Adagio Teas

Lapsang Souchong; by Adagio.
A single serving “portions” pouch of loose-leaf black tea, steeped Western-style, as directed, in spring water. Dry leaf with a strong aroma of mixed-wood smoke and geosmin, equally— and a hint of something between menthol and turpentine? The resulting infusion also strongly smelled and tasted of smoke with notes of pinecones and oakwood, a sharpness of pine sap and a bitter edge. The finish was smoother, but unmistakably of smoke. The color was deep, coppery brown, and that was about the only character of black tea that I could detect. I do not like smoke flavor in meats, vegetables, or beverages including tea. I was tempted to throw this away unopened, but decided to give it a chance to surprise me. There was no surprise. I will continue avoiding Lapsang Souchong teas in the future. Nevertheless, this evoked happy memories from my youth of being enrobed by the smoke of a rustic campfire in anticipation of roasting marshmallows for some yummy s’mores. And I will note that it did not have any notes of fuming plastic or burning rubber, grease, petroleum, garbage, or other trash, so I can’t disparage it for proudly being what it is should be. Recommendation and rating withheld due to personal bias.
Lot no. 95187. Fresh before: n/a.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – January 2026 Tea #1 -January 1 – Welcome to the New Year! Drink one of your newest teas! 

So this is my newest, from an order I just made, and it MIGHT be a new tea from Adagio?  I love their Candy Cane tea, so I was happy they wanted to send me a pouch of this.  (I switched it from the Krampus blend.)  It sounded very much like their Candy Cane blend.  It IS very much like the Candy Cane tea, it is DELICIOUS.   Strong black tea, strong peppermint, creamy vanilla.  A brisk winter tea for a brisk, snowy winter day. Invigorating!  Love it, love it.   One of my favorite minty teas, for sure.  Two great steeps. The main difference of the two blends is that this one has mini white chocolate chips.   Would I need both Candy Cane and this blend in my tea collection?  Well, one of them better always be in the cupboard…. 
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

English Breakfast; by Adagio.
A single serving “portions” pouch of loose-leaf black tea, steeped Western-style, as directed in spring water. Run of the mill Keemun aromas and flavors without sweetness or nuance of a Hao Ya. Expectedly brisk and slightly smokey in the lingering finish. Nothing special, nothing terrible. No reason not to recommend or rate at 75.
Lot no. 95192. Fresh before: n/a.

I couldn’t help but place an order for some Adagio favorites. I did pretty well the rest of the year with not buying much tea. First, Adagio could NOT have shipped this faster, especially around the holidays, especially due to the weather, especially due to two of these blends being custom blends, so they obviously had to make it fresh. A++ for that.
Here we have one of my custom blends, that I created AGES ago, and never tried it, because I never ordered it. And now I get to try it! I will say right now, the flavoring here has EXCEEDED my expectations. There is a ton of flavoring here. It is delicious. It’s vanilla and it’s apricot. I have loved both of these flavors from adagio before. The only thing better would be if actual vanilla bean was included. Also in this blend is a bit of Assam Melody, which I love to boost the black tea a bit. I really could have included maybe 10% more Assam Melody, but then that would diminish the existing flavor bomb. Of course, I could probably use 1 1/4 teaspoons of this and then add 1/4 teaspoon of my own assam melody… The best comparison I could make is Bird & Blend’s Peach Cobbler. It tastes very similar to that, but on that one I think the base is stronger. Sure, apricot does not equal peach, but I think both teas use a fluid flavoring. I love this blend. Some might say the base is a bit astringent and harsh… but I used 1 1/2 teaspoons here and possibly I should try one. Some might also say the flavor is TOO much, so possibly I could fit an extra 10% of Assam Melody in the recipe anyway. I’m very happy with it! Especially when I created it very early in my tea drinking days.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep

Adagio Advent Calendar Day 24

When I opened this window and saw the ingredient list my heart fell. Hibiscus was the second on the list., Sigh. I don’t care for hibiscus. But I dutifully brewed it because I told myself I would try each and every tea. It wasn’t bad. The hibby was there, but not as sour as so many fruit teas. As it cooled it became more appealing. I don’t plan this as part of a re-order, but if friends served this I could drink it easily. And it could be very refreshing iced on a hot day.

The tea advent is over. Part of me is glad, because now i can drink pots of teas I like, but part of me will miss my little evening ritual of opening the advent calendar to see what my treat will be. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season!

Adagio Advent Calendar Day 22

This one was nice. I didn’t get chocolate, but I did enjoy the earthy nuttiness. It was like a previous tea, Rooibos Pecan Turtle. I think I liked that one just a little bit more, but this was an easy cup to finish. If I place an order at the end of January or beginning of February, this could be a re-order. But I would be more likely to order the pecan turtle.

Adagio Advent Calendar Day 23

This one sounded quite good. And it wasn’t at all bad. I little light on the mint though. It seems like I am comparing a lot of the adagio teas to other teas and I tend to find Adagio wanting. Which is too bad, because if I didn’t have those other teas to compare to I would probably quite like some of these teas. This one, as I said, was nice. Pleasant. Years ago 52Teas had a honeybush tea called White Chocolate Grasshopper. I think. I remember being very happy with it. This one I would certainly drink again. But it will not be a re-0order.

Pu-erh Dante; by Adagio.
Looseleaf shou, prepared Western-style as directed, which at 3 min. is considerably longer than I would normally steep fermented teas. Just a basic ripe puer, nothing special, nothing terrible. Smooth, sweet, non-astringent with notes of geosmin, mushroom, dry forest leaves. Absolutely none of the “fruity combination of mango, papaya, coconut, and apple” mentioned in Adagio’s description, and I wouldn’t have expected them from a puer, either. Two serial steepings produced similar results and likely could have continued for a couple more steepings. But I’ve had plenty of this grade of tea and moved on in my sippage. This might be a good starting point for someone wanting to try pu-erh for the first time without falling down the rabbit hole of compressed cakes and outlandish prices. Recommended, and I’ll rate it 70.
Lot no. 95193. Fresh before: n/a.

Yunnan Noir; by Adagio.
I got this single-serving portion pouch of looseleaf material as part of a black tea variety box from Adagio when I visited their store in Naperville-IL, this past weekend. Steeped western-style, as directed, in a stainless micropore infusion basket, which allowed the intact, rolled leaf to expand nicely. The tea had pronounced flavor of stewed stonefruit with notes of malt flavor and light astringency. It was smooth, lightly sweet, and filled my mouth with savory, vegetal flavor. Oddly, I perceived an aroma much like Keemun tea. Overall it was okay, for a strong black tea, but nothing spectacular. Nice lingering finish. I’ll rate it as 72 and recommend.
Lot no. 95194. Fresh before: n/a.

Yunnan Jig; by Adagio.
I got this single-serving portion pouch of looseleaf material as part of a black tea variety box from Adagio when I visited their store in Naperville-IL, this past weekend. Steeped as directed. The tea had notes of malt flavor and briskness, with notes of floral aroma (not perfumey though). Didn’t really have anything of prominence or pleasure though, so I can see why they blend it into their Scottish Breakfast: kind of as a neutral filler. Some folks might like it on its own though. I’ll rate it as 65 and recommend as a good, basic black tea.
Lot no. 95188. Fresh before: n/a.

Scottish Breakfast; by Adagio.
I got this single-serving portion pouch of looseleaf material as part of a black tea variety box from Adagio when I visited their store in Naperville-IL, this past weekend. Steeped as directed. I found the infusion to be tasty, Assam–forward, and free of bitterness. It contains a blend of four teas, three of which are familiar to me already. The Yunnan Jig is new for me, and it may have contributed some of the complexity that I’m tasting in this cup. Fortunately, there is also a sample of straight Yunnan Jig in this variety box, so I will soon find out what exactly that tea tastes like by itself. I can recommend Scottish Breakfast and give a rating of 75.
Lot no. 95195. Fresh before: n/a.

Adagio Advent Calendar Day 21

Very nice. Smooth. My nose doesn’t work, so I often miss the flavors that bring a tea to life. I didn’t get a lot with this one, but I got a bit of chocolate, and something nutty, with a bit of sweetness that tasted creamy rather than artificial. I finished the cup and re-steeped. The second cup was a little lighter in flavor but still enjoyable. This one could be a re-order in the future.

I am diabetic and allergic to milk, so I generally do not add anything to my tea, but I wonder if this one would be even better with a little milk.

Adagio Advent Calendar Day ? (I’ve lost track)

This one was from several night ago. Steepster has been giving me fits, being soooo slllooooww and then freezing before crashing.

This tea sounded so good. Spiced Blood Orange. What’s not to like? Well, the crazy punch of hibiscus, for one thing. Yowza. Maybe my pouch just ended up with a disproportionate amount of hibiscus, but that ws all I could really taste. I did not finish the cup, and this will certainly not be a re-order for me. It sadly ruined this tea for me.

Chocolate and ginger black tea with a hint of earthiness from the mate. The chocolate is a little artificial tasting, but pleasantly creamy. Strangely I don’t get any mint at all; to me this has more chai-esque vibes. The caffeine boost was definitely welcome this afternoon! Not a favourite overall, but nice to have tried.

A green rooibos based chai with nicely prominent spices (ginger predominantly, but also cinnamon, cardamom, and clove). The coconut adds a delicious creaminess that really sets this apart from other chai blends I’ve tried recently, and doesn’t lean soapy at all. Coconut chai isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when I think of Christmas tea blends generally, but I guess it works in the sense that the creaminess blankets the other flavours…it’s tasty, regardless.

This is a fairly routine chocolate honeybush blend, with a decent amount of milk chocolate flavour against a sweetly woody background. The thing that sets this one apart for me is the chicory, which gives a bit of a root beer sort of vibe to the end of the sip. It works really well with a splash of whole milk too. Not exciting, but pleasing.

The smell and flavour of this blend remind me of something from way back when I first started drinking loose leaf tea, but I can’t put my finger on exactly what. Hopefully it’ll come to me as it’s driving me mad! Anyway, this one is sweet and creamy, with balanced apple and cranberry flavours. Pretty true to its name therefore. It’s perhaps a touch medicinal, but nothing I can really take issue with. Brews up a lovely pink colour too!

Adagio Advent Calendar Day 20

I like a lot of Rooibos teas. I am not a fan of bergamot. I am a fan of Star Trek The Next Generation. Because of that I keep trying to find a Tea, Earl Gray, hot that I can enjoy. This is not it. I made it exactly per the instructions: emptied the single serve packet into my T-sac, and steeped it in boiling water for 5 minutes. It was so bitter I couldn’t finish it. Like way-too-much-leaf steeped-for-way-too-long bitter. Sad day. Not a re-order.

Adagio Advent Calendar Day 18

This was my first experience with chicory tea. It brewed up quite dark. It looked like coffee. It tasted…I am not sure how to describe it. A bit bitter, a bit sharp. When I drink coffee I have quite a bit of cream in it. Maybe I should have done that with this cup. The cinnamon was a nice addition, but it didn’t save it for me. I’m really glad this was in the advent calendar, because I’ve always wanted to try chicory tea but didn’t want to buy a 100 grams just to try it. So this was a no for me. I drank about half the cup.

Adagio Advent Calendar Day ?? (Again, I lost track of which day this one from)

Loved it. Sweet from the cinnamon, warm and comforting on a cold North Dakota night.. It reminded me quite a bit of Good Earth’s Sweet N Spicy, which is one of my absolutely favorite evening cups. It is available at my Walmart and Natural Grocers, so locally obtainable. But this might very well be a re-order later this winter. I did really enjoy it.

Adagio Tea Advent Calendar Day 15

Meh. Nice enough, but very mild in the vanilla flavor. Certainly not an order for me.