Yunnan Noir

This is my first tea from Adagio. Only my second foray into loose leaf teas. Pretty tasty. Taken plain. Doesn’t have a bitter bite like the other few black teas I’ve tried. The used leaves smell like grass, but not in a bad way. This leaf scent is nearly absent from the tea’s scent and flavor. As for the tea itself, I don’t yet have the vocabulary to describe it, but it’s mellow, smooth, and almost savory. I was worried that five minutes steep time would make the taste too strong, but it came out great.

Oh man this is good stuff. I had a goofy smirk on my face after the first couple of sips, the sign of satisfaction. Smells like malt/cocoa and tastes the same, perfect with just a little bit of sugar added in. It steeped for a long time and still ended up without any harshness. The best I’ve had from this company so far.

I liked this slightly better than the Irish Breakfast I had yesterday. It definitely has a more robust and complex flavor which I like.

drank this tea this morning as a wake up call. really needed a standard, good tasting tea with caffeine (lots of caffeine :) )

I still have this in my tea pantry. I was excited when this was introduced into Adagio’s line-up. My first impression, to say nothing of it’s unusual shape, was the tobacco-esque smell. It smelled like rich rollcake cavendish. Brewing it revealed a dark doughy taste and aroma. It was earthy in a pleasing and comfortable way and was yet another black tea that surprised me.

I’m rather fond of this tea when I’m looking for a simple loose-leaf black tea. In my estimation, it’s perfect without sugar. The flavour can get extremely bitter if you over-steep it, so it is definitely a tea to keep an eye on, but it has a rich, mellow taste when you’ve steeped it right.

Absolutely splendid! This is a gentle black tea: smooth & sweet, and it doesn’t seem to tend towards bitterness. Aftertaste started off with coffee vibes, but quickly moved into malty territory. Second specimen from my recent Adagio purchase that surprised me with its non-bitterness.

The leaves smell very interesting after an infusion.. but I can’t quite place it. If anyone could conjure up a cognate, I’d be grateful.

With a little bit of sugar and creamer, this is one of my favorite mellow black teas. Not the most outstanding flavor, but still very delectable!

This tea has been a favorite of mine since Adagio introduced it a year or so ago. I’m a big fan of Ceylon and Darjeeling teas, so I don’t drink a lot of Chinese blacks, but this is one that I can really get excited about. I brew it a little longer and with more leaf than most black teas and am rewarded with a very rich cup with pronounced chocolate notes and a really nice mouth-feel. It has a little less of the peppery quality than some Yunnan teas, but it’s there in the background. I’m enjoying a cup right now as my first tea of 2010!

Just made this for the first time, and it’s really strong and good. Sort of a mix of wood, chocolate, and smoke.

My first tea from the Yunnan region of China and I’m liking it. It took a bit of getting used to because of it’s strong flavor but it is very enjoyable. It has the dark color of coffee, the immediate taste of black tea but is smokey with a bit of a nutty and almost fruity flavor. A full bodied tea that I’d say is worth a try.

Very interesting tea. It is very dark in color and almost reminds me of coffee. It definitely has a cocoa smell and flavor to it. What sticks out to me is the smoky flavor.

This tea has a gorgeous velvety liquor and it always surprised when I took the first sip from each cup. I loved the way that it felt drinking. I would definitely recommend it for its delicacy and boldness as a everyday tea.

This hits the spot when its freezing cold outside and I want a woodsy, malty black tea to warm the bones. Its very complex at different temperatures. Right after steeping, it’s very earthy, almost smokey, with a malty finish. After cooling, some sweeter notes came out and they lingered on the tongue before fading to a wine-like taste. Definitely a favorite for breakfast!

I also had to extol the shape. These leaves are wrapped into little spirals and snails, making it very easy to spoon out with a baking teaspoon, unlike leafier teas that can be a pain in the butt to measure.

Very rich, delicious, malty tea. Some chocolate and something sweet and fruity as well. Very smooth and rich mouthful.

I was excited when I read the description of this tea on adagios website so I ordered a sample. I brewed a 16oz cup of it with two heeping teaspoons and it was unbearably strong and the taste was so rich it made my stomach upset. I don’t know if I steeped it too long or what (6min). But I didn’t taste any notes of honey or spice.

Tastes like Strawberry Poptarts.

From the tea-journal:
This one was very reminiscent of coffee. Since I used to be a heavy coffee drinker, this one tasted pretty good if I added the usual coffee dressings of milk and sweetener. I am not sure it is smooth enough to entice me to buy more, though. I will have to give it a few more tries.

I’m mainly a green tea drinker but this was good. Not good enough to buy again but good enough to finish what I bought and move on. I didn’t get the wine notes some have described, rather a simple black tea. I have to admit the aroma is quite unique and pleasant, but when it comes to black tea I’d rather stick with Assam.

This is a good strong morning tea. I drink it with a little honey to take the edge off.