Adagio Teas

I finally finished off the big bag of Cherry Blossom Green Tea making iced tea, and since flavored whites is another type of tea I tend to prefer iced, I’m going to try to work through all the ones I got from Meowster’s cupboard clearout a couple summer’s ago (thanks Meowster!). This pouch only had a single serving in it though (which isn’t really enough for me to go to the trouble of icing) so I just made a single warm cup to sip on tonight. I normally have a strict “only herbals after 6 pm” rule, so I’m hoping the white tea doesn’t buzz me too much. I know there are some claims it has “less caffeine” than other teas but I’m not one that believes that stuff too much, hense why I avoid all camelia sinensis in the evening…

I’ll be the first to admit that grapefruit is not a flavor a really enjoy… but it isn’t like bananas where I have such a strong aversion that I can’t stand being in a room with one either, and depending on how it is prepared and other flavor pairings, I can tolerate them to varying degrees. This one is actually not too bad to me… there is a little of that citrus bite but it doesn’t have that overwhelming grapefuit sourness that I dislike about the fruit. It is certainly “grapefruit” flavor, but I am tasting subtle notes of lemon and lime which may be why I’m handling this better than most grapefruit-flavored things. If it were any stronger than this, I’d probably really dislike it. The white tea itself is coming off fairly subtle, but I’m getting a light autumn leaf flavor in the background.

Not something I’d ever purchase for myself (again, grapefruit isn’t really my fruit), but I’m glad I got to try this since I am surprised by it. Thanks for the sample, Meowster!

‘Samurai’ Traveling Teabox – Tea #9
An intriguing one to see in the teabox!  It’s not even available on adagio’s website anymore even though the pouch says it’s from 2019.  It’s a Tie Guan Yin leaf that is processed like a black tea. The leaves look like a wiry dusty black tea.  So you can’t tell this is Tie Guan Yin by looking at it. I’m not sure how this is different from how black tea is usually made. The leaf has to start somewhere and it’s all from the same plant.  The flavor is a unique one – light in flavor, though nothing like an oolong.  The flavor is like mixing a Ruby varietal with a Premium Taiwanese Assam.  Very mineral and sweet, with hints of sugar candied almonds. I was worried the second steep would be ruined at boiling, but it isn’t at all ruined.  It tastes exactly like the first steep but slightly deeper.   The third steep also isn’t astringent and starts to taste like some sort of buttery pastry.  I swear it tastes like I added a bit of fig strawberry jam to this cup.  It’s even starchier but in a good way.  I didn’t know why I was comparing it to PTA but that strawberry flavor I usually associate with PTA peeks through on the third steep. I’m glad I didn’t miss that third steep.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 18 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #3  // just boiled // 6 min

Thank you AJRimmer for the sample!
I have never had any adagios teas before so I was excited to try one. It has a strong fruity flavor, but not a typical berry or citrus. It really doesn’t have a strong mango flavor either but I do get some mango. There is some other flavor that is stronger than the mango I just can’t figure it out. I am enjoying how sweet it is, but could probably not have more than one cup in a sitting with the level of fruity sweetness. I will enjoy the rest of the sample nonetheless and maybe try it as an iced tea next.

I got this tea form Izzy, thank you!

I was too lazy this morning so I used all the tea she sent me and prepared it grandpa moreover. So about 7 grams per my fav 300 ml of water. I used as well bit warmer water than she suggested, I think it could be around 85-88°C, as it was not boiling and it was cooled down a bit already (as other family members preapred coffee few minutes earlier).

I knew it will brew strong, but I again felt I kinda need it. I slept much better than last days, but still, it is not great. I usually wake up around 5 am, playing with my mobile afterwards as I am bored, then I feel asleep again and real waking up is around 8-9 am.

The tea, well, I think it is good if you are craving for something creamy and sweet as well. Because it has got both of those characteristics. It is indeed quite sweet (maybe too much for me) and as well creamy. As apple was floating on top of the cup, it was apple flavoured quite heavily as well. But base tea is certainly there too, and naturally it becames stronger with longer steeping. In the end it was rather vegetal than fruity, maybe hints of kale or similar vegetables.

Would I like to try it again? To be honest, I am not really sure. It was sweet and creamy, that’s okay, but the taste don’t suit me well. It is something what I can’t really explain, maybe it is just because of grandpa steeping and my heavy hand with leaves.

You don’t always want something fancy that’s meant to be savored. At $9 for a 4 ounce tin, this is the perfect little treat to have around for when you’re in the mood for a hot cup of something caffeinated and uncomplicated (that isn’t coffee.) I can drink cup after cup of this stuff with how smooth and simple it is. Unfussy black tea of a decent quality with a very real red raspberry note and a hint of cocoa from the nibs. This isn’t a complex tea with notes that are hard to differentiate, it’s a plain old flavored black with a great execution and no bitterness to be found.

This is one of those tea that smells really great but you are a little disappointed when it doesn’t taste like it smells. It smells like cookies and cream but falls a little short when it comes to the taste. It is by no means a bad tasting tea. In fact, it is one of those teas that would be great daily blend as a pick me up. It has the earthy flavor of the pu-erh and also a slightly sweeter fruity note as well. Overall it is a good tea but not as great as it is hyped out to be. I enjoy it from time to time.

TTB #28

Unfortunately, I’m not really getting cream or vanilla notes from this tea…it’s just coming across as a pretty average breakfast blend. Maybe I need to add some actual cream to pull out those flavors?

I had three cups of this, and even though the pot went cold after cup 2, I still went for it. I tend to dislike rooibos in its many incarnations, however the mint really mellows it out for me. Not that rooibos isn’t mellow by nature, I just taste a sweet earthiness to it that I find unpleasant without some mint. The chamomile rounds out the entire blend and doesn’t compete with the rooibos for the base, and compliments it rather well.

The scent in the tin is more or less the characteristic apple scent of chamomile and sweet mint with the warmth of the rooibos coming through as well. Perfectly balanced as all things should be! Scent in the cup is more of the same.

All in all, this is certainly a tea I reach for at night, especially when I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

Gongfu – from in Saskatchewan; I believe this is my last SK tea that I had to write about…

This was a Christmas present from my dad! These little black tea stuffed tangerines pack a whole lot of flavour, and were definitely one of the sweetest & juiciest forms of stuffed tangerine/orange that I’ve come across. I was actually taken aback at how tasty they were, and they had just enough longevity to last the whole way through the movie I was watching, which is pretty decent IMO…

I used about 1/2 of one of the oranges for an 85ml gaiwan – FYI.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/B7GfwXQAyb7/

This tea is DELICIOUS. It’s like peppermint with a kick. The fennel and clove are amazing and the aroma is wonderful. I highly recommend this.

This one was different each time I made it. You have to use 1.5 tsp for a 6 oz cup of tea. There was a lot of cinnamon in it which hid the maple taste. Although the tea is called maple oolong. It took time for the maple taste to peek out. I wish the other spices like cardamom came out with the maple flavor to make it have a punch. It took a lot of tries to get the perfect cup with this one. This is another one of those tea that I would drink if I had it but not something that I would go out and buy myself.

Tea Advent calendar – Day 21

Another straight black tea with a lovely dry leaf…lots of golden tips in this one! The flavor is…“manly” is the word that’s coming to mind. Intense, slightly smoky and even a bit spicy with notes of cocoa and malt. It’s good, but not as smooth as the black teas I tend to prefer. I may try my next steep with milk!

I got the iced tea version of this tea. I wish I had just gotten the regular version of it… It was a smaller amount for the same price. It was about 8 tsp if you want the same amount as an iced tea pouch. Tried it a few different ways. The way that worked the best for me was to cold brew it for 15 hours or more. I would pop a bag into a quart mason Jar and all the flavors came through.

Sample of this from… someone. The writing is distinctive but it has been too long for me to remember. Oh well. Anyhow, in addition to having a couple new teas tonight I figured I should try and work on some older samples, so here we are. This one’s a light, pleasant jasmine – probably used to be stronger, but still has a good amount of flavour. It may actually be better a bit muted – a little less in your face. A good choice for relaxing this evening!

I’ve noticed a lot of my oldest teas are pure teas, and I really need to get to sipping them down since they have no doubt lost some of their oomph now that it’s been two years… I think my problem is I think in my head these sorts of teas have to be brewed gong fu and I just rarely find myself in the mood to go to all that trouble. So I think I’m just going to get myself over that and brew western, like I did with this one today (2.8g of tea in 195F water, 3 minute steep). I will probably finish off the sampler by making cold brew iced tea.

I am enjoying the aroma coming off the cup. It smells like cinnamon toast, roasted nuts, honey, and minerals. The flavor doesn’t taste as strong as I was expecting, so with it being such an old tea, I’m thinking that maybe I needed to slightly overleaf… ah well. The flavor is strongly that of roasted nuts, with a bit of honey/molasses sweetness that lingers on the tongue. It also has a bit of a floral sweetness, though I can’t place a particular flower. I’m getting “weak houjicha with floral sweetness” vibes. It is a pleasant enough afternoon tea on a cold day, but isn’t blowing me away compared to other oolongs I’ve tried. Maybe it’s the age or the fact I brewed it western, so I feel I can’t be too harsh on it.

Thank you to AJRimmer for the sample of this for tea davent calender day #7.

I have contemplated ordering this one myself, since I like decaf blacks and vanilla flavoured things. However I’m in a new bracket thanks to vanilla comomo and every other vanilla tea just isn’t as great. I will hold off on ordering this next time I put in a Adagio order.

The black tea is a bit dull, even though I overleafed it and steeped it for over 20 minutes. The vanilla is nice, but has nothing on other vanilla teas I’ve tried.

Hmm… I’ve tried this a couple of ways and it always seems to taste like dirt. A bad batch maybe?

Is this a black tea with mint or a green tea with mint? Steepster says green tea, but Adagio says Darjeeling (Google says it can be processed as black, green, white, and oolong) which I’ve always thought was a black tea. It does brew up somewhat dark and smells strongly of mint. This is a really nicely flavored mint tea. From the caffeine buzz I’m getting, I’m guessing this is a black tea after all.

Second Steep
6 ounces water + 175 degrees + 3 minutes

Steeps nice and dark with a green rim around the edge. The tastes is still minty but light in flavor.

I bought this tea as “Lavender Earl Grey” from The Angry Tea Room some time ago. This is one of my favorite Earl Grey blends. I used to hate bergamot, but once I adapted my palate to its flavor, I initially was most interested in EG blends, that would take the edge off it slightly by including a few other flavors to play with, and since I love lavender, this seemed a good fit for me. Even better, this blend also incorporated the typical “Earl Grey Creme” vanilla and creme flavorings.

The leaf smells heavenly; the bergamot and vanilla remind me of a lemon meringue or key lime pie, because it is so citrusy but desserty at the same time, and there is a sweet, slightly minty lavender aroma that mixes beautifully with that sweet citrus scent.

The warm cup is lovely; a lot of lavender teas I try are either too heavy-handed on the lavender, so it comes out with a sort of floral-bitterness, or way too light on the lavender, so you don’t really taste its flavor at all. This one has just the right balance. The base tea is nice and dark but the astringency is quite mild compared to most Earl Greys I’ve tried (which I appreciate!), and there is this nice blend of bergamot and lavender flavors that hit the tongue mid-sip, with the lavender lingering a touch in the aftertaste. Occassionally the creme notes come through on the roof of my mouth; it’s a subtle note, and I think it mostly pulls back the base from having that strong bite that I often get in Earl Greys; this one is much more smooth.

I enjoy this plain, but the flavor is just perfect to take London Fog style as a latte with vanilla almond milk. It adds a delightful creaminess and the vanilla almond milk pushes the vanilla and creme notes to the forefront a bit.

This tea makes a fantastic iced Arnold Palmer, which is how I’ve prepared it today. I made a strong brew of four tsp. to two cups water, hot brewed, which I mixed with two cups lemonade, and then let the tea chill in the fridge overnight before drinking. It is divine! The sweet vanilla/creme note still comes through as a sort of natural sweetness to the iced tea, and the lavender and bergamot are such complimentary flavors to the citrus of the lemonade. I could drink this stuff all summer! Easily one of the best iced teas I’ve had yet.

This is just such a versatile tea that can be enjoyed so many ways in many different weather conditions. I plan to always keep it in my cupboard.

Made the time to steep this before bedtime. It is! It does! It was as indigo-blue as my old flannel bathrobe. I forgot to check to see if it turns your tongue blue. Besides being lovely to ponder in the cup, it is gently and pleasantly blueberry/lemon flavored. Smooth, not tart. Evidently there’s some extra alchemy that happens if you add lemon; we’ll have to leave that for the next time.