78
drank Plumberry Black by Zhi Tea
4126 tasting notes

I indulged in a bit of retail therapy the other day, and ended up ordering a ton of samples from Zhi Tea. Zhi is a local Austin company that I’ve been meaning to try, so I’m glad to have finally taken the plunge. Though my cupboard probably isn’t so happy, with something like 25 new teas… :O

Anyway, I pulled this one out, semi-randomly, to try first. I often have an issues with berry flavoring tasting chalky, and from the dry scent I could tell this would probably be one of those times. But actually, it’s not as chalky-tasting as I expected.

The berry here is more of a dark, syrupy, quite candylike flavor that’s somewhere between blueberry and raspberry. It’s almost a bit cotton candy-like? Maybe some blackberry in there as well. I don’t get much plum though, which is a shame as I adore plum things. The hibiscus is very restrained, I only get a hint of tartness that helps the berry pop a bit more. Base is decent, could be a bit more flavorful but I can definitely taste it and it’s not thin or overly tannic.

Anyway, it’s a nice enough tea. Probably not something I would reorder, just because I was wanting more plum than berry and it was kind of the opposite of that. But I’ll enjoy finishing off the sample packet!

One thing I wonder about Zhi though, is whether they blend all of their flavored/blended teas in-house. Their website seems to imply yes, but then they have a few teas that are always catalog red flags for me, like a cherry sencha and a blueberry bai mudan. It doesn’t necessarily matter either way, just something I’m curious about. I’ve had several experiences where companies say they hand-blend everything, but it isn’t really the case, so I guess I’m just suspicious about it now. :P

Flavors: Artificial, Berry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Candy, Cotton Candy, Earth, Hay, Jam, Raspberry, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Evol Ving Ness

Hooray for momentary extravagances and taking plunges!

Too bad about the missing plums. Have you found a good plum rich tea? If so, where? Which one(s)?

Also, deception sucks. Some honesty in this regard would be nice.

Mastress Alita

I agree about being skeptical of “hand-blended in-house” claims now. I just got a Plum Deluxe advert in the (snail)mail which had “hand-blended in small batches!” printed right on it, and there were absolutely Adagio and Dethlefsen & Balk teas in the advent I had from them last year.

Cameron B.

@Ness – For a plum tea, not really? I have Dammann’s Noël à Saint-Pétersbourg which has some nice plum notes, they have a mirabelle plum green tea that I still need to try…

@Alita – Yeahhh I felt the same way about their advent. The banana nut honeybush was definitely the same as Adagio’s, and it’s one they offer on their website as well. :|

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Comments

Evol Ving Ness

Hooray for momentary extravagances and taking plunges!

Too bad about the missing plums. Have you found a good plum rich tea? If so, where? Which one(s)?

Also, deception sucks. Some honesty in this regard would be nice.

Mastress Alita

I agree about being skeptical of “hand-blended in-house” claims now. I just got a Plum Deluxe advert in the (snail)mail which had “hand-blended in small batches!” printed right on it, and there were absolutely Adagio and Dethlefsen & Balk teas in the advent I had from them last year.

Cameron B.

@Ness – For a plum tea, not really? I have Dammann’s Noël à Saint-Pétersbourg which has some nice plum notes, they have a mirabelle plum green tea that I still need to try…

@Alita – Yeahhh I felt the same way about their advent. The banana nut honeybush was definitely the same as Adagio’s, and it’s one they offer on their website as well. :|

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- October sipdowns: 3
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 132

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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