iHeartTeas

I received a sample of this blend a while back from Rachel and I thought I had logged it soon after I got it, but clearly I was mistaken (see guys, this is what happens when you’ve got too many teas!).

I wasn’t so thrilled about it when I drank it plain, but when I added milk it really made the flavours pop. The caramel flavours are especially apparent with smooth, sweet vanilla topping it off. It’s definitely not a tea that needs extra sweetening and it has a decadent feel to it that makes every cup a treat.

I don’t know about you but if I was going to be stranded on an island I would love for it to be a place called Strawberry Island.

Whilst raw this consists of lovely small cut black twisted leaves with green chopped up parts (that look like a leaf and after reading the ingredients must be the raspberry leaf) and some sort of dark brown stick (maybe vanilla). All of this blend of ingredients smells like sweet strawberry gummy sweets (so it’s somewhat artificial smelling).

Once brewed this is a dark reddy brown colour (similar to an assam but a little redder…maybe the exact colour to describe this would be red honey). The boiling water has brought out more of a berry smell rather then focusing just on the strawberry but it’s still as sweet.

First few sips bring out a fair bit of berry sweetness and a touch of earthiness and a slight bitterness in the after taste. A sugar/sweetener would take the edge nicely off this tea and may bring out the berry/fruit flavours but for me this is sweet enough. I’m still finding that the sweetness tastes a little artificial and usually I am not a fan but this is balanced nicely.

The fruity flavour comes out once the tea has cooled slightly so I would recommend drinking this one around 70-80 degrees (if you opt for a hot tea and not iced that is). Perhaps reduce the steeping time slightly as well to remove the subtle touch of bitterness in the back.

A very good effort and a nice sweet fruity tea, this is definitely something that I could drink happily. :)

I received a sample of this tisane with the last order that I placed with iHeartTeas (thanks Rachel!) – the label ingredients does not list rooibos, but I could see the rooibos in there and the website lists rooibos.

This is tasty. The strawberry flavor sweet and tart – with the tartness further emphasized by the lemon notes. It is more tart than sweet … and tart is not my favorite kind of flavor, but, I’m still enjoying this.

Not bad … not my favorite lemonade type tisane, but, it’s agreeable.

Thanks to Kittena for a sample!

I get to look at my wedding venue today, 2 weeks before the wedding, lol! Yeah, last minute and totally laid back. More excited about eating beef tongue burritos afterward! Heheh! I’m not a wedding person and rather save the cash for a fun honeymoon… once I get my greencard and can leave the country.

I wanted to start my day with a nice black tea and Sweet Velvet Fog appealed to me.

STEEPED: Dark brown colour, malty caramel smell

TASTE: Smooth black tea and surprisingly sweet. Hit of caramel and vanilla. Not getting any astringency or bitterness. I can totally get the caramel and creamy creeping up on me.
Sweetened (not that it needed it, but I already presweetened a batch) the creamyness comes out more. Personally, I think the sweetness in the tea is perfect and does not need further sweetening.

COMMENTS: Very good! I think I might try more of iHeartTeas stuff! Overall, a good dessert tea for peeps who like black teas that are nice and smooth.

I think I’m in love. I’m a milk oolong addict and this blend was perfect. It was creamy and sweet with a really nice vegetal aftertaste. The coconut was present but not overpowering. The coconut flavor starts to fade after the first infusion but the tea leaves themselves can definitely keep going for more.

Next up is a generous sample of this tea from Rachel at iHeartTeas!

Like Butiki’s, this tea doesn’t smell particularly spiced, perhaps because it isn’t. It does smell pleasant though, creamy and sweet and like black tea, but I’m not getting a pumpkin aroma per se.

This tea is definitely more strongly flavoured than the version from Butiki, and is a little bit… sharper, perhaps? In the base tea, at least. Again, no real pumpkin flavour that I’m getting, although there’s definitely creaminess and some sweetness. There’s maybe just a touch of astringency.

Sweetened, I’m still not really getting a pumpkin flavour here. It’s definitely a nice tea, and the black base shines through and is pretty tasty, but there isn’t much in the way of spices or pumpkin flavour, specifically.

Overall: this tea definitely has the best/most flavourful and enjoyable black base of the four I’m comparing, and while it’s a tasty tea, the spice aspect is again lacking.

(Teas under review: Butiki – Pumpkin Creme Brulee; iHeartTeas – Creamy Pumpkin Spice; DAVIDsTEA – Pumpkin Chai; Della Terra Teas – Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie)

This tea is another sample I picked up in my exchange with kittena and indigobloom. I wish I could say that I loved this tea….but I can’t. It starts out lovely but thetail end of each sip reminds me of the few adagio teas that I’ve tried and haven’t been a fan of. I REALLY love the way each sip starts out though….

Thanks Kittenna for this sample! this is tasty. Not my fave flavoured green, but purty durn good. First steep was great, sans sugar. Raspberry and apricot actually came through which was a nice change from the average fruity green. Second steep wasn’t that great though, it came out all floral like, a little too perfumey for my preference.
Rating: 80

So I cold brewed my used leaves (steeped once), and forgot about them for a bit, however I am drinking it now! Nice light fruity flavor, very sweet. Really good!

No notes yet.

This one was a sample from Kittena over the weekend. This is a tea I’d be willing to buy for myself. I really enjoy the fruity aspect of the tea while not losing out on the “green.” I really like the mix of rasberry and apricot as well. No unpleasant aftertaste and even as it cooled it was still a pleasure to drink.

This is lovely! Sent to me by Emilie, thanks!
I’m a complete green tea newbie, so I don’t really know what I’m talking about. Anyway, the flavors are nice and light and the green tea base comes through nicely. I can’t pick anything out exactly, but there is a nice light sweet juiciness. Whatever the green base is, I like it!

Ok, today I figured I had to try the super original, non-Adagio made version! I’m having it the same exact way, iced with milk. First major plus side difference: I used boiling water and nothing is bitter or astringent.

This is much sweeter, I think, and the caramel flavor is much better. I think it’s smoother and lighter also, so it doesn’t remind me too much of the obscene white chocolate dessert sauce. It still does remind me of white chocolate though, it’s just a bit more subtle about it.

This time I think I get a lot more caramel, obviously, and I really like it. This is one of the better tasting caramel flavored black teas I’ve had. I have enough for another cup left and I’ll try it hot!

Thanks, Kittenna!

This is actually for the Adagio version, though I do also have some of the one Rachel made for iHeartTeas itself. But I’ve had this one longer so obviously I am drinking it first.

I just made the most ridiculous dessert and included this tea in it. I was given chocolate cabernet pasta for Christmas and remembered I had a bar of white chocolate…so I made a sauce of it, half a cup of this tea brewed strong, and coconut milk. It was still missing something though…in went some blueberry jam and some gelato that really needed to leave the freezer. Topped everything with strawberry slices. I probably just took five years off my life but it’s worth it.

Now I am also drinking the rest of this tea that I made because actually I can’t eat that much of the pasta. (Gee I wonder why). I let it cool while I cooked, and then I added milk and ice to it.

I think this is like the first time an Adagio blend has tasted this good on the first cup. Probably the weirdest thing is that this tastes exactly like the pasta minus the berries. I was hoping for a white chocolate sauce but when I added the pasta, it turned my pretty blue sauce into a chocolate milk color, and it definitely gives it a chocolate cream taste. So, if you do not have ridiculous chocolate pasta on hand, this tea does not have the calories and tastes pretty darn close.

It’s definitely really good iced. I’ll give it a shot as a hot tea too, but I can’t believe how chocolate tasting it is with none of the astringency and grossness I usually get from Adagio flavored teas. Yay!

Food coma bye.

I’m using a number randomizer to pick teas to drink out of the ones I haven’t tried yet. Of course it picked one I just got but I’m not going to argue with it, I will drink. Strawberry lemonade naturally makes sense cold, and I had just enough ice cubes to make myself a glass. I steeped 2 tsp in 4 oz of water until it was as red as a strawberry.

First impression: WAY tart. I added some agave to it, and it was still somewhat tart but bearable. Then I watered it down just a little bit more, and now it’s like drinking a juicy strawberry. I cannot believe how much it tastes like a strawberry. It has a lemon aftertaste too, staying true to its name, but I am loving the strawberry flavor.

I’m so glad that the hibiscus was brought under control for my taste buds that easily. I wish the same could be said for other teas! Not getting much rooibos flavor at all, so it seems kind of like it would take away from the flavors if it was here.

Thanks, Kittenna!

First of all, my apologies to iHeartTeas for taking so long to try these samplings you sent me! No excuses – I’m sorry!

This is tasty. I’m finding myself wishing there was more strawberry flavor in it … and the strawberry that I can taste is artificial-tasting. The coconut is nice, but I think that my favorite part of this tea is the vanilla, it has a nice, smooth, even tone to it. The black tea is rich and malty. This could be a really delicious tea, but the strawberry seems to be holding it back. It’s alright, but, I think I prefer the raspberry apricot blend I tried a while back.

I’m glad I got another go at this tea from Rachel – iHeartTeas. Thank you for this sample! It is creamy and has that nice hint of pumpkin. This goes well with milk and sugar. I love how this tea isn’t “in your face”, but it is nice and subtle. I can pick up the nuances fairly well too. Great tea!

This tea did not smell like much at all in dry form.
Steeped it smells A MAZ ING!
Taste: A very creamy indulgence! Notes of vanilla and caramel just as described!
Perfectly sweet but not too sweet!

No notes yet.

Thank you to Kittenna for sending me a sample of this. It’s a rather refreshing cold brew. The sencha is metallic and grassy. Perhaps a bit too much since it seems to overpower the fruit flavors. It is smooth and buttery, however.

I can tell that it’s a fruit flavor, but I can’t distinguish what kind of fruit. It’s so faint. Well, anyhow, the green base is nice and the vague fruitiness is pleasant. A nice refreshing brew overall.

Got some of this from krystaleyn. Thanks for the sample! just enough of this to make s large cup cold brewed. I can taste the tarty hibiscus and the berry. I also taste the rooibos, which doesn’t bother me too much but it seems s bit out of place. And the after taste here seems a bit artificial.

Okay. Added a touch of sugar. Definitely helps the berry pop and makes it quite juicy. Not bad but not my favorite.

This is a delicious tea! I love the dominant strawberry cream flavor with the hints of coconut and vanilla. This is a nice tropical dessert tea. Love it! It is tropical but not bitter! :)

I cold brewed about 2 tbsp of this in 2 cups of water in the fridge overnight.

The taste is somewhat tart and berry-like. The tartness is definitely moreso of the lemony variety and not hibiscus, which would probably make a lot of people happy! Unfortunately though, I’m tasting the medicinal rooibos flavour that I’m not a big fan of, and that’s kind of ruining it for me. It’s still drinkable though, so anyone who doesn’t have that same association with rooibos would probably love it! Still need to try it hot before completely giving up though.

The aroma is of a malty, slightly sweet black tea with a hint of fruitiness. It’s not discernible as strawberry to me, particularly.

The flavour is malty and creamy, and the fruitiness comes out at the end of the sip, so it’s definitely a lightly flavoured tea. There’s also delicious creaminess at the end of the sip. Again, I’m not particularly picking out strawberry, but it does taste like a berry sort of fruitiness. My short steep time avoided too much astringency (there’s just the slightest touch), so I would definitely recommend going with a short time with this tea.

Overall, it’s tasty and I love the creaminess, but I do wish there was more strawberry flavour (as with the Raspberry Apricot Green Tea Delight, however, I may be experiencing issues with Mango ‘n Friends being so sweet as to have temporarily contaminated my taste buds). I personally think it would be enhanced with some freeze-dried strawberry pieces though.

Overall a tasty tea and I will finish my sample, but probably not one I’d want an entire package of as my preference for flavoured blacks leans towards stronger flavours (but the base and creaminess here are fantastic). Thanks for sending along a sample of this one, Rachel!