Reichenbach Recovery

I would like to apologize for my lack of reviews in the past couple of days/weeks. I’ve been super busy but come the end of April I’ll have more time to write on here. Trust me, I’ve still been drinking tea. Lots of it. But, I’m not going to kill your feeds with my backlogs as that wouldn’t be that fun now, would it?

Anyways, I got a generous amount of this tea from Emilie in our swap. I’ve been reallllllllly wanting to try the Sherlock and Hunger Games blends from Adagio as I’m a fan of both series and I think that not only are the blends a fun way to celebrate your fandom, but they also look super tasty!

The dry leaf smells oddly like Captain Crunch. That’s not actually bad, because I really like Captain Crunch! In fact, it smells quite enticing! One thing I don’t like about Adagio’s custom blends is that they don’t include any brewing instructions, so it’s up to you to kind of guess what to do. I knew that this was an all black blend, and those are more forgiving, but I also know that Adagio’s blacks are easily embittered, so I decided to go with a safe 195 (next time I will do 185 to 190 as this still did have just a hint of bitterness) for 4 minutes.

The result is amazing. I added milk and sugar (it seemed fitting as it is British, afterall :P) and it’s very good and I really hope all the blends by this “author” are as good! The earl grey is definitely the forefront flavor and the hazelnut and caramel add a nice extra creamy sweetness in the background! I really like this one a lot.

Thanks again Emilie for this and your other sample, they will both be enjoyed! Also, I know that you stated that you were having problems with this tea and I would recommend going with a lower temp for 4 minutes-it really creates a nice flavor.

Right. So. I officially hate the “Undo” button on my tablet keyboard. Also, I REALLY miss having an actual keyboard. Something about typing essays on a piece of glass leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t hit that button in almost the whole year I’ve owned this tablet, and I’ve hit it three times while typing this review.

So. I’m SO flat that Sherlock season 2 is currently airing in the US. I’m currently without a computer, stuck using this tablet, and while it’s a cool toy, it’s not really meant for typing essays on. It also means that I can’t watch anything stored on my computer that isn’t in in iTunes. I watched Reichenbach when it aired on PBS earlier this evening, and of COURSE my dad comes in at the MOST dramatic moment and talks / theorizes all the way through. Not that he’s ever seen the show before! Fortunately, it’s airing again right after… Sooo… Three hour Sherlock marathon. Right.

TEA.

I have to admit, I’m not actually drinking this tea. BUT. I have the components and I know the ratios so I’ve blended up an approximation of it, using Earl Grey Cream from DAVIDs instead of the Earl Grey Bravo. It really is good. It’s warm and full-bodied, nutty in just the right places and the caramel gives it a sort of sweetness that flows over it without overpowering it. Next time I order from Adagio, I’m definitely adding some of this.

God, Benedict Cumberbatch just looks like a little boy and I just want to hug him.

That drawing of Watson just breaks my heart. Poor Watson.

/////START BBC’S SHERLOCK SPOILERS///////
If Watson only knew that somehow Sherlock was around to stop the beheading of Irene Adler, if he only knew about that debacle at all, he might have an idea that Sherlock can somehow fake his own death. And does anyone else think that if Sherlock can fake his own death by jumping off a building then somehow Moriarty faked his own death with that super creepy grin on his face, supposedly after death?
////////END SHERLOCK SPOILERS////////

thank you Starfevre for sending me a sample of this one! I love tea and I love fandom so I love Adagio’s fandom blends. I haven’t yet had an Adagio tea that wasn’t delicious. I haven’t had many, but I’ve had a few. Somehow I thought they’d put more emphasis on letting people create their own blends and less emphasis on the tea quality itself. But the flavor is always there! This one definitely seems like it should be comforting with earl grey, hazelnut and caramel. Those seem like the most comforting options they might have at Adagio. I’d say the most prominent flavor is the hazelnut. It’s definitely hazelnut! It seems like that wouldn’t work with earl grey, but somehow it does. I didn’t really taste much caramel though. This was definitely delicious. This would be a good one for Watson… or one to have while I’m thinking of how long it will be for season three of Sherlock to finally be on TV!

Cookies, anyone?

That’s basically what this tea smells and tastes like when brewed. Sugar cookies, if I had to be specific about cookie types. (Note that I didn’t have this with sugar or milk, so it was more like an unsweetened cookie, but still cookie-like all the same).

At first, I was worried that the Earl Grey would overpower the hazelnut and caramel, but they all mesh together into a wonderful, soothing tea that is perfect to drink when comfort is needed. The Earl Grey is the easiest flavour to pick out, but the caramel and hazelnut seem to subtly balance out the bergamot.

If drinking tea is like a conversation, this tea would basically be a very big hug!

The dry leaf aroma is bergamot and hazelnut, which is kind of a weird combination to my nose. It’s definitely very unique and unlike any other tea I’ve smelled. This is a tea that requires milk. I added sweetener too, which may have been premature.

The dominant flavor is definitely hazelnut, followed by bergamot and something floral, and then finally a little caramel. I don’t particularly like this Adagio base. It’s fairly bitter even with milk, and normally I don’t find it so. Hmm, I want to like this. I really do. But it’s just…

I think it’s the hazelnut that I’m really not a fan of here. It’s very heavy and artificial. No, this is just not my cup of tea. Oh well. Thanks to Shmiracles for the sample!

I think I have issues with cornflower petals. Any time I make a tea with them, it has a bitter, astringent taste. Everyone talks about tea made with them being so creamy. I’ve tried this tea at 2, 3 and 4 minutes and still get that flavor. Am I missing something? Do you have to add sweetener and milk for the creaminess to come out? That doesn’t seem right. And when I do, I don’t get any of the caramel or hazelnut taste. I really want to like this tea. Help!

appropriately drinking this tea as i read this http://archiveofourown.org/works/324584?view_full_work=true
the scent of this tea is very strange to me, sweet but ‘off’. and it intrigues me over and over.
i think i like it?
i’ll have to get back to you on that.

This tea blend should not work together, but it does! A spoonful of sugar and a splash of milk and it tastes like an oatmeal cookie.
While it did not help me get over The Reichenbach Fall ;) it is a yummy tea when one wants a flavored tea that isn’t the same old.

This one smells heavenly! Not quite like a batch of cookies out of the oven, but pretty close. It didn’t really taste like anything special without milk or honey; after adding them both, though, it was incredible. I’m still trying to figure out exactly why that brought out the best flavours in it. In any case, this makes a delicious, comforting dessert tea. I wish I’d had more of it in my sample pack.

Perfect tea is perfect. This is everything I have ever wanted in a tea. It’s flavorful but not overpowering, the flavors mix together perfectly (especially when enhanced with cream and sugar), and it smells like a bakery. So tasty, my goodness. I just love it. If I had to choose one tea to drink for the rest of my life, this would be it, to be honest.

This tea is really wonderful! By far the smoothest Earl I’ve ever had, the hazelnut really contributes well to this brilliant tea.

Being a custom blend, I followed a pattern that I thought would produce a generally good result, and was really pleased!

Measurement: 1 & 1/4 teaspoon
Temperature: 185F
Steep Time: 4 minutes 15 seconds.

This is another one that will go on my ‘buy more’ list!