Wissotzky Tea

I picked up a box of this at Netcost this morning, since they tend to have all sorts of interesting teas to try. My first thought when I opened the box? “Wooow is that rosy”.

Seriously, the scent of the dry mix is an almost overwhelming rose and cinnamon smell. I like rose teas and I was worried that this would taste like shampoo or perfume. I have to keep it quarantined from my other teas for fear of cross-contamination. I shouldn’t have worried since once you brew it it mellows out. Not too rosy, not too cinnamony. Supposedly there’s coconut in there too, but it’s completely lost under the cinnamon and rose.

I wouldn’t really call this “chai” though, as the only spice included is cinnamon. No cloves, no ginger, no cardamom, no anything else. Would I buy it again? Probably not. It’s nice for a bagged rose tea, but not so much that I would necessarily restock.

Maybe my tastebuds are too sensitive, but I got this at a T.J. Maxx actually with high hopes and it tasted like cleaning supplies to me. I wasn’t getting much of a mint or ginger. The lemon was coming through in the flavor of Pledge! While I’ve never actually sprayed Pledge directly into my mouth, I have a feeling it tastes a lot like this tea, and it certainly smells like it.

I opened the box and found a bag. Ugh. I did it again, I bought a bagged tea that comes in a non-resealable bag. I’m fine with loose tea that needs its own container, but I use tea bags differently, and it’s no fun having to keep them in an airtight container. I want tea bags to be portable and something I can store in a drawer in my office so that I have a wide selection available at any time without much fuss. Also, while satchets are satchets, they’re small and extremely restrictive.

The scent of this strikingly red, black tea is sharp and woody. It smelled like there would be a lot of tannins leaving me with a less smooth aftertaste and a lip-smack, but the tea was surprisingly drinkable. I’m not really certain what the safflower brings to the table aside from color, although I worried it might upset my ragweed allergy (it didn’t).

Finally got around to doing a proper review for this.An amazing cherry scent when you first pour the hot water over it. A 5 minute brew gives a mild black tea with a cherry aftertaste and a little bit of tartness (might be the hibiscus – but for once the flavor actually complements the fruit rather than detracting).

Previous over-brew review: http://steepster.com/chai-mera/posts/299405
A good non-caff alternative is NMTeaCo’s Pondi Cherry: http://steepster.com/chai-mera/posts/301920

TRAVEL NOTES: Individually wrapped teabags make this a good at-work tea. Probably not a good while-commuting choice, though as it can get overly strong.

The first tea review from the assorted Wissotsky box that a friend sent as a gift. I accidentally left the cup steeping for 20 minutes; the end result was delicious but tasted more like cherry juice than tea ( not “cherry flavor,” the real thing – a good sign!) This would probably make an excellent summer iced tea, but I’m holding off on the numerical rating until I can make a proper cup.

EDIT: Here’s that “proper” review: http://steepster.com/chai-mera/posts/315826

Sipdown, finally. I’m not particularly fond of this blend. It’s juicier than I generally like in a brew. The berry flavor is fine but a bit generic. It also steeps up very strong if you’re not careful with the timing.

Nice peachy flavor, maybe a little artificial-tasting and sour, good with sugar but I don’t think it would hold up to milk.

Weak and a little lemony, but not very flavorful.

It’s okay. I was expecting something better for some reason. Basic earl grey. Slightly bitter. Nothing special.

Fruity and fragrant, but not too sour and hibiscus-y.

I bought this tea about a month and a half ago to help with my headaches caused by sinus problems. Despite there being stevia in this blend, the tea isn’t overpoweringly sweet. It’s a perfect balance of sweetness and lemongrass flavor. I wish this tea was more citrusy and minty. It’s a very mellow blend. It’s not my all time favorite, but it helps with my headaches and convenient.

I usually don’t like my teas to taste too much like juice. After all, if I wanted juice I would just drink juice. This blend is rather an exception to that rule. It tastes like mango nectar. Sweet, juicy, and on point. Yet I quite like it. Maybe because it’s an herbal? Then again Butiki’s Mango Lassi was also an herbal that tasted like mango juice and I never entirely got on board with it. I would have to do a side-by-side comparison to figure out why one works for me and the other doesn’t. Maybe it’s just that my tastes and preferences are changing. Alas, I ran out of Mango Lassi months ago and now I’m out of this blend too. Sipdown!

Light and refreshing, flavorful without milk or sugar.

Why does this have such a high rating.

It’s bland, it’s light, there’s almost no tea in the bag! freaking thing tastes like air.

It’s from the holy land, it has to be good, right? Wrong. it’s terrible.

don’t get it. ever.

Oh god, how is this soooo expensive.

The bag is absolutely terrible quality, the first bag I pulled out of the packet ripped on me and tea flew everywhere. All over the counter.

It’s cheap if you can find it in stores, but it’s freaking expensive on eBay. Then again, you’re buying from the Holy Land.

Flavor wise, it’s terrible. I’ve had better earl greys at gas stations that were generic. It’s weak, it’s light, it reminds me of drinking water with some flavour. I feel gross after drinking it.
Bergamot? What bergamot. it’s like they shoved it on the bag and just said “good enough”.

All in all, don’t get this crap.

Well, where do I start. Its earl grey. Barely. Its not a bad tea, but its not good either. Its literally mediocre. Wissotzky really hypes up its tea as being the best thing ever but its far from it- the merchants on eBay from Israel have the gall to sell 3 bags for $10.
I bought a box at the local Wegmans for $3.something. At the price, its not bad. Its better than most any generic Earl Grey. But the flavor of Bergamot is very faint, and the black tea is very weak. Sugar makes you imagine the Bergamot is there more than it actually is.

Overall, I have to say this tea makes me say Oy Vey – its cheap and it shows. Even the packaging/bags was poorly constructed (and was suspiciously similar to a cheap Egyptian black tea I have).

Wah, another tasting note that disappeared. I’m going to start keeping track of my notes in a word processor.

This blend is very creamy even without any additions. I used 1 bag in a 16 oz travel mug with hot water from the office water cooler, steeped for about 12 minutes. The cinnamon is definitely present but not overwhelming. Yum!

I wanted to love this tea – I mean, EGs are my favourite tea ever – but the flavouring was so muted and the black base so blah that it really wasn’t a fun cup at all. I made it through a couple mouthfuls before dumping the whole thing.

So I suppose if you want to drink an EG without actually tasting any bergamot…well, then this is probably the tea for you. If not, then move along – there are far better EGs out there.

I bought it on a whim at a Big Lot’s discount store for $1, so I was a little skeptical to start with. The tea bag wrapper says it is great for iced tea, but I prefer my tea hot. The fresh out of the box tea bag smells minty. The steeping tea smells like a minty armpit. It was a little off putting and made me scared to taste it. As it cooled, the armpit smell dulled a bit and I could smell mint. The tea itself is a pretty honey color, almost orange.

I don’t think I steeped it long enough, because it tasted a bit watery. The taste itself is orangey, citrus mint and I just didn’t like it. The after taste feels like I brushed my teeth, something I don’t usually get when I drink mint tea.

This was my favorite tea before I really got into loose leaf. The spice is gentle. The sage lends depth. My brother drinks it with a ton of honey, but I prefer it straight. It’s a little drying at the end. That’s not usually a problem for me. Right now it’s too darn hot to tolerate dryness though.

I think this is a sipdown. It’s hard to be sure. I had another teabag, but it’s gone missing. I suspect my dad of purloining it.

EDIT: It’s confirmed. My dad drank the other bag. He was amusingly surprised that I even noticed it was gone :-)

Obligatory Passover tea note. Happy to see that this was still available! I thought it might get discontinued. I’ve been drinking it for the past few days. We didn’t get any almond milk this year, so I have just been adding honey. My stomach gets cranky if I’m not careful, since it’s a black tea. I just have it with a snack and a short or watered-down brew. Can confirm that it pairs beautifully with cheesecake, probably because the rose and cinnamon go well with the creaminess of the cheesecake. Looking forward to having it as an oat milk latte when Passover is over!

It’s not Passover for me without this tea! They’ve come out with a new line of chai blends so I’m a little concerned that they will discontinue this one, but that’s future Kaylee’s problem. I had a cup of this with a touch of honey and almond milk. It’s such a comfort tea for me at this point. The rose and cinnamon are a great combo, and it’s strongly floral while staying just this side of pleasant rather than perfume-y.