy day. I was light on the powder, but even strengthened a little, the rose keeps that pushy H from taking over. Nicely done!

I keep wanting to call this matcha…

Honestly; I was a tiny bit scared to try this one. Hibiscus is one of three ingredients in this one, but frankly the entire thing looks like ground up, powdered hibiscus and unless you’re really into hibiscus in the first place that sounds pretty horrible.

That said, after the hot water hit the powder in the bottom of the mug and I had this all whisked up all of that fear melted away. The aroma is very floral and feminine but maintains a wonderful delicateness. How often do you get to call a blend with hibiscus delicate!? Not often – that’s for sure. More so than anything else I thought the rose was the most flavourful component of this tea but it’s not even close to the intensity necisarry for this blend to come off tasting chemical, artificial, or even perfumey. As a whole, it’s actually delightfully mellow.

Maybe it’s because hibiscus is so often paired with berries, but in addition to the sweet and supple floral notes I feel like there’s a hint of watered down berry flavour. The jasmine is the hardest part of this for me to taste; it’s blending in with the rose very well. I really enjoy this blend a lot. My only word of caution would be for people who dislike overly floral teas; but even they might like this because it’s been tastefully done. Even people who are generally turned off by hibiscus would likely like this. Bonus points for being quite affordable; $10.00 for 100g, and it really doesn’t take much at all to make a mug – approximately 1/2 tsp.

Also, many thanks to Will at Chi Whole Leaf tea for sending me the full range of teas currently offered on their site for reviewing! He was very quick to ship things, and in addition to the tea itself he included a very informative pamphlet that broke down the ingredients of each tea. I look forward to trying the next rest of the set!

as you likely know, i am NOT a fan of floral teas. This brew though? Really tasty! Not only is the colour superb, but for those that aren’t a fan of hibby, it’s not overpowering. I rather enjoy hibiscus, so no fear for me on that one, but with this blend it’s a really nice pop to the blend. I could see this being a really nice summer treat as a cold drink. Thanks again for the sample Will!