Tea Blog

Summer is in full swing!

Here at Zhi, we love the season’s fresh fruits and enjoy pairing them with our organic tea.

This beautiful berry infused tea will bliss out every summer get together. Once one sees how easy smashes are to make, they’ll quickly lead your menu planning for all your picnics and pool parties. Promise!

The recipe below makes a ½ gallon pitcher and can be enjoyed as a mocktail or cocktail.

Strawberry Basil White Tea Smash

5 minutes, makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons dry White Pomegranate  Zhi Tea

• 4 cups hot water

• 3 cups cold water

• 1 pint strawberries

• ¼ cup sugar or agave

• basil leaves

• ice

• 8 oz vodka or gin*optional

Teaware:

• wooden spoon

• bowl

• teapot or strainer

• half gallon pitcher

• cups

Directions:

1. Fill half gallon pitcher with ice.

2. Steep 4 tbs of dry White Pomegranate Tea in 4 cups of hot water for 3 minutes.

   • Be mindful of water temperature as to not scald the tea.

3. Pour steeped tea into half gallon pitcher over ice.

4. Add 3 cups of cold water to the pitcher.

5. In a seperate bowl, use your wooden spoon to muddle sweetener, 1 cup strawberries, and 12 basil leaves.

6. Pour strawberry smash into pitcher as well.

7. Stir to mix.

8. Taste. You can add more fruit, basil and sweeten further if you like.

9. If you’d like to make it into a cocktail, add some vodka or gin.

10. Now, your pitcher of iced tea is complete.

11. Pour over cups filled with ice and enjoy!

12. Garnish with strawberry fan.

It’s hot. Cold steep!

Designed especially for pitcher-perfected iced tea, this innovative steeping method makes a flawless batch every time.

Haven’t cold steeped before? No worries!

Easy to follow directions are included on every kit. Plus, cold steeping automatically avoids over-steeping and temperature errors. With our easy to use Iced Tea kits, there’s no measuring or hot kettle needed either!

While every Zhi Tea can be enjoyed hot or iced, our cold steeping kits include our top six favorite iced teas. Our newest addition is a modification of our current top-selling Tropical Green. You’ll love this tea’s fruity, flavorful nature with tons of pineapple notes.

Catch the latest tea trend and get ready to cold steep all summer long. Available in six decadent teas, including our brand new Tropical Green!  Read more about Zhi’s summer line of seasonal iced tea here in the Austin Chronicle.

Have you cold steeped before?

Born under the blazing Texas sun, Zhi Tea knows about heat. Founded in 2007,Austin’s premiere organic tea company has been helping their neighbors keep summer cool for years. Delicious and calorie free, iced tea is an intelligent and luxurious way to stay hydrated this season.

“June is National Iced Month. While we don’t ever need an ‘official’ reason to drink iced tea here at Zhi, it is a great time to encourage others to start thinking about safe and healthy ways to enjoy the summer,” says Lorien.

“Not only is iced tea refreshing and delicious, research suggests tea plays important roles in elevating mood, maintaining healthy weight and helping your body maintain healthy cells and tissues.  When one packs their bag for the beach, we hope there’s some amazing iced tea next to the sunblock, the frisbee and one’s favorite book.”

With almost 100 teas and a line of specially crafted cold steeping kits, your summer iced tea choices are endless. Indulge and hydrate the healthy way: with Zhi Tea!

Is your favorite tea an iced tea?

Naughty, nice, and over ice!

This colorful thai iced tea is the best way to surrender to one’s sweet tooth. While thai iced tea is something one usually enjoys at a restaurant or tea room, here is Zhi’s recipe for you to make at home. We make it with our Austin Breakfast, making it our ‘Texas’ version. We also use coconut cream to make it even silkier, another difference to celebrate in this signature.  Let’s get decadent!

This recipe makes a ½ gallon pitcher. As you can imagine, this is a luxury drink you’ll want to share…or keep sipping on all day long.

Zhi’s Texas Thai Tea

15 minutes, makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of dry Sweet Desert Delight tea

• 1 tablespoon dry Austin Breakfast tea

• 6 cups hot water

• 1 cup coconut cream

• ½ cup condensed milk

• ice

• 8 oz vodka *optional

Teaware:

• teapot or strainer

• half gallon pitcher

• cups

Directions:

1. Steep 4 oz of Sweet Desert Delight in 5 cups of hot water for 10 minutes.

2. When done, strain and pour steeped tea into half gallon pitcher.

3. Steep 1 tablespoon of Austin Breakfast in 1 cup of hot water for 3 minutes.

4. When done, strain and pour steeped tea into half gallon pitcher.

5. Pour coconut cream and condensed milk into hot tea combo. Stir to dissolve.

6. Chill by adding a few ice cubes to the pitcher. Stir to dissolve.

7. Taste. You can add more coconut cream and evaporated milk to sweeten further.

8. If you’d like to make it into a cocktail, add some vodka.

9. Now, your pitcher of thai iced tea is complete.

10. Pour over cups filled with ice and enjoy!

11. Garnish with star anise.

Notes:  Keep stirring! The creamy ingredients will want to separate over time. Enjoy!

Howdy, tea fans and coconut lovers!

May we introduce you to our Coconut Oolong?

By popular demand, Zhi has created an enticing, simple and luxurious flavored oolong. We have simply taken our stunning Emerald oolong and added organic essence of sweet, young coconut. The result is creamy smooth, silky sweet, with a long round finish.

Traditionalists would herald this move as blasphemous!

Well, to be honest, Dr. Oolong shuddered when faced with the thought of flavoring such a pure and perfect Bao Zhong. But he does like to to innovate and create new tastes. So, being the coconut freaks that we are, as well as known oolong fanatics, we could hardly resist the temptation. We tried it… and it was amazing!

So add another coconut tea to our list! We hope you love it as much as we do.

PS this tea is amazing hot and iced. Enjoy!

Here at Zhi Tea, we know that Earth Day is every day. Our customers do, too, and we love them for it. There are so many ways to show one’s appreciation for nature, and having a cup of tea is one of them.

Tea’s wonder is steeped in ancient traditions and the planet’s biodiversity. The cultivation and use of the tea plant is a testament to man’s relationship with the natural world. Over the centuries, the demand and appreciation for tea has grown. While that is a wonderful thing, it also brings to light many choices that have to be made to be a good steward of the art of tea and the environment in which it thrives. 

Committing to a standard of excellence is possible when committing to organic tea. Earth-friendly practices are possible every step of the way when considering planting, nurturing and harvesting of tea on the numerous plantations all over the world. All of Zhi’s teas are curated according to these values. Choosing organic tea allows one to know that he is enjoying a pesticide-free product and aligning with agricultural standards of sustainability and purity. And, it tastes great too!

When given a chance to “Pause, Reflect, Connect” this Earth Day, we hope you do so with a cup of Zhi tea. Together, we celebrate our connection to the planet’s wisdom and beauty as we strive to be ever mindful of her gifts. Happy Earth Day, tea lovers! – Dr. Oolong