Adagio Custom Blends, Christa Y

Finally trying this again. Dry smell is scrumptious, steeped I initially get standard black tea smell, albeit (artifically) sweetened. Upon closer inspection, there is a definite creamy berry sort of aroma, almost reminiscent of a french vanilla cappuchino. The black tea smell is a little disconcerting, not of the best quality. I’m positive I didn’t oversteep it, but it almost gives off that aroma. Looking at the leaves, they are very small and broken up, so I’m assuming that is the source of the ‘bitter’ smell. Hopefully, I am over-analyzing things.

The liquor is very dark and a little ominous. Lets dive in! First sips are (unfortunately) skewed by the onions from my lunch. Onion taste aside, there is a lingering sweet berry taste after the sip, but I get some of that bitter black tea at the front. It blends well with the vanilla to cover it up, I don’t really get a straight up bitter taste, but it definitely lacks the complexity and taste of some of my favourite black teas. This is one tea that only deteriorates as it cools, I prefer to drink it while hot before the bitterness becomes strong.

I definitely enjoy this but sadly have not been wowed like everyone else. I think that with a better base, this tea could really shine but at the moment it is held back by my impressions of the lower quality black tea. I’ve never had another Adagio tea before so I don’t know what they’ve used in this or what they use in general. I took a peek on the site but I didn’t see anything about the tea base. Anywho, this continues to be good but not stellar in my books and it makes me a little sad.

Had a pot of this last night with the beau and a friend (at the beau’s insistance, surprisingly). Wasn’t as wowed by it as I hoped to be (I think I somehow anticipated the blackberry flavour to taste like the blackberries that grow by my Dad’s) but it was definitely a unique tea experience, for my cupboard at least. Will do proper tasting note next time I try it!

It’s a very smooth black tea, especially for Adagio (I’ve always found their tea to be a bit bitter and drying). The blackberry taste is definitely present. I don’t know if I would be able to identify it as blackberry, but it blends with the black tea base very well. The vanilla is detectable in the smoothness of the sip. I can’t really taste it otherwise. There is a tiny bit of astringency which adds a nice tartness to the blackberry note. I wonder what a little splash of milk will do to the flavors. Overall, a very fun tea! I might be popping this in my shopping cart in my next Adagio order. Thank you so much, SimplyJenW for a sample.

Thank you SimplyJenW for swapping with me…

The dry tea has an almost syrup-like scent to it. It’s sweet, yet the black tea scent is grounding. 205/1.5 min.

Now I can smell the blackberries. The taste is really nice. The flavors meld together and taste like a blackberry custard tea. It’s definitely a black tea, mildly astringent, but with a richness that combines so well with the fruitiness of the tea. The vanilla is present, but fortunately it’s not the super sweet faux vanilla that haunts many a blend. Instead, it seems almost creamy in this one. (In taste, not in mouthfeel.) It’s really nice and makes a terrific wake up tea.

Thanks, SimplyJenW, for a delightful swap!

I had enough of this left for one jumbo mug after sharing (you guys will love it!) No worries on there not being any more for me…like I am running out of tea! (heavy sarcasm) I will admit to liking it better on the second mug. It might be on my repurchase list one day, but there are so may other teas to ‘entertain’. And lots of other teas to ‘meet’.

My first cuppa The Mafia….. I had been wanting to give this tea a try, as did a friend over the border, so we worked out a swap. There is just something about the juxtapositon of Jane Austen and the Mafia that makes me wonder how Jane would have handled herself in the time of Al Capone…… This one just arrived today. I have to say, it is pretty good. The flavor blends do work, and it almost doesn’t need additions. I do normally sweeten a bit, and this one just tasted better with a touch of sweet. It is mostly blackberry with a light amount of vanilla, even though I could smell some cream in the dry tea. The tea base has a slight bitter edge, but just enough to add interest.

I really will enjoy finishing this one. (They did send a little more than I was expecting, so I have some to share.) However, after sampling at other tea companies, Adagio in general seems kind of average. I do so appreciate their variety, ease of ordering, and that they were my gateway into the vast world of tea.
ETA: I have shared all I can this round…..

A long week, some hard things, I would rather escape with a good novel set in the 19th Century, but this will have to do for now. An old friend, constant, never changing, always there. I loved this tea from the very first sip and feel a bit sad when the cup is empty.
Blackberries, cream and a slight hint of smoked black tea. What a simple yet satisfying combination. I have written on this one before, but I have to say, it still inspires me, after all those cups.

UPDATE
Shame on me, credit where credit is due…
Thanks to SimplyJenW, for extending my sample of this. A true friend in tea.

Ahh, thanks to a mutually beneficial swap with SimplyJen, I am back with the Mafia today!
I love this tea. LOVE IT.

Sorry, I had to get control of myself, I have written on the virtures of this blend, thanked everyone responsible and really have nothing to add except…I LOVE IT.

Please excuse my exuberance, but I cannot contain my deep feelings of joy this tea brings. Since my last encounter with this elixir, I have resolved to secure more by purchase. But alas, at present, I find myself in less than profitable circumstances. So, I must ration the generous portion my trusted friend and accomplice (KiTT) provided. Simply put, I love this tea and would like to be considered for the title “Hitman” of the Jane Austen Mafia if any of you could kindly direct me to the proper authority.

I dare say, I believe I am the first of the male persuasion to comment on this tea…
While suppressing a smile, it is a distinct honor to share the company of so many esteemed ladies, while partaking in the mutual joy of this wonderful blend. Blackberry, the royal berry in my humble opinion with vanilla and cream. Delightful, delectable, and delicious.
Every sip takes me back to my mother’s Blackberry cobbler with creamy, vanilla ice cream on top. I am not sure I qualify for this club in terms of sense, but I am guilty of prideful prejudice when it comes to the three party marriage so perfectly joined together.
I am grateful to KiTT for the opportunity to try this, I have been wishing for so long…

I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, so when I saw this blend I jumped on the bandwagon and ordered. I’m glad I did — it’s a wonderful blend. It does strike me as the sort of tea that would go best with food of some kind, so I drank it while eating a croissant, and the two went together perfectly. I think it would be equally good with toast, a scone, an English muffin, or any other typical tea accompaniment. It does need a bit of sweetener, IMO, but once that’s added, the flavors come out and they are well balanced. It’s not too fruity, as some blends can be — you can still taste the black tea. Looking forward to drinking this with breakfast tomorrow!

“The seas were angry that day, my friends. The tiny ship was tossed, to and fro, until it came to rest upon an uncharted desert isle. And on that desert isle, we drank this tea. Because the rum. Was. Gone.”

I’ve been meaning to purchase my dear Plunder and Grog for a long time, and I’m thrilled that I finally did. This tea very much reminds me of my still-current favorite, Zeppelinmobile, except it adds cocoa and spice, and insodoing takes the Zeppelinmobile flavor profile to the third power. (In fact, I could have called it, “Zeppelinmobile Puts Out to Sea with Air Pirates.”)

Yes, yes, I created this blend too, which offers up a veritable buffet of personal-taste rhetoric, but it also fits into its piratical name like a glove. (Pirate gloves: for the buccaneer who wants ter’ keep the blisters off his lootin’ paws!) For the swash-curious, my thinking process for blendin’ the gloves off of Plunder and Grog went as follows:

1) What do pirates need to eat? Citrus, if they want to stave off scurvy. Cue the blood orange tea, which is tart-yet-mellow here, and smells divine.

2) What curses do pirates undergo? Aztec ones, since Aztec ghosts are kind of incensed about, oh, you know, their descendants being enslaved by the Spanish for a few measly centuries. Cue the chocolate chip tea, which serves up a splash of cocoa in the background of this blend.

3) Where do pirates travel? To exotic places that have exotic spices, exotically. Cue the chocolate chai tea, which lends another deliciously-smelling, spice road-meets-cocoa kick to this tea.

Drink up, me hearties, and on ter’ the haikus:

Cocoa-orange a day
will keep the doctor away
if apples don’t work.

This tea’s a treasure!
Now I’m off to braid things in
my hair. Pass the koal.

And here’s one to grow on, since I haven’t been able to tealog it up on a regular basis, and because, well, I can’t seem to shake the pirate theme today:

Puffy shirts and grog,
jumping from high places, then
laughing: piracy.

Wednesday Mar. 9, 2011
2nd Steep of The Day
Steeped a Pot Of Adagio Zeppelin
Great Black Tea with Orange Base Notes
Clears up Any Dazed and Confused Feelings.
Taste Like a Whole Lotta Love.
This is full of Good Times “NO” Bad Times.
Keep On Steepin

Saturday Feb. 19, 2011
1st Steep of the Day
Great Job Member ambientqueenie Created and Recommended.
This Adagio Tea Arrived Today In Time to Make a Pot for Lunch.
Great Tea, Dry Tea Looks Full Of Blood Orange Rind,
The Dry Smell Is Profoundly Citrus with a Hint of “Cocoa”
Not Aware of all the Oriental Spices Here but 1 smells of “Cocoa”
After a 2 Min. Steep in Boiling Water Which releases even Greater Aroma
The Liquor Is Golden Brown, I Added 3 Teaspoons of Honey to the Pot.
Yet the Unsweetened Liquor is Boldly Citric and Smoothly Ceylonese.
But I Enjoyed and Recommended the Honey Sweetened.
Again Great Job from ambientqueenie
Keep On Steepin

Long week, no tea scribbling. Time to imbibe and catch up.

There are three reasons for me to shout hooray for this Zelda-inspired tea blend: one, I created it and yet it still makes me laugh, two, it’s based on my own Pop-Culture Childhood Memories (patent pending), and three, it tastes pretty darn good: a full-bodied ceylon with strong notes of apricot, strawberry, and a hint of zesty orange … exactly the flavors which certain video game heroes might pluck off of their video game trees … or rather, the flavors on which good fruit smoothies are based, a description which, while accurate, does not have an appropriately cheesy ring to it.

As a fruit-infused ceylon, this blend benefits from the shorter end of the steeping timer, i.e. about 3 minutes in total. (What are you doing with your ceylon teas these days, Adagio, that makes them so overwhelmingly strong without careful monitoring?) To enhance the fruity flavors here, I recommend a dose or two of sweetener. One can never truly escape one’s own hummingbird-nectared past, it seems, no matter how many black teas one tries!

This would be smashing as an iced tea, so I’m still waiting for summer. I’m also still waiting for the herbal strawberry tea to be back in stock at Adagio so I can use it in this blend instead of the flavored ceylon variety. I crave real strawberries for this one, so excuuuuuuuse me, berry preferences.

And now it’s time for the tea-haiku portion of our little tea show:

No tri in your force?
Have you killed your own fairy?
Restart with fruit tea!

“I’ve fought demons,” whined
Link, “so where is my kissy?”
Slap! “Well excuuuuuuuse me!”

This was my first cuppa the day. Still in love with its blackberry blissfulness. (Please see other tasting notes.)

Thanks to the awesome JoeCool (Nichole) for sending me some of this tribute to Jane Austen. I am in LOVE with this blend! I’m a nut for anything Jane Austen (well, maybe not the movie adaptations of some of her works), plus I go crazy for blackberry so this blend will always have a place in my heart – and in my cupboard!

I brewed this up longer than I should have the first time around, so I ended up with more blackberry than vanilla. (What a shame.) 2nd infusion/cup I carefully brewed for about four minutes and now the flavor is the perfect balance…although I still taste slightly more blackberry. Whatevs. It’s delish regardless. A must for blackberry fans. An essential for Jane Austen tea drinkers. This one rocks!

Backlogging a SIPDOWN from a while back…Oops! See previous notes

Over Infused and a little astringent but still GOOD! Can primarily taste the Blackberry over top of the black tea today. Might fine regardless! See my previous post on this tea!

Thanks Nichole!!!!!
Prior to infusion this smells really awesome! Almost fruity-bready cookie-like! YUM!
After infusing it’s more blackberry than before. Still very yummy smelling.

The taste is a strong black tea taste! And the blackberry flavor comes thru nicely, too! The Vanilla is in the background a little bit and I think the cream cuts back on the vanilla sweetness a little bit, too, but they all create a very interesting flavor.

I like this. I really like the strong black tea taste and the blackberry with the cream and vanilla make for a nice flavor.

As it cools I am tasting more of the cream than the vanilla.

The aftertaste is almost rose-like. Very creative cuppa!

Squirrely tea is the new coffee. There, I said it, even though I probably risked life and limb to do so. Starbucks might come after me, bearing sharp sticks harvested from the pristine hills of Uruguay.

(Is it considered defamation of one’s tea-leaf character to mention coffee on Steepster? Can leaves and beans get along? I think they can. Tea has become a habit for me, while coffee is a rarity. Tea is necessary, like the oxygen I breathe or the calories I must consume in order to keep sauntering around on this crazy planet. Coffee is like dessert at the end of a ridiculously expensive meal: not necessary, but nice sometimes.)

Once I tried Adagio’s chestnut tea, I was sold. Nutty and sweet, it seems to be one of the most flavor-rich ceylons of the Adagio brand. How could one improve on such goodness? Can deliciousness be made more delicious? Moon-shooter that I am, I created this blend to try, and voila. Enhanced by traditional sweetener and cream, it’s even sweeter, even nuttier, and even richer. Yes please.

Lately it seems I’m only drinking blends that I put together, but I do own a lot of them. There is no tea finer than one made … uh, in your own diner. Wow.

Enough of this banter, and on with the tea-kus:

Chestnut, caramel, and
sweet cream on an open flame:
squirrels, mind your fur!

“I do love this tea,”
cried one squirrel to his friend.
“Don’t bogart,” friend said.

Vanilla with a sweet background of blackberry, mmm mmm good. This ode-to-Jane Austen tea seems to fancy drinking in the perfumed shade of an overgrown blackberry bush — while seated at a tea-table, of course, so you don’t muss your elaborate frock coat or embroidered empire-waist gown.

I’m immensely proud of this blend (although not prejudiced, or so I hope), as it was I who made it. I blame the education system for making my brain all literary. I also blame the tea system for making my taste buds all blendy.

And now, two thusly tea-inspired haiku:

Vanilla, my love,
and blackberries too; how sweet!
Word up, Regency!

Are you strolling fields
and strapped for cash? Drink this, then
wed for (wealthy) love.