 | "An extremely bitter brew... I wasn't impressed with this blend and definitely would not recommend it to others."
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From the start, Zhena’s Gypsy Love gypsy tea had to overcome quite a bit to earn a good review from me. Being a bagged tea rather than a loose tea was an automatic handicap, since, in my opinion, very few bagged tea products are worth drinking. When I smelled the tea bags, I thought that perhaps this might be a tea bag to change my opinion. The tea was richly scented with rose petals, which I found appealing and questionable at the same time- I love floral scents, but have not been a fan of floral teas (e.g. jasmine teas) in the past. The floral scent of the brewed tea was much more subtle than it was before brewing. The rose petals did little to affect the flavor of the tea, however, because the brewed tea barely had a hint of any flavor. The tea was VERY dark in color, even after steeping for only 2 and a half minutes (the recommended steeping time is 2 to 3 minutes). The brew was almost opaque, and looked more like coffee than tea. After steeping, I opened up the teabag and, as I expected, the contents were best described as tea specks and tea dust, nothing comparable to the large tea leaves that you get in loose tea. In my experience, teabags which contain such small particles lend themselves to being quickly over-steeped and producing thick, bitter tea. Zhena’s Gypsy Love gypsy tea did just that. The tea, which is from India and Sri Lanka, lacked any real flavor, and I could not get over how bitter the tea was even after steeping for less than three minutes. I shudder to think how this would taste if I soaked the teabag for a full 3 minutes! I don’t like to pass harsh judgement too quickly, so I made myself a second cup of this tea the next day, and even with shorter steeping, the strong bitterness overwhelmed the subtle rose scent.
After visiting Zhena’s website, it is clear that this company is marketing to a new age/hippie contingent. They suggest using the teabags to sooth puffy eyes, and the website states that rose petals were added for “creativity and romance!”. While this seems fun and quirky, it does little to improve the tea-drinking experience. This seems more like a novelty product than a high-quality tea. In all, I was not impressed with this tea, and would not recommend it.
— To purchase Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Gypsy Love, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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Vanessa Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Vanessa's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Vanessa. |
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