Today I woke up with a stiff neck and a headache, probably from ninjutsu. I took my meds and sat down with a cup of chocolate chip tea. Oh heaven. I can relax and just go through my emails and facebook. Life is better.
23 Tasting Notes
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I was desperate for some tea that gave me a “feel good” familiarity, so I popped over to Montana Tea & Spice Trading company to check out their teas. They have a large selection of teas and tisanes, not to mention that decaf stuff I won’t touch, rooibos and yerba mate. I picked up Cinnamon Spice, falling into the desperate hope it would remind me of a much better Bigelow’s Cinnamon Stick. One whiff and thought, “oh no — not hot cinnamon.” But I forged ahead and after a flash rinse (when in doubt, flash rinse) and brewed up a pot.
The first pot had a bit of red-hot cinnamon flavor to it, but it wasn’t obnoxious. The second steep proved to be the gem — a smooth flavor of cinnamon shines through. I’d give it a much higher rating if the first pot had done that. Overall, it performed pretty well and I’m brewing a fresh pot tonight.
I’m usually not an Earl Grey fan because usually the tea is so overwhelmed with the oil of bergamot that it gives me a headache. Not so with this tea. I opened up the sample and I thought “wow, this is really strong,” so I flash rinsed it first before making the tea. The tea is lovely. The bergamot is there, but not overpowering. The tea tastes good with or without sugar.
Now, I can be like Captain Picard and say, “Earl Grey, hot.”
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Pretty darn good, if I do say so. I was rummaging through my copious samples for something to try and stumbled on the cherry black tea. I really didn’t expect it to be any good, but the flavor won me over immediately. It doesn’t taste artificial and it works well with sugar. Other cherry teas have been awful, but this is pretty tasty. I think I’m going to buy a tin next order.
I’ve been drinking this several days in a row as I’m out of my current chocolate chip tea and need to reorder soon. Yunnan Gold is a good Chinese tea — smooth with a bit of pepper to liven things up. I’ve been using a small amount of sugar in my tea lately because I’ve been so tired, so the sugar actually brings out the rich flavor of this tea (despite me not wanting to use sugar usually).
This is an excellent tea. Try it.
I almost feel human now. I received by bag of Adagio Chocolate Chip tea today, refilling my woefully empty canister. Yes, I’ve been drinking some very good tea in the meantime, but there’s nothing like drinking something that just comforts you. This tea does.
I’m not sure what to think about this tea. Maybe I used too little leaf, but it really unwound when I added the hot water to it. Honey-colored and very light, I’m into more robust teas such as darker oolongs and blacks. A pleasant enough mouth-feel that I always get when drinking oolongs.
It reminds me a lot of Chinese greens, which is probably the closest thing to this tea. I don’t get the intense florals in it, although I do taste floral. I suspect my palate is no where near refined enough to pick out all the subtle flavors, but I do use thrice-filtered well water which probably kills those right off along with my constant sinus stuff.
I’m glad I have a sample as I would probably pass on buying this tea. It’s not extraordinary but it was nice to try.
Decided on Golden Monkey today partially because I’m out of Chocolate Chip and need to buy more. Nevertheless this is a favorite black tea of mine and I’m convinced that the Chinese make some of the best black tea out there.
Meh. I was so hoping for more flavor with this tea and it came out lame even with sugar. When did I become such a loose tea snob? This tisane is completely unremarkable. The ginger does little for me.
Dear Celestial Seasonings —
Please start making tisanes that taste like something besides watered down flavors.
Thanks!
I picked up a sample of Golden Spring because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy another expensive tea. Damn, I like this tea. Think of it as a lighter Golden Monkey with a more delicate flavor. Faintly chocolate hues and smooth. Now I have to actually cough up real money and get me some.
I’ve been drinking Breakfast in Beijing as a loose tea and later as a “bagged” tea for a couple of years now and it’s easily my favorite tea at “The Planet.” It’s a simple breakfast tea, but I’m really not sure of the blend. Chinese, most definitely.
I was cold and so I broke out a tea that my parents had — an apple cider spice and was completely underwhelmed with this tea, even when adding sugar. Lame, would be a good word, because gee, I’ve had tastier water. I was hoping for something like Adagio’s Apple Canata, but alas, this was not to be.
I’m not a big tisane fan, but I’ve been looking for a late-night tea that will work for me before I go to bed. My stomach is really sensitive to tea at night largely because of the meds I’m on. Even so, I thought I’d buy a sample and brew it up.
It’s actually a pretty good tisane. Lots of strawberry flavor and the apple adds quite a bit of body to it. I added natural cane sugar because I tend to think of tisanes as weak, but this works pretty well. Better than most. I may have to buy it for the evenings.
So, I have a sinus infection and I’m feeling pretty crappy. I should go to the doctor for the chest congestion, but I really don’t want to. Instead, I’m drinking Chocolate Chip tea and thinking the world can’t be that bad It’s true. I got my tea from Adagio a couple of days ago, and life feels better.
This Keemun was the first one I’ve ever tried as “Keemun.” Since then, I’ve had other Keemun teas that were slightly smoother, but they’re all about the same in my mind. A bit on the bitter side and sharp. I know there are a lot of people who love Keemun teas. Sadly, I’m not one of them.
Golden Monkey is a sweet black tea that is very smooth with chocolate notes. (You can see my general addictions here). It’s the tea I always recommend to non loose tea drinkers because they see the light in one sip. They toss those silly bags aside and start drinking hardcore. (Teabags are sadly just a gateway drug for this).
Anyhow, this was one of the first real quality hardcore black teas I tried and was hooked. I had had other loose black teas in the past, but this was an important one.
Now you’re seeing how addicted I am to tea ad chocolate. Valentines by Adagio is one of the best smelling teas around. It smells and tastes like chocolate covered strawberries. I had been addicted to their chocolate tea, only to try this and get hooked. Usually I drink this when I feel like I want a change or for special occasions. I’ve actually brought some on trips for “comfort” tea. Awesome stuff!
I spend a lot of time with this tea. I think it has to be a personal favorite and is certainly something a reach for in the morning. Last night I had Chocolate Chai and I didn’t bother to wash out the tetsubin, so the chocolate chip had a faint hint of chai flavor. Not a bad thing, but it shows how absolutely lazy I am.
Most people who are teaophiles tend to go for straight teas like oolongs, blacks or greens without flavor. I have to admit that my tea drinking started with flavored teas and I’ve never let go. I enjoy single leaves immensely, but I just love some of the flavored ones.
I really love this tea. It has the right amount of spice and chocolate. Best with a little sugar.
This tea is a wonderful black tea that is smooth with chocolate notes. I use 3 pearls per pot and that does well.
This is an awesome tea if you like flavored teas and chocolate. I drink it often enough as a regular tea.
