Spacemunkey

Not one of my favorites from Adagio’s oolong lineup. It is a fairly balanced oolong, but I tend to prefer the greener lightly oxidized varieties better. Still I would say it is above-average quality.

I thought it was funny to see Kirkland Signature brand Japanese matcha/green tea until I noticed that it was actually Ito En rebranded for Costco. I’ve been very happy with most Ito En products in the past so I was excited to try it.

All in all, it isn’t that impressive, but it is still hard to beat for the convenience and price. The taste is a little bitter but I’ve rarely seen anything better in a bag or pouch.

Iced jasmine tea is a bit of a rare bird, but I think it is underrated and this is a great example. I find it crisp and refreshing, and not overly floral or sweet. Easy to pound on a sunny day.

A little expensive, but worth it compared to the over-sweetened crap that fills the aisles.

Probably my favorite bottled tea. Typically I don’t expect much from bottled teas but I’m a big fan of all Ito En’s white and green bottled teas in the Teas’ Tea line.

Vegetal notes of seaweed, grass, and spinach like a mild cold-brewed sencha. Crisp finish, noticeably free of any additives or sweeteners. I could drink this all the time, hot or cold weather. They are a little bit expensive (and hard to find) here in the US, but they are worth it over the syrupy sugar water that passes for bottled tea everywhere.

Very impressed in this tea. I generally have very low expectations for bottled teas, but I loved this. Gotta be one of the very best bottled teas I’ve ever had. Light and delicate flavor is well preserved and not muted with additives or sweetness. Crisp and refreshing on a hot day, my only real complaint is that it is kind of expensive for something that I always drink down so fast. I also think it is kind of bold to offer a Chinese white blended with a Japanese green, which it seems isn’t commonly sold but I enjoy nonetheless.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I loved these. Very strong, but not like oversteeped sencha, it was more like a super-concentrated taste. Some astringency, but not really too bitter. Definite strong vegetal flavor typical of sencha.

I really like these as a quick pick-me-up on warm afternoons or mornings (I lived in Florida for a while where it is too hot out for hot tea by 7am). It is nice to just pound a cold shot really fast, much better than an acidic and sweet energy drink. It’s not world-class tea but what do you expect out of a tiny can?

I found these at Big Lots for $.50/can and I wish I had bought out their entire supply while they were still available.

Pretty ordinary masala chai. Clear notes of pepper and citrus. Maybe a little more spicy than I like my chai—maybe from the cadamom?.

I tinkered with different times and temps and I found this one got really bitter and spicy if oversteeped. Better than grocery-store chai, but I’ve had better.

I have to admit that had pretty decent results sweetening it up with a bunch of honey and adding vanilla almond milk and ice on a hot stuffy afternoon.

Very light and delicate tea. I can see why so many reviewers are underwhelmed, but I enjoy this tea quite a bit. I definitely use more leaf with this tea (as well as longer steepings) than other similar teas. It can be overpowered by strong foods (or even milder foods), but I don’t mind this characteristic because I have other options if I want a stronger taste.

I think lighter white teas like this are great as a thirst-quenching iced tea for warmer weather.

Very similar to white peony (bai mu dan) but slightly lighter and more straw colored. More delicate flavor and slightly less nutty and bamboo notes. It’s light body might deter some by I enjoy it, especially for its versatility: I think it is great for a crisp refreshing iced tea on a hot day, but also as a gently palate cleanser with a hot meal on a cold day.

This one is for jasmine lovers. I am a big fan of many floral teas, especially jasmine pearls, but I found this one a bit overwhelming. I imagine that for many that would be considered a positive trait, but found this tea was really only drinkable when blended with something else to balance out the flavor and aroma a little bit. No complaints about the quality of the tea itself though, so I would still recommend giving a shot if that is your style.

Not bad, but not one of my favorite oolongs. I prefer the greener, more vegetal, lightly oxidized style better but this is still a solid example of the style. I don’t think this one is quite worth the price compared to many other good budget oolongs.

Pretty standard white peony (bai mu dan) if you ask me. But I don’t mean that in a bad way, and I wasn’t disappointed at all by this tea, in fact it was exactly what I expected. If you like this style you’ll like this tea. A great intro to white/green teas, and very versatile because it is great for a refreshing summer iced tea as well as a hot accompaniment to any meal.

Nice balanced flavor. Lightly oxidized and very green in leaf and liquor. Nice intact leaf structure, good for many infusions without losing flavor. Probably my favorite oolong I’ve had from Adagio.

Delicate flavor. Straw/bamboo colored liquor. Refreshing taste with very subtle nutty and woody notes. Crisp finish if brewed for short times, but flavor develops a lot with longer infusions.

Makes a good light iced tea for hot days.

I like to use silver needles as an addition to other green or white teas in my collection to get a variety of unique flavors. This tea is subtle and mild enough that it pairs well with many other teas as well as most foods.

Nice. Lightly oxidized, rich green color. Preferred to most oolongs. good for many infusions.

Slightly woody and nutty with notes of bamboo. Better or equal to many other versions I’ve had of this popular style. Leaves were in great condition, many large and in well-intact ‘2 leaves and bud’. Sometimes I add a little extra silver needles to create a custom blend with a lighter finish and a little extra fuzziness.

I drink this often and I never get tired of it. Good value with 4oz tins about $10.

Lightly oxidized, brews a vibrant green on first 2-3 infusions if you brew for short times. Nice rich vegetal flavor. Fades to a beige color as flavor transitions to bamboo and nutty hints with subsequent infusions. Good for many infusions, I often got 6-8 by adding 15-20 seconds with each subsequent infusion before the flavor is depleted and thin.

Did I mention that the oxidization is light? It tastes more reminiscent of green tea than a typical oolong.

Excellent for mid-grade, low-price sencha. Great value for an everyday drinker (I think I paid ~$8 for 4 oz). Nice and rich vegetal flavor. Notes of spinach, sea weed, and freshly-cut grass. Good leaf size, but still a fair mount of dust which contributes to a match-like cloudy brew in the first couple of infusions.

I think it makes a fantastic cold-brewed iced tea as well. Really brings out the subtler, sweeter flavors and virtually no bitterness that way, only downside is that you don’t get as many infusions this way before it becomes it really watery. I’ve even blended with a few lighter greens for giving them more “edge” when making iced tea.

Everyone I’ve offered this too has commented about how much they loved it. Would buy again.

Honey and licorice. Mild and unimpressive at first, but I found it makes a great iced tea and it pairs amazingly well with natural honey (I rarely use honey with any other teas). Sensitive to temp as well, make sure your water is not too hot or brewed for too long as it will become astringent and bitter. I’ve found it blends well with more robust and vegetal teas as well as mint for refreshing iced tea.

Solid but unspectacular. Decent value compared to other jasmine teas. Makes excellent refreshing thirst-quenching iced tea with just enough floral aroma and flavor without overwhelming. Good with honey as a throat-soother.

Pearls are nice and dense and they go a long way. I find that all I need to do is grab a small handful of pearls and I can get many cups out of them so it goes a long way.