I saw this tea on Adagio’s site, & who could resist? It’s a blend of Almond oolong, pumpkin spice, & tiger eye, with some cacao nibs thrown in for an extra treat. For my own education, I also ordered sample sizes of all three tea components, which I’ll review individually at some later time. This was my first order from Adagio.
The dry tea smells terrible, in my opinion. Very chemical smelling.
I steeped: 1.5 tsp for 3 minutes
The brewed tea smells: well, truthfully, I’m not really smelling much…black tea…a hint of caramel..
I left it sit on my counter for a few minutes while I stepped out into my garden to pick a few things: A mix of lettuces, a daikon radish, some cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, looks like I’m having a little salad with dinner!
So the tea: plain, it’s meh, but a bit of stevia changed that. There is a caramel note, a little almond, where are the spices? Maybe my taste buds just aren’t picking things up like they should. I admit, I’m not usually a huge fan of flavored teas, because in most cases you have to add some kind of sweetener to experience the flavors. I’m also not really getting a mouth-feel of much…no thick chocolate sensation, no bright butteryness. On the good side, it’s not excessively drying either.
It’s not bad, & again, some of that may be my tastebuds. Many of us have noticed that our taste for a tea changes from time to time. Obviously, when we’re sick we’re affected, but who knows what else might effect our ability to perceive flavors, sensations, aromas, etc. So, although this may not be my favorite cup of the day (that was the Zhu Rong Yunnan), it’s not a bad tasting tea either. I don’t dislike it, & I’ll drink some more on another day & report my findings! :D
