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This morning I finished off the last of my stash of this tea. I’m not a huge fan of puerh; I’m one of those who isn’t keen on the “dirt” taste. Believe me, I’ve tried several types of pu-erh as some part of me used to think I was missing something. At any rate, this is one of the few puerh teas that I find (found) drinkable. It is lighter and sweeter than other puerh, and not as earthy.

I got my Breville about six years ago, and it’s still going strong. I love the consistency that it offers. I only wish that there were no plastic parts that enter the water.

Like other Malaysian teas with which I’m familiar, this is not “loose leaf” in the sense that it has been ground. Nonetheless, the addition of pandan makes this tea very flavorful. I enjoy a thermos full of this tea at work. If you’ve never had pandan, it’s like a cross between coconut and caramel.

I used to visit Malaysia often, and have somewhat fond memories of the hyper-sweet teas that are brought to your table by default when you order tea. So, I bought this canister out of sentimentality. I don’t drink it often, though. It’s ground up very fine and seems low-quality, even though it’s the “gold blend.” I can’t imagine drinking this without milk and sugar. As a straight tea, it’s rather bad.

A couple of years ago, they changed the artwork on the box and bags and the flavor seems to have changed along with it. The original blend was a tea that I’d been drinking off and on since the late 80s. I care less for the new blend – too bad!

I actually got this as a base for kombucha, and it worked well as one. As a straight chai, I like it less but it’s ok for a bagged chai.

I bought a pound of this tea and it’s currently my daily tea with which I fill my work thermos. I was looking for an organic, fair trade, loose-leaf tea and this was one of the best values I could find. It’s a zesty, bright, Earl Grey – very nice.

Opening the canister, there’s a strong, sweet smell of caramel and vanilla. Caramel is definitely the primary taste of this tea. Cardamom is the last ingredient listed, and that is reflected in the taste – just a small smidgeon of cardamom taste is present, but barely. I bought this tea in November, 2015 and haven’t seen it since. It’s tasty and pleasant but it’s not terribly special.

I’m about 3/4 through my canister of this, and I won’t be replacing it when it’s finished. I like Zhena’s teas, generally. Can’t say the same for this one. I like rooibos, I like spices, but something about this mix doesn’t work for me. The spices don’t taste balanced with the sweetness of the rooibos. Also, when I opened the canister, spice dust fell all over the place. I guess the spices are too fine to stay in the teabags.

Sometimes jasmine teas make me feel a little ill – they can be obnoxiously florid. This was nice, though. It was definitely aromatic, and had a hint of honey taste.