cody

Bumped up a few points because I’ve been getting a serious craving for this one lately. It’s becoming my go-to black tea.

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Three cups so far today with amber sugar.

The last of my sample. I think I might be getting a larger size soon… but, any time I buy more than a sample, I get bored with the tea pretty quickly. Decisions, decisions…

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With a bit of amber sugar. I’m really digging on this tea.

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I think the word I’m looking for is… earthy? Definitely interesting. Vaguely smoky, but in a good way… not usually being a fan of smoky. It’s good, but I just don’t get into many Chinese blacks.

…I have now (finally) tasted every tea in my cupboard. I may be destashing/gifting to other Steepsterites soon, as soon as I figure out the best way to ship.

Second cup: Brewed a little stronger and added some amber sugar. Seriously rich. Yum.

I think I may have brewed this one a little on the weak side… I’m still not used to brewing single cups.

I think I can now say with some certainty that Assams are my favorite. This one seems a bit richer than the Melody, but as many of the reviews on Adagio have said… it’s not so much better that I’ll be spending the extra money on this one.

No notes yet.

The last of my Indian tea sampler. I had no idea what to expect going in, but it’s a nice, smooth, full-bodied tea. I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but I kind of neither like nor dislike it. I’ll definitely drink the rest of it and enjoy it, but I can’t see going out of my way to get it. Maybe I’m just in a mood lately.

Backlog – Took this to work in my Thermos the other day. Had an hour to kill before my shift started, and this tea and a good book made my work day almost tolerable.

I still haven’t decided how I feel about Darjeeling in general. I think I like it, but I still haven’t really put on finger on what it is I like or dislike about it.

It’s kind of… sweet. And fruity. And a bit spicy? Hmm.

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No notes yet.

Breakfast blends can be a bit harsh on my stomach, so I was interested in trying something that was meant to be a bit more mellow. This was pretty basic… in a good way. A good staple tea.

Not nearly as dark as it appeared yesterday, but still a good color. After adding sugar, I’m getting a distinct honey-like taste… which is interesting. I had to go back and make sure I knew which tea I’d actually brewed, because this morning’s cup seems completely different from the last. Yummy, just the same.

I’ve never had Nilgiri on its own, only in a few blends I’ve tried. It smells and tastes similar to a Ceylon… a bit brighter and crisper than I usually like for a hot tea. Like Ceylon, it’s a taste I neither crave nor dislike. It should probably work well iced.

Iced the rest of the pot with a bit of agave. Definitely works better sweetened.

Only my second experience with jasmine, and I don’t drink much green tea otherwise, so I don’t have much to compare this to, other than A&D’s Damn Fine version. I wish I’d tried this first to get a proper opinion, because right now all I can think is that I just don’t like it as much.

The taste is a bit milder, and a bit less sweet. There is a flavor coming across that I can’t quite put my finger on… not altogether unpleasant, just different. Not a bad cup, just nothing that wows me.

Part of the Indian tea sampler. (The Adagio black sampler taught me that I prefer Indian over Chinese, now I’ll learn which Indian tea I prefer. Good deal.)

I’ll have to remember to use one of my white cups next time, because the color coming out of the teapot spout looked much darker and more red than I’m used to, and I’d really like to see it. The flavor was very rich, very smooth and pretty malty. I’m a fan.

Got my teas from Arbor Teas less than 18 hours after I placed the order… I didn’t even know they were downstairs until my husband came home. Huzzah for local delivery.

The dry leaves smell like good vanilla extract… somewhat alcoholic, but delicious. The taste is soft and smooth, and works pretty well with a bit of sugar. Yum-my.

Edit: The empty cup now smells like toasted marshmallows. Weird and awesome.

Using the lower temp/more tea/less time combination I used for the Vanilla, I feel like I finally tasted this for the first time, too.

Iced with a bit of sugar. Not bad, but not terribly exciting.