54 Tasting Notes

1

Not much to say really, it was too juicy for me. Not much green tea flavor or characteristics, it tasted like a tart juice you would drink with breakfast. Not impressed and would not purchase; I received a sample so at least I didn’t waste my money on it and don’t you.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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100
drank White Peony by Adagio Teas
54 tasting notes

Ok, I feel this tea has the same review and attributes as the Silver Needle except for a few minor tweaks. The only difference is in lieu of the crispiness and apple undertones, it is replaced with a creaminess. All White Peony teas remind me of a Chardonnay wine; the creaminess, the light buttery texture [or in tea’s case, mouth feel]. You can only really detect a minor mouth feel with Adagio’s White Peony, not like Steven Smith Teamaker’s which is a little more pronounced.

The aroma is very similar, but with more of a butter-cream mixed in with the fruit…it is a gauzy, transparent creaminess. I realize this description may sound like an oxymoron, but it fits.

The longer this tea steeps, it just slightly improves; it does not get strong or bitter at all.

The aftertaste is where the butter and cream show up for the party, but stays in the background. There is a slight linger on the tongue but dissipates quickly like a light breeze.

In conclusion, I do like and enjoy this tea, but there are better iterations out on the market, one in particular, Steven Smith Teamaker…his tea is absolutely delicious and sublime leaving you with wanting more. I would concur with other tea enthusiasts out there, Adagio Teas is a good starter for beginners wanting to steep themselves in the enjoyment and world of tea.

Update: My initial taste and review stands [1st infusion only], however, as with the Silver Needle, I used a smaller cup with less water and the flavor intensified. With this varietal, you can tell the difference between 1st and 2nd flush; because White Peony is considered the 2nd flush where as Silver Needle is the 1st flush and only the buds, therefore, this has a hint more “green” taste to it, since it is mixed in with the two top leaves along with the buds it possess the “green tea” characteristics. It is still delicious and delightful. I highly recommend this tea and brand.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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100
drank Silver Needle by Adagio Teas
54 tasting notes

Shhh!, this tea is so delicate you can spook it. I must admit, I am a big fan of Adagio Teas and I am used to Silver Needle but in loose leaf form. I recently purchased their new “teabags” and must say are pretty nice; they are made of nylon and my preliminary feeling is that they restrict the flavor a little bit compared to a silk sachet. I do need to try another tea say a white peony with a little more flavor profile to test it against such a delicate tea as the Silver Needle. Now, on to my review.

The Aroma: This tea has the soft aroma of melon, peach and candied pears but in a very soft subdued manner, barely there.

The Taste: The taste is very delicate and mild yet still noticeable. It has the flavor profile of the fruits mentioned above with a sublime sweetness. There really isn’t that much more to this flavor.

The Aftertaste: There is a slight crispness as an aftertaste, reminiscent of apples. There really isn’t one; it does not linger like other teas. To me, it seems to cleanse the palate.

If you like big bold flavor teas, then this type is not for you. Silver Needle is a very delicate, soft, sublime tea.

I do highly recommend this tea and this brand even though most tea connoisseurs are familiar with the brand. A must buy!

Update: Even though I stick to my guns about reviewing only the first infusion, I do have to admit that I had a cuppa this evening and the profile still stands, however, it was a little more intense due to the amount of water. I believe I used a smaller cup than with this initial review; on this website it only offers us steep time and water temperature…I guess we have to fill in the rest like amount of water used. This is a nice and tasty tea, can’t wait to try the White Peony in the same type of cup. Adagio Teas offers some fine teas!

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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100

WOW! The first Republic of Tea that rates a 100 score from me. I am surprised at how much I love this tea. Double Green Matcha Tea has the best of both worlds the grassy, vegetal taste of Matcha [which is an ingredient anyway] with the bright astringency of Chinese green tea which is also an ingredient. I have to say that the Matcha in this blend seems to taste a little fresher than the single batch of Matcha I purchased before.

The aroma consists of both types of tea, clean, fresh, grassy, vegetal and bright.

The color is not as bright as whisking up Matcha alone, it’s a little brownish-green, not too off-putting, it is more like a darker jade but not as green. To be honest, I think the coloring is due to the addition of the Chinese green tea, the cuppa is more of that color with the Matcha powder as a little enhancement…still drinkable.

The aftertaste is really nice. This tea taste lingers on the palate with the effect of wanting more.

This tea is quite delicious and I would highly recommend this one.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
Cofftea

The whole idea of this is just beyond me. If I wanted something like this I think I’d just steep some green tea then add some matcha to it… I dunno… I just can’t get over it…

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100

A very delicious tea! I really liked this one. Zhena uses the same type of tea bag as The Republic of Tea, unbleached, round, no string. The rose flavoring is prominent but not overpowering, a very soothing and relaxing cuppa. The teas are the clean, medium-body from India and Sri Lanka. To take in the essence of the tea and then to taste it, is sublime. The longer the tea steeped, the flavoring does not get too strong; it stays nice and soothing, relaxing, gentle and delicious. I would highly recommend this tea.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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50

Same steeping parameters and this was a sample. I would NOT buy…but a nice tea if looking for even more health benefits and if you want a “juicy” tea. It was somewhat juicy, but not as much as the Wholeberry [this one got a little too tart] I reviewed. Because of the Cinnamon Bark and the Peppermint Leaves, the juiciness was diluted slightly; I tasted cinnamon with a cooling effect, the peppermint. This was a tasty tea. I must admit, the duration steeping time barely effected the taste; the cinnamon only got a hint stronger but nothing intolerable; the peppermint however, got a little stronger too almost to the point of throwing out, but it was tolerable as well. You could not really taste the green tea because of the other flavors.

I did however, appreciated the packaging. Nice pyramid-style sachets which were wrapped for freshness.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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30

My usual parameters for steeping. This tea is ok for what it is. It is juicy, a little sweet and tart. I don’t much care really for flavored teas because the intended flavor always seems to overpower the tea and in this case it did; this was a sample by-the-way. It was a little too tart because of the Cranberries but take into consideration my steeping methods; steeped to the “proper” specifications and it might be less tart, more tea taste. It was the better of the two I’ve had so far the other being Pomberry Green Tea [review of this tea coming soon]. The juiciness gets to be overpowering the longer it’s kept in the hot water. The liquor is a pretty, medium-colored pink.

This tea’s and the Pomberry’s characteristics remind me of The Republic of Tea, and if you’ve read my reviews of The Republic of Tea aren’t too favorable; the flavored teas between the two brands taste alike. Even though the ingredients are organic, the flavor(s) taste artificial and chemical to me. If you like juicy teas, then this one you may like.

I am anxious to try the other teas I actually ordered from this brand…my first try at them. Tasting notes coming in the near future.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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100

I must start by saying that I am a new-found fanboy of this new brand; I am not paid or given any promotional kickbacks for touting this brand.

Now with that said, I LOVE this tea! It is another superb offering. Steep time and water temp are to my usual likings, the high-quality sachet stays in the cup the whole duration of enjoying the tea and the water temp is boiling.

Aroma Profile: To start the aroma is of a light butter, slightly toasted cashew nuts and a slight hint of grape leaves. It’s not off-putting.

Taste Profile: This tea starts with, again, a light butter, a hint of creamy sweetness, slightly toasted cashew nuts and the slightest hint of a herbal note [I would describe it as a fennel characteristic]. The longer the sachet stays in, the more intense the flavor profile becomes but it never gets bitter or inedible. However, the fennel herbal note disappears and the other notes intensify somewhat but not to the extent of overpowering your taste buds. There is no thickness feel on the tongue or a full mouth feel either.

Aftertaste: There is a crispness to this tea that lingers. I would compare this tea’s aftertaste to a Chardonnay wine. It possess the buttery, creaminess along with the nuts but with a clean, crisp finish.

I would highly recommend this tea.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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1

YUCK! HORRIBLE! DO NOT BUY! I received a sample of this “tea”, actually, it’s a tisane NOT a tea at all, it’s herbal. I tried it this evening and it is terrible!

The ingredients are: INGREDIENTS
Ginger, orange bergamot mint, lemon thyme, anise hyssop, anise seeds and blackberry leaves

No matter how long you steep it for all you can taste is a synthetic mint; the mint did not taste real whatsoever. It was a dry, stale mint with a hint of a kick to it, probably the ginger. It was also kind of a tart mint, not pleasing or soothing; it could have been the lemon thyme because it was a herbaceous-tartness, somewhat soft but nonetheless noticeable. I did not taste any type of fruit at all, no orange-bergamot or blackberry. Anise seed has a distinct licorice sweetness flavor, and there was no resemblance of that ingredient either. I even let it steep a few minutes, sipping in intervals and no matter when I tasted it, it was horrible. I didn’t keep it for long…after about 5 minutes, I threw it out, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

This is a stale, dry “tea”. I would not waste my money on this one…I highly recommend staying away from this tisane.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 15 sec

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80

This was a surprising tea to me. I have had it a couple of times now [I’m not one to keep writing reviews for each infusion of the same tea, I write about the first impression because that’s the one that counts!] and I noticed that the longer it steeped, the more it’s character and nuances bloomed; now this is NOT a blooming tea mind you.

The scent starts off smoky then the longer it steeps, the aromas are a hint of smoke, leather and nuts. This blend and its description are similar to Yunnans but with a bit more complex character yet not as much as other English Breakfast blends. This blend has a somewhat thick feel on the tongue but not as full or chewy as an Assam; it has a slight brighter, cleaner appeal to it like a Ceylon. It is a very nice tea to have in the morning or early afternoon. I would say this tea is on par with the Tippy Yunnan by the same company but with a bit more body and complexity. I would recommend trying a sample…it’s a good tea.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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