75
drank Almond Oolong by Adagio Teas
2036 tasting notes

Afternoon is time for oolong.

It appears I have only written a note on one of the Adagio flavored oolongs in the sampler, the grapefruit. Time to try another.

I’m going to try something I haven’t tried before: steeping oolong in the Breville. This should be interesting.

I’m not excited by the smell coming out of the sample tin. It is suggestive of almond, but in a sort of Almond Joy way. There’s what smells to me like some sort of artificial sweetener along with the almond.

Actually, it smells like Play Doh. Unfortunate.

The dry leaves are dark green to brown and I see some twigs in the mix as well as the slices of almond.

I got a dark yellow liquor with a peachy-brown tinge. The tea’s aroma is definitely almond-y, with something that smells like vanilla to me, too. I’m not smelling the toasty Formosa oolong scent I’d expect. If it’s there, the flavoring is keeping it well under wraps.

But here’s the surprise—as with the grapefruit, despite early indications to the contrary, I’m finding it a pleasing drink. Though not, I think as pleasing as the grapefruit. I remember that well, and the citrus gave that tea a brightness that worked well with the concept of oolong. The almond, though, is a little on the heavy side for an oolong flavoring and seems rather more glommed on to the tea base than having a synergistic effect with it.

During the sip, the almond flavor is almost like vanilla, but in the finish, the nuttiness comes through and the aftertaste is definitely almond: that greenish, woody, somewhat sweet nutty flavor that almonds leave in your mouth after you’ve eaten them.

It’s hard to know how to rate this because the oolong aspect is secondary to the almond flavor. I’d definitely drink it again were I in the mood for this flavor, but I wouldn’t necessarily pick it if I was in an oolong frame of mind. I should probably try it other than using the Breville before I finally commit, so the rating here is provisional.

I did try a second steep, but the almond flavor was much more subdued and there wasn’t a lot that came to the fore to replace it.

I don’t think this will end up on the shopping list, though I do think almond oolong would be a nice addition to my cupboard. If I can’t find one I like better than this, I may rethink it.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
TheTeaFairy

Very nice review :-)

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TheTeaFairy

Very nice review :-)

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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