018/365
This came as a free sample with my recent Adagio order. I don’t buy from Adagio much anymore, but I have a soft spot for their fandom blends and I wanted to pick up the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones samplers while they were both in stock. There’s something I have to say for Adagio, though; they dispatched quickly, and it arrived nicely presented, shipping was free, they were generous with the samples, and all the boring but important stuff (invoice, points info card, etc.) was in its own little folder at the bottom. Their tea can be hit and miss sometimes, but their customer service is spot on. I wish every company were as reliable.
I picked this one out this evening because I wanted something warming and comforting, something wintery and sort-of festive, but not super-Christmassy. This one fit the bill.
I made it up as a latte, using 3 tsp of leaf in 250ml boiling water, for 5 minutes. It brews up surprisingly light, given that it’s a black-based tea. I suppose it’s Adagio’s usual Ceylon, so that’s perhaps not too much of a surprise. I added 150ml hot milk, and gave it a light froth with my aerolatte.
It turned out pretty much as I hoped it would. The main flavour is milk chocolate, and it’s not too artificial tasting (although there is an element of that if you really focus on it…) It’s also possible to pick out the cinnamon and ginger, which are the only two chai spices in this blend. The cinnamon is more prominent than the ginger, but both work well with the chocolate. The milk is a good fit – I imagine this is one that’s better as a latte than it would be brewed conventionally (which for me means 1tsp of leaf given 3-4 mins in a mug of hot water, with a splash of milk.) I have a teaspoon of leaf left, though, so I’ll try it like that next time. It’ll be good to compare.
It helps that I have Rolos to go with, and that’s a combination worth coming home for.