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Finishing off my 11g sample packet of this nice version of the famed Taiwanese Ruby 18, from Adagio—Masters. Again with aroma of honey while steeping. My prior experience and observations were repeated. I guess my major disappointment is the flatness of the flavors. As a cook, I always add a note of zing to my dishes, either through an acid or tart component like wine vinegar in braising liquid, or a few chili flakes in a stir fry, or some citrus like bergamot in tea. Some teas carry their own astringency (Assams) or pepperiness (Keemuns) or bitterness (young puers) that provides the fullness of flavor. This Formosa Ruby 18 Black did not. So although I will recommend it (if you can afford its price), I am reducing my rating to 80 because it just comes up lacking.

Sencha Scent Of Mountains. Harney & Sons.
Lot no. 25258. B.B. 09/15/2027.

Prepared 2.5g of the fine, broken, fragrant green leaf-shards as directed: Western style in a stainless steel micropore infusion basket, with 8 oz 175° alpine spring water for 2.5 minutes. This resulted in a vivid gold-colored infusion with a terrific aroma of chestnutty asparagus and a hint of kelp. Some fines escaped my infusion basket, resulting in a slightly turbid appearance, but they soon settled to the bottom of my cup.

Smooth and buttery with a wonderful “chew”, the powerful aroma and flavor, again with a nutty asparagus sensation, permeated my mouth and sinuses. Slurping revealed notes of summer squash and the umami of kelp, yet the tea had neither bitterness nor astringency nor sourness. It gave me the feeling of a pleasant moment of relaxation on a crisp early autumn morning at a rocky jetty overlooking a secluded bay, with sea otters frolicking in the mist. Perhaps this is what a believer feels like when “close to God” (with a smile @ashmanra ) Recommended, I give this a rating of 95. What a nice selection of Sencha Harney is offering at present!

Kagoshima Yutaka Midori (Sencha Blend). Harney & Sons.
Lot no. 25240. B.B. 08/28/2027.
Prepared 2.5g of the slender, bright green needle-like leaf shards as directed: Western style in a stainless steel micropore infusion basket, with 8 oz 175° alpine spring water for 2.5 minutes.

The dry leaf aroma was absolutely captivating: simultaneously of fresh asparagus, chestnut, fresh ocean spray, and an unidentifiable floral element. The best green tea fragrance I’ve experienced. Once steeped, this sencha had a green-golden hue rather like fresh lettuce. Some fines escaped my infusion basket, resulting in a slightly turbid appearance, which gradually settled to the bottom of my cup. In the future, I’ll try a fabric drawstring teabag. Smooth and slightly astringent, with a mouth-coating, buttery texture, the powerful flavor mirrored the fragrance, with notes of summer squash and chestnut, yet was neither bitter nor sour. Such great body and taste, this was like a terrific Dragonwell, amped up a few notches! Recommended, I give this a rating of 95, and will re-order as needed—unless Harney manages to have an even better one on their roster!

Shi Feng Long Jing. Adagio — Masters.
Harvest: April 2025. Lot no. 95274. F.B. 04/2030.
Prepared 2.5g, Western style as directed in 8 oz spring water. Not a bad dragonwell, but nothing I would call “masterful”. Subtle chestnut and spinach vegetal flavors, with nice aroma. I enjoyed it, but not enough that I’d buy it again at the price of almost a buck per gram. YMMV. A second steeping produced a softer infusion with a slight bitterness and a note of stale mown grass. I’ll rate it as 80 and leave it there.

Formosa Ruby 18 Black. Adagio—Masters.
Harvest: April 2025. Lot no. 97389. F.B. 09/2030.
Prepared 2.5g of the beautiful, long, spindly black leaves as directed: Western style in a stainless steel micropore infusion basket, with 8 oz boiling alpine spring water for 2 minutes.

The dry leaf aroma was jammy with a note of black walnut. Once steeped, this Ruby 18 was quite good, having the malty, raisin, and stewed stonefruit flavors I expected. Smooth and non-astringent, but there was also a bit of cardboard box flavor. Perhaps I’ll drop the water temp by 10°F in my next session. Decent, but I’ve had better batches of black made with this famous Taiwanese hybrid. This was my first Ruby 18 from Adagio—Masters, so perhaps other lots are better. Recommended, with a rating of 85.

Irish Breakfast. Adagio.
Lot no. 95256. F.B. 04/2030.
I decided to give this another chance, and included it with my Adagio order, received today. This time I bought teabags, so that I might take it along on some forthcoming travel. It was a surprise to find the silken sachets were tagless and stringless, which was a disappointment. I do not like fishing sachets out of hot water with my fingers (not usually having utensiles with me when traveling!)

The dry leaf had a nice aroma, in which the jamminess stood out. Brewed as directed, 3 min Western style in spring water. The flavor was bold and brisk (slightly astringent) and very much like the original portion pack that I liked so much (lot no. 84946). I really enjoyed it and will appreciate drinking it again. It will be long-gone before hitting the “fresh by” date in 4-1/2 years! Raising my rating to 88 because it seems Adagio has fixed whatever was wrong in the “off” batch, but still not happy the sachets are stringless. Now recommending once again.

White Tropics. Adagio.
Lot no: 93997. F.B.: n/a.
From a portions packet, I steeped the entire 2.8 g of leaf Western-style, as directed: 3 min in 180°F spring water, in a stainless micropore infusion basket.

The dry leaf aroma was of coconut and not much else. After steeping, the liquor was clear amber in hue, and was fragrant of both pineapple and coconut. The rose petals were seen but not smelt. Tastewise, the piña colada flavor predominated, in a barely perceptible background of white tea. Rose petals contributed nothing. Slurping intensified the above flavors, and there was no bitterness or astringency, nor chemical impression. But the coconut and pineapple flavors were muted and the overall tea was not super enjoyable. I would rate this as 55, and recommend spending your money on something else, unless you’re looking for an echo of piña colada in a hot, mildly stimulating beverage. To its credit, the tea did have a long finish/aftertaste that wasn’t unpleasant.

Gemini. Adagio.
Lot no. 94008. F.B. (illegible)
When cutting open the pouch, my fingernail scraped off the “Fresh By” date, which is why it was illegible. Oops.

I used the entire 2.5 g leaf from the “Portions Packet” which was part of a gift arriving with my first order. Steeped as directed, Western-style: 2 min in 8 oz. 180°F alpine spring water, using a stainless micropore infusion basket. I re-steeped once with the same parameters. The aroma of the dry leaf was reminiscent of Adagio’s “White Peach”, but somehow a bit more complex and a lot more restrained. As the steeping progressed, the aroma became more vegetal, and I worried that the lovely peach flavor would be lost, but it wasn’t.

Wow, this was just mouthwateringly delicious to me! The peach and apricot tastes were there, but without overpowering; the apricot and apple pieces lent a subtle sweetness to the tea such that I didn’t bother adding any sweetener; although I saw fragments of rose hip, I did not experience any tartness (probably masked by the apple’s sweetness), and there were floral notes wafting in my nose suggesting the rose petals were contributing in balance with whatever the base white tea was providing. I’m not real experienced with white teas, so I could not identify the base of this blend, but I did get notes of tea-like flavor, adding to the complexity. As I greedily slurped, I noted vegetal depth arising, likely from the tea leaf, the marigold flowers, and possibly the fruits. The second infusion (re-steep) was almost identical, so I would combine the two liquors in the future, for simplicity. No bitterness or astringency was noted. The lingering aftertaste was similarly complex and pleasing. I definitely recommend this tea, rate it as 95, and have already added a big bag of it to my Adagio shopping cart for the next order!

White Peach. Adagio.
Lot no. 75932. F.B. n/a.

Who knows what’s actually in Adagio’s teas?
Adagio’s website ingredient listing for this tea includes “peach pieces” but does not mention apricots. But my “portions packet” lists apricots as an ingredient, but only natural peach flavoring and nothing about peach pieces. Such discrepancies seem to be rampant with Adagio, and I find them unacceptable.

Steeped Western-style, as directed: full content of “portions packet” (about a teaspoon) and 8 oz spring water at 180°F for 3 min in a stainless infusion basket. This is a very gentle and delicious tea! The white tea flavor was present in the mild lingering aftertaste, and despite containing a flavoring, it was quite soft and pleasant. Nothing chemical or artificial about it. A good blend which I recommend and rate as 88.

Peach Oolong. Adagio.
Lot no. 85177. FB: n/a.

I’m kind of disappointed by Adagio’s Q&A staff on their website who, in one case, call a customer by the wrong name (“Glinda” vs. Gilda), and in another case, state the base oolong of this tea to be “moderately oxidized”, whilst the printed description says it is a “darker, more oxidized oolong”. It doesn’t help that Adagio has two entries for the same tea on their site! (Once for multiple pkg formats, one for just sachet teabags.)

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this blend! I steeped Western style, as directed: one “portion packet” in 8 oz boiling spring water for 5 min. in a stainless infusion basket. I immediately noticed the flavor of the base oolong, with a deep woodiness and non-astringent roundness in my mouth and sinuses as I slurped. I could also perceive a sweetness, likely from the apple pieces and peach bits. The aroma of the dry leaf was very potent, but by the time steeping was finished, it had dissipated to a nice real peach flavor without artificial impressions or bitterness. The lingering aftertaste was nicely balanced between peach and oolong, and as the liquor cooled, the flavors retained their potency and make me suspect it would be tasty if iced and sweetened. However, I did not add any sweetener today as it just wasn’t needed!

A re-steep of the leaf (oversteeped around 10 min.) was also really nice! The woodiness of the oolong had declined, and the somewhat softer peach flavor allowed a floral note from the oolong to come forward. This resteep was fully enjoyable! I would buy and drink this affordable tea again, and recommend it as a great starting point for the novice, and a good uncomplicated tea to return to for advanced sippers. I’ll rate it as a 90. No complaints at all!