Blue Lady from Zest Tea instantly caught my eye with the modern packaging and the idea that there is extra caffeine in the blend. I have tried Zest Tea in the past and have really loved the tea. I had high expectations for this blend.
Black tea, cornflower petals, hibiscus, orange, lemon, and passion fruit flavors are lovely packaged into each sachet. This blend has a lovely citrus slightly fruity note while steeping. I steeped the tea with boiling water and allowed the tea about 3 minutes to create the lovely brew.
My first sip was a solid sturdy black tea presence with subtle hints of citrus and a nod to a tartness that I enjoyed. Sip after sip, this tea sachet delivered a sturdy full bodied flavor. Here is my only complaint with this tea. Drink this tea while it is warm, because as the tea cools, the black tea becomes very astringent and the hibiscus starts to overwhelm with tart notes.
Even though I did enjoy this tea hot, I think this tea would be best presented as an iced tea. By cold brewing I think the tart and astringent notes would calm giving way to a softer and gentler tea.
All in all, yes this is a solid tea to keep on hand, but I can’t say this would be an every day tea for me. But this could be that great tea to keep in your desk for when you start to feel that 2pm crash start to happen. . .. . .
Here’s the Scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description:
Our Blue Lady Black blends a sultry South Indian black tea base with an aromatic mix of orange, lemon, passion fruit, and hibiscus. A peppering of vivid blue cornflower petals and bits of orange peel make for a visual spectacle. Blue lady will excite all of your senses. No wonder this is a favorite among hot and chilled tea drinkers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Pomegranate Mojito from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
ZEST TEA ENERGY BLENDS
Winner of Best New Product at the 2015 World Tea Expo, Zest premium energy teas offer the same kick of coffee without the negative side effects. Despite our teas having comparable caffeine levels to coffee-about three times the levels of traditional teas-the amino acids in Zest help create a steady and prolonged alertness, instead of the jitters and crash of other caffeinated products.
All of our full-leaf blends are enhanced with natural caffeine from tea leaves & packaged in biodegradable sachets, making for the perfect healthy coffee substitute.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
At work it seems sometimes it is easier to grab a bagged tea than a loose leaf tea. I have all the instruments and vessels to brew up a proper cuppa but it can sometimes come down to time. When I don’t even have time to grab lunch, brewing tea isn’t always on the top of my things to do.
Today was one of those days so I grabbed a tea that I had recently picked up from Amazon. This tea sounded amazing. A Young Hyson green tea mixed with pomegranate, mint, and lime with an added caffeine boost to keep you going thru your day. Sounds pretty fantastic to me. I have actually tried this tea both hot and cold. And I have to say, one way is way better than the other and it completely surprised me.
This tea just screams “Make me into a nice ice tea” but I have to say, it isn’t what I hoped for when I cold brewed this tea. The tastes are lovely and the smells you get from the dry leaf mix in the sachets is to die for. It smells exactly how it is described. I thought for sure this would be a lovely tea that would remind me of a gorgeous sunny summer day.
Brewed in my water bottle for a few hours with ice and two sachets, this tea delivered a sound flavor but it almost had a dirt tasting finish. I was a little surprised by that. You can taste all of the lovely ingredients and the taste was ok when you first take a sip, but then there is a weird dirt aftertaste.
So after that experience, I tried this tea hot. And wow, did it every blow me away. Who would have thought hot this tea would have been stellar. The green tea gives off a nice bitter green note that helps calm the tart pomegranate and lime flavors and the peppermint leaves you feeling refreshed. Really well done and the fact that this is a tea bag makes prepping it easy and no fuss. Gotta love that. And that dirt flavor wasn’t present in this style of brewing.
I have a feeling that maybe with a touch of sweetener, this tea would make an amazing iced tea. Glad I have a few more tea bags to experience with!
Earl Grey Black Tea from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles “Chaz” Grey, in the 1830’s. Most Earl Greys are made with low-quality base teas, but not ours. Zest’s Earl is made with premium Nilgiri Indian black tea blended with a delicious bergamot essential oil. Don’t thank us. Thank Chaz.
Tea Base: Flower Orange Pekoe
Base Region: South India
Ingredients: South Indian Flower Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Bergamot Flavor, Natural Caffeine
20 pyramid bags per tin!
Caffeine: Approximately 150 mg/ cup – About the same as a cup of coffee!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Earl Grey Black Tea from Zest Tea is more than just a black tea. It’s more than your average Earl Grey tea. What makes this different from others is the caffeine content. Zest Tea prides themselves on being the most caffeinated tea on the market. They have 3 times the caffeine than other standard black teas. This fills a nice niche for those who like tea but also need that caffeine buzz early in the morning (or any time of day, really.)
With this specific tea – being as highly caffeinated as it is – you may be surprised that there is little to no jitters or crash like with other caffeine crazed beverages. Zest Tea is packed with amino acids, including L-Theanine, which has a synergistic relationship with caffeine and helps to moderate caffeine’s effects according to their website.
I have to say the first time I tasted this tea I wasn’t sure my opinions at first but long term results shows I ended up enjoying the tea because my tin is near empty. I’m actually holding on to the last bag for a day when I REALLY need it!
The taste was a bit hardcore at first. It kind of reminded me of those chocolate covered caffeine balls I had years ago and/or chocolate covered coffee beans. I’m not saying they actually TASTED like coffee but the taste of pure caffeine, I guess. Anyhow…After I got past that initial shock of flavor I noticed the strong black tea base which was pretty good. There was the Earl Grey flavor, yes, but it wasn’t your standard Earl Grey that you have come to know and love. I would say 60/40 caffeine to Earl Grey flavor ratio.
The draw to this tea is that it DOES provide you with that pick-me-up and that is EXACTLY what I used it for an kept it on hand for. Overall I appreciate this tea as a NovelTEA and ended up really liking it on those hard-to-get-into-mornings!
Pomegranate Mojito Green Tea from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
At Zest, we start every morning with a Mojito. This aromatic blend of young hyson green tea, peppermint, lime, and pomegranate will bring back memories of lounging on a beach, or maybe whatever memories you have left of college. Either way, our Pomegranate Mojito Green Tea is an amazingly refreshing blend, great for any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zest High-Octane Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I took the opportunity to taste this tea several times before I sat down and write a review about it, and I’m glad that I did. This is one blend that took a little “tweaking” on my part to find the right brewing temperature and time to get the most out of the tea.
Normally, I’ll brew a green tea from 175° – 180°F. I found that this tea works better with the lower temperature. I usually steep a green tea for 1 – 2 minutes, but I found that this tea required about 2 1/2 minutes to get the most out of the pomegranate, lime and peppermint flavors. I tried a 3 minute steep time too, and I wasn’t very happy with that result, so my recommendation for this tea is a temperature somewhere between 170° – 175°F and a steep time of 2 1/2 minutes.
And while it does seem like this is a lot of effort to put forth to find the “sweet spot” brewing parameters for a tea, it’s well worth the effort! This is a tasty green tea!
The peppermint is the prominent flavor of this cup, with notes of lime weaving their way in and out throughout the sip. The green tea notes are sweet and buttery. The pomegranate is a little more difficult for me to discern, but after a few sips, I started to notice hints of pomegranate arriving at the tail of the sip. The aftertaste is mostly pomegranate and lime with a crisp, clean minty note.
Of the three teas that I’ve reviewed thus far from Zest Tea, I think this one is my least favorite. I really enjoyed the Blue Lady and the Apple Cinnamon black teas, and I’m enjoying this one as well, but, there is something about this tea that is less appealing than the other two. A slight “chemical-y” off taste to it that I didn’t notice with the other two teas. It is a very slight taste though, and I still find the lime and mint notes to be quite delightful as well as the notes of pomegranate in the finish and aftertaste. It’s a tasty tea, it’s just not my favorite.
I also really like the energizing BOOST that I get from these Zest Teas!
Apple Cinnamon Black Tea from Zest Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Tea Description:
We looked to American icons when creating this blend and what’s more American than Apple Pie? Unfortunately, football and the Grand Canyon didn’t make for great teas. This blend of premium Orange Pekoe black tea smothered in real bits of apple and cinnamon is a nod to your grandmother’s 4th of July specialty. Even modern teas can have a traditional twist.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Zest High-Octane Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
From the moment I cut into the pouch of this Apple Cinnamon Black Tea from Zest Tea, I could smell the apple! It took me a little by surprise because I figured I’d probably smell the cinnamon – and I do! – because cinnamon is a very fragrant spice but apple can sometimes be a subtle aroma in flavored teas like this. But the apple here is abundant and very aromatic, right along with the cinnamon. It’s lovely!
And the flavor is lovely too. It is sweet with apple and cinnamon notes, but, I like that I’m also tasting black tea. There is a really pleasing presentation of all three components. The black tea is a smooth, rich backdrop of flavor, while the apple and cinnamon play in the foreground.
The apple and cinnamon flavors are blended in a really nice way. I like the amount of flavor I taste. There is just enough of each ingredient to please the palate without it being too much of either one. More specifically, there isn’t too much cinnamon which can sometimes be an aggressive spice. I don’t taste an overpowering cinnamon-y flavor with hints of apple. I taste apple and I taste cinnamon and these don’t compete with each other; they bring out the very best in each other.
Zest Tea offers “extra caffeine” in each of their blends, and I have to tell you that the more I’m trying the “extra caffeine” teas like this, the more I’m liking them. They get me alert faster in the morning but without the jolt that I’d get from coffee – that same jolt is what gives me the sickly feeling about three hours after I consume coffee. I don’t get that with these Zest Teas! I just get a steady stream of strong caffeine to get my day started!
And I like that I don’t “taste” the caffeine. I don’t taste an extra “weird” taste in my tea. It tastes like a smooth, rich, deliciously flavored black tea. This one is a sweet tea, but not too sweet. This tea makes it OK to have a little bit of “apple pie” at breakfast time!
If you’re looking for that extra charge in the morning, these teas from Zest Tea may be just what you’re looking for!