One of the more colorful vendors at the NW Tea Festival last year was ZENZEU. They hail from Phoenix, Arizona, and came with bright packaging, fun labels, and tables of tea. Looking for something new to taste, I bought two herbal blends. Yes, yes, I know that they are not technically tea; no camellia sinensis. They are tisanes, herbal blends. Didn’t I say that I was looking for something new to try? Move on!
Zenzeu sells white, green, oolong, yellow, and black teas, as well as chai (flavored tea), rooibos, mate, and herbal blends. The two I purchased were Peach Melba and Hawaiian Paradise. They both contain hibiscus, which moderates the ambrosial fruitiness of everything else. Otherwise, all that fruit can be chip-your-teeth sweet.
First, both were sampled hot. The Peach Melba smelled sweet, containing real peach and apple, among other ingredients, and here is where the hibiscus was helpful. Hot, it was sweet with a little dryness. Rather nice for a fruit herbal tea.
The second herbal tea, Hawaiian Paradise, was less sweet, and contained less hibiscus. It was well blended tropical fruits. Both teas were pleasant and enjoyable, hot.
We chilled both teas, and sampled again. For me, this is where they shine. They were both awesome, cold. As in, iced tea. Once again, the Peach Melba was a little sweeter than the Hawaiian Paradise. I added a little stevia to offset the astringency of the hibiscus, and they were even better.
The NW Tea Festival is coming around again this year, Oct 4th & 5th. Come see vendors, and taste new teas. Expand your tea horizons.