Andrew Jesaitis Send Message

I’ve been drinking this tea a lot lately, but haven’t gotten around to posting anything about it. I think that this (lack of) action pretty much sums up the tea.

It’s good, not mindblowing. It’s highly drinkable and doesn’t really distract or add anything to what you are doing or eating. In fact, I think that is it’s biggest strength. And for that reason alone I’ll keep it in my cabinet.

Remedy Teas description is spot on. Lightly oxidized? Uh huh, it’s ever so slightly oxidized and actually has a taste more akin to a green tea. Lilac notes? Yep, but very slight. They are in balance with the lightness of the tea.

It’s a very forgiving tea as well. I have forgotten that I was steeping a cup and come back 20-30 mins later and it is still drinkable and pretty good at that. But, at it’s recommended steep time of 4 mins, there is no hint of bitterness—just a nice well balanced tea.

This tea has interested me since I saw it on Remedy Teas list over a year ago. I finally got a chance to drink some today.

It was worth the wait. A really interesting flavor profile. First, we have the usual oolong thing going on and despite being heavily oxidized, the tea retains a vegetal note—the first word that came to my mind was bean-sprouts. At the same time the tea contains a good bit of musky, nuttiness that I think most tea drinkers will appreciate. All these flavors are in balance with a slightly sweet overtone.

I easily got 3 steeps out of it. Get some if you can. The color alone is worth it.

This tea is a great tea to always have in your cup. It is a sweet tea that gives you that nice green tea buzz. It has a nice, full body, but isn’t overly complex. Although there is a slight bitterness, it is pretty controlled and in balance with the rest of the tea.

2 steeping was even better—less bitter. 3rd steeping was still good, just getting a little weaker.

And did I mention that it is CHEAP! Like $3.50/oz. Definitely one of the better values I’ve found out there.

I got this tea for Christmas from a friend in the UK.

The aroma (even just in the bag) is a very strong smokiness. It is probably about as close as a vegan will get to tasting beef jerky. But in all seriousness, I dried my gloves over a campfire on New Years Eve and the next day my gloves still didn’t smell as smoky as this tea. Even though I love sitting around the campfire as much as the next guy, I was a little worried that the tea would be overwhelming and one note.

But, I was wrong! Amazingly, steeping yields a well-balanced cup of tea. There is certainly a smokiness to the tea, but there is a certain sweetness to the tea as well. The background to these flavors is a very clean tasting black tea.

Pretty great stuff.

Wow! This white tea has some life to it. Usually I think of white teas as bland and unexciting-you know that kind of tea that is used as a base in fruit blends; not bad, but not interesting. This tea has a nice nutty quality to it. It tastes almost like a lighter version of an oxidized oolong. Good stuff.

Brewed a couple cups of this tea this afternoon. Wasn’t expecting much, but was delighted to find a delicious oxidized oolong. A little earthy, a little nutty, a little sweet, and perfect for a winter day up here in Montana.

Another tea from Adagio’s Masters collection. Smooth, buttery, slightly sweet, slightly floral, well-balanced. It’s all true. But, it isn’t an overly bold tea, so other flavors from what you’re eating, etc, can easily over power it. But, a really nice oolong to enjoy this morning.

Well, I hardly ever have rooibos (like the last time was probably 5 years ago when I was rummaging through my mom’s tea cabinet and found some random redbush tea), but this tea came as a surprise sample the last time I ordered from Adagio. Although it is different, I think I like it. It is pretty nutty and while the vanilla smell is overpowering while steeping, it mellows out nicely in the cup. I might look into these a little more to find some nice late night drinks.

I’ve had this tea about 3 or 4 times now and can honestly say this is an excellent tea. It is certainly one of the best Ti Kuan Yin (aka Iron Goddess of Mercy) teas I’ve had. And hands down the best tea I’ve gotten from Adagio.

The two words that fit it best are: clean and balanced. Both adjectives are high on my list of descriptors I want for tea. It is ever so slightly oxidized taking away the vegetal, green tea taste that sometimes overpowers oolongs. The sweetness counterbalances the remaining bitterness. Floral notes add a little complexity and are (thankfully) very natural and slight.

This tea is part of Adagio’s “Masters” series. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by these teas. Although, I haven’t found one that has astounded me, they easily compete with teas from more boutiquey tea houses.