Sherlock (Blend)

30/01/2013
I’m Sherlock Holmes, the world’s only consulting detective.
I’m not going to go into detail about how I do what I do because chances are you wouldn’t understand. If you’ve got a problem that you want me to solve, then contact me. Interesting cases only please.
This is what I do:
1. I observe everything.
2. From what I observe, I deduce everything.
3. When I’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how mad it might seem, must be the truth.

20/12/2012
i brewed this in my timolino to take to the movies.
we were gonna see Lincolin and i felt like the Lapsang was properly oldtimey and candlelight toned to match.
but at the last minute we changed our mind and saw The Hobbit!!
and i’m so glad i did!
honestly had i known, i probably would have brewed my Watson tea for Martin Freeman of course.
or maybe i would have chosen Love Tea #7 for Bilbo’s endlessly endearing honesty.
but in the end, the assam gently softens the lapsang in this deeply grounding tea, and the earthiness of this blend always tastes like home to me.
i had a great evening.

03/12/2012
omg.
this tea is exactly like it’s described. exotic and mysterious and i’m not even exaggerating.

it smells and tastes like thoughts and sensations. like the air pressure dropping in the weather. or your legs hitting a pocket of cold current while swimming in a warm ocean.

this is a tea for when i am in a serious mood. which is often.
this tea is goth.

A friend who knows my love for tea & for all things BBC brought me a bit of this to try (her college-aged daughters brought it home). Since it was labelless, I’m guessing this is the correct blend—-Adagio sports eleven signature blends with “Sherlock” in the title.

I am not a lapsang souchong fan, generally; however, the assam (any tea with assam gets a partial positive rating) and spices soften the smoke enough that it’s enjoyable on an afternoon when the building AC is cranked to “igloo.”

Wouldn’t pick it out on my own, but was fun to try.

Had this blend for a late breakfast before heading out. I really like strong smokey teas, so I was excited for this one. The oriental spice in this one seems to tone down the lapsang, without really showing itself. At first, I was disappointed with the lack of smoke, but I like how smooth the other elements make this tea. It’s not bitter at all and honestly better than I was expecting.

On a mostly unrelated note, I found out that Zhi Tea is near me and I plan on going soon! I just have to find someone I can convince to go with me..

Smoke and spice and everything Sherlock. :)
This is fantastic. My first taste of lapsang souchong ever, and though it’s blended I feel like I’ve passed some sort of tea milestone. :P

Love, love, love this. Think a light masala chai over a campfire, there you have it. A bit spicey and smokey with a nice standard black tea flavor thrown in. I was worried that lapsang souchong was going to be too smokey, but it’s really interesting how it comes across in the tea. Who would have thought that a campfire would be tasty! I’ve had a puerh that has a smokiness that leans towards tobacco, but this is totally different. My future-MIL didn’t like it, too much smoke for her. But wow, I love it!

Drank straight, no milk or sugar. I figure this is the way Sherlock would have it (they never have milk anyway). While this seems perfect for a winter’s day, even on a summer morning it’s delicious. This gets a check in the “restock” box.

While I like a bit a Assam in my black tea, I’m not a fan of it on its own, and the Lapsang Souchong is already smokey. The Oriental Spice was very faint and almost overpowered by the smoke flavor of the other two in the mix.
I admit, I got this purely because I love the BBC Sherlock, which this tea inspired.

Very strong tea. I’d only steep for 3 minutes or so. There’s a very musty smell to it. Reminds me of old books. Kind of smokey too. Interesting.

At first I wasn’t too keen on the taste. But after a second cup it steadily became addicting!

I will start off by saying that I am forever in awe of how character-appropriate Cara’s Sherlock teas are— this could not be more Sherlock if it tried! The chai spice and hint of smoke from the lapsang souchong complement each other perfectly. It’s like warm chai over a campfire at night, or a quiet and contemplative conversation with a worldly stranger. Love this one.

You know, when I first tried this, it was my favorite tea in the world. It smelled so intriguing and sexy. I recently got a bag of this which had too much Lapsang in it, and it put me off the blend, even after they sent me a correctly-mixed replacement bag. (Adagio really is awesome.) I will have to leave this one alone for a while.

I really, really wanted to like this tea. I mean, it’s the title characters tea, and everything in it sounds exciting and slightly exotic. How can a Sherlock tea set be complete without an amazing Sherlock tea? So as you can see, I really, really wanted to like it.

Unfortunately, the only word I can think of to describe it is…dull.

I will admit, it SMELLS amazing. More so in the bag than in the cup, where it loses some of its sharpness, but if I could have a perfume that smelled like this I would wear it until the day I died. Overall the tea has a beautiful scent and a nice color in the cup. What it lacks is the zing I was heartily hoping for out of a cup dedicated to the sharpest mind in fiction. What I got was just plain old ordinary.

No, it’s not Lipton, I will at least give it that, but after the promising start with Watson, it was a real let down. What it needs is a touch of something sharp, something biting. I guess adding lemon would improve it, but that’s just a small fix. It doesn’t help the fact that the tea itself is sadly unimpressive. If I was going to suggest any changes, I’d say Sherlock would be better served with a hint of hibiscus, or something similar to give it the edge it deserves.