Bio
Are you a company or tea blender on sites like Adagio that would you like your tea reviewed? If so, please e-mail me @ [email protected].
What I most enjoy from obtaining samples from companies to review is that it helps me to better learn to drink and review teas from a more objective perspective, meaning more of the “This tea is…” point of view rather than the “I like/don’t like” this tea. I feel objectivism in tea reviews is EXTREMELY important because no two tea drinkers tastes are exactly the same. I’ve also been extremely surprised by several teas. I love recieving a sample I think I will be only writing an objective review on, only to completely fall in love with it upon tasting it.
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Are you interested in redoing or starting your own tea related website or adding Search Engine Optimization? If so, please contact me at my work e-mail address: [email protected]
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Tea tastes:
I will ALWAYS pick loose leaf over tea bags. I only drink bagged tea if that’s my only choice or I find a flavor that I can’t find a loose leaf version for. When I do drink bagged; however, I always weigh my bag and am constantly curious as to the weight/flavor ratio- sometimes I am quite surprised by the flavor punch of light bags.
I have a preference for organic and fair trade teas (preferably both), but would never pass up an amzing tea just because it isn’t organic and/or fair trade.
I love savory teas.
I’m currently searching for a chai flavored soy powder or a soy based chai mix (either already mixed or a recipe).
I hardly EVER sweeten my teas. I feel that sweeteners (unless flavored like tea honeys, brown sugar, ice cream topping syrups, flavored coffee syrups, etc) do not add anything to the flavor profile of tea- in fact, I’ve found that they dumb down the flavors.
I NEVER serve my tea over regular iced cubes- I always make tea cubes.
I LOVE cooking w/ tea and making smoothTEAS.
I LOVE tea blending.
I rarely drink herbal teas unless they are mixed with true teas. My favorite herbals to mix with true teas are: spearmint, peppermint, lemongrass, rose hips, and gingeroot.
I can’t stand anything w/ fennel or anise. Hot black teas (except orange pekoe bagged tea that you get when you go out to eat and chai teas) tend to upset my stomach.
I drink matcha daily and love flavoring it. I’m also in a constant search of preflavored matchas.
I’m constantly searching for information on how to prepare tea authentically according to its country of origin.
My Tasting Notes Ratings (edited 8/8/10)
1: I can’t even stand the raw leaf enough to make this (I’ve never owned a tea w/ this rating, but I’ve smelled some before buying resulting in me NOT buying them that were that bad)
2: I steeped this tea but couldn’t stand the aroma enough to get it past my nose
3: I immediately gagged at the 1st sip and spit it out.
4: I manageed to get the 1st sip down, but I tossed the rest.
5: I drank the 1st cup but I can’t bring myself to resteep
6: Made it thru the entire set of infusions but I can’t bring myself to tinker w/ the parameters and won’t be making it again.
7-10: Does not taste anything like the ingredients or name suggests (i.e. Adagio’s Sour apple)
11-25: I can taste some of the ingredients, but the flavor is severely lacking
25-49: Teas that I would not consider bad in their flavor profile, but certainly below average
50: Average.
51-69: Teas above averge, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling them “good”.
70-75: Very good, but still room for improvement
76-85: Above average flavor profile
86-90: REALLY good flavors
91-99: Almost PERFECTLY achieves the goal of the ingredients and name of the tea.
100: Abosolutely perfect teas!
Other Interests: GOD! and all things pertaining to Him and His children, my dog Madison, travelling, and coffee.
Favorite Music: ANYTHING Christian. I don’t normally listen to secular music, but I do love jazz and swing.
Favorite Movies: Romantic comedies mostly. My Sister’s Keeper, P.S. I Love You, Fireproof, National Treasure Trilogy (I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE 3rd ONE TO COME OUT!), Night at the Museum 1 & 2, Sister Act 1 & 2, Yes Man, Bruce & Evan Almighty, rarely watch animated movies but LOVE anything 3D.
Favorite Books: THE BIBLE!!! & My Sister’s Keeper
Favorite Quotes: “A sad soul can kill you far quicker than a germ”- John Stienbeck "
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing”- Aristotle
“You should always carry burdens, but they should never be your own”- me
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” ~ Winston Churchill
“Mom was right, ‘because I say so’ is enough- at least when it comes to God.”- me
Favorite Foods: fried calamari, lemon chicken, anything w/ buffalo sauce.
Favorite Places: WA state, Switzerland, Orlando
Places I Want to Visit: Hawaii, Africa
Anything Else: I was born with a birth defect called Spina Bifida which is the failure of the spinal column to close en utero. Because of this I am a parapelegic and use a manual wheelchair.
Location
Oshkosh, WI
Website
http://www.adagio.com/signatu...
Cofftea - I'm so disappointed that you found our matcha to be "quite bitter". That is very strange as I've typically heard the opposite especially when compared with DoMatcha's organic variety and our other competitors. Of course, I'd be happy to have your purchase refunded for you or we could send you a different tin and see if there might have been something wrong with the one you purchased (very rare ....but possible). Send me an email at infoleafspa.com to discuss. At LeafSpa Organic Tea, our customer relationships are the most important thing for our business obviously, so, I want to make sure that we do whatever we can to address this issue to your satisfaction.
Let me give it another try or 2- I LOVE that it sifts quickly so I’m not gonna give up yet. Thank you for taking the time to pay attention to the steepster tasting notes, I know running a business is quite time consuming. I love interacting w/ companies here:)
Sounds good. I hope your second try is much more enjoyable! Obviously, you’re a true Matcha lover so I wait with baited breath to hear your next thoughts…. Have a good night.