Chi Whole Leaf

No matter how many times I have come back and tried this at work, it taste like chilled green mint tea from any teabag that came from the supermarket. I wish the flavors were more distinct and stronger for me to taste something different. Maybe it’s the green tea that was used in this mixture? Either way, I’ve tried this about 7 times now and get the same result.

My new job only has the K cup machines so I have no way of having hot water… thankfully I have a few teas from Chi Whole Leaf to use while I come up with a solution. Out of the ones I have had, this has been my favorite. I wish it was pure mate… the licorice root is bleh…
Overall, this is a nice chilled drink that is EASY to make and quick.

Sipdown (109)!

This was my favourite of the Chi Whole Leaf samples, and I was really eager to get to drink it again. Now that I’m out I’m finding this sipdown very bittersweet.

I did think this brewed up just slightly more tart than last time but given that it incorporates ground up hibiscus it was marvelously well balanced. Keeping in line with last time, rose trumps jasmine as far as dominant flavours go but neither are artificial or overly floral. I think this is a really tastefully done tea, and hopefully someday I’ll get to drink it again!

I am upping my rating from 82 to 90 – I’m really impressed with this tisane.

I keep wanting to call this matcha…

Honestly; I was a tiny bit scared to try this one. Hibiscus is one of three ingredients in this one, but frankly the entire thing looks like ground up, powdered hibiscus and unless you’re really into hibiscus in the first place that sounds pretty horrible.

That said, after the hot water hit the powder in the bottom of the mug and I had this all whisked up all of that fear melted away. The aroma is very floral and feminine but maintains a wonderful delicateness. How often do you get to call a blend with hibiscus delicate!? Not often – that’s for sure. More so than anything else I thought the rose was the most flavourful component of this tea but it’s not even close to the intensity necisarry for this blend to come off tasting chemical, artificial, or even perfumey. As a whole, it’s actually delightfully mellow.

Maybe it’s because hibiscus is so often paired with berries, but in addition to the sweet and supple floral notes I feel like there’s a hint of watered down berry flavour. The jasmine is the hardest part of this for me to taste; it’s blending in with the rose very well. I really enjoy this blend a lot. My only word of caution would be for people who dislike overly floral teas; but even they might like this because it’s been tastefully done. Even people who are generally turned off by hibiscus would likely like this. Bonus points for being quite affordable; $10.00 for 100g, and it really doesn’t take much at all to make a mug – approximately 1/2 tsp.

Also, many thanks to Will at Chi Whole Leaf tea for sending me the full range of teas currently offered on their site for reviewing! He was very quick to ship things, and in addition to the tea itself he included a very informative pamphlet that broke down the ingredients of each tea. I look forward to trying the next rest of the set!

Final tea of the evening – saved this one for before bed. I am a fan of chamomile tea and this one is no exception. I think the only downside to this one, was that the powder just didn’t seem to want to disperse, so i had a little sludge at the bottom of my cup. All that aside, this was a really pleasant chamomile tea. I added a little slash of honey and sat on the balcony listening to the fireworks go off. I didn’t get much in the way of mint, it’s really just a hint in the background of the cup and that’s fine with me.

Thanks again for sharing these with me Will! I really think these have a place in tea cupboards – especially from the perspective of being able to travel without any fussing about.

Another from the generous Will @ Chi whole leaf. So i’m sort of hit or miss with mint, sometimes i love it, sometimes i don’t but generally i am more likely to not like it, when it’s that sort of OMG IN YOUR FACE sort of mint experience…though i do love me some jr mints and york peppermint patties :)

As soon as the water hit this one, i was instantly transported back to my day at the spa. Something about the mint + eucalyptus was entirely soothing. I just wanted to stand there with the cup in my face, inhaling. I am rather enjoying this one. There’s absolutely that green mint tea happening here..but the additional of the eucalyptus makes this super interesting. It’s “almost” like when you brush your teeth and then suck in cold air..that pow sort of feeling, though not as intense as with toothpaste. I think just a dollop of honey added to this one would make it perfect for me, to get a little sweetness running through the mint and cool-ness. win for me! thanks Will!

Another sample from the generous Will. This one was really nice. A little bit of a kick to the chai, but not SUPER strong. The clove taste didn’t overpower (i hate that in chai’s) and the ginger was really great. I am always a fan of ginger related teas and this one is no exception. Also a really interesting constrast from the floral which has that sour pop and freshness to it. this is more heavy, spicy… i think this would be pretty great in winter, especially brewed up in some milk! thanks will!

as you likely know, i am NOT a fan of floral teas. This brew though? Really tasty! Not only is the colour superb, but for those that aren’t a fan of hibby, it’s not overpowering. I rather enjoy hibiscus, so no fear for me on that one, but with this blend it’s a really nice pop to the blend. I could see this being a really nice summer treat as a cold drink. Thanks again for the sample Will!

Thank you for the samples! I am opting to try these in the order i think i’ll like them the least :)`I am wholly not a fan of yerba mate, but i DO like the other ingredients in this brew.

Brewed up, while the colour isn’t very appealing, the aroma isn’t have bad. This one tastes largely like licorice root to me, with that sweetness from licorice being overpowering. It’s unfortunate because i think i’d rather enjoy this one a bit more if there was just a little less sweetness. Over all though, the ease of brewing this one, and the fact that it doesn’t have that yerba mate taste to it that i wholly dislike, means that it’s not too bad.

Shake, shake, go! That’s nice at work in a travel tumbler with ice. Green tea with mint make a nice afternoon eye-opener; the added eucalyptus adds a little tingle and tickle to the blend.

The samples Chi Whole Leaf kindly sent sparked off a fun childhood memory—-Mom would let me make the pitcher of Nestea. Measuring and stirring…why, that was like real cooking to four-year-old!

Fortunately, Chi’s whole leaf powder is much more elegant that the old powdered Lipton stuff that you had to stir forever to blend in—quick whisk in water and you’re good to go! Smooth and silky with no clumpy lumps.

As far as this particular flavor goes, please chalk my remarks up to personal preference and ineptitude with good powdered teas. Did 1/4 teaspoon (high end of the recommended measurement) in a 12-ounce cup. The yerba mate flavor I like—reminds me of “leafy” coffee—came through, but with a serious wallop of licorice, which I prefer in microscopic doses.

Licorice likers, this is for you more than me. But the product itself is quite good, and I still have flavors to try…no doubt I’ll find a favorite!

Sample provided in exchange for a review. Thank you very much!

Cold-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, stirred right away. Chamomile dominates the other ingredients initially, and the infusion tastes unpleasantly bitter. After drinking around half of the cup, the mint comes through, and the bitterness disappears a little.

Hot-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, 212 temperature. Similar to the cold-brewed infusion, but much better taste. Hardly any bitterness, thanks to the chamomile being sweeter. I’m able to taste the rest of the ingredients.

Chamomile isn’t my favorite herb when it comes to it being used in herbal blends since I find it tends to overpower the other ingredients. Though I definitely prefer the hot-brewed infusion, taste-wise. Additionally, This powder was difficult to mix because the chamomile flowers were not entirely crushed to a powder (it was more like fine bits).

Sample provided for the review. Thanks so much!

Hot-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, 212 temperature. This infusion offers an interesting dichotomy. it tastes warm and comforting because the base tea has grassy and buttery notes, but also cool because of the peppermint. The eucalyptus fits snugly in between, enhancing the calming effect.

Cold-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, stirred right away. This is similar to the hot infusion, except than the mint is stronger than the base tea and the eucalyptus. It tastes chilled even though I (inadvertently) used almost lukewarm filtered tap water. Very refreshing cup!

It’s interesting that the base tea is a Darjeeling. I didn’t think it would work, but I enjoyed drinking both infusions.

Thank you so much to this company for the samples!

I brewed both hot and cold with same amount (1/2 tsp)

Hot – 212F and stirred in a 6oz glass – This brew has a strong wood tone. This dry wood flavor is quickly replaced with a sweet syrupy sugar cane aftertaste. It was a very delectable brew. The bottom had to be stirred though; because, all the debris would settle.

Cold – Ice water in a 6 oz glass – This was delicious! The brew would clump a lot though, but it just took some extra stirring to prevent it. The flavor is completely sweet with a slight dry grass undertone. This would be perfect for mixed drinks or cold cocktails. I drank this down very quickly. The last sip though had a very dusty and dry taste, for everything had settled to the bottom.

Both – All in all, this was a very enjoyable tea session. When preparing this brew, you will get a very sweet yet grassy herbaceous beverage. Personally, I prefer it cold, and I would love to mix this with some other things. They both settle to the bottom, and it makes for a rather dirty last sip. The last sip is still very sweet though. I enjoyed this very much!

https://instagram.com/p/4SanvVzGVu/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Thank you for the samples, Will!

Cold-brewed (1): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 oz, mixed right away.
Hot-brewed (2): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 ounces, 212 degrees.

1: A balanced combination of hibiscus and rose. The former isn’t at all powerful – it’s on the weak side for me since I drink hibiscus straight, but those who don’t like hibiscus should have no fear. I taste more of the rose.

2: I prefer this method. Overall, it’s a stronger-tasting cup. The hibiscus pops out more in the beginning, but the rose petals take over when I let the infusion sit in my mouth and in the aftertaste.

Lovely magenta/dark pink shade. I had trouble tasting the jasmine, but both cups were nice to drink. Hibiscus and rose make a good pairing.

Thank you for the sample, Will!

Brewed with hot water and then heated whole milk. Used half a teaspoon of powder for each, 6 ounces for each liquid, boiling.

Hot water: Spicy. Not adding milk allows the spices to fully come through. They compliment the woody note that the rooibos gives. There is a ginger snap cookie aftertaste.

Heated whole milk: The spices are muted somewhat, but the milk adds a cozy and creamy taste, texture, and feeling. This infusion is more like ginger snap cookie in liquid form. Masala chai drinker-Dad said it was “distinctive”, and that it’s “good as cocoa.”

This is for the winter solstice, not the summer solstice. In all aspects. Don’t drink it today. /melts

I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you for the samples, Will!

Hot-brewed (1): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 ounces, 212 degrees.
Cold-brewed (2): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 oz, mixed right away.

1: The licorice root stands, and it adds a sweetness that dominates the the yerba mate.

2: No one ingredient stands out in this cup. They blend well together. This tastes leafier, and it’s much sweeter than it was hot-brewed, although in leafy way. The texture is much thicker.

The murky beige color isn’t terribly appealing, but it didn’t put me off. I preferred drinking this cold-brewed. Also, I felt an energized after downing all twelve ounces nearly all at once. If you want something to drink before exercising, go for this.

Today was…eventful, if you follow my instagram you probably saw that I had one doozy of a night. Luckily it passed and turned into a very long day, long in the sense of I AM REALLY TIRED!! Only a few hours sleep between me and yesterday, I have become rather loopy. Good-ish news, I went to the doctor today, he thinks my awful fatigue might be related to my meds, so we are fiddling around with some dosage to see if that helps. If not, well, he said he is stumped and we will have to do a ton of testing, personally I hope it is just the meds. The fun part of that was on the way to and after the appointment, there were loads of storms! I got some neat pictures with the phone and had to walk the long distance to the car in a torrential downpour, ever the gentleman Ben offered to bring the car around, but the walk in the rain was refreshing. Soggy Enderman to the rescue!

Ok, before anyone gets into a tizzy, yes, I know today’s teas are not technically Matcha, but calling it powdered herbs and or tea Monday sounds lame, so Monday is powdered consumables day, maybe that means I can finally find an excuse to review some hot chocolate. Recently there was a Kickstarter for new company, Chi Whole Leaf, it was successfully funded, and now I get to try their goodies. They have a pretty nifty concept, take plants and grind them up, like Matcha, you are consuming the whole plant, which makes the tasting experience a little different. First up is the vibrantly pink Floral Herb, a blend of Hibiscus, Jasmine, and Rose, two of my favorite things, and one I usually hate. Upon sniffing, the powder is mild and floral, it reminds me a little of the powdered incense I bought long ago. The rose is the dominant aroma, followed by heady jasmine, and a very delicate hibiscus.

I decided to brew this one up cold, though not with ice because I don’t want it that cold. The taste was surprisingly great, the hibiscus notes were mild and not death tart, instead they were sour almost like lemon juice. The main flavor is delicate rose and subtly sweet jasmine, both blend well with the sour hibiscus. I swear if all my hibiscus teas tasted like this I would never say I hated them again. I really liked this one, I could see myself drinking it a lot as it gets hotter, having it before bed for a light soothing sipping.

Blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/06/chi-whole-leaf-floral-herb-and.html

The next one I tried was the Chamomile! A blend of Chamomile, Passionflower, Lemongrass, St John’s Wort, and a hint of mint. Clearly this was a tea that just begged for evening drinking, and so I did just that. The aroma is a clean blend of lemongrass sweetness and chamomile’s straw and wildflower tones, with just a nice crispness of mint at the finish

At first I tried it hot and was not a huge fan, I found it was just a tiny bit bitter, though the chamomile’s natural sweetness did help with that. However cold this tea was pretty fantastic, very cooling and refreshing from the mint, the lemongrass and chamomile giving it a sweet, lemony, and straw like quality. As it says on the website, the powder does not really disperse as well as the others do, but other than getting my chasen dirty, I noticed no problems with it. So far I like what I am seeing from Chi Whole Leaf!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/06/chi-whole-leaf-floral-herb-and.html

OH MY. This was so good! The rooibos isn’t really obvious. I get a hint of cinnamon, a little clove, and the ginger is like the bow on top, wrapping it all together. My daughter was nearby and asked to taste it, and I didn’t think I would get it back from her. Her advice was to take a drink and then breathe out through my nose, and I tried that. Pure ginger bliss. It wasn’t overpowering, just deliciously fresh. I could see getting this one again.

Full review and photos on: https://tealover.net/2015/05/chi-whole-leaf-floral-herb-and-ginger-chai/

I mixed with filtered cold water and whisked it, although it was easy to mix up – a spoon would work fine, or whatever you have. The color of both the dry powder and the mixed drink is just amazing. This one is a mixture of hibiscus, rose and jasmine. Don’t worry hibby haters – I couldn’t really identify it here. I think it just added a little punch to the flavor. What I did get was a really refreshing drink that had some floral overtones. I liked it, and I am usually not a big fan of floral drinks. I added a litttle sweetener – no haters please

Photos and full review: https://tealover.net/2015/05/chi-whole-leaf-floral-herb-and-ginger-chai/

Today I decided that I would try this tea in a water bottle. It worked well and was a very refreshing drink. The hibiscus was light and refreshing rather than the often overwhelming hibiscus you get in many teas.

This is another sample from Will at Chi Whole Leaf Tea. This powdered tea is a dark pink and looks good. I don’t have direction on how much to add so I added about as much as my thumb nail into 8 oz of cold water and shook it up. The taste was pretty bland so I added just a drop of stevia which brought the flavors right out. I enjoy the hibiscus which is not usually a favorite. In this combination its very fresh and is safe for me to drink late this evening after drinking sooooo much matcha today.

Thank you Will at Chi Whole Leaf for this sample. I just added some to a small bottle of cold water. There were no directions for quantity in the water. Apparently I did okay in my estimate- about the size of my thumb nail. for 8 oz. because it was good.

There addition of a bit of mint really lightens up the chamomile and makes a real nice drink. I usually add some sweetener to everything but definitely not needed in this.I found it quite refreshing. I can see adding this to a water bottle frequently.