Trust Auggy to send me a conundrum in a tin. [Hahaha, just kidding. Love you, Augs.] But seriously y’all, this tea belongs in a carnival somewhere between the bearded lady and the contortionist. It is bizarre.
The leaves will punch you in the sarcophagus if you aren’t ready for the stench when you open up the tin. And yes, I am going to call it a stench, because I don’t think it’s an extremely appealing smell. It smells like brine, with maybe a hint of cucumber [but just a hint]. There’s a spicy nudge that almost smells like cinnamon, but it has that sweet edge Auggy was talking about so it really reminds me a lot of Red Hots, which I was never a fan of. Sometimes it has this sharpness to it that reminds me of when I got pine sap on my hand one time and it was really hard to get off and smelled kind of nasty. It’s one of those smells that is impossible to ignore and makes your nostrils feel not unlike they’re being poked with a skewer.
With a smell this pungent, you’d think the tea would be inarguably disgusting, but surprisingly, or not surprisingly as I am discovering with Adagio’s smell to taste ratio, I didn’t find this to be true. This was one of the rare cases where I was so glad the taste did not live up to the smell that I let out a huge sigh of relief after the first sip.
It kind of tasted like cucumber, but even more of that cinnamon/Red Hots note came out in the taste. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t hate it. The scent of the liquid is still a liiiittle bit overwhelming, but the taste was surprisingly mellow. Cucumbers, a cross between dill and sweet pickles, and Red Hots. There is nothing in my head that say those flavors should meld together, but for whatever reason worked okay.
As it moved to luke warm, it began to get a little bit sweeter, which I liked. But when it cooled, the any taste I could pick out was pretty much gone. It sort of tasted like cucumber water, which I can make a little more easily by just sticking cucumbers in water. EDIT TO ADD: Somewhere around here, in the lukewarm range, I also was getting the flavor of plain, unbuttered popcorn. That kind of weirded me out. Not sure where it was coming from, but it wasn’t completely unwelcome.
So, for the novelty, I’ll probably finish off this sample tin. I’ll just have to hold my nose a bit because the stink of the leaves is strong enough to actually make my eyes water. [I wish I were kidding.] But this definitely isn’t something I’m going to buy.
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
Cofftea recommends it iced xD
I hate cucumbers and I hate pickles, so this sounds like nightmare-in-a-tin for me. Throw in the Red Hot taste that everyone seems to be picking up on (which I, too, never liked), and I doubt I’d be able to even take a sip of this, even if the flavor wasn’t as bad as you thought. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get past the stench alone.
Thank you, thank you. I will continue to do my best to throw you difficult and confusing teas!
Want the rest of my tin? That’s what I’ve been smelling cinnamon! Didn’t think of it before.
@Ricky Yeah…thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think I like this tea enough to give it a lot of effort. Plus, I didn’t like it cool, so I really don’t think I’ll dig it iced. I can chill cucumber water for much less trouble.
@teaplz It is certainly not a tea for everyone, but it’s one of those things that I’m glad I’ve experienced if that makes sense. Maybe if someone just gave you a shot glass of it hot so you could hold your nose and get a feel for the taste? The smell I would not inflict upon anyone who wasn’t willing to sniff it. It is knock your head back, kick you in the gut strong.
@Auggy Yeah, thanks for that left hook. APPRECIATED.
@Ricky HAHAHAHAHA one tin’s enough for me, but thank you very much for your offer.
Ricky, if you seriously want to get rid of it and don’t mind sending across water, I’ll happily take it. I’m dead curious as to whether or not it’s as dreadful as it sounds.
Angrboda is much, much braver than I am. Cucumber is already extremely offensive to me, so I can’t even imagine putting this anywhere near my mouth.
If I have to hold my nose to drink something I’m not drinking it! :P
Teaplz, yes, but if I like it it’ll be a huge let-down now. :p If I can’t get my hands on a sample, I’m definitely going to include one the next time I feel I can afford an adagio order.
Stay tune for tomorrow’s holiday tea giveaway thread =D and I’ll send it to you. Now, it’s not that horrible as we all say it is. I mean I can finish the tin, but I’d prefer not to, given a choice :D
It does sound like a good candidate for the Travelling Teabox. Sure someone out there along the route will love this tea. <
@Ricky, not iced- well unless you steep it 2x strength, but that just seems like a waste to me. Just stick it in the frige. It’s definitely a conundrum, but that’s what I like about it. I try weird teas even if I’m almost positive I won’t like it just to say I did. I LOVE savory teas. lol Not finish the tin? Heck I have an 8 oz tin at my house!:)
haha thats a trip. I received a free sample of this from Adagio when it first came out and I could not BELIEVE the DISGUSTING smell!!!!!! I tossed it in the trash right then which after hearing fromu guys that the taste doesn’t match the smell maybe I should’ve tried it. Im a wimp. Ah,well.
Cofftea, ahh, that’s a bit confusing, ‘cause I’ve seen you refer to it as “iced” on several posts. And then on your profile it says that you use teacubes. Do you make teacubes of this and that’s the “iced” part? Or do you just have it chilled?
@teaplz, yeah it is a bit confusing. I need to find a succinct way of saying “iced using ice cubes made of additonal tea instead of plain water”. Truth be told I’m normally too lazy to make them (or too impatient to wait for them to freeze) so I just chill it.
@kat even though I have MORE than enough, the thought of you throwing it (or any tea really) physically hurts me lol. But yeah it smellls gross. I’m used to it thought. I’m even getting used to the aroma of the raw sesame tea leaves which in my book are FAR worse.
i asked for a sample of this for Christmas from my sister so hopefully she’ll get it for me :) even though you all seem to think it smells gross im kinda excited to see what it smells like :p and i LOVE pickles so just the thought that it may taste like a pickle is promising
This review has me very curious. Brined cinnamon tea that turns, somehow, into buttered popcorn for a few moments, and then becomes cucumber? It’s one of those things that sounds so implausible and strange that I’m instantly wanting to try it just to see how it happens. I’d be content if it really did taste like cucumber, though…I really like that smell/taste, when it’s fresh and clean (I’ve even had cucumber oil for a perfume, though I will say that it didn’t smell like brine, pickles, or redhots…so strange…)
@sophistre, I drink this often and never get the red hot thing. In RE: the perfume, I have cucumber and aloe scented deoderant.:)
@Kitch3ntools Hehehe, if you love pickles then you might really, really like this tea! After reading all the reviews I saw popping up on it before Auggy sent me the sample I was kind of morbidly curious to try it, too, so I understand.
@sophistre Well, not buttered popcorn, but that kernally popcorn taste. It was definitely out of left field, and only brief. I don’t even know how to explain the tea appropriately, this was the best I could do. It is just…something you need to try. I didn’t find it especially refreshing, though I also didn’t find [the taste anyway] bad. It’s just…it is. Maybe you can talk @Ricky into giving you the rest of his sample!
@takgoti, a sarcophagus is a stone coffin, esp. one bearing sculpture, inscriptions, etc., often displayed as a monument, do you mean an esophagus? LOL:)
No, it’s from a poster I saw. Feel free to google it.
Cofftea recommends it iced xD
I hate cucumbers and I hate pickles, so this sounds like nightmare-in-a-tin for me. Throw in the Red Hot taste that everyone seems to be picking up on (which I, too, never liked), and I doubt I’d be able to even take a sip of this, even if the flavor wasn’t as bad as you thought. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get past the stench alone.
Thank you, thank you. I will continue to do my best to throw you difficult and confusing teas!
Want the rest of my tin? That’s what I’ve been smelling cinnamon! Didn’t think of it before.
@Ricky Yeah…thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think I like this tea enough to give it a lot of effort. Plus, I didn’t like it cool, so I really don’t think I’ll dig it iced. I can chill cucumber water for much less trouble.
@teaplz It is certainly not a tea for everyone, but it’s one of those things that I’m glad I’ve experienced if that makes sense. Maybe if someone just gave you a shot glass of it hot so you could hold your nose and get a feel for the taste? The smell I would not inflict upon anyone who wasn’t willing to sniff it. It is knock your head back, kick you in the gut strong.
@Auggy Yeah, thanks for that left hook. APPRECIATED.
@Ricky HAHAHAHAHA one tin’s enough for me, but thank you very much for your offer.
Ricky, if you seriously want to get rid of it and don’t mind sending across water, I’ll happily take it. I’m dead curious as to whether or not it’s as dreadful as it sounds.
Angrboda is much, much braver than I am. Cucumber is already extremely offensive to me, so I can’t even imagine putting this anywhere near my mouth.
If I have to hold my nose to drink something I’m not drinking it! :P
Teaplz, yes, but if I like it it’ll be a huge let-down now. :p If I can’t get my hands on a sample, I’m definitely going to include one the next time I feel I can afford an adagio order.
Stay tune for tomorrow’s holiday tea giveaway thread =D and I’ll send it to you. Now, it’s not that horrible as we all say it is. I mean I can finish the tin, but I’d prefer not to, given a choice :D
It does sound like a good candidate for the Travelling Teabox. Sure someone out there along the route will love this tea. <
@Ricky, not iced- well unless you steep it 2x strength, but that just seems like a waste to me. Just stick it in the frige. It’s definitely a conundrum, but that’s what I like about it. I try weird teas even if I’m almost positive I won’t like it just to say I did. I LOVE savory teas. lol Not finish the tin? Heck I have an 8 oz tin at my house!:)
haha thats a trip. I received a free sample of this from Adagio when it first came out and I could not BELIEVE the DISGUSTING smell!!!!!! I tossed it in the trash right then which after hearing fromu guys that the taste doesn’t match the smell maybe I should’ve tried it. Im a wimp. Ah,well.
Cofftea, ahh, that’s a bit confusing, ‘cause I’ve seen you refer to it as “iced” on several posts. And then on your profile it says that you use teacubes. Do you make teacubes of this and that’s the “iced” part? Or do you just have it chilled?
@teaplz, yeah it is a bit confusing. I need to find a succinct way of saying “iced using ice cubes made of additonal tea instead of plain water”. Truth be told I’m normally too lazy to make them (or too impatient to wait for them to freeze) so I just chill it.
@kat even though I have MORE than enough, the thought of you throwing it (or any tea really) physically hurts me lol. But yeah it smellls gross. I’m used to it thought. I’m even getting used to the aroma of the raw sesame tea leaves which in my book are FAR worse.
i asked for a sample of this for Christmas from my sister so hopefully she’ll get it for me :) even though you all seem to think it smells gross im kinda excited to see what it smells like :p and i LOVE pickles so just the thought that it may taste like a pickle is promising
This review has me very curious. Brined cinnamon tea that turns, somehow, into buttered popcorn for a few moments, and then becomes cucumber? It’s one of those things that sounds so implausible and strange that I’m instantly wanting to try it just to see how it happens. I’d be content if it really did taste like cucumber, though…I really like that smell/taste, when it’s fresh and clean (I’ve even had cucumber oil for a perfume, though I will say that it didn’t smell like brine, pickles, or redhots…so strange…)
@sophistre, I drink this often and never get the red hot thing. In RE: the perfume, I have cucumber and aloe scented deoderant.:)
@Kitch3ntools Hehehe, if you love pickles then you might really, really like this tea! After reading all the reviews I saw popping up on it before Auggy sent me the sample I was kind of morbidly curious to try it, too, so I understand.
@sophistre Well, not buttered popcorn, but that kernally popcorn taste. It was definitely out of left field, and only brief. I don’t even know how to explain the tea appropriately, this was the best I could do. It is just…something you need to try. I didn’t find it especially refreshing, though I also didn’t find [the taste anyway] bad. It’s just…it is. Maybe you can talk @Ricky into giving you the rest of his sample!
@takgoti, a sarcophagus is a stone coffin, esp. one bearing sculpture, inscriptions, etc., often displayed as a monument, do you mean an esophagus? LOL:)
No, it’s from a poster I saw. Feel free to google it.