apocsm

First time preparing this with my brand new gaiwan, so it may or may not throw off my taste (I have no clue about that, this is my first time using a gaiwan).

Scent
-Before Steeping: Rich caramel scent, decadently rich. Extremely rich, almost overwhelming. There is a thick cloying sweetness scent to it.

-While Steeping: The typical black tea scent, blended with a cloying sweetness and marshmallow after-scent. The caramel scent is still there, richly in the foreground, intense and sweet.

-After Steeping: There is still a faint black tea scent, but that is mostly overshadowed by the reinforced intensity of the caramel, extremely sweet and cloying.

Taste and Overview:
At first taste it’s sweet. Very sweet. Just sweet, at the beginning at least. Right afterwards the intense caramel flavor shows itself to the world, rich and powerful, and just downright delicious. This shows itself well as a desert tea, cloyingly sweet and yummy. You can just taste the marshmallow in it throughout the drinking experience, which lends that nice marshmallow gooiness flavor into the mix. It’s just so good and rich it’s not even funny. Too rich, of course, for anything but a desert tea, but that’s alright. The aftertaste is mostly a sweet caramel flavor that just kind of hangs around for a little while, which is kind of annoying. After adding a little splash of almond milk, for added taste and creaminess, the flavor just soars and astounds. The nearly flavorless almond milk adds that lovely creaminess to the tea, and the very slight, barely-there, lingering taste of almonds hits it just right. I now have a flavor more akin to a caramel crème brulee or a caramel flan. That sweet syrupy caramel intensity blended just right with burnt cream and sugar. This tea is definitely awesome. I would drink again and again as a desert tea.

Scent:
-Before Steeping: Very earthy, typical black tea scents, with an undertone of cocoa.
-While Steeping: Very mellow. The scent of cocoa is a little stronger, but not much. Not much other scents really, but that might just be because of the temperature.
-After Steeping: A nice, malty, black tea scent. I can no longer smell the cocoa either.

Flavor:
Still hot. Very hot, burnt my tongue trying it. It tastes bitter, and that’s all I can really say for the first taste. After it cools down a little I’ll probably be able to taste more. Then I will taste after I add sugar, and then milk.

After cooling down a little, it’s still bitter, but there is another taste there, that I just can’t place. Almost cocoa, but not quite.

After adding a little sugar (don’t ask how much); the cocoa flavor stands out quite a bit more, the sugar brings out the sweetness in it. The bitterness is pretty much gone completely, leaving behinds faint earthy and cinnamon tones, with a flavor that tastes how molasses smells.

Adding a shot of milk (literally a shot); the milk adds a creamy texture that goes so well with the sugar that it’s not even funny. Intense chocolate tones mixed with the rich, creamy flavors, mixing in well with the traditional black tea undertones. It’s glorious! It’s sweet and rich and yummy, the faint cinnamon tones blends with the cream and sweetness, the molasses taste rich and gooey-like, rich honey-like flavors; the sweetness just overwhelms engulfing the mouth in an avalanche of candy-like goodness. Oh god, I like this tea. I love this tea- with sugar and milk it fits my tastes so perfectly it’s not even funny.

This is my custom blend (and I am just starting with custom blends), so I’m not going to rate it point-wise, but I will give my own comments:

Scent:
-Before Steeping: Intense peppermint scent. That’s about all you can really say about it. The peppermint smell seems to overwhelm everything else.
-While Steeping: Still very minty. I think I may have to tone down the percentage of peppermint because it seems to be overwhelming everything else.
-After Steeping: Slightly minty with intense earthy tones. There’s something else there that I recognize, but just cannot place.

Flavor:
I’m only doing one steep this time around. Just poured it and tried it. Still nice and hot, maybe a little too hot, because I didn’t really taste anything. Leaving it aside to cool for a few minutes, and mixing in a couple of tablespoons of sugar. It’s nice and minty and smooth. I mean really smooth. I like the taste of it. The peppermint seems to blend real well with the candy cane and Christmas Adagio teas. I get this real intense burst of flavor at the beginning, kind of like, of course, a peppermint candy cane. It leaves that cool feeling in my mouth you get from eating mints, although it does leave a minty aftertaste. The aftertaste is the only thing I dislike about this so far, but you win some and you lose some. Just added a dollop of milk, and it definitely added that creamy texture and taste to it. I love this tea, just despise the lingering aftertaste.

Overall: I like this tea. It’s good, and it soothes my stomach. The aftertaste leaves something to desired, but hey that’s life. Unless, of course, I can figure out what to change to get rid of it.

Okay, just trying this out now. On the Adagio home-site there is only two reviews, and one is by the blend’s creator… so here goes:

Scent
-Before Steeping: Intense strawberry scent, mixed with a little bit of earl grey, and an intense background scent of lavender. The strawberry tends to overwhelm all other scents in the blend, though.
-While Steeping: Intense strawberry scent lessens a little, supplanted by a combined scent of lavender, strawberry, and earl grey. Strong, yet not to strong. Smells really good, to tell the truth
-After Steeping: No real fruity scent, as far as I can tell. Lavender scent is still there, accompanied by rich, earthy tones.

Flavor
-1st Steep (hot): Fresh from the pot, still boiling. Added about a tablespoon or so of sugar, and let sit for a second. Not much strawberry flavor initially. Rather intense earl grey lavender flavor through, predominant throughout the still hot cup of tea. The fruitiness will probably reveal itself once it cools down a little though. Will put it in the fridge for a little, see if that helps. Choosing to forgo a second steep this time around, I have work tomorrow and it’s a little too late for a second cup (for me at least).
-1st Steep (cold): Trying this again, after leaving it to cool down in the fridge for about an hour. Still not much strawberry flavor, but it’s there and noticeable. Blends in nicely with the earl grey lavender. After leaving it to sit a little longer in the freezer, the strawberry taste really shows itself. The strawberry is strongest in the aftertaste, of course, but there is also a nice floral tone to it.

Overall: I like this, I really do. It’s an odd grouping of flavors, with the multiple strawberry flavors and the earl grey lavender. I like it best cold, or at least lukewarm. It would probably be best as an iced tea- the cold seems to bring out the strawberry and floral flavors more. I would most definitely drink this again.

Added a little milk and honey this time around instead of sugar. Made a definite change. The combination of the two caused the fruitiness that I dislike to lessen a bit, so as to be more manageable. Made it real nice to drink. Definitely increasing my rating a little, and will probably have this more often in the future.

Again, bear with me, still just a beginner in the world of loose leaf teas, though I think I am getting better. The massive number of opinions out here on the site help me increase my knowledge quite a bit, and I have to thank everyone for that. So here we go:

Scent:
Before Steeping: Fruity. Very fruity. I can definitely smell the blackberry; the smell tends to overwhelm everything else. Faint scent of vanilla in the background, along with the earl grey bravo.
While Steeping: About one minute in: slightly aromatic. Earl grey scents are in the majority. Light berry scent, smells more like blueberries than blackberry.
After Steeping: More aromatic than before, but not much. Earl grey scents have taken a back seat- more of a blueberry scent now. Very fruity, reminds me almost of cooked blueberries.

Flavor:
-1st Steep: Did this at boiling, so I’m letting it sit to cool down for a moment. Mixed two spoonful’s of sugar in with it, to enhance the natural sweetness (I love sugar). My first sip instantly engulfs me in intense berry flavors. And they most definitely are blueberries, not the blackberry like it says in the ingredients. Too sweet to be blackberries. I can taste a hint of vanilla in the back, nice and soothing. The earl grey is still there to, just less intense than I thought it would be.
-2nd Steep: Boiling again, but steeping them a second time around with the same bunch as the first time. Only one spoonful of sugar this time though. I kind of like the taste better this time. It’s lost a bit of flavor, sure, but the earl grey is still noticeable, as is the berry and the vanilla, just less so. Still fruity and sweet, which is good, but not as much as before. Fairly good for a second time around.

Overall: I like it, I really do, but it’s too fruity to drink consistently. I would drink it every now and then, but the fruitiness of the blueberry tends to get to intense at times, while there isn’t enough vanilla, and the earl grey flavors are little less than I usually like.

Second tasting, after having steeped in the fridge for about nineteen to twenty hours. First glass is without sugar- still tart at the end, but the tartness has mellowed out a little. The floral flavors have intensified a little, showing themselves more towards the end of the sip. Citrus and fruity flavors are there, nice and intense, with just the right amount of sweetness. I think I have identified the previously unknown fruity flavor as the grapefruit. It definitely has the distinctive taste. Second glass is with two spoonful’s of natural sugar. The sugar definitely balances out the tartness. The bitter taste at the back of the mouth is gone. Nice and sweet, with the sugar bringing out the citrus flavors even more. This is a wonderful iced tea (as long as it has sugar, that is). Not sure I would like it as a hot tea, but I love it as iced.

Doing this iced.
Steep time: 4 Tbsp. initially for 3 ½ – 4 hours, followed by an additional 1 ½ Tbsp. to continue to steep overnight.
Scent: Floral and citrusy, with additional fruity tones- acai, berries, pineapple; rose scent, slight tint of hibiscus and orange.

Doing this as a first taste, the night before, after about seven to eight hours steeping.

Not much flavor in the initial sips. Slightly tart flavor in the back of the throat. Continued drinking produces a delightful mix of berry and citrus flavors; with an as yet unidentifiable undertone- it is fruity though. The flavors are light still, just barely there, yet still intense. Sweet and tangy, with a hint of floral tones at the end of sip, and in the aftertaste. Slightly bitter at the back of the throat and in the aftertaste. Probably the hibiscus. I like it though, sweet, yet with that nice tart ending. Will have to get used to the end taste. On the second try, I will add a little sugar (natural raw); see if that intensifies the sweetness enough to balance out the tartness. Slight reanalysis: slightly sweet and floral tones at the end might be the acai and the rose petals. Will have to see with the second tasting.

First rating, about 60-65 out of 100

Overall not that bad. Not something I would buy again, unless at a discounted price, but not bad. Had it first as a sample at a Teavana store, and liked it a bit. Bought it, brought it home and tried it again. Plain, first- no sugar or anything. Light berry and acai flavors. Added sugar, and it showed itself up. Good flavor- nice and fruity, with it’s sweetness enhanced with sugar, it made for a fairly good tea. But by itself, it’s not really something I would have multiple times in a row. Maybe one every week or so. Going to try it blended with Wild Orange Blossom next. Iced this time around.

Just starting with loose leaf teas so bear with me, I’m still getting used the intricacies. This war a very citrusy tea- a bit too much. Within the first few sips, the orange flavor was fine, but the more I drank, the stronger it got. Slight floral undertones at the end of each sip, with the orange overpowering any other flavor as far as I could tell. Might try it again later blended with another tea, or as an iced tea. See if it improves then. Overall however, it’s not really to my tastes.