Osmanthus is one of my favorite florals and makes an excellent spring tea. If you’re not expecting it and are accustomed to mild florals, it’s little overwhelming. Osmanthus is really sweet and usually doesn’t need any kind of sweetener! (Some milder variants go well with honey but this one, in particular, is on the sweeter side.) Stick to the 3-minute steep time—it doesn’t need anymore. If it’s too sweet, you might enjoy a second steep.
The first steep is very sweet, fruity, and almost overpoweringly floral. It’s not as tangy as Ceylon normally is, so you’re left with this smooth, mild sweetness reminiscent of apricots. It also kind of reminds me of honeysuckle, but slightly less of a woody flavor.
The second steep is a little better and has a more rounded flavor. You get a bit more of the tangy flavor typical of Ceylon, slightly bitter, with hints of apricot and a light floral taste. It’s definitely one of those teas I would share with a friend who has a sweet tooth. Pour the first cup for them and hold the second for yourself!
I like this one in moderation. It was a bit too sweet for me to enjoy in any frequency, but the second steep definitely won me over. I’d recommend this to anyone who is a fan of sweet and floral teas.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zesta Tea
Description
Native to Asia, Osmanthus flowers are famous in China for their flavour and scent. This tea combines handpicked flowers with fine Chinese black tea to brew a cup which is fragrant yet pleasantly light with a slightly fruity taste.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ruhunu Ceylon/Zesta Tea. . . .
I would like to preface this review with the following fun fact – I am a sucker for any ceylon tea.
This tea is part of the Ceylon region pack from zesta tea and features Ceylon from the Ruhunu region which is a low grown region in the south of Sri Lanka. This tea was a loose leaf and required me to utilize one of my tea sacs rather than a stainless steeper as the leaves were so fine.
This was a batch of pure Ceylon meaning that there was no added flavors or herbs to compete with the flavor of the tea. This was a beautifully smooth brew and was one of the best ceylons I’ve ever had. Interestingly I was only able to get one brew out of a batch, but I still think that the tea is worth the cost even at one brew per serving.
Zesta sells this tea as part of their Ceylon region pack, and I would be willing to pay pack price for just this single box. For black tea drinkers, this Ceylon region pack needs to be in your upcoming purchase. This would also make a great gift for tea enthusiasts to test their palate for the subtle differences that growing regions have on a tea – wine drinkers do it all the time, we can too!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zesta Tea
Description
Experience and appreciate the unique taste of premium regional teas, as this regional pack has Ceylon tea from all five tea growing regions – Uva, Ruhunu, Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Kandy. Ceylon tea became famous for its unique taste variety that differs across the regions and elevations which are reflected in these teas.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Green Tea from Zesta Tea. . . . .
With how my life is structure, having a tea that I can pop in a bottle of iced water or freshly prepped water is key. I sometimes need a quicker route to tea than the traditional loose leaf variety. It sounds silly, but being a mom of 4 with all of the other work and home tasks that need to get done on a daily basis, I find that sometimes time just doesn’t always allow for the prep needed for my beloved loose leaf. Yes, I know. Prepping loose leaf tea takes a mere minutes, but sometimes I really do find myself up against the clock to grab shoes and get out the door with kids in two. This is where Jasmine Green Tea from Zesta Tea has been my hero.
Jasmine Green Tea is a bagged tea variety of one of my beloved teas. With a gorgeous elephant as their logo, Zesta Tea knows how to do give you a lot of flavor in a tea bag. Freshly prepped with hot water, this tea gives that familiar and soul loving floral flavor mixed with that brilliant green tea base. The jasmine flavor really is the star here and the green tea is a bit more gentle. . . quite a romantic combination in my opinion. The tea is smooth and really hits the spot when you need something quick. I do still enjoy my loose leaf version of jasmine green tea better, but this tea is perfect for those instances where I need to really get a moving.
What I found that I really adore about this tea is how marvelous you can brew up an iced tea. I fill my water bottle up with ice, water, and a few of Zesta’s Jasmine Green Tea bags. Stick it in the fridge and in an hour or so, I have wonderful iced tea. Perfect for those on the go moments that fill up my day everyday. And this iced tea always compliments whatever lunch I’ve scrounged up for myself.
For a bagged tea, this Jasmine Green Tea has really caught my attention. I’m excited now to jump into the loose leaf teas that Zesta Tea sent us to review along with the other bagged tea varieties. I see lots of tea tasting sessions in my future this weekend!
I’ve had other bagged tea varieties of this tea blend before and for the most part, have walked away disappointed. Not the case here. This may be a tea I need to pick up more of for those busy summer days that are quickly approaching.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zesta Tea
Description
Chinese green tea delicately flavoured by imprinting the leaves with natural Jasmine flowers and allowing the tea to absorb its fragrance. The flowers are then carefully removed by hand leaving behind this exotic tea that can be drunk any time of the day and particularly makes a great accompaniment to food.
