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I’ve been trying a number of different ginseng teas from Tealyra lately, and bought this Imperial Ren Shen Genseng Oolong because of its unique composition: rolled oolong, with a coating — almost a shell — of ginseng and Chinese vanilla. I steeped this as directed, western style in a stainless steel infusion basket, and re-steeped twice for a total of three clear light-amber infusions that each had some fines settled at the bottom of the cup. I don’t know how Chinese vanilla differs from other vanillas, but I don’t think I tasted it. Nor did I really get a strong ginseng flavor—just a bit of warm gensing in the aftertaste at the back of my tongue and roof of my mouth, following vigorous slurping and swirling. Only the mildest of toasted oolong flavors was to be enjoyed. The oolong aroma was better than the flavor. The first infusion had almost no flavor at all, and after steeping, the oolong leaves were still encased in the shell. In fact, the oolong leaf never fully escaped the shells, and that may have been an issue. So I smashed the spent material with a spoon and gave a fourth steep, which resulted in a very dark olive green liquor, muddy with fines, almost like a brown, gritty matcha. This 4th, final, steep had only mild woody oolong flavor and aroma when vigorously slurped, but did finally offer some ginseng at the end of the finish. I have attached a photo of the spent, smashed pulp, which did show some intact leaf amidst the debris. The net result of this experience was four disappointing cups of tea with few notes of oolong or ginseng and no vanilla, that represent a wasted quart of my spring water. I would not recommend, and will rate this 24. (And yes, this was freshly purchased, with a BestBy date still 15 months in the future.)

Lot no. 85439
Single-serving portion pouch from sampler box; brewed Western, as directed.
The dry “leaf” is all chopped stems & twigs, as usual for honeybush, and has a pungent “hazelnut” aroma that overwhelms any other fragrance, as did the steeped liquor which was a nice clear amber in color. Flavor was sweet and roasty-woodsy, with strong hazelnut taste FAR stronger than that of actual roasted hazelnuts. This tisane is all about the strong hazelnut taste and smell, and would go well with strongly-flavored desserts like chocolate cake, etc. The only other note I sensed was occasional whiffs of cigarette butt. I would rather enjoy dessert with a creamy hazelnut liqueur that would more closely match the taste of the nuts. This tisane is pretty one-dimensional, and good if this flavor is your thing. Given the saturating taste and cigarette sensation, I’ll rate this only as 45, but withhold from recommending or belittling.

Lot No: 85419. BB: n/a.
Single portion pouch, of Adagio’s Formosa Oolong prepared as directed: Western style.
Mild, toasty oolong aroma on the dry leaf as well as the liquid. Nice clear dark amber liquor. The roasty-toasty flavor may have been from charcoal roasting, but I don’t really associate a flavor with charcoal, per se. There was no flavor of smokiness, or pine. Nor of raisin, nor malt, nor chestnut, nor anything floral or fruity. Just a basic oolong flavor, slightly woody, smooth, pleasant, with notes of roasted wheat or barley. Non-astringent, non-bitter, nothing objectionable to me. But very plain tasting. A 3.5 min. re-steep was very similar. Drink this with a meal, without worry of overpowering any nuance, since there is none. I won’t recommend nor discourage, because I’m that ambivalent about it. Rating? let’s say 65, since I rate Lipton black the same. Both have (differing) inoffensive flavors and caffeine, but that’s the best I can say.

Brewed as directed, alongside green rooibos for comparison. Nauseating. Tastes like dill mixed with cedarwood sawdust and cured kalamata olives. And, oddly, strongly of coffee; I love good coffee, but the notes in red rooibos are, to me, more akin to yesterday’s spent, sour, wet grounds from a stale, cheap generic. YUCK! Exactly as anticipated, based on a blend from another vendor, so I don’t blame Adagio. This is the worst beverage I’ve had in my life. Rate 1 and not recommended. Disclaimer: my tastes vary from the typical, for example stevia tastes unsweet and bitter to me, which I understand to be a genetic thing, similar to how some people dislike cilantro or asparagus. So your impressions of red rooibos may differ from mine!

Oh, rooibos, how I dislike thee. But green rooibos? I’ve had a couple green rooibos blends that I liked, so it was time to give the straight green rooibos a chance. Brewed as directed, Western: 3 g leaf in 8 oz boiling spring water for 5 min. The aroma was unusual and unidentifiable. And the liquor was bright pumpkin orange (in full sunlight). It didn’t strike me as being sweet, so much as lacking sourness, astringency, or bitterness. And as others have written, the flavor of the hot tisane was mild and nondescript. I didn’t get pine, but perhaps the slightest note of cedar, so I’d say more like a non-oak hardwood sawdust. Perhaps maple? (Perhaps Aspalathus sp. sawdust?) As I continued sipping and the liquid cooled, I noticed notes of red rooibos, which is reminiscent of dill, kalamata olives and spent coffee grounds to me. And, actually, I thought there were some darker flecks in the powder, possibly accounting for that impression. Okay, this stuff is definitely not my favorite by itself. However, I can see how it can make a good base for blending, and even work as a carrier for flavoring agents. I will not choose to drink it again my itself, and must rate it lower than my starting spring water, as a 20. Nothing greatly offensive, but nothing much more than sawdust, either. Can’t recommend it. No fault of Adagio, however!

Darjeeling Sungma Summer. Adagio.
Lot no. 88740. FB 05/2029.
I love muscat grapes and muscat raisins and dry muscatel wine. I found nothing of that in this tea— nothing even remotely of grape. No fruitiness whatsoever, and just weak notes of black tea flavor. I brewed as directed, Western style: 3 g leaf in 8 oz boiling alpine spring water for 3 min. in a stainless steel infusion basket. As it cooled, bitterness arose along the sides of my tongue, and the already astringent quality strengthened. And it began to taste more like wet cardboard. Even discounting the lack of expected flavors, this tea was unpleasant at best. I would rate Lipton Orange Pekoe and Pekoe cut black tea bags superior to this, and so this merits a rating of only 50. It’s destined for the garden compost heap. Not recommended.

UPDATE 11 days later: Gave this another chance. Found aroma of cocoa powder in the dry leaf and in the liquor. This time I reduced the leaf to 1.5 g, and did taste faint notes of honey and floral, with strong cardboard. Still not to my liking, and not a recommendation, but I’ll raise the rating to 58 because I found some favorable notes this time.

Okay, this is part II, using the second sachet in the pouch…. See my initial review for very positive comments on this as a hot-brewed iced tea.

As a Sun Tea:
I tossed the second sachet into a quart of room-temp spring water and let it sit in the afternoon sunny window for 4hr, then kept it on the kitchen table overnight. Next day I set the jar outside in the morning sun for 5 hr, at which point the tea was as deeply colored as the brewed version, and had passively reached 108°F (outside air was 92°F by then). I removed the sachet and refrigerated the tea for the next 6 hr to chill. Oh dear, this smells terrible! A light scent that smells more of sour fruit rinds, and not at all floral. The taste was quite unpleasant, having only a slight sweetness and a phenolic bite. I would not call it fruity— more medicinal. Speaking as a biochemist, I believe what has happened here is that because the fruit was dried— but not cooked, and then rehydrated— but not with hot water, that active enzymes were released from the apple chunks [polyphenol oxidase (PPO), catechol oxidase, and other enzymes that create melanins and benzoquinone from natural phenols] and these enzymes acted as they do in browning cut apples and potatoes, etc. These phenolic components are why we dislike the taste of things that have substantial enzymatic browning. It would have been prevented if there had been more rose hip and hibiscus present (containing vitamin C) or even added vitamin C, which prevents browning. But those sources are also very tart. Alternatively, if the fruit had been cooked (such as with boiling water) it could be avoided. Clearly Adagio’s marketing people put the sun tea advice on the website without actually trying it first! Anyway, the Sun Tea is a total fail. Don’t do it with this product. Make it using boiling (or 180°F) water and enjoy! I’ll leave the rating at 77, and hope you find it worthy.

PS: If you insist on going the sun tea route, you can toss a few fresh lemon slices (or squeeze a fresh lemon wedge) into the water before adding the sachet. The vitamin C should be sufficient to block browning, just as it does in your other cooking. But if you’re going to start slicing fruit, you might as well make real sangria!

Free with order, two large sachets in the sample pouch, each to infuse 1 quart of water.

As a Hot-Brewed, Iced Tea:
The first sachet I infused for 5 minutes in 180°F spring water, as directed on the mylar pouch, then removed the pouch and refrigerated the liquor a couple days. Lovely fruity aroma. I drank half as-is, naturally sweet from the apple and cherry, and I added 2 Tbsp sugar to the rest, just to try it. No substantial flavor difference. My initial sensation was of mintiness, yet this tea contains no mint. I assume it was the combination of the grapefruit flavor, raspberry leaves, rose hip, and hibiscus that simulated the mint impression. By the way, the hibiscus was very mild, and perfectly balanced with the grapefruit, apricot, cherry and apple. I could not individually discern the other ingredients. But this infusion was the perfect refreshment for a record hot and muggy midwestern first day of summer, and I enjoyed it both with and without ice. I suppose there was white tea in this too (the sachet seemed well-filled) though the tea component was definitely quite smooth and gentle, without astringency. The rose hip served to provide a bit of zing. But the infusion was neither tart nor bitter. I liked it! I’m not sure it mimicked sangria, though it was fruity on the tongue and in the nose. I would rate this as 77, and recommend! I’m going to prepare the second sachet as a sun tea, tomorrow, and will amend this review if I have further observations to report.

As a Sun Tea:
I tossed the second sachet into a quart of room-temp spring water and let it sit in the afternoon sunny window for 4hr, then kept it on the kitchen table overnight. Next day I set the jar outside in the morning sun for 5 hr, at which point the tea was as deeply colored as the brewed version, and had passively reached 108°F (outside air was 92°F by then). I removed the sachet and refrigerated the tea for the next 6 hr to chill. Oh dear, this smells terrible! A light scent that smells more of sour fruit rinds, and not at all floral. The taste was quite unpleasant, having only a slight sweetness and a phenolic bite. I would not call it fruity— more medicinal. Speaking as a chemist, I believe what has happened here is that because the fruit was dried— but not cooked, and then rehydrated— but not with hot water, that active enzymes were released from the apple chunks [polyphenol oxidase (PPO), catechol oxidase, and other enzymes that create melanins and benzoquinone from natural phenols] and these enzymes acted as they do in browning cut apples and potatoes, etc. These phenolic components are why we dislike the taste of things that have substantial enzymatic browning. It would have been prevented if there had been more rose hip and hibiscus present (containing vitamin C) or even added vitamin C, which prevents browning. But those sources are also very tart. Alternatively, if the fruit had been cooked (such as with boiling water) it could be avoided. Clearly Adagio’s marketing people put the sun tea advice on the website without actually trying it first! Anyway, the Sun Tea is a total fail. Don’t do it with this product. Make it using boiling (or 180°F) water and enjoy! I’ll leave the rating at 77, and hope you find it worthy.

PS: If you insist on going the sun tea route, you can toss a few fresh lemon slices (or squeeze a fresh lemon wedge) into the water before adding the sachet. The vitamin C should be sufficient to block browning, just as it does in your other cooking. But if you’re going to start slicing fruit, you might as well make real sangria!

Lot no. 84955.
I steeped this portion packet Western style, as directed, in 8 oz spring water. The strange thing is, I like vanilla! I add it to my waffle mix and pancake batter, I like it in ice cream and cake, and in cookies, and elsewhere. Even in some cocktails. But it seems an unlikely combination with tea, to me. and I’m not particularly fond of the chemical vapor fragrance that came from the sample pouch when I opened it. And I nearly spat out my first mouthful of the brew. But I realized that was unfair: to be prejudiced against a flavor just because I didn’t expect it somewhere. And to give it credit, the lingering aftertaste was discernibly black tea and discernibly vanilla. How could I not like it? As the infusion cooled in my cup, I noted that the pungency of chemical vanilla was waning, but also that an astringent bitterness was becoming notable. Well, I suppose in time I could get used to this combination, though would I ever find it appealing? I did get used to having cheddar cheese on top of apple pie… and can enjoy that. But I never have liked poutine. And I think I better leave the vanilla for the desserts and pastries. Yeah, no, I can’t recommend this vanilla black tea, and I’m rating it a 20. Yuck. No offense to Adagio, or to @AJRimmer or @tea-sipper or anyone else who thinks it the cats meow!

Darjeeling Puttabong Summer. Adagio.
Lot no. 94819, FB 03/2030.
Steeped Western, as directed: 2.5 g in 8oz boiling spring water for 4 min.
Aroma with floral notes. A light tea with some astringency and pleasant faint aftertaste. Lightly sweet, notes of white grape, malt, honey and floral elements. This tea may have premium cultivation credentials (elevation, etc.) but it didn’t knock my socks off, and wasn’t worth the premium price. Might steep the next session for 5 min, per commentary by @eastkyteaguy. Seems to have a long expiry date. I’ll rate it as 68. Mediocre. A single re-steep of the leaf produced a cup of brown water with a faint cardboard smell. Not worthy of my spring water.

UPDATE 17 days later: Giving this another chance. Reduced leaf amount to 2 g, and steeped once, for 2 min. Flavors the same, but a bit stronger, with no astringency. A bit more pleasant this time, and raising my rating to 72. Will keep it around and sip now and then, but not reorder because the flavors aren’t worth the premium price.