Chi Whole Leaf

Thanks to Chi Whole Leaf for the free sample! I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. The scent is faintly rose and heavily hibiscus. The brew is a lovely pink and the powder suspends well in hot water. The flavor is… mostly hibiscus. Tart and sweet. If I did not know that there were other flowers in here, I would not be able to guess. So if you like hibiscus, this is great. If you don’t, this is definitely not for you. If you’re neutral on hibiscus like I am, this is a nice choice on occasion but not a must-have. Sipdown!

Thanks to Chi Whole Leaf for the free sample! Blended into hot water with my trusty milk frother, this was a pretty boring mint tea. Not bad, but not exceptional either. I frothed the last of the powder into a glass of cold rice milk. The result was a better suspension than I got with the hot water. The flavor was better too. The mintiness of the tea interplayed nicely with the creamy sweetness of the rice milk. I never picked up on the eucalyptus flavor, unfortunately. Overall, I think this kind of powder is most useful for making quick iced tea or lattes. Sipdown!

i like how this was powdered so finely and the flavor was also good. well, all of the flavors were good! there was not one that i did not like. i also like that they are healthy herbs. easy to prepare – just add water :)

This one was the Bomb-Diggity to me, Awesome delicious!!!
So I drank up my little sample and now I want more lol.
We don’t do much powdered or matcha teas except for sometimesin the mornings and when we do have them we don’t prepare them as directed.
I use a little hot water in the powder to make a smooth paste and then I pour cold milk in there bowl/cup and froth it up real good, thats just the way we like it.
So anyways this is how I made the Green Mint this morning with a little sugar added and I loves it, I can taste the peppermint and eucalyptus but I can’t really taste tea but that ok because it is so good :)
It kinda tasted like a thin mint girl scout cookie minus the chocolate, so good that i didn’t even let Lance taste it lol
I may buy some of this one of these days :)
I’m about to try one of my other samples now.

This definitely makes the best looking cup of the bunch. This starts rose then turns tart from the hibiscus. I never really caught the jasmine. Adding a little sweetener opens up some space. Cold water bottle method is also good. I found the hibiscus to be far more present and tart than most every one here is saying. Though I wasn’t all that enamored with floral herb, it is my opinion this will probably be the most successful blend with the herbal crowd.

This one left the most amount of silt in the cup of any of the blends. It makes for a less than appealing visual. The taste is a different story. This was my wife’s favorite of the bunch. It needed just a hint of sweetener before I could separate out anything but the peppermint. With sweetener I could catch the chamomile and the lemongrass. It is a mild relaxing cup. The chamomile never crosses into tart apple tasting.

I am not the biggest chai fan. Rooibos is kind of hit or miss with me. This combines both and I liked it. No additives this was very mild with no rough edges. The clove, cinnamon, and rooibos play well together. Next I added a little sweetener. This made the ginger really jump out and heat up the cup. It was a little too intense for my taste. Next I added a splash of milk, because chai, you know. This was my favorite method. Very balanced.

My first Yerba Mate. To me it is earthy, woody, and reminded me of rooibos and coffee beans. My favorite part of this is the licorice. Definitely don’t need sweetener with this one. The licorice adds it for you. I liked the play of the sweet against the earthy. Pretty sure this is not for every one but I thought it was fun.

Cold, shaken in a water bottle is the way to go with this one. Minty but not too minty, but then I like peppermint. As with most of the samples from Chi Whole Leaf, I liked it with a small amount of Sweetener – just 1/4 packet of Splenda. I can taste the tea base in the aftertaste. I’ve never had eucalyptus before. I can’t say I could identify anything out of the ordinary that I could guess was eucalyptus. This my favorite of the 5 samples.

This tea smells sweet and herbal, with the licorice being the strongest. It’s refreshing and rather light. The powder is khaki in colour.

Once boiling water is added it has been stirred very thoroughly.

Flavour is thick and very sweet, the licorice root grabbing my taste buds and taking them on a refreshing ride. The Mate is lightly herbal though it gets lost behind the sweet, refreshing (and overpowering) licorice and ginkgo. It has a long after taste, it’s sweetness clinging to my tongue.

I admit I’m not a fan of licorice tea in general, but this was drinkable. More than that I believe the Mate has worked somewhat to boost my energy.

Pics and more info: http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/07/14/chi-whole-leaf-tea-sampler-review/

This tea smells sweet and sour which must be the hibiscus dominating over the rose and jasmine. It is a little floral but not enough for me to pick them out especially. The powder is red in colour.

Once boiling water is added it has been stirred very thoroughly.

Flavour is mild but sweet and slightly tart. There is some dryness along with a generic herbal taste with little to no after taste. The tartness from the hibiscus is only mild and does not last long. On the whole grand scheme of things this blend is much more mild than I was expecting but at the same time I like that. Reason being I think it would translate well to iced tea, which it does say you can use cold water for this blend.

As it cools the flowers pop up with more sweetness, pure tasting ie clean though still subtle. Still a little dry but it hasn’t increased.

This blend was the one I was most wary of since I dislike hibiscus but due to it’s mild nature I found it rather pleasant. I’ve been trying to go ‘caffeine free’ a lot recently and this was a nice example. Finishing this sample will be no problem.

For pics and info: http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/07/14/chi-whole-leaf-tea-sampler-review/

This tea smells very minty and refreshing, slightly sweet but the peppermint and eucalyptus effeminately take control. The powder is dark green in colour.

Once boiling water is added it has been stirred very thoroughly.

The flavour is mild at first but explodes with fresh mint towards the after taste with a touch of bitterness. The aftertaste is of eucalyptus and definable, it’s refreshing, warming and herbal. It’s not too thick, if anything is the strongest it’s the mint which in my opinion is never a bad thing.

Compared to other brands of green mint tea (particularly those in bags) this blend is cleaner tasting though the dryness is about equal. Plus the eucalyptus makes this taste rather unique in the after taste.

As it cools slightly the strength increases, the mint now adds a soft tingle to my lips as I sip. Also the bitterness increases though not too much.

It was a nice blend, the eucalyptus was stronger than expected and I’m still in two minds about it but all in all it was enjoyable. I may try this one iced at some point to see the difference. My negative point is that I could not really taste the green tea very much, and I feel I should have considering it’s a Darjeeling green.

Pics and more info: http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/07/14/chi-whole-leaf-tea-sampler-review/

This tea smells very herbal and dry, it’s slightly sweet. It’s blended rather well and herbal is the best I can really say. One ingredient does not stand out over the other particularly. The powder is green in colour.

Once boiling water is added it has been stirred very thoroughly.

The flavour is subtle but sweet with lemongrass and peppermint coming through towards the after taste. Herbal and some thickness to it which adds dryness but not too badly.

As it cools the chamomile comes through stronger as does it subtle sweetness. This carries on nicely through to the after taste.

This was nice enough though I have never been a large fan of chamomile.

Pics and more info: http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/07/14/chi-whole-leaf-tea-sampler-review/

Sipdown (117)!

I don’t know why I’ve been holding on to this sample so long; I certainly enjoyed it when I last had it but not enough to hoard it. So, I finally finished this off yesterday morning! I finished this plain in hot water; I can’t remember entirely if that’s how I had it last time. I seem to recall drinking it in milk but I just reread my tasting note and I doesn’t look like I specified that – which I’ve made a habit of always doing when I drink a tea in a way other than in plain water hot and unsweetened. So do I trust my memory or my tasting note!?

Regardless I did really enjoy this sipdown! The problem I seemed to have last time, with the powder getting clumpy/sludgy at the bottom of the mug, wasn’t an issue this time around. I will say the taste of honey/ginseng/licorice root was stronger than anything else, including the Yerba Mate. That could totally be a selling point for some people, and for others a deal breaker. I liked the honey sweetness and earthy undertones; the combination seemed appropriate for a first thing in the morning cup of tea.

And you can’t beat the convenience.

PS. Keychange just because this is another sipdown does not mean I’m anywhere near matching the reigning sipdown Queen, Sil. ;)

Apologies to Will for not getting my review up sooner, I had some issues with the page for this tea where all I could see when I clicked on it from my cupboard was a wall of HTML coding. Everything appears to be in order now, though!

I’ve been on a bit of a Yerba Mate kick these last few weeks, so I’m both very excited to try this blend but also kind of feeling like I’ve overdosed on yerba mate and need to take a break from it for a few weeks. What’s better than a powdered caffeine buzz though? Hell that’s half of why I love matcha so much – so I’m ignoring those feelings of being all yerba-d out, and excitedly trying this!

The dry leaf doesn’t smell anywhere near as fragrant as the other four samples have been; just subtly grassy. My observation thus far is that the blends from Chi Whole Leaf fall on one side of a spectrum, either “very intense” or “surprisingly muted”. I’ve yet to really find a blend offered by them that rides the middle, and if I had to guess I’d wager this is going to be a bit more muted.

Like anticipated, this is pretty mild as far as Yerba Mate tastes; it’s grassy and earthy with a touch of natural sweetness. However, the licorice root and ginseng are definitely stronger – actually, they do a great job of finding a happy medium between tasting mild or robust. The combined sweetness of both begin to creep in at the end of the sip in a typical licorice root fashion. It almost has a honeycomb taste to it. However, if someone dislikes licorice root, ginseng or both they’re really going to be turned off by that taste.

Interestingly, I found that of all five samples I had the biggest issue with the dry powder for this one. It was really, really clumping together but it wasn’t as sludgy at the bottom of the cup as I was drinking it.

Again, I have to really thank Will from Chi Whole Leaf for the samples! I had a really fun time exploring them, and while I definitely didn’t love them all I was surprised by a few which I thought I’d dislike but where really, really good. Namely Floral Herb!

This tea smells spicy, enough to tickle my nose as I sniff. The ginger and cinnmon would be the two that I can pick out, but it’s blended together very well. I can’t smell the Rooibos and would not have known if it were not in the ingredients. The powder is dark sandy brown in colour.

Once steeped and stirred (very thoroughly) some milk was added.

Flavour is spicy yet sweet with the Rooibos noticeable but rather light in strength. That means none of the icky chemical or ‘unique’ flavour that Rooibos naturally has. Aside from the sweetness and herbal touch of the Rooibos there is some refreshing clove present with the ginger and cinnamon adding a subtle yet still spicy kick. It’s hard to pick out the ingredients specifically as such, they all blend together very well.

Compared to a tea bag this seems fresher and less dry, despite it being powdered. I also find it sweet enough with additional sweetener, which I usually have to add to my Chai. Compared to other Chai powders I have had this is more toned down in terms of strength and is lacking in terms of aromatics (cardamom etc). So this is a Chai but an extremely simple one at that, though for quickness and ease to make (including the idea of transportation, since this is travel handy) I am really liking this blend.

So a thumbs up on this one, with a possibility of me stocking some for my personal use.

Pics and more info: http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2015/07/14/chi-whole-leaf-tea-sampler-review/

Thank you Chi Whole Leaf for this sample.

This is not a review, ok well it is but it’s a pre-review. Tomorrow I aim to sit and review each of these properly, not to mention thoroughly. As for now out of the five samples received this is the one I am the most eager to try for two reasons. 1 – I LOVE ginger. 2 – I LOVE chai.

So a quick taste of this as I cannot wait any longer. Well, I’ve only had the sample for a couple of hours. It shows the power of temptation.

Anyway, back on point. This is sooo easy to make. 1/2 a teaspoon with boiling water, splash of milk and a thorough mix. Oh and I added sweetener today, just some calorie free stuff. Simple, takes seconds.

The mix smells spicy, not over the top spicy but it gave me an ‘ooph’ moment when I opened the little sachet.

In terms of flavour I must say….I AM LOVING IT! So much so that I am truly considering buying more, even though money is tight and I vowed not to buy any more tea. (Though after saying this I realize yesterday I placed an order with Siam Tea). Super naughty of me!

The ginger is mild but spicy and lingers in the after taste, and as for this being a Rooibos blend it’s actually very clean tasting. I can tell it is Rooibos but it’s mild in terms of flavour, it adds some body and sweetness above the chemical, herbal tones. Also says this one contains clove which I can pick out towards the after taste. Refreshing, spicy yet still subtle.

Yes. I do love this one. As I drink it more and more I can see myself taking this with me to friends houses and such for ease of making and transporting.

No rating today, shall wait until tomorrow. But for today, thumbs up.

As a candidate for president of the HHH society (Heartily Hate Hibiscus), I will confess to scrunching up my face in preparation for eye-stinging tartness when I stirred a quarter teaspoon of this bright red powder into a chilled pint of water.

Surprise! Not one sting, not one tear, not one grimace: just a nice cool sip of fruit and flowers. Lovely cold on a muggy day. I was light on the powder, but even strengthened a little, the rose keeps that pushy H from taking over. Nicely done!

Sipdown (109)!

So, there was an accident of sorts measuring this out and I spilled part of the sample bag so sadly I’ll only be doing the one tasting of this blend.

This was one of the samples I was pretty stoked about; I really like eucalyptus (if I could be reborn as an animal it’d probably be either a Sloth or a Koala) and the pairing of eucalyptus, mint, and green tea makes me think of a day of being pampered at a Spa or hot spring; cool, refreshing and very stress relieving.

Normally I think this is a blend I’d have opted to try cold, but since I’ve made the other three blends I’ve tried hot I did the same with this one just to have some consistency. I thought dry this smelled pretty minty, but as I was tasting it the green tea base was actually the strongest flavour with both the eucalyptus and the mint providing a refreshing, cooling aftertaste. It was very pleasant and did have a calming “Spa” sort of affect. However I personally didn’t feel totally satisfied with the flavour either; I liked the level of grassy, vegetal green tea notes but I really craved a stronger more “menthol” feeling mint notes, and a touch more eucalpytus. I think both were a little light handed for what they could have been.

That said; I enjoyed the blend and I did feel like my hope of a refreshing hot spring-esque tea was met. And again, I can’t stress enough how much I really like the convenience of these powdered teas; it’s a huge part of why I’m so drawn to matcha as well. But unlike the flavoured matchas I enjoy, these ones a more nuanced and layered instead of fairly monotone flavours!

If nothing else, I’m a big fan of the concept.

Sipdown (127)!

Finishing this one off cold and whisked into cashew milk ‘cause I thought that would possibly make for an interesting iced chai type drink. It actually tastes really good; way better than the hot version did. It’s sweet and creamy with cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon notes that combine in a way that makes me think of Christmas baking?

However, I’m encountering major problems with getting the powder to whisk nicely into the cashew milk. No matter what I try it instantly separates and seems to float up to the surface of the cashew milk creating this gross mess. Nice taste, but not worth the fuss.

I feel so out of it right now.

Because I’m 20 and I think it’s important (so long as you don’t make it a regular habit) to sometimes be reckless I decided to call in sick today and play hookie. Then, I went down to the beach with a few friends, and get so trashed. I haven’t been to the beach in years and it was a lot of fun, and definitely pulled me out of the sad funk I had been most of this week.

We went swimming, had quite a few beers, and then rented out these paddle boat type things for an hour and half-drunkenly paddled around the lake.

At one point two out of the four of us fell out of the paddle boats and then because of the way they sit on the water it was too high for them to get back in, so my friend Dylan and I each had to operate a two person paddle boat on our own and the other two had to swim all the way back into shore. It was such a work out; and not gonna lie there was a lot of bickering on the journey back to shore but it was a really memorable experience overall.

And now I’m back at home and I’m so tired. I made a mug of this after I’d showered off and got all the sand out of unpleasant crevices, and seaweed out of my hair. I have to say the convenience of making these ‘instant powdered teas’ was a life saver. I really don’t feel like I’m exaggerating if I say that I would have been too tired to deal with loose leaf.

That said; this was the blend I was least looking forward to out of the samples from Chi Whole Leaf; I’m not a big fan of Chai and ginger in particular is one of my least favourite flavours. The dry powdered smell? It’s so gingery; but with everything else it made me feel like I’d just stuck my head in my Grandma’s spice drawer for a solid couple minutes just really deeply inhaling. Perhaps that sounds pleasant to some people (who?) but NOT me.

But the water hit the powder, and I whisked it all up regardless and then added a little bit of milk and the smell wasn’t as bad. Still very gingery, but at a level I was more ok with. Taste wise; I think I actually picked up on cinnamon more than anything else though; and a very odd, sharp cinnamon note at that. There was a little clove, but very much in the background. I think personally adding milk was a great idea for me – it contributed a creaminess that offset the spice a little bit and sort of reminded me of gingerbread? But there was an oddness I couldn’t place.

It took until I reached the bottom of the mug (sludge was also an issue with this blend) before it hit me! It was reminding me of these little Gingerbread cinnamon Christmas decorations we made at Christmas one year. Except, they weren’t meant to be edible – just nice smelling, and that way you could rehang them year after year. I even, after a quick Google search found basically the same recipe we used:

http://backtoherroots.com/2013/12/10/super-easy-homemade-cinnamon-ornaments/

Turns out that thing I couldn’t identify was glue! Uhh…

So, this definitely was not as bad as I had imagined, and I liked some parts of it quite a lot but I can’t deny that once I realized what I was tasting reminded me of white table glue I was pretty turned off. That said; I know that part of why this blend and I didn’t hit it off is my own distaste towards Chai in general, and a bad personal association. So I’m going to elect not to give this blend a numerical rating; I’m sure others will find it much more pleasant.

Simply due to the season, I’ve been trying my Chi Whole Leaf samples chilled. Still a couple to go, but this is my favorite so far. The rooibos and spices play nicely, with nobody obnoxiously clamoring for attention. Cold, it has a little bit of a root beer vibe to it. I can see this as a lovely latte when the weather cools down, and there’s a lot to be said for the ease of prep. No muss, no fuss, stir and get on with it!

Sipdown (115)!

This was my second favourite of the Chi Whole Leaf blends! Again, it surprised me quite a lot how much I liked this one. I finished this one off last night with some milk in it. It was creamy and calming, and had me knocked out not even ten minutes after slurping it down. As someone with pretty bad insomnia/trouble falling asleep that’s impressive.

Last night I slept on my shudders bed, just to revisit it and see if it’s as bad as I remember. For those not ‘in the loop’ I’ve been sleeping on the living room couch for the last year+ because the bed my Dad got me is almost exactly like sleeping on a wooden plank. It’s WAY TOO FIRM. My couch on the other hand has just enough ‘give’.

Well, I fell asleep easy enough on the bed – but I woke up several times throughout the night ‘cause I was uncomfortable and woke up very stiff/sore on the side of my back I’d been laying on. HELP! How does one break in a bed from hell in as short a timespan as possible!?

Another sample generously provided by Will at Chi Whole Leaf!

Chamomile is, well, not my favourite thing. Fortunately; this blend isn’t entirely chamomile and the rest of the ingredients in the blend are ones I’m pretty ok with. So despite not loving the namesake of the I’m not skeptical about the tea itself.

Much like Floral Herb, I prepared this hot using a 1/2 tsp. of the powder – it was very quick, and very convenient to make. The exception being that I added a splash of milk because I wanted to prepare it the same way I would a cup of chamomile (on the rare occasion I drink straight chamomile). For me, that’s usually late at night with milk as a sleep aid…

This definitely tasted pretty solid; I thought the chamomile was lovely straw and honey notes and was just slightly more present than the peppermint and then everything else just contributed a sort of blanket background flavour that neither added or detracted from the flavour. The milk made the mouthfeel much thicker, and added a lovely soft creamy taste.

Overall, I found this blend very soothing and calming; a perfect late night tisane! My one complaint is that the ‘leaf’ had a hard time staying suspended while I was drinking this and by the end of my mug I had some definite sludge at the bottom and the mouthfeel started to get grittier. If you’re drinking this fast that might not be a problem though.