Adagio Teas

I was craving some earl grey since I finished my S&V decaf EG a few days ago. I received this one from meowster this summer. I’m trying it with milk and sugar. The flavor is pretty mild. Probably this is due to the age of the tea, but it definitely still tastes good. Like you can tell it’s earl grey, just with very muted flavors. I prefer to buy decaf since (in my opinion) the flavor doesn’t suffer too much, and I really can’t take very much caffeine. I’ll leave off a rating since, based on what other reviews are saying, I’m likely not trying this tea in its prime.

As a latte using hemp milk it tastes so much like an Oregon chai latte from an espresso stand, and is caffeine free.

Sipdown Number 2!
Welp. We will try this again. I drank this yesterday and intended on reviewing it but the page didn’t work. So here we go today. Although this is my first review it is actually the sipdown. This is the end of a sample package I got from Adagio. Smell in pouch is very overpowering. It’s smells like you are nose first in a berry basket. The color when brewed is a deep purple/pink, reflective of the Hibiscus. The first sip, without sweetener, is unfortunately quite tart, to the point of sour. Too much rosehips and hibiscus I believe. So one splenda goes in. Still a bit too tart. Half of a second splenda goes in. Ahhhh, There’s that berry sweetness. Now it is actually quite nice. The sweetener brings out the flavors of the brew other than hibiscus and rose hips. You can actually taste berry this way. I still taste the hibiscus and rosehips but I can also taste cranberries and a touch of currant. It’s like a bright berry party in my mouth this way. The flavor is very strong, but then I did steep for 7 minutes. I’m going to change things up a bit and recommend this one, even though many people may require sweetener for it to taste right. Mainly because it is just SO GOOD when I add the 1.5 splendas. I wonder what this would be like with honey? All in all, I will likely be getting this one again. The need for sweetener added is unfortunate, as I feel a good tea should stand alone. But, the full body, rich flavor of this when added sweetener is so delicious that I will stand by it regardless.

Ok, trying this one again. Prep was with boiled stove water for 5 minutes. Flavors I’m getting are definitely orange zest, some peach, a sweet/tart flavor and some amount of floral. The aftersip is somewhat like a lemon candy/citric acid feeling and it kinda tickles my throat. It reminds me tonight of those little fruit candies you get out of the quarter machines. Very tasty.

Welp. This will be my eighth? Ninth? Cup of the day. In trying times like these it is helpful to remember the old phrase- Keep Calm and Drink Tea. I think that is old anyway. I may have just made it up. Anyway, Right now we have Green Rooibos Bonita. This is a more mild blend with a boiling water, 5 minute brew combo. I can really taste the orange citrus notes coming through, but it isn’t bitey. It is actually a nice addition. There’s a underlying tone of… something. It’s warm and mellow. I don’t know what that flavor is. I hate that I’m so new to this. There is so many terms I still don’t know. The aftersip is sort of woody slightly. Not really earthy just kinda woody. If I leave it in my mouth long enough, I get vegetal and grassy flavors. There’s a very subtle sweetness to it that lingers if you let it. I do believe I like this one. It doesn’t require any additions (which is essential I feel to good tea), and it has a very complex and pleasing flavor that I will probably seek out again soon.

Well, I am giving this a second go. I am at the parents house again, but this time I grabbed a few tea samples to bring with me. I will point out that in this case I am Microwaving water (BLECH) and using an actual coffee mug for tea. First thing I noticed is when the temperature of the water or quality of the water you use for this tea is off, the flavor will be off. It is really hard to get precisely boiling water without a kettle. as a result, the first cup was too cool and had little flavor. The second cup, while hotter, I think may have been too hot?? Because the flavor is too fishy and overpowering. I also fiddled with the brew time. 35 seconds for brew 1 (Post rinse) and 45 seconds for second brew. I feel these may be far too long. 45 seconds is totally too long I have decided, again, I’m getting fishiness when that previously hadn’t transferred over into the cup. I’m not going to dump this cup, but I poured a glass of wine to drink between sips to help things out a bit. I may try a third infusion at 40 seconds at the most, maybe even less. I just know that brewing this here, without my usual accouterments, has resulted in a far inferior cuppa than my first experience. This is supposed to be a very forgiving tea. Just don’t think I agree with that at all.

Huh. This was the very last holdout of my previous two adagio sample orders. I had been holding back on it because I needed a reason to try it. I didn’t want it to just be an ordinary day tea. I have heard lots of different things about Pu-erh and I wanted to make it memorable.

Well, Fast Forward to today. My grandma is at deaths door. The project it will be a few hours, a day at most. I refuse to go see her in this state as 1. she is completely unresponsive so it’s not like she would know I was there, and 2. I can’t stand to see her like this. I don’t want to be there when the end arrives.
So here I am. Brewing a very special cuppa, in honor of my grandma.

I couldn’t remember the recommended instructions I had read on here for this one. So I winged it a bit. First, a 30 second rinse. Then, a 30 second steep. I gotta say, once I was able to get a proper mouthful of this, it was like a flavor explosion in my mouth. The fishy notes I smelled on the leaf didn’t translate into taste. Instead, I get a bold, rich, earthy flavored tea with faint notes of honey and woodiness. I can definitely taste the tea itself, and it surprisingly isn’t bitter. I really like this. I was so scared I wouldn’t but I actually thoroughly enjoy this tea. I guess to sum it up, this tea is definitely a keeper. It’s literally my first cup of Pu-erh, and if this is any indication, I’m going to enjoy trying others. Can’t wait for that resteep!

Holiday Tea-son! I drank several cups of this yesterday, but didn’t have a chance to review it since I was on the phone at the time. I finished off the sampler I snagged from Meowster’s cupboard destash, so thank you Meowster! Cocomint seems a rather holiday-season flavor combo, doesn’t it? Plus, I’m having a terrible migraine today from the snow front moving out last night (I knew the exact hour the barometric pressure changed… I should’ve been a meteorologist, seriously) but am having to buck it up and work all day today because all my coworkers are taking the week off. The mint at least calms the migraine-nausea.

This tea mainly has a minty aroma, though steeped up, I do get some sweeter chocolately notes coming through. The flavor is mostly a brisk, peppermint flavor, but there is a more subtle sweet cocoa note. The base feels pretty clean, but I don’t really taste any green tea notes against the flavor; there is a rather sharp peppermint flavor that does taste a little sweet and artificial compared to mint leaf, but I don’t mind it, and it isn’t causing me that metallic/coating reaction that I get from some of Adagio’s flavoring agents. Feeling a little sharp or possibly a little stronger than it needs to be is the most I can say for it. Mostly, it’s pretty nice, especially compared to a lot of Adagio flavored teas that have been outright misses for me.

Not my favorite chocolate-mint tea, but entirely servicable.

Accidentally over-steeped, but it definitely didn’t seem to harm this tea.

This may be my first time with pu erh…it has a mildly fishy smell in the bag, layered under the strong hazelnut notes, but when brewed it opens up into something dank and deep. I’m still not sure if this is an enjoyable tea, per se, but it is one that is very interesting to drink through.

I’ll withhold my numerical opinion until I’ve had a few more cups.

An Advent Calendar treat again; perfect for a quiet afternoon as our household settles down for a deliciously introverted Christmas. (That’s not a bad thing: married an only child, had an only child, there just aren’t many of us to make noise.) The cats are safely tucked in and curled up in their favorite spots, house smells like candles and cookies, and for a few shining moments, all the laundry is done.

That’s a long preface for a short tea commentary. The green base is light, thin and slightly sweet. The popcorn is , well, perfectly popcorny. Scent is sweet and toasty. Lovely.

Holiday Tea-son! Tea-sipper reminded me of this one, which I got from Meowster’s cupboard de-stash last summer. I still need to try it, so may as well now! Adagio’s flavored blends can be quite hit-or-miss with me, because sometimes I seem to have issues with whatever brand of flavoring they use, and while I’m not willing to do business with that company anymore because of their anti-LGBTQ+ practices, I’ll at least still sample previously acquired Adagio teas in my collection. So, let’s see how this one stacks up…

The brewed tea is a burnt sienna color, and smells spicy, sweet, and slightly smoky to me… the aroma actually reminds me more of a Yunnan tea than a Ceylon, huh. The base tea is actually surprisingly nice for being a Ceylon, which is typically not my favorite; there is a very mild astringency, but it is very mild, and many Adagio teas I’ve had in the past have gone a little overly robust/too astringent for my tastes. This is right in my pleasant zone. It’s a bit malty, with some subtle citrus and smoky notes. The sip is not overly spicy, which I appreciate; I’m getting more of a warming cinnamon flavor rather than a ginger punch, and the cinnamon at least isn’t that overwhelming artificial “red hot” flavor that I dislike. In fact, I wouldn’t mind just a touch more cinnamon and a bit more of a ginger note (not something I say often, but the spice actually seems a little too underwhelming here). I do like that it is a bit sweeter, which reads more cookie-like than many gingerbread blends that go too spice-heavy.

But it still doesn’t really make me think of gingerbread… mainly because, yup, I’m getting that “Adagio flavoring” issue… they put their orange flavoring in this, didn’t they? * checks * Well, the ingredients claim it has orange, and I’m not seeing obvious orange peel in my leaf, so I’m assuming it is flavoring. Every single Adagio tea I’ve ever had that is orange-flavored I get this weird aftertaste that is overly artificial, slightly metallic, and coats my tongue oddly. I get that from their almond flavoring, too. If it isn’t from orange, it’s at least from something that is in this tea, because I’m noticing it. It isn’t as bad as I’ve had in the past, because I think that flavor isn’t used as strongly in this blend as the teas I’ve had that were specifically orange-flavored teas. But it is leaving me with this sour metallic feeling in my mouth I don’t like. Meh.

I tried the tea as a latte, too, hoping that some sweet vanilla almond milk might temper that sensitivity I seem to have to Adagio’s flavoring. It was certainly an improvement, but I was still noticing it. I have a pretty big bag of this, large enough I’d feel bad binning it. If you like this one (or just want to try it) and are within the US, feel free to contact me and I’ll gift it to you.

Additional notes: I woke up today knowing THIS was the tea I wanted. I love when that happens. And it as delicious and delectable as I remember it being. I love that hint of gingerbread frosting flavor. It’s perfect gingerbread tea. Thanks again for the shares, Meowster & Mastress Alita!

Additional notes: Sipping this again, from the pouch that Mastress Alita sent over. Thanks again for sending it!! Steeping it up again, it is again highly accurate to the name with a decent base tea. I still think it is highly underrated by Steepster. :D
2019 Sipdowns: 16 (Lupicia’s Christmas Wreath)

Thank you to Meowster for this one a few months ago! I had been meaning to drink this one for a note around the holidays and then realized that this one and a blend coming up in my Angry Tea Room advent seemed to be the same blend, so instead of drinking the one in the advent, I’ll just drink this instead! I tried this a few months ago and I do NOT understand the low Steepster rating for this one. 57 !?!? I like it! It’s very accurate to what it should be. Though it seems less gingery than it should be. But there is a lovely hint of sweetness there and a flavor that I swear could be frosting on a gingerbread cookie. All of the flavors here just say COOKIE and really mingle in a satisfying way. Even after two minutes, the color of the brew is quite dark which I can appreciate. The second steep had less flavor but it’s still delicious (it also tastes better with these cookies I’m eating but this tea is almost as good as actual cookies!). I really like this but somehow I usually like the flavors that Adagio uses, though have never actually bought anything from Adagio (so that means a huge thank you to other Steepsterers and tea boxes for allowing me to try a bunch of Adagio teas over the years.)
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 14 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

ETA: Now what is odd is that I gave the Angry Tea Room blend that I thought was the same a 70 rating. I’ll have to try that one again. So possibly I’m wrong that it’s the same.

Idly sipped through this while watching anime on Hulu while flat on my back in bed, as you do.

It’s…flowery. Mild, but with a woodsy back-note. Drying on the finish.

Not something I particularly enjoyed, to be honest. I’ll try it again in the future to see if I like it better under different circumstances. I tossed my post-brew leaves in for an overnight steep to see if it’s any better cold, so we’ll see how that goes.

Cold brew was more woodsy, the floral became more perfume-y and it stayed fairly bland. Not a bad tea, but not one I’d be excited about trying again.

SIPDOWN #4

So this is the last of my Jasmine Yin Hao. I steeped this cup slightly longer than usual, at 2min30sec. Getting a very strong floral flavor with the vegetal green tea flavor sitting more in the background. At 2.5 minutes it is ever so slightly bitter, but not so much that it ruins the cup. I am not sure if I will get this again, or if I will try another Jasmine. I have decided I do like Jasmine tea, but I don’t think this is the exact one for me. More experimentation will have to be done.

Wow! So this is my first taste of decent jasmine tea. Gotta say, I’m surprised. It’s actually quite pleasant. Definitely floral, but not too over the top. It’s not at all bitter, and I was really hoping I could drink this without sweetener, and luckily it is wonderful enough without. Beneath the Jasmine Floral flavor, there is a hint of green tea. But mostly it’s just jasmine. Not too complex I don’t think. If you like drinking flowers then go for it. Otherwise, if you don’t like a really flowery jasmine tea, I would avoid this as the Jasmine seems to drown out all other flavors.

Sipdown Number ONE!

So this has become one of my favorite teas. By far. I need this all the time. I’m so sad that this is the last of it. It doesn’t help that it’s pretty pricey and I’m gonna have to shell out more than I ever have for tea for a full sized pack. :( Oh well. Thus is life. I really am glad I saved enough for today. I drank like twelve cups of various teas yesterday to drown the pain. Then at around 9pm we got word that my Grandma had passed. So this is at least the start of a new day with a great cup of tea. It’s comforting. I’m raising the rating a bit because I feel like I will do anything for this stuff. It’s so chocolatey! This will likely be my go to morning brew starting next month. Until I find something else I like more. But for now, this is glorious.

So this is one of my first forays into QUALITY TEA! And boy was I shocked. I’m usually one to put a bunch of sweetener in tea, be it honey or splenda (I have to alternate, I’m diabetic.) But to my surprise, this tea is delish without anything. Its warm chocolatey notes shine through and it just has a wonderful finish with no real bitterness or aftertaste. And the smell of the tea alone is heavenly. Would definitely recommend this tea to those looking to try good unflavored tea for the first time. It was my first and I am not disappointing.

Ok, just a quickie update.

I had a genius idea today. At least I thought it was genius.

This tea, in my experience, was rather tart and unpleasant. So I figured why not add some almond milk and make a strawberries & cream sort of drink.

So, this time, steeped tea 7 minutes, and made into my traditional 2 splendas/almond milk latte style. The result? BRILLIANT! It’s like drinking a strawberry milkshake, only thinner. The color of the soup is a bit off when you do it this way, it sort of makes a milky off-purple. But the taste is amazeballs. I think I will do this every time now. I may actually reorder this tea just to make into this style latte. This is delicious.

So being that this is an herbal tea, I didn’t shy away from adding sweetener. I will say that with the addition of two splendas the taste is kinda like strawberry apple jello water. It’s super sweet. The strawberry is very overpowering, with the apple sort of as a background flavor. Knowing me I may well reorder this one because I love super sweet fruity teas. But for someone who doesn’t want super syrupy sweet, I definitely would not recommend this and if you do try it, don’t add sweetener.

Sara’s Advent calendar, 21. It’s old enough to drink. Tea.

Ooh, this is a Taiwanese oolong… from Adagio, okay. Wow, it smells nice, a bit grassy. The taste is nice, grassy and vegetal and buttery and a bit sweet. It feels very smooth going down. I wonder where they sourced this from. It’s very nice. I also wonder how well it would steep gong fu style. I’ll bet someone here has done so… yes, sounds like it does well.

I’ve had a lot of “candy cane” teas over the years that were just a renaming/relabeling of something already peppermint. Adagio does a better job of pulling in the creamy candy part. Reminds me of those puffy peppermints that come in a tub that melt in your mouth.

I love textured mugs—something to rub your thumbs on while you’re enjoying the aroma, and I’m sure this tastes much better because it’s in a raised holly-pattern Pfaltzgraff mug thoughtfully gifted by a friend.

I thought I was going to hate this while it was steeping, but…I think the smell I was smelling is just my new mug. Ugh. (A mugh?)

This is okay. It reminds me of genmaicha, which is my favorite Japanese tea. Would drink again.