Sarah M

To me, this tea tastes somewhere between a green tea and a white tea. Flavor is less mellow than a white, but not as vegetal as a green. It brews up a yellowish color, like watered-down apple juice. Tastes sweet, and slightly floral. I probably steeped it a little too long, but what else is new…?

This is such a love it or hate it tea. Me? I love it. Tastes like a campfire. I’m a camping sort of person, so that works out well for me. Perfect on a gloomy, rainy, cold night.

This is my first time trying Mambo, but I generally like Chinese black teas (but not others- typically). I was expecting a more complex flavor. Nonetheless, it is a nice tea. It is a little smoky, fairly robust, and somewhat earthy. Not smoky like lapsang souchong, or earthy like a puerh. The flavors are much less overt than that. I will enjoy my sample tin, but will probably skip this and re-order a keemun instead.

I love foxtrot. It is one of my common evening time teas. I don’t know how rooibos + chamomile + mint = creamy flavor, but somehow that is how it turns out. It is wonderful. Just got a new big bag, too!

I’m kind of disappointed. This is my second time having this tea, and the sesame flavor is still a little bit weaker than I was imagining. I envisioned a tea with a robust, toasted sesame flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the tea, but is still very present. I can smell it in the brewed tea and in the loose leaf (and still the smell of soy sauce?). But the sesame flavor is hard to find when I sip. But take this all with a grain of salt, because I’ve never been the worlds biggest fan of black tea. And, my palate is not the most refined. It is not bad, just not as flavorful as I was hoping. I’ll be interested in what others have to say.

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Wow! I thought this was going to be scary, but it was quite good. Like the Sesame tea, this came from Adagio’s Savory Sampler, which I received in the mail yesterday. I actually drank this last night. I was very apprehensive, but when I smelled the tea I began to feel less so. The tea actually smells kind of sweet (my husband said fruity, but i don’t know about that) but still like artichokes. In my mind, artichoke flavor = tangy / salty. That is not what this tea tastes like at all. This is more “essence of artichoke”. Now, I did not use enough leaf when I brewed this last night, so I will have to re-try with a more correct proportion. But the flavor itself is very smooth, savory, soothing. Definitely worth trying. I will have to try a few more times before I can adequately rate it, but it surely falls into the “thumbs up” category.

I was so excited to get my “savory sampler” from Adagio yesterday. Sesame was first on my list to try. The leaves smell and look a little like soy sauce. They are dark black and have kind of a dark sheen on them. There are also sesame seeds visible with the leaves. When brewed it smells somewhat like sesame, not soy sauce (thankfully), but the sesame flavor was kind of weak. I’m giving it a 100 rating for the moment, because I don’t really know what I think of it just yet. When I first tried it, I was at work and distracted, so I will make a better assessment when I’m fully focused. Try it! The “savory sampler” is free with a $19 purchase from Adagio. Not sure how long that promotion is running. This tea is definitely worth checking out.

Today I’m drinking honeybush vanilla with a little bit of some fruit tisane- I don’t know the brand. The fruit tisane has hibiscus, currant, grapes, and other fruits. The honeybush vanilla gives it a hint of creaminess, and tones down the tart fruit flavor. I speak from experience when I say it is quite good iced as well.

I have a few bagged teas that I drink periodically, and this is one of them. It has a strong licorice flavor (licorice root is the first ingredient, so no surprise there). It is also minty, and sweet- a little weird tasting, but it covers up the valerian root, which tastes and smells like stinky feet. I drink it because it helps me go to sleep at night. If it weren’t for that, I probably wouldn’t bother. It is palatable but not great.

Definitely one of my favorites. A nice toasty flavored tea on a comfortable evening… makes me want to have a fire on my back deck and sit outside indefinitely.

PS- I oversteep EVERYTHING practically. The package of this from Den’s says to steep 15 seconds or something like that. I usually steep it for a good several minutes. Gives it a more robust flavor (but not overpowering). It is a little bit too weak for my liking if only steeped for 15 seconds.

Another positive- since it’s mostly twigs, and it is roasted, this tea is very low in caffeine, making it a good evening option for me. I’m fairly caffeine sensitive, so I have to switch to tisanes or low caff options at night.

Subsequent steeps are more vegetal, but maintain the floral notes. I’m on number 4 now.

I don’t drink as much oolong as I would like, because I feel as if I really ought to savor it. And usually I don’t have a lot of time for savoring. This tea is amazing. It has wonderful tropical & floral notes. I even oversteeped it (ha not unusual) but it is fabulous. A little strong, maybe, but very good. And I love how my teapot looks like a kelp forest when I’m brewing it. From prior experience I will say that steeps 2 and 3 will be the best… assuming I don’t forget about it and leave it for 30 minutes. Ahem.

Definitely one of my favorite teas- I come back to it over and over. The flavor is kind of sweet and toasty. It reminds me a little bit of the flavor of honey. My husband thinks it tastes like brussell sprouts, which I think is kind of strange. It’s an easy one to brew- temp and steep time will not adversely affect the brew. Good for me, the tea killer.

This is my second steep, and it’s ok. I am really bummed that I screwed up the second steep. Yesterday I made a cup and left it to steep for about a minute or two… 30 minutes later, I gasped and realized that i was making tea… needless to say, I dumped that cup. This morning’s second steep is only so-so. This was the last of my sample, so now it’s either pay up (this stuff ain’t cheap), or settle for a slightly less decadent sencha. It’ll probably be the latter.

Mmmm! Genmai cha is one of my staples. So, after a 60 hour work week and 7 hours of sleep in the last 2 nights (combined) I brewed a cup of this. The toasty flavor is just perfect on a rainy, dreary day. I’m on my second steep now.

Den’s says in their description that this tea provides a good alternative to cider or cocoa. I don’t really know where they got that idea… it does not remind me of cocoa or cider at ALL. However, it is one of my staples. It is similar to the flavor of a houjicha, but a little more earthy / twiggy. I’m a big fan of that flavor profile- the roasted, toasted, earthy, smoky flavors (houjicha, genmai cha, gunpowder, etc). If you like that sort of thing, I would definitely recommend this. And I’m thinking some of that sweetness that they describe might come out at cooler temps. But mine never has a chance to cool, as I always drink it promptly.

Tonight I blended half Honeybush hazelnut, half Honeybush chocolate. It smells kind of like some fancy coffee drink (minus the coffee) and tastes amazing. Honeybush is awesome because it has a sweet, mellow flavor- similar to rooibos, but not as powerful. It is amazing iced- i think iced honeybush is probably one of my favorite things, ever. I like to cold brew it because it’s easier that way. But tonight I’m drinking it hot, and loving it.

I LOVE green rooibos. While I love the red as well, I find green to be much more mellow. It also blends well with other tisanes- tonight it is lemongrass, and a little bit of peppermint. I really enjoy experimenting with herbal blends in the evening. I’m too caffeine sensitive for “real” tea at night.

Caramel and houjicha- I was very skeptical. A friend sent me a sample of this, and it is actually quite good! Probably not something I would re-order, but something interesting for a change of pace. The caramel flavor compliments the houjicha very well, and it makes for a brew that is slightly reminiscent of coffee… in a good way.

This is one of my favorite green teas because it is so easy. I brew it at ~160 for about a minute (less for additional steeps) and it is always delicious. It is pretty sweet in flavor, and has a very grassy, vegetal aroma. I thought I disliked sencha for awhile, before I tried this tea. I think there were two issues- not brewing correctly (too hot and ending up with a bitter brew) and using low-quality sencha. This is good stuff, and very well priced from Den’s.

I have a blend I call Fruit Punch- it consists of mostly hibiscus, with a little bit of Adagio’s Blood Orange, and a pinch of rose petals. The hibiscus has a very deep, tangy flavor. The orange sweetens it up a little, and the rose adds a nice floral touch. I love my “Fruit Punch” iced, but tonight I’m savoring it hot.

I ended up with a random sample of shu from a friend. It has a nice earthy sense about it, without the taste of a barnyard.

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