Brent Swisher

I like this tea in no small part because it reminds me of the flavored coffee that always smells so delicious, but tastes so bad. A darker black tea, it tastes very warm and nutty. It has an amazingly smooth finish for a black tea, and has just a hint of sweetness that leaves you crazing more.

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This one did not have the typical “fishy” smell before brewing, so I thought it might be better than my last Pu-Erh. Once brewed, the familiar smell returned, all though it was not nearly as overpowering. The flavor was good, very smooth and mellow. No sweetness, no bitterness, just a slight earthy tone. Overall a good tea, and the best pu-erh I’ve had, but it still has the smell.

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This tea was a dark cup, with a very heavily roasted smell (hence the name I suppose…) Given the darkness and roasted smell, I was expecting something with a fairly bitter aftertaste, not so. It actually was quite smooth, very full, and good. I was expecting a lot more powerful taste but it is actually very mellow. Overall very good, not really what I was expecting, but good!

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Once brewed the smell takes on a strong, almost bitter scent. The flavor is interesting, stronger than most teas, but still pleasant. It has very earthy flavors, but sets itself apart from black tea in that it finishes with a hint of mild sweetness.

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I was expecting something earthier, but to my surprise, this was a very sweet and pleasant tea. The mocha and hazelnut flavoring is quite strong, and I suspect fans of those flavors of coffee would very much enjoy this. I did notice the caffeine was a bit higher than normal, definitely not something to try before you go to bed!

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My first flavored “mate” tea, I had high expectations for Citrus Mate as citrus teas have typically been among my favorites(Citron Green). having said that, I was a little disappointed in citrus mate. It isn’t bad, but the citrus flavor is much weaker than expected. The typical dark, earthy tones of mate are a little overpowering. I guess it has more to do with my expectations, but it still just isn’t as good as I was expecting. Having complained about that enough, it is a decent tea, especially if you are a mate fan. The citrus does take some of the edge off of the mate flavor, just not enough for me!

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It has a strong, almost pungent smell when brewed, just short of making it unpleasant. I liked it, although it would probably be easier for a coffee drinker to enjoy than a white or green tea lover. Had a hint of a nutty taste as well, and no bitter aftertaste.

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The second of my new green teas is Dongshan Dolce from Adagio. The tea leaves themselves have a sweet grassy smell that reminds me of alfalfa. The tea itself is a mild green with a very mellow flavor. Slightly sweet, it is a very smooth cup of tea. It is a little “grassy” tasting, but not to the point that it is unpleasant at all. Not a new favorite, but still a nice cup of tea, especially for true green tea lovers.

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I didn’t really know anything about this tea before I tried it, and was surprised by its minty flavor. It has a very smooth, light green tea feeling to it and by far the biggest taste you get is that of mint – peppermint to be exact. I learned it is a “twist” (pun intended) on the older Moroccan Mint which uses gunpowder instead of Darjeeling as the base. I would be interested to try Moroccan to see the difference between the two. It isn’t overpowering like some mint herbal teas, just a cool feeling after you have taken a sip. Overall it was pretty good, definitely refreshing. It would probably make an interesting iced tea. While it was a good mint tea, mint really isn’t my favorite; but others who enjoy mint more might like it better.

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The most amazing thing about this tea is by far its smell, probably the best smelling tea I have tried. Its taste follows up and doesn’t disappoint like last week’s Blood Orange. The delicate blend of the sweet citrus and the mellow green tea makes this taste just wonderful. It finishes off with just a hint of a smoky finish, leaving you with a very pleasant aftertaste, something a lot of teas lack. It also holds up well to multiple brewing, making it a great choice for mornings at the office. Overall, it’s my second favorite tea of all time. There’s just not too much more to say, except I think I’ll go make another cup.

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The final tea in the first month of my tea tasting experiment came from a new company to me, Tea Gschwendner. As for this particular tea, I was a little disappointed. It has an almost overpowering citrus scent, but the actual citrus flavor left much to be desired. It was a decent tea, but compared to the scent it gives off it was very tame. There was almost no orange flavor and the Ceylon tea they used as a base isn’t remarkable. It calls for a shorter steep time than I would normal do, but didn’t get bitter when I left it in a little longer than they recommend. Overall it was a decent tea, but nothing to write home about.

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Wow! This was a lot better than I was expecting. Maybe because of the poor reputation for tea and England in the States, I always thought that “Earl Grey” would be dull and bland. How wrong I was! The sweet citrus smell given off by the tea leads to an equally pleasing taste. Definitely the most tasteful black tea of the Adagio sampler I have been going through. I wish I could tell you how it tasted with a little milk and sugar, I enjoyed it so much plain that I didn’t want to try it! Probably the Black tea I will be recommending to new tea drinkers, not once did I get even a hint of bitterness off it.

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My second attempt at new black teas was Yunnan Jig. After the pleasant surprise of enjoying last week’s English Breakfast so much, maybe my expectations were just too high. Yunnan Jig had a little bit sweeter smell than some black teas, but other than that nothing really jumped out at me. It wasn’t too bitter, although it did have the slight hint that accompanies some black teas. There just didn’t seem to be anything going for it. I was also disappointed that there was no sweetness that I was expecting given its aroma. While I didn’t mind drinking it, it wasn’t something that I was really enjoying either. Definitely a mellow black tea, I found it a little lacking.

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While I normally enjoy lighter teas – green being my favorite, I decided to try some black teas this month and my first pick was adagio’s “English Breakfast.” From first brew you can tell it is a strong black tea. It had a very strong aroma – not sweet at all, but still pleasant. It tasted a lot like what you would expect. It isn’t sweet like the green teas I have tried, but it also didn’t have quite as much “bite” as some other black teas. I found that I enjoyed it best as a pick me up in the morning. I also really enjoyed it in the afternoon with just a little bit of milk and sugar. The milk and sugar really ease out the last hint of bitterness and make for a really smooth cup. It actually reminded me quite a bit of coffee, and might make for a good “transition tea” for anybody trying to switch. One note: be careful when you brew it, even a little extra time can make it very bitter very fast.

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