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!
Jungle Ju Ju Guayusa from DAVIDsTEA
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: DAVIDsTEA
Tea Description:
Head for the Ju Ju Jungle, made with a guayusa herb and fruit blend that’ll make you feel like swinging from the vines and hanging from the trees. No wonder. Guayusa contains a combo of the natural stimulants also found in green tea and dark chocolate. People claim it protects you against snake bites, gives you courage, and helps you spiritually connect to nature. With its smooth flavour and natural buzz, we’ll just say it makes for a deliciously stimulating cup of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Uh-oh.
So I picked up some of this a couple weeks ago ’cause I had sipped down Main Squeeze (also from DT), which has been a cupboard staple of mine for daily use a little over a year now, and I wanted to switch things up a little bit because drinking too much of the same thing can definitely get boring or begin to feel too routine. Well, I think I may have spent a year missing out because this was really, really good.
Overall I tend to prefer guayusa over mate; I like the wet, mossy, earthy flavour of guayusa a lot because it makes me think of petrichor so this tea already had that edge over Main Squeeze; dry it smells very fresh with a more raw, unrefined peach flavour. It’s not a soft, creamy peach: it’s peach fresh from the orchard with the skin and a bit of dirt. The papaya comes through in the scent as well, but it’s definitely not the focus despite the surplus of very large candied papaya pieces in the leaf.
And the taste was awesome; the guayusa was everything I could have asked it to be and the peach I got to experience in the dry smell translated perfectly into the taste. The papaya is stronger in the taste as well, and adds this lovely roundness to the flavour that highlights the peach, petrichor, and plush earthy notes as well as a tropical and exotic kind of vibe. And it tastes so fresh; it’s weird that it tastes both tropical and like it could’ve come fresh from a local orchard.
It’s sweet enough that I can’t ever see why you’d add anything to it but it’s still got a mellowness to it too. The mouthfeel was very full as well. I’m totally picturing myself drinking this on the walk to work and I think that’s an A+ idea. Really, I have zero complaints about this one other than my own idiocy for drinking it at 6PM and now being way too wide awake.
This could easily, and I predict will easily, make its way into my cupboard staples so long as it proves to provide a consistent brew. It’s not one of the fanciest/highest quality teas I own – but for every day drinking and that extra caffeine boost before going to work I think it’s perfect! Plus, it’s a totally fun summer kind of flavour!
