Chestnut

Yah….so there may be a few tasting notes today. It’s tea and cleaning day because I need to get through some of the samples sitting in the house. Another one from adagio and while this is better than the last few, I’m still not a fan. There’s a weird taste in there that I can’t pin my finger on that just doesn’t say yum. Ah well…on to the next as that’s half the fun!

So last year I ordered from Adagio and received this Chestnut tea as one of my samples. Thinking I wouldn’t like it, I gave it to my Mom. She called later and said it was so good, and tasted just like real maple syrup. So I ordered a little sample pack and it is good indeed. I don’t know if the changed the recipe for this tea, because mine doesn’t have any chestnuts in it, and none are listed on the ingredients on the front of the pack? I am thinking that they must’ve just added the chestnuts to the dry leaves that are what I have in my sample. The leaves smell like black tea and maple syrup. There is a nice toasted nut flavor and a sweet maple syrup aftertaste that lingers. I thought this one may be only available seasonally, but it is available now, so hopefully it’s in stock year round. :)

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell sweetly of maple syrup. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and maple syrup.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Toasty and nutty flavor and finish. Sweet maple syrup aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener. Small amount of milk optional.
-Very good tea. Smooth toasty flavor. Reminiscent of maple syrup.

Oh, wow! This smells amazing as it steeps! I received it as a free sample with my last Adagio purchase. It got mixed reviews here, so I had pretty low expectations. But this is great! It smells like chestnuts and cocoa and immediately made me think of Christmas!

Of course, then my officemates started saying, “Something’s burning! It smells like an electrical burn.” I told them I had just made tea, and they claimed it wasn’t coming from that. Then after I insisted they smell it, they started to think maybe it was the tea. Hahaha!

Well, no matter. I think this tea smells great! And not like electrical burning. The taste is very yum! It’s 100% authentic chestnut to me with a really lovely aftertaste. It’s naturally sweet and almost creamy without any additions. I’m also getting a hint of caramel. This is awesome! I highly recommend!

As I keep sipping it, I’m trying to figure out what others didn’t like. I might have pinpointed it. When I raise the cup to take a sip, I am kind of assailed by something off-putting. And I think the lovely chestnut flavor is most enjoyable in the aftertaste. This doesn’t bother me so much, but maybe it does others.

Still, I think this one is worth a shot. Plus, it was free for me, so I’m sure that’s also a contributing factor to my liking it. Who doesn’t love free tea? :)

Another sample from MeghannM. Thanks so much!

I’ve got another snow day today, though it could be classified as an “ice” day. So far, this winter is shaping up to be a record-breaker in terms of wintery precipitation. And winter weather = being cold = drinking more tea to warm myself up!

Okay, let me begin by saying that I’ve never eaten chestnuts. I’m not sure why, but it’s probably because my mother refuses to eat them and, thus, I never had access as a child and have never thought to go out and get them as an adult. Mom grew up a few houses down from a small-time chestnut farmer (he had 4 or 5 trees), and she abhores the smell the flowers emit whilst blooming. I don’t mind it so much; then again, I also didn’t spend quite as much time around that smell as a child.

So, having no prior chestnut experience to fall back on, I can’t say whether or not this tastes like one. It’s got a strong black tea base that is very nice, and an earthy, roasty flavor that’s a touch astringent. There’s a hint of something I’d define as ‘nutty’ and perhaps similar to walnuts that have been a bit too roasted. It seems like something one would drink curled up in front of a warm fire and wrapped in a crochet blanket that your grandmother made. As for me, I’m just going to tuck in with my Snuggie and throws, find something to watch on Hulu, and knit a little something to tuck into my Steepster Secret Santa’s gift (that I’ll hopefully be able to pick up at Cuppa tomorrow so I can get it mailed out)).

I am such a sucker for samplers. I just ordered the adagio holiday stocking stuffer set that included this and five others. It’s good, though I think it could use some sweetener. It actually makes me think back to the hazelnut tea (it’s not quite the same, but reminds me of it) and makes me think I might need to order a larger quantity of that one.

I remember when I was younger visiting a friend that had Chestnut Trees on their street. We LOVED it when the Chestnuts fell from the trees…we would crack them open and take a sniff…they smelled just like these dry leaves! Sure does bring back memories!

After this tea steeps there is a bit of woodiness scent with the dried leaves and the taste is a mixture of Black Tea, Chestnut, and Vanilla. It’s quite interesting. I am enjoying it…I must admit it wouldn’t be something I would buy just to buy – I received it in the Holiday Flavors – I was looking for variety and really wanted the Candy Cane one so I figured why not try them all in the sampler! Regardless I am pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s strong and bold. I would guess flavored coffee drinkers might enjoy this one as well.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 pyramid bag
Water: boiling, 12oz
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes, I ignored their recommended 5 minute steep
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chocolate and chestnut
Steeped Tea Smell: chestnut, black tea, hints of coco
Flavor: smooth black tea, hints of nuts
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slightly astringent
Liquor: opaque dark brown

Please note the sample I got at World Tea East has different ingredients than listed on the website.

I am not sure where I was getting the chocolate smell from!

I did enjoy this cup, it was a nice warm fall feeling (which I needed since Texas is hot).

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/09/adagio-teabag-black-tea-chestnut.html

Weird. I expected this to taste very much like Adagio’s Hazelnut, which I really like, but I taste very little nutty flavor. To me this tastes more like a very light vanilla tea with a touch of nuttiness and smokiness thrown in. It’s good, but not at all what I expected.

OMG this smells incredible, I can’t stop sniffing it! It like hazelnut but richer almost. This is a scent I’m used to associating with coffee so my brain keeps thinking ‘cafe latte’ at me, even though I know better. ;)

Now the only exposure I’ve had to chestnuts has been the water-chestnuts in chinese cooking – which I LOATH with a passion. I do understand that those are from a completely different type of plant, so I’m trying not to let my dislike interfere with the tasting.

Given how sweet the scent is, it’s a bit of a shock how bitter the tea tastes in comparison. I’m already thinking that this would be a tea that’ll be improved with a touch of milk. The rich, nutty flavour is still present although it’s muted a little by the bitterness (I’m not sure if that’s the tea or the flavouring talking BTW). I have to say that given how lovely the smell was I’m a bit disappointed, although I’ll have to fiddle around with this one before I make my final verdict.

Another first for me, because I’ve never tried a Chestnut tea before. Unlike with Pumpkin Spice, this time I feel like I’m off to a more promising start. The smell of the dry leaves is A-MA-ZING. It’s sweet, nutty, with a burnt caramel note towards the end. It smells like it’s going to be pure flavour, and for once I can’t even detect the base tea, which usually seems to come through pretty strongly in these (Adagio’s Holiday Cheer sampler). All this is making me feel pretty hopeful. I always want to like flavoured tea, but they’re so often disappointing. Could this be the exception? At last?

I wasn’t disappointed. Brewed, this tea smells like a roasted chestnut stand, and tastes precisely like the real thing. Very nutty, slightly sweet, with a toasted, almost burnt, note to finish. I was absolutely amazed. This is the first flavoured tea where I really haven’t been able to taste the base tea more than the flavouring. It’s there in the background, giving body, but that’s where it stays. The real strength of this tea is in its flavouring.

Drinking this, I feel cosy and sort of sentimental about winter and christmas. Definetly my favourite flavoured black to date, and one I’m sure will remain on my list of favoured teas for a long time to come. Perfect!

Mmmm.. I received this tea in a swap from Tommy the Toad (THANK YOU!) and while it was waiting in my room, I was incredibly tempted by the scent. It was sweet, nutty and just calling to be made into a cup!
This tea offers such a unique taste! There is a definite roasty element and I’d say that it slowly morphs into a maple-like sweetness. So good! I can absolutely detect a chestnut-like character to the tea. I feel like I’ve eaten a soft, fleshy, sweet chestnut. It’s starchy, a little buttery, perhaps a little smoky. The flavor fills the back of the throat and lingers on the tongue. The Adagio black tea base normally seems a little astringent and bold to me, but it’s smooth in this blend. This is one of Adagio’s best flavors, I think. Yum!

Thank you Tommy the Toad for this tea!

This smells like caramel on the first whiff, but then I totally smell maple. With a bit of sugar this is really tasty and the base isn’t as harsh as previous Adagio flavoured black teas that i’ve tried. Definitely all maple though. I’m not getting anything “chestnutty” but it works for me just the same.

I received this from Adagio along with the other holiday blends, and I have to say, this is MUCH better than the previous Pumpkin Spice blend I had earlier today.

It’s taste does resemble chestnuts, though I would wager that it has more Vanilla in it than anything. I also got an oak-like, or “smokey” taste in this tea, which I am guessing is the chestnuts. I get the smokey taste after I swallow it, so it has that sense of an aftertaste.

I really do enjoy this tea (even though it is a black tea), but I can’t help think that it derives from the Pumpkin Spice. Perhaps it is in my mind/palate from earlier in the day, but these two are definitely similar. Yes I realize that they are the same type of tea, but the taste is all too similar.

Steep Method: IngenuiTEA
Steep Time: 4 Minutes even

As usual, heated water and poured it on top of the leaves. Used Steep.it again, but setting it to 4 minutes instead of 3:30. Good call.

Sip, sip, sip! Opinion and Reaction
The chestnut flavor and the earthy tones of the black tea blend well with he subtle Vanilla-Caramely flavor of the tea. Excellent tea, especially for those just getting into black teas. Not overwhelming, but has a consistency throughout the entire experience.

Certainly reminds me of chestnuts (and caramel) over an open fire?

TeaCast scale: 86/100.

I tried this at Adagio’s birthday party not really knowing what to expect. I was intrigued by it but, never having had chestnuts, probably wouldn’t have bought it without tasting it first. One sip and I knew a bag of this had to come home with me. It’s nutty and wonderful and the perfect cup for a cold, raining, windy, no-good day like today.

Christmas in July? Nope, just going through my boyfriend’s tea stash.

I gave him this tea last holiday. In fact, I gave away several of these tins to people as stocking stuffers.

I didn’t save any of this particular tea for myself, so when I saw it in his cabinet I made me a cup. It was meh. It’s a hearty black tea full of chestnut flavor. The tea definitely delivered what it said it would, it just seemed to be missing something. I wonder how this tea blended with cranberries would taste. I know this is weird for me to say, but I think this tea would taste better with milk/cream.

The smell of this tea in the bag is amazing! I first tried a sample from adagio in a tea bag that was included in my order. The ingredients were black tea, sunflower petals, and chestnut flavoring. This tea was heavenly, I could drink it black. I then ordered a 3 oz bag and the ingredients were black tea, chestnut flavor. It is not as good as the tea bag. I am trying to adjust the amount I add to the water to get the perfect cup of tea like my sample was. I dont belive the sunflower petals could have much to do with the difference in taste.

ICK!

I first tried a cup of this at my brother’s house while I was puppy sitting. That was on Friday. On Tuesday, I went to Adagio and got a bag of my own. So yes, I like this tea. A lot!

The scent is lovely, both dry and steeped. I know the chestnut flavor is probably artificial instead of natural, but as long as it doesn’t smack me over the head with artificiality I’m just fine with that. The flavor is good, a rich strong black tea tempered with an earthy nuttiness and something that reminds me a little bit of raw cocoa. It’s incredibly full-bodied, which I love. Even the color is a beautiful chestnut brown.

This is probably my new favorite Adagio blend. I will be keeping it as a standby in my cupboard. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so, because it’s the only “seasonal” tea that Adagio is keeping in stock in March.

Okay, so Adagio had offered this holiday sampler pack of tea bags & Chestnut was one of the flavors in the pack. I love it!

First off, I love the smell as it’s brewing. And the taste lives up to the smell.

It’s simple & delightful & warm & it screams a taste of the fall season for me.

I’m just sorry I didn’t buy more before it went away….oh well…hopefully it will be back this year. I’ll be sure to stock up.

Surprisingly excellent tea, with nutty (and almost chocolate) overtones, lovely rounded flavor that’s slightly sweet and therefore doesn’t require much (if any) additional sugar. Holds up beautifully with milk, which brings out more subtle chestnut notes. I steeped mine for five minutes (two minutes longer than Adagio’s suggestion).

An excellent holiday tea, and a new favorite.