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This makes a damn fine cup of tea! I consider this oolong to be a ‘tank’ as I brewed it for more than eight times, so much I couldn’t finish my last cup. The only reason why I don’t give it 100%, is because of it’s availability, it was often sold out in shop.

When you buy a Alishan/Lishan consider yourself buying concentrated tea leaves that are tanks! Kind of like how laundry detergent is concentrated to take out more loads of clothes, it is same thing, so it compensates for it’s price. I brewed this in a traditional prewarmed gaiwan. The water is prepared a little shy of boiling, or at a boil and I let it cool for a minute or two. I wash the leaves with a quick spot of the hot water, and dump. My ritual with oolongs is at one minute ascending brews. Like I said this tea is a tank, so after the fifth brew I start brewing with boiling water.

The resulting cup is aromatic with a sweet smell reminiscent of a Japanese green tea, which mirrors in it’s sweet, almost vegetably-complex taste. It has a smooth finish with a enjoyable lingering aftertaste. The leaf quality is amazing! Whole processed rolled leaves will open fully. It could rise above water level in whatever you’re brewing in.

If you want to impress someone, or need a focus booster take this tea into consideration. Like all oolongs it does a number on delicate metabolisms. This tea actually makes me hungry! So not for a person curving portions out of their diet.

No notes yet.

I am a fan of Japanese green teas, and I will say that this makes a DAMN fine cup of tea! The Sencha of my dreams. Pricey, exclusive, this is a very well rounded first flush.

I brew this when water steams up, with light bubbles. Around 200ºF-180ºF. I would treat this as brewing a Gyokuro. As with finer Japanese greens it is a picky brew, so adjust. I brew this with a 16 ounce traditional prewarmed clay Kyusu. Porcelainware is okay,cast iron will overheat it. I set the clock at ascending one minute brews, you could brew at two minute ascending to yield a fuller body, but it is easier to mess up, and the second brew tends to taste harsh.

It yields a light green translucent cup, with a fresh oceanlike aroma. It has a more flavourful body than your normal Sencha, but still light in taste with vegetable complexity, and refreshing sweet finish. It’s leaf quality has high contrast between dark and light stems.

This is a nice finer than fine teas, if you appreciate Japanese greens. This is not for a beginner, many beginners will say Japanese greens taste like seaweed, cut grass, or over boiled spinach, but I do not consider it an acquired taste.

To be honest, I believe a cup of this tea is equal to putting a bar of soap into your mouth.

It may be a overstatement, but if you’re looking for a ‘real’ Earl Grey grab a tin of Twinings, or Rishi’s Supreme Earl Grey. I think many beginners on Earl Grey start out with this, from Adagio, believing it will deliver, and end up hating Earl Grey. Earl Grey Bravo to me, is much like a “Lady Grey”, which in my book, is suppose to be much more citrusy, and more floral than a normal Earl Grey, which is what Earl Grey Bravo is. If they would call it “Lady Grey Bravo”, I’d score this average, only cause I’m not a huge fan of Lady Greys to begin with.

If you want a Lady Grey from Adagio, grab this! (I guess).

If you do brew this, brew it like any black, five minutes, at boiling; if you find it too floral, I suggest cutting the amount of leaves, milk tends to help mellow out the citrus. It yeilds a very aromatic, lighter amber liquor.

I guess my lesson from this tea is that many tea drinkers don’t realize that Adagio’s reviews are somewhat unreliable because many Adagio customers JUST write reviews to gain discount codes.

This tea has become a staple for me.

Like most Wuyi oolongs, it is complex, honeylike with a very harmonizing earth note, which seems to be my favorite thing about Wuyi oolongs. This Wuyi has decent leaf quality, with a nice contrast of brown and dark green leaves.

I brew this shy of boiling, or boil, and let the water cool for a minute or two. I brew my Wuyi oolongs on one minute ascending brews starting at one minute. This tea in my opinion will start loosing significant body on its’ third brew, but its’ quality is good enough for six brews, where I find that it’s body is watered out.

I take this tea often at dinner, especially if I had a greasy meal. It pairs well with Dim Sum. Delicate metabolisms can have you running to the bathroom, as with most oolongs. Overall, if you’re looking for a little more than average ORGANIC Wuyi, this is what I would recommend.

Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey was my ever first brew of a loose leaf tea. Many consider this tea to be the “classic original” of the Earl Greys, and in my book it earns the title. I brew it like any black, boiling for five minutes, its’ leaf quality is questionable, but the taste compensates. Red amber liquor, citrusy aroma of bergamot, with a tinge of appropriate muskiness.
This tea is damn fine with milk and a bit of sweetener, but could be taken straight if you like the astringency, you could cut the brew time if you don’t want it so bold. As with all tea with milk I put a spot of WHOLE milk, pour the tea, and add agave nectar or honey~this cup + a dry baked good of some sort (shortbread, scone, muffin) is a decent balance. If Twining’s produced this organically I would make it a staple over Rishi’s Supreme Earl Grey.