Zen Tea

Tonight was back to school night at my son’s school, so I made myself a cup of this to sip on while walking to the building. Nice cool night, delicious tea, and I had the chance to talk to my son’s teachers. They seem like absolute rock stars. I raise my cup to anyone who chooses to teach and works at doing it well. You’re awesome! :)

Also, I oversteeped this, but it was still fabulous. Win!

Ah, this tea. I love it. I love the balance between the bergamot and the vanilla. I love that the base tea has significant body but is still wonderfully smooth. I love that even without cream this is a very creamy tea. So very good.

I’m running really low on this one (three, maybe four, teaspoons left in the tin), and I’ve been trying to talk myself out of ordering more because I honestly have too much tea. Then, while I was sipping, I realized it’d be silly of me to not order more. This is one of my happy teas. I’ll always drink it, and I’ll always (eventually) see the bottom of my tea tin again.

This one is a keeper.

After my previous not-so-earl-grey Earl Grey I really wanted a nice bergamot-y cup of tea, do I reached for my favorite EGC. It’s so deliciously well balanced between the base tea, citrus, and vanilla. Still one of my all time favs.

Still loving this one. The base tea is great, and the vanilla and bergamot are well balanced and delicious. An absolutely yummy Earl Grey Cream.

Tea of the morning. As odd as it sounds, I’m glad it’s Monday. I’m sooo glad last week is over, and I’m glad I have this tea in my cup. I’m thinking I might spend today drinking a bunch of my favorite teas just to kick the week off on a positive, happy note.

This tea is, as always, amazing. So well blended with the vanilla combining beautifully with the bergamot. And though I’ve said it in dozens of tea notes I think it’s worth repeating that the base tea is stellar. Zen Tea did a great job with the EGC.

In other happy news, I’m getting ready to watch a lady I sang with years ago defend her dissertation and hopefully receive her DMus. Her school is streaming the defense live, so it will be awesome to watch her defend her amazing work.

I’m going to New Orleans tomorrow to meet up with family, celebrate my niece who is graduating from high school, and enjoy the long weekend. It should be a lot of fun. Of course, before the fun comes all of the work of packing and making sure the husband and kiddos have everything they need/might need/think-they-need-but-really-don’t before I head off to the airport. With such a crazy day ahead of me I want a few moments of calm before tackling the to-do list.

Nothing is more calming than Zen Tea’s Earl Grey Cream. Nothing. The moment I sip this tea I am in my happy place. Apparently my happy place has a wonderful balance of bergamot and vanilla. Good vanilla, not the cheap stuff. And my happy place has a base tea that is smooth but strong enough to have a presence next to the other flavors. Such an excellent tea, and such a lovely happy place.

I went to a bridal shower this afternoon, and now I have an hour or so before I need to take my son to a birthday party at a roller rink (so loud!). Thankfully an hour is more than enough time to enjoy this tea. This is still far and away my favorite EG, and it does an amazing job of giving me the lift I need so I can keep going on these crazy, busy days!

It’s been a while since I’ve declared my love for this tea. It’s still one of my all time favorites and is in my cup several times during the week. Such a wonderful mix of bergamot and vanilla. Love, love, love!

Tea of the morning. This is the perfect tea to sip on while getting my oh so grumpy family off to school and work. I guess this is our virtual Monday since yesterday was a snow day, so I should have expected the growling grumps around here. :)

Needed an afternoon pick-me-up, so I made a big mug of this and am enjoying every sip.

This was in my cup for most of the day yesterday. I wanted to relax and play video games with my family, and this was the perfect tea to sip while getting my butt kicked in Mario Kart and while building my fortress of solitude in Minecraft.

My thoughts on this tea are the same as always. It’s an amazing EGC.

Well, the single digit temperatures finally hit us, so I’ve been drinking copious amounts of hot tea over the past few days. I was really happy to have this in my cup while getting the kids to school. I’ve more or less stopped searching out other Earl Greys because I enjoy this one so much.

Lovely bergamot. Lovely vanilla. Nice, steady base tea. Perfect.

Oh man, I needed this. I’ve been going and going all day. It’s nice to finally sit down with some tea and catch up on what everyone else has in their cups.

There is a lot of vanilla in this cup. Way more than usual. This is in no way a complaint. In fact, I’m really liking it. There’s still a good amount of bergamot as well, but it’s definitely vanilla heavy. Regardless, it’s delicious, and I’m hoping it’ll help keep me awake because I still have quite a bit to get accomplished tonight. Eventually. Right now it’s still tea time.

Today is our annual gingerbread house building, so I’m sipping on this while cutting out templates and doing some other prep work. My kids have been decorating houses for eight years now, and it’s a lot of fun to see how their houses change from year to year.

There’s not much for me to say about this tea that I haven’t said before. It’s still my favorite Earl Grey Cream. It’s kinda like Marry Poppins, practically perfect in every way. :)

First tea of the morning. I haven’t had this tea in a couple of months, so having it in my cup again was like coming home. It’s such a delightful blend of the classic Earl Grey and vanilla. The bergamot is strong, but it doesn’t overpower the tea, and the vanilla adds a wonderful creamy note throughout. I was wondering if I’d still be over the moon about this tea while it was brewing, and the answer is yes. This is my perfect EGC.

Another reason I’m happy to have this back in my cup is for the caffeine and the comfort. I’m gearing up for Thanksgiving with my family (cooking and cleaning and baking, oh my!), and I’m also baking pies for friends and working on several special orders that I’ve received. I have never had this many orders to crochet before Christmas, and while I’m thrilled that my business is gaining some momentum I’m also staying incredibly busy. So I think my tea cup will full for the next few weeks!

A quiet Sunday afternoon, nice cool weather, and a cup of EGC. I am in my glory. Still far and away my favorite Earl Grey. I love the vanilla in this tea.

I’ve written a bazillion notes on this tea, so let me just say that I’m still drinking it and every mug is wonderful. Amen.

We have been working on some major home renovations for over nine months now, and quite honestly, I’m ready to be done. This weekend I’m hoping to get a lot done, so tonight I’ll be staying up waaaay past my bedtime to do the prep work. Ugh. Since I have to be awake I thought I’d drink my favorite EGC. I almost never drink this tea late in the day, so it does feel a bit like a treat.

Today I found out that my best friend is moving to another state. I am happy for her and her family,(wonderful job opportunity!) but I’m sad she won’t be within walking distance anymore. Needless to say, I wanted some comfort, and without hesitation I turned to my trusted EGC. Tonight it’s soothing and steady. Just what I need.

Another “have to have” tea for me. I tried it iced for the first time, and while it was good I like it more hot. The wonderful bergamot and vanilla flavors become muted when it’s iced. They’re still there, but – blah.

As a hot tea this is easily my favorite EGC, so I’ll save this one for my mug and find a different EG for my iced tea glass.

It’s actually been months since I’ve had this tea. I went from drinking it pretty much every day in the winter and spring to not drinking it at all. Maybe it’s because this evening was rainy and cool, but I decided I had to have a cup of EGC.

I’m still head over heels about this tea. For me it’s the perfect blend of tea, bergamot, and vanilla. I’ve bought a few other EGs, but I keep coming back to this one. It’s well balanced, smooth, and there’s no funky aftertaste. Plus, it resteeps well.

Speaking of buying… my stash of this is incredibly low. I was trying not to buy tea until September, but since zentealife is having a sale I’m breaking down and stocking up now. When I told my husband he kissed me and said I made a valiant effort at reducing my stash. :) I don’t know if I’d call it valiant, but it has been tasty.

Updating from the last few days. I’ve taken to making this by the pot rather than the cup. It saves time, and while I prefer to drink this hot I like to iced, too. If I get distracted and my tea cools I just pour it over ice and go about my day.

Cups:57

We have started a major house renovation due to some damage that occurred way back in October, so I have not been able to log much of what I have been drinking lately. This EG is the only tea I have kept track of, but hopefully I can write more reviews soon. For this tea I kept a tally sheet on my fridge for the last few days. My husband and the contractor might think I went around the bend. :)

The idea of everything that needs to happen (I currently am walking on the sub-floor, have no lower cabinets, counter tops, a sink, or dishwasher in my kitchen) is overwhelming, so I’ve been drinking lots and lots of this tea. In fact, I need to place an order because last night I actually saw the bottom of my jar. Yes, there was a moment of panic. Reorder will be made today!

Before we started this re-do I decided to host a tea party for my friends when everything is over. It will be a fun way to show off my new space, and a way to say thank you because all these ladies have heard me talk about lately is paint colors and the cost/benefits of tile vs. wood flooring. When I do have the party this tea will definitely be on the menu. Then I can treat it with all of the daintiness and fun it deserves. Right now it is yet another friend that reminds me that at the end of all of this noise and worry will be (hopefully) something that I love.

(My earlier reviews have my thoughts on the tea itself)

Cups: 36

My morning pot. Drinking this while getting ready for church and tending to my son who is feeling under the weather. Right now I am very thankful for caffeine, especially when it is delivered in such a tasty tea.

Cups:16