161 Tasting Notes

75

Very floral in smell, taste and aftertaste. Natural and lightly sweet, but I do pick up some bitterness as the cup cools. Not a bad cup at all.

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35

I don’t hate it, but I don’t think I “get it” either. Other than the smell, and instant the tea touches your tongue, this is just kind of plain to me. It steeps very quickly and fairly dark. I’m just not getting a lot of sweet potato action. Maybe regular potato, like some others have mentioned, but not so much a yummy sweet potato flavor. I drank this plain…and the flavors are changing now that the cup is cooling off. The natural sweetness is coming out. Still not a sweet potato in my book….but maybe….if you are willing yourself to taste a sweet potato, you will taste it.

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80
drank Irish Breakfast by Adagio Teas
161 tasting notes

I threw in a little Irish Breakfast on top of yesterday’s leftover Keemun Concerto. Yum. This tea is comforting and heavy…malty and smokey. Fantastic for a cold, rainy and generally yucky day. Taken with milk and a little Truvia. Does anyone else have an opinion on this Truvia stuff? I came across it by way of my local tea shop. They have packets out on their tables with the Splenda, raw sugar, etc. Just curious if this is the latest and greatest in the world of sweeteners.

denisend

Truvia – supposed to be more pure form of Stevia. I’ve not had Truvia but I have had Stevia, and it has a horrible aftertaste. Theoretically, the processing that Truvia undergoes gets rid of the aftertaste.

How was it?

LENA

not too bad in a splenda-like way. i didn’t use very much in this cup, so i’m not a very good judge yet.

Danielle

i usually use Agave nectar in my teas…but if i ever use sugar i use Truvia. I never had a taste for splenda…i thought that it had that funny after taste. So when i use Truvia, i only use a half a packet and i think it tastes fine. I dont notice a yucky after taste like in splenda.

Cofftea

@Danielle, your 1st sentence is contradictory. Sugar is not stevia. You are right in only using half a packet. Stevia is 2x as sweet as sugar.

teaplz

Cofftea, I’m pretty sure she just meant sweetener, instead of sugar in that first sentence.

Jillian

Whenever I use a sweetener I prefer to go natural, usually with honey. I try to avoid artificial sweeteners if possible because many of them contain aspartame which is a bit dodgy health-wise.

Cofftea

@Jillian, absolutely. Aspartame is notoriously known for making depression worse for those who suffer from it. I go w/ stevia because it’s the only natural calorie free option… although honey is very healthy for you. I’d love to try ROT’s honeys w/ tea in them.

kat

@cofftea, is it your mission each day to get on here and piss on and irritate people on purpose? I have read sooooo many of your comments to people that are just rude. Does this make u feel good or what?

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60
drank Keemun Concerto by Adagio Teas
161 tasting notes

Time to try the hair-free tin!

I accidentally steeped the heck out of the cup but it doesn’t seem to matter. Moderately malty, middle of the road keemun. Just “so-so” in my book. I’ll probably blend it in with my Irish Breakfast or add mint just to spruce it up.

teaplz

Yay! No more honkin’ hairs! ;)

LENA

YAY INDEED!

Cynthia Carter

Mint – what a great idea!

Jillian

Mint seems to go good with just about every tea or tisane I’ve tried.

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60

Received a free sample of this in the mail. My husband chortles and shakes his head each time he sees a catalog or free sample in the mail. I’ll admit the combos of Rishi Tea, Women’s Health, and the latest in concealment holsters and Kevlar isn’t your everyday mix.

Anyway, I didn’t hate this as much as I thought I was going to. It is pretty sickenly sweet and I had to constantly stir my cup due the mix settling between each sip. I smell the spices more than I taste them. I’d much rather make my own chai (but it is time consuming to do it properly). Right now Adagio’s Thai Chai reigns supreme in my book. This isn’t bad if you are seriously craving some chai.

Cofftea

How did you get a free sample? I LOVE chai mix! I make my own, but this would be good to have when I’m out and too lazy to make more cuz I want some NOW.

LENA

I just checked their website and they have ended their promotion with the free sample. Sorry!

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75
drank Silver Needle by Adagio Teas
161 tasting notes

Light and mildly grassy. I can understand those who say that this tastes buttery to them. I’m not talking about a stick of butter here, but it is a little creamy and has depth. Not an everyday tea for me…but then again, I think I’m on a black tea kick right now.

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30

I received a free bag of this when I ordered The Republic of Tea’s catalog. I’m not a fan and I love rooibos. This tastes mostly of stale rooibos and a little pomegranate. I mostly SMELL the pomegranate, not taste it. The vanilla is barely there in the aftertaste.

Oh well, at least it was free. You just can’t beat free tea.

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80
drank Ceylon Sonata by Adagio Teas
161 tasting notes

I’m in a no-frills mood today. My husband had knee surgery on Monday, so I’m pretty much running dead on my feet. I need the warmth, the simplicity, the CAFFEINE to make it through the work day today. Then, family starts to come in…

Then I swap from teas to Bloody Marys.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
TeaEqualsBliss

positive vibes for a speedy recovery!

Cofftea

Praying for him!

LENA

Thanks you guys! The Steepster community is the absolute best!

gmathis

I just noticed you’re from Murfreesboro! Spent part of a week there in late October for a writers’ conference. (My editor, a dear friend and fellow tea lover, brings her tea chest to keep us all focused and docile!)

LENA

@ gmathis – very cool! hope it was a pleasant visit. let me know if you are in town again and i can tell you about a couple local tea shops.

gmathis

I’m in Nashville 2-3 times a year and have enjoyed a couple of neat excursions — one to a Miss Mabel’s in Dickson, which I understand is now closed, but it was great fun and frou-frou-y. I get occasional care packages from a tea place in Franklin from the same buddy. Hope you have an opportunity to make yourself a cuppa, family notwithstanding, and count your blessings.

Carolyn

Hope the holidays are a blessing for you and that your husband recovers well from knee surgery!

takgoti

Beaming you and your husband all the good brainwaves I’ve got left!

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80
drank Peppermint Rooibos by Rishi Tea
161 tasting notes

YUM! A perfect combo of rooibos and peppermint. The peppermint is pretty overwhelming, but in a good way (if you like peppermint, that is). The rooibos backs up the taste with its full body of earthy goodness. I’m finding ZERO unpleasantries. No sugar needed. This would be great iced…maybe then I’d add a little sweetener. Super fresh tasting and my mouth is all tingly with peppermint cleanness. Lovely fresh aftertaste as well. This would be great to drink after a heavy meal.
A great choice to start my Friday!

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60
drank Keemun Concerto by Adagio Teas
161 tasting notes

Ya’ll…..

There were 2 big, honkin’ hairs in my sample tin. My never been opened, until now sample tin. I know for a fact that those hairs were not mine. Should I tell Adagio? Is this common? Should I just pick them out and drink up?!?! Ideas?

Auggy

Uhm… gross. Way gross. I can offer no advice – part of me says to contact Adagio because well, gross! Another part of me says that people drink pu-ehr and find nail clippings and bird feathers in it so it could be worse. Nah, I think I’d contact Adagio. Cause yeah, gross.

LENA

Thanks girl. I’ll try the online chat thingy. Man, I can’t drink this now. Gross indeed.

Angrboda

I think it might be a good idea to inform Adagio. It could be a one-time problem, but it could also be something they could fix really easily. And if they’re any kind of decent, they’ll give you a replacement sample.

TeaEqualsBliss

I’ve never had a problem with Adagio – I LOVE their customer service – so – I would mention it to them – I am sure they will ‘take care of it’…at least I think they would.

teafiend

Ewwwww. I’m go to throughly examine all of my teas now. I would pick it out and still drink it the heat will kill any potential pathogens. Still, tell Adagio.

LENA

Ok, thanks guys. I just finished my online chat with Adagio. (very cool by the way) They are sending me a replacement sample and two more free samples of my choice. She said it was to make it worth the shipping on their side. SO COOL AND SO NICE TO DEAL WITH. She was very apologetic about the “discovery”. Gotta love Adagio!!!

Auggy

Yay for Adagio! Almost makes me wish I’d find hair in one of my tins!

LENA

HAHAHA! No you don’t! But they more than made up for it. I think I am going to dump out that whole sample and look through it though. Maybe my tin escaped inspection.

TeaEqualsBliss

See…I KNEW Adagio would come thru! They are awesome! :)

teaplz

Awesome that this got resolved, Lena! Because that’s pretty disgusting.

Eww, Auggy, you make me never want to try pu-ehr tea!

Angrboda

Teaplz, you can also get pu-ehrs loose. :) I’ve never had a real cake, but I’ve never ever found anything in any of the loose pu-ehrs that I’ve tried that hadn’t at one point been part of a plant.

Auggy

@teaplz: Hahaha! Yep, that’s my feeling! It took me 2 years to try it and I’ve only tried loose. I think a cake is not going to happen.

Jillian

I’m glad you got things sorted out so quickly, Lena. Stuff like this can happen pretty randomly, even in the best places, unfortunately.

Oolonga

It’s not fair to give this tea such a low rating, you haven’t even tried it. Not that 2 hairs can affect the taste, you know.
I remember you saying in one of your reviews that you are not a girly girl but you are acting totally like one, he he :)

Cofftea

So the question is, what samples did you pic?:)

LENA

I picked white Silver Needle and Darjeeling #2. I’m really impressed with their customer service.

LENA

@ Oolonga – I thought about that after the fact (and after my hissy fit). I can’t take away the rating all together, so I just moved it to a neutral 50.

You don’t know me! :)

Auggy

Oolonga sounds like one of the brave ones that would have no fear when faced with a pu-ehr cake!

Suzi

@ Oolonga – LOL! I generally would tend to agree with you – hairs don’t gross me out at all, because I shed my waist-length mane like crazy – but I know for a lot of people it’s at the top of the GROOOOOOOOSS list.

Glad Adagio is making it up to you, Lena!

LENA

I’m jealous of anyone with a mane…I have fine hair. Limits the styles…booo!

Oolonga

LENA F.
Glad you changed your mind :)

Auggy
To be honest, I haven’t met a pu-ehr cake in person yet but I guess I will be able to handle it…

teaplz

I don’t mind hair… as long as it’s mine! But someone else’s… blech. Like Auggy pointed out, there are way grosser things to find in your tea (nail clippings? I think I’d gag), but still.

Lena, I love your use of the word “honking” in your post, by the way!

LENA

@ Auggy – oh man, if I would have seen a fingernail clipping or a bird’s feather I probably would have thrown up. I may not be a girly girl, but I don’t have a cast-iron stomach! No pu-erh cakes for me!

Auggy

A cigarette butt was also on the list of nasty things people had found in their cakes. Dead bugs another. Yeah. Not cool. I guess that is a VERY good reason why people give their pu ehr a rinse before drinking it! Not like that’d wash a fingernail out…

takgoti

Ew. Ew. EW. EWWWWW.

This thread has turned me off trying a pu-erh cake. For now, anyway. EW.

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lover of tea, travel, good food, nerdy stuff, tattoos, great danes, sushi, beer, netflix, UFC, reading…and of course, my kick-ass husband.

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