Adagio Custom Blends, Shmiracles

I oversteeped this and it tastes like a dirty orange-flavored cigarette. Blech

Thank you Cavocorax for sharing though. You never know unless you try.

I have had this one for a while thanks to the generosity of Cavocorax but I tend to not reach for it given its not really ingredients I look for in a tea (i’m looking at you, mate). However, today I got home early and decided to give it a try. I brewed it up hot and then iced it and then got distracted by homework and making a soup so I am only getting to it now.

My first impression is smoke. Lots of smoke. Smoke and Earth. Then a bit of orange sweetness creeps in but it’s subtle and hidden among a mess of spices and stronger, harsher flavors. I guess in that sense it is true to Sherlock Holmes and his brash attitude but as far as tea goes, this one just isn’t for me.

Thank you Cavocorax for the share though.

tea from cavocorax i might be trying to sneak in some easy sipdowns today before we head off to winterlicious tonight. I caved and ordered 3 puerhs today from streetshop88 which means i’m in even more trouble as far as my cupboard goes. On the upside, they likely won’t be getting here anytime soon LOL

This is a tea that i can get behind in theory… it’s making me want to bust out my non existant blending skills and make a smokey, orange, vanilla tea. Sadly this is an adagio blend so it smells like orange and smoke and delicious..and then tastes like 99% of every other black based adagio fan blend. blech. :( At least i tried..and it HAS given me inspiration!! so still a win in my books!

you read it right fanfic thread peeps! my third fic tea and ‘work in progress’.

i’m getting better at predicting blends, because this one is pretty tasty! how it came out isn’t exactly how i envisioned it tasting, but it’s close. close enough to be happy with it.
and seeing how the ratio of teas and additions i chose taste together can still teach me about future blending choices. (the more teas from adagio i get to taste the easier it is, because some teas are DUH just more potent in flavor than others.)

for me, its about figuring out the flavors in the right levels but also then considering how the tea smells dry and how the tea looks.

ikr i don’t think i would have ever considered that i’d care how a blend i make looks. but i do. and now in hindsight it’s no surprise, because i WAS an art major after all.

anyways, i know how i’m gonna try adjusting the next version of this blend. and then it might take 1 more after that before i settle on the recipe. but don’t worry! i’m keeping extensive and awesome notes!

hey i think i’m improving my blending abilities! either that or i got lucky :)
either way, i still kinda win.
this current blend is blackberry, caramel, and mocha nut mate with cornflowers added.
i hope to add cocoa nibs to the next batch i think?

you don’t have to really know what i’m talking about here. this is just me trying to parse out what taste profile i’m going for and then trying to judge if i’ve come even a little close.

i was going for a dark earthen tea base with a kind of unsettled sweetness incorporated? i figured the mate would add a rougher kind of masculine note and the dark berries and caramel could help create a slightly salty yet decadent tone. the tea basically needs to be sensual and intense and troubled and sad. comforting but still very very sad. and i wasn’t aiming for it, but the mate definitely has a sort of riding crop flavor-tone to it.
so beautiful it hurts and so stinging it’s beautiful. i’ll keep drinking this bag, get to know this version better, make some changes and then see what else i learn.

Bach’s Chaconne Partita No.2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7qe3RrRL2Y

yesterday i battled my social anxiety to throw my boyfriend an awesome birthday party. i’d say it was a success.
but today i’m sullen and irritable.
so when this tea arrived in the mail i felt almost weepy with excitement!
i created and ordered this blend on the adagio website on thursday while i was at work.
this tea did not turn out very good, but it was my first tea blend attempt.
not enough lapsang. not enough vanilla. i guess they are kinda two flavors that don’t exactly make sense so they kinda end up canceling each other out.
i’m gonna try again i think. or maybe buy one of those sampler mixer sets? idk. i’ve started this goal and i tend to get a bit obsesses in situations like these.