Adagio Teas

The CommuniTEA selection for April 10th!

I could really care less about the detox marketing the tea itself DOES smell quite good. Very fresh with a sweet cinnamon and crisp peppermint profile that reminds me a lot of the Cinnamint Maté blend that was carried by DAVIDsTEA. I was a big fan of that blend, and always regretted not stocking up…

Steeped, this lacks some of the menthol/peppermint punch and freshness that I want and was getting from the dry aroma, but as a mint and cinnamon blend it is a really nice combination. Not too much spice, and a nice earthy kind of undertone as well that I can’t be mad at. Love the use of burdock and dandelion root – both can totally be overpowering flavours, but work really nicely in this blend.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-0SdOqg3xR/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p7m2iY-WSY

Over steeped mug from this morning – I spent a lot of the day in meetings, and didn’t have much time for attentive tea drinking; it’s been a stressful work week so far (maybe more on that in another tasting note; I’m not in a place mentally right now where I have the energy to talk about it any more today). I made this mug in between the shuffle of the day…

It was a little metallic tasting on the finish; like a rough brassy flavour – I’m going to primarily attribute this to the oversteeping today, but it’s a flavour I’ve noticed in lesser quantities with previous cups. However, the one nice thing was the balance of toasted almond and more creamy “marzipan” type of notes. It was a nice drink overall, and much needed cuppa for a stressful day.

Another new Adagio tea!

I know I’ve had this one in several fandom blends before, but the one that really sticks out to me is Skywalker – which I remember liking a fair bit, and which I think used a decent amount of tea in the formulation.

The dry leaf smell is certainly intense – it’s almond, for sure, but the sort of highly aromatic and kind of boozy smell of almond extract. Thankfully it steeps out more mellow than the dry leaf smelled, but it’s still pretty rich and full bodied. Teas that really only channel one particular flavour instead of balancing flavours can be really good or really bad; sometimes they just feels so… flat. This could have easily had the potential to taste flat/one note, but thankfully the sweet amaretto type of flavour volleys really well with this roasted/more oxidized oolong base; you get nuttyness that’s different from the almond, minerality, and a toasty quality too which pairs very well.

The finish leans a little metallic and artificial (even though this is naturally flavoured) but overall I do like it. It would probably make an excellent latte!

Better than last time, marginally, but still a very lotion-y tasting coconut. I liked the pu’erh base though…

Cold Brew!

I’m sipping this currently, and I’ll probably continue to throughout catching up on tasting notes just for the caffeine/hydration, but I’m really not loving it.

I liked the concept because I actually really believe that the right coconut flavour combined with a sweet, earthy pu’erh could be delicious and while the tropical element seems a little more strange to me I was open to trying it. It’s quite strange though, and now I kind of understand why this is something the Adagio is discontinuing from their permanent assortment. The coconut is very lotion-y/soapy tasting and that’s honestly probably the biggest thing that I’m struggling to get over, but it’s far from the only thing that feels off in this blend…

The shou pu’erh used is definitely more of that “fishy” damp/wet and oily kind of pu’erh that I remember tasting a lot of in flavoured tea blends when I first started exploring pu’erh as a tea type – and that does surprise me because I’ve also tried the Pu’erh Pearls from Adagio now and I found those to taste quite pleasant! Finally, there’s the tropical fruit elements – and they actually don’t taste bad at all but they do NOT compliment the rest of the blend when you look at it as a whole. Something sweet and tropical is just kind of weird with such an earthy kind of profile…

So… nope.

The CommuniTea selection for yesterday…

It was nice, but very reminiscent of so many other creamy lemon rooibos blends I’ve had in the past; I don’t know if that familiarity was a good thing or if I wished that it was a bit more stand out! Definitely hit those nostalgic Lemon Chiffon flavour notes though, but less creamy…

Regardless, it was a fun tea to practice some tasseomancy with!! Here’s a photo of my tealeaves in the divination cup after drinking the tea:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-zf8gDAY2M/

What do you see in the cup!? On the right, I see either a horse pulling a chariot or a hippocampus! I looked up the meaning of a horse in tea leaf reading, because that’s the consistent part in either of those two images, and the meaning of a horse is:

“a horse seen in the middle of the teacup is an indication that, you are about to get what you have always yearned for in life and in due course, you will have the freedom to have it through utilizing your power. When you finally get it, don’t misuse it as doing so, might imply that you are misusing your power and it can lead to your premature death. As much as you want to be successful, don’t step on other people’s toes. Have respect for others and their properties.”

Though, I did see this meaning for a cart with horses…

If the cart has horses by it – then this can suggest that there is possibilities of a new relationship.

It was fun, regardless of the leaf interpretation.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfLZ68GEwsA

I finally found my perfect oolong. Just the right amount of oxidation from roasting. Subtly floral aroma, light honey sweetness and notes of peach and apricot. Very minimal astringency. Delicious with a meal or savored on it’s own.

This was the pick for today’s “CommuniTEA” blend from Adagio…

I wasn’t thrilled that today’s tea was a green tea, but when I realized it was pomegranate I felt a little bit better about the profile. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really deliver – the green tea is very flat/dull and lifeless with an oceanic note I’m not crazy about, and the pomegranate just reads generic red fruit flavouring. It was drinkable, but unexciting and mediocre (at best) in terms of taste.

You can’t love them all though – and while I probably wouldn’t have ever independently picked this one for myself anyway, it is nice to have had the chance to sample it without committing to a larger amount.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvtnPFDHetA

Cold Brew!

I’m tired of writing tonight, but this is the last tea on my list for the day so…

- It was grapefruit, leaning “pink grapefruit” over bitter/pithy
- Fresh and sweet, but coupled with refreshing and cucumber skin tasting white tea
- Better than Pisces
- Which I also had this week as a cold brew & is an Adagio blend w/ grapefruit too…

Had this one on the weekend during my Tiger King binge…

I’m skeptical with grapefruit teas – when they’re good they’re usually really good but when they’re poorly done they can be intolerable. DT is a good example; you have ones like Banana Grapefruit and Grapefruit Rose Starburst which I find AMAZING and things like Grapefruit Granita or Grapefruit Squeeze which weren’t well done at all IMO. Same company, but very different sides of the coin…

This is… alright? I say that with a question mark because I think with experimentation I may be able to steep it better, but it’s enjoyable and has some positive qualities even without tweaking. The aroma is very nice; sweet pink grapefruit – fresh, a little floral, and effervescent. It’s the type of grapefruit aroma that makes you perk up a little bit because of how fresh it is. Steeped, it’s accurate to the aroma just lesser in intensity; some intensity loss is to be expected for dry aroma to steeped aroma but I do think more freshness has been lost that I would have expected to be normal; the grapefruit has good clarity and leans sweet but natural instead of pithy/bitter. Note, it’s not sugary but sweet in a balanced way. I don’t want more sweetness at all, that would be cloying, but if the “juiciness” could be amped up a little bit that would elevate this to a sublime level. As it stands, it’s a little flat even if the flavour is nice and clear.

I’m not sure where I fall on the Bai Mu Dan style white tea base that Adagio seems to be using for their flavoured white tea blends – it doesn’t elicit a knee jerk reaction of disgust but I don’t think it’s superb quality either. That said, it’s muted enough that it’s been making for a really good “canvas” white tea so far to really let whatever flavour is in the blend shine through quite well…

On first steep snap impression, this is somewhere in that rare middle zone of grapefruit blends where it’s not a “WOW” tea or something I find repulsive/don’t want to finish. I’m gonna see if I can make the grapefruit pop more, though.

Hot cuppa from yesterday!

I definitely think that I enjoy this tea a lot more as a cold brew, but it wasn’t bad hot either. The top of the sip is quite sharp and forward in the hibiscus flavour and that carries through into much of the body as well. However, the acidity kind of breaks a little bit leading into the finish and what’s left is more of a juicy berry notes versus that kind of acidic hibiscus flavour that tries to pass itself off as berry. I also got more of the vanilla/cream flavouring in the finish which creates a softer and smooth end to the sip after some initial tartness. I still wish it was stronger, but it’s quite pleasant with the berry.

Cold Brew…

When I chose this sample, it was specifically with cold brewing in mind so I got right to that as soon as the order arrived and everything had been added to Steepster.

The dry leaf smells really nice; sweet condensed berry syrup/jam with a creamy vanilla note. It’s erring artificial just because it’s so candy sweet smelling, but I’m still pretty into it. I can see that there is A LOT of hibiscus in the blend, so I’m a little worried that once steeped that the tart hibiscus might take over – even in a cold brew where less of that sharp tartness will be drawn out of the tisane.

Steeped up it’s not bad at all – does err a little straight forward hibiscus in terms of flavour but it’s not super sharp/tart, and has more of a “round” feeling body to the sip, and mellow and refreshing finish. I get mixed berry for sure, and even a little bit of creaminess that I’m sure is that vanilla flavouring. I do wish that the creme was a little stronger, this is one of the few “berry and cream” teas I’ve had that didn’t immediately taste very chalky to me, so I wish there was more emphasis on the cream so I could really dig in and enjoy it. Mostly, though, I think I just want more cream because I know that at this level of intensity, if I were to steep the tea hot the hibiscus would be much stronger/sharper and what I’m getting now would likely be lost.

I also ordered these Pokemon “Sparkling Waters”/soda a little while ago, and they just arrived so I got very excited and decided to crack one open to try right away. I tried the Bulbasaur one first, which is apple – it was pretty sweet and tasted a lot like apple hi-chew candies, and because I was majority finished the cold brew I just sort of went “Well, fuck it” and poured the soda into the remaining cold brew. The combo, however, was lovely – sweet and lightly fizzy, with an apple and berry profile. The tartness was cut even more by the sugar of the soda, but the flavour worked wonderfully.

Here’s someone on Youtube reviewing the soda if you’re curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O2AHWi5vt4

Gongfu from yesterday…

Sipped a Pu’erh Pearl from my recent order yesterday afternoon, with some pecans as a snack! I know this is labelled as a pearl, but given the size it feels much more like a loosely compressed dragonball to me. I think this is the first time I’ve experienced a puerh tea from Adagio that wasn’t in a fandom blend, and I’m pleasantly surprised with how clean and well rounded it is. I find the flavour sweeter, with elements of dark grains and wet wood and damp soil. There isn’t much nuance or flavour evolution here, but it’s very approachable and easy to sip at. Given the format, I bet this would be ideal for Grandpa brewing!

I know that shou, and pu’erh in general, often gets people feeling a bit buzzed, but I’ve always found that shou in particular makes me feel incredibly calm and relaxed & that often makes it the ideal tea for me to brew #gongfu when I need to wind down or sleep…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-iCVeagfT9/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPjGCp1C9cY

So, in my most recent Adagio order/the order they sent to me they included a week of “The CommuniTEA” which is something that I’ve seen on instagram – so I already had a familiarity with the concept. Basically, it’s a portioned out serving of one of their teas that they have selected with a date printed on the sample – recipients are encouraged to share their experience on social media…

Well, I fucked up a little bit because I made the tea for April 5th today/posted a photo of it a day early – I swear all this time from self isolation/quarantine is blurring together because I really thought that it was Sunday today. So, my apologies to Adagio for messing up the system and to anyone on instagram that I may have ruined the surprise of the tea for. I deleted my story post, but I’m leaving the grid post.

Sorry y’all – I’m only human. I’ll get back on track on Monday…

The tea itself was nice though; far more of the peach and apricot flavouring than any ginger, but I did feel like I was getting a bit of that warming and tickle-y ginger element in the back of my throat as an undertone of the profile and I could see the very small shreds of ginger in the dry leaf visual. I’d say that they were quite scant, though. The black base is something that I don’t love from Adagio, but in this particular blend it adds body while being muted enough that I don’t think it detracts from the overall profile.

There’s nothing about this ginger peach blend that is unique to me, but it’s not bad so if you’re just looking for a simple and no frills ginger peach, and you don’t mind the ginger being milder, then this is probably a good option. If you want wow factor ginger/peach or something different than what you can find from so many places, look elsewhere.

Not bad, though.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JjO9jpzcBQ&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=14

Is it a coincidence that I’m listening to the new Peach Pit album while drinking a peach tea? Yes. Am I upset with that coincidence? No, not at all.

This is from Adagio’s “Masters” collection – I have a few of those teas now, some I got as a Christmas present this past year, and one other I purchased for myself. This was one of the samples I picked out that Adagio sent me though, and it’s the first I’ve tried from this collection…

I will say, I’ve heard some pretty good things about this line up as a whole so I am genuinely very curious to see the quality. I think the branding (calling it ‘Masters’) is a touch pretentious, but I see why a company like Adagio might feel they need an extreme approach to differentiating these teas from their usual assortment in the eyes of the more “seasoned/serious” tea drinker. I say seasoned/serious more loosely, because I mostly mean the tea snobs (myself sometimes included) who look down as companies like Adagio as not having nice straight teas – that’s something I’m constantly working at combating though, in terms of a mindset.

The loose leaf visual of these curls is stunning though – they’re fuzzy and beautifully gold, I wish I’d captured a photo but I suppose I’ll have plenty of time to do that in the future. I don’t like brewing Gongfu when I don’t have natural light, and it was rainy today when I got home so the lighting was poor – otherwise I’d have steeped this Gongfu. Instead I made it Western style though, but I’ll revisit it a few different ways in terms of prep method.

As a tea made Western, this was nice – very smooth and full bodied with notes of malt, honey, freshly baked bread, fine cocoa powder, and a little bit of red fruit in the finish! I thought it was lacking a bit of nuance in terms of flavour delivery, and while the notes were delightful and plentiful I did think the mouthfeel was a touch stagnant. All of those are things I believe would be greatly improved in changing the steeping method though! And even with that nit picking aside, it was still a good and very solid mug of black tea!

I’m holding further judgement/critique until I get to play with this one a little bit more, but my assessment on this cup alone is that it was a very nice tea but not nice enough to justify the price point in my opinion – I think I could get equivalent or better from equally accessible to me companies for less cost.

Who knows, maybe the Gongfu session will blow my mind though!?

Cold Brew Sipdown (900)!

I liked this more as a cold brew – it’s less distinctly apple tasting and has more of a sweet, mellow watermelon flavour. What was most interesting, surprising, and also delicious was that in cold brewing this tea it also tasted quite creamy as well. Watermelon and cream/vanilla is sort of a strange thing to think about for me as a combination but I enjoyed it a lot in this format.

Not sure I would order this again, as I do typically prefer a juicier and more robust flavour from any melon tea that I purchase but I do think it’s a nice blend. If you’re trying it, I have to recommend going with a cold style of preparation. It’s just so much nicer that way.

So, a little while back Adagio reached out and offered to send me some samples to review. Who doesn’t love trying new tea!? So, of course I said yes. They completely surprised me with a $100 gift card to select my samples though, so I got to really thoroughly examine their permanent tea assortment and grab myself a range of new flavours to try!

In almost record time, the teas actually arrived today! I didn’t steep myself anything at work because we were pretty busy, but I made a few different cups tonight when I got home. This was what I started with because I was coming off a few back to back mugs of more caffeinated teas, and I’m trying to be a bit better about pacing my caffeine intake throughout the day…

The dry leaf aroma of this tea is pretty impressive – sweet and distinctly watermelon, it reminds me a lot of watermelon flavoured Jolly Ranches but with just a bit less sweetness or that underlying sour quality. It also makes me think a little bit of an older DAVIDsTEA blend, Luscious Watermelon. It’s interesting to me that it’s that specific DT blend that springs to mind, because I admit that this feels like it’s trying to replicate a much newer DT herbal melon tea – Melon Cooler. It could be a total coincidence, but I would be interested in knowing the timeline of when this tea was released versus Melon Cooler.

The dry leaf is also very much majority soft, cut apple pieces – so that tells me that really all of the heavy lifting in this blend in terms of flavour is being done by the added flavourings, and not any of the actual fruit in the blend itself. Apple, especially these softer and more spongy apple pieces, are often used in tea blends as more of a cheap filler because they carry flavouring really well (they’re like little sponges for it) and have a bit of a more neutral but lightly sweet fruity note. I don’t love apple dominant blends, though it’s not because I mind the flavour of a tea coming primarily from flavouring – and I do prefer apple as filler over hibiscus which is another popular ingredient in herbal teas…

Steeped up, this continues to smell amazing – very similar to the dry leaf aroma but slightly less intense. I did make this hot, but I know that it would probably be even better iced or cold brewed. The taste is good! It’s a solid, clear and identifiable watermelon flavour that doesn’t taste too sweet or candy like, but has more “oomph” that the weak/watered down melon blends you sometimes get. The mouthfeel is thin and the tea is lacking a bit of overall body – a longer steep or more leaf might help balance that out. I suppose, in the sense that it is a “melon flavoured tea”, it is similar to Melon Cooler but it’s not really a direct replication of it – I find it more similar to Luscious Watermelon. I admittedly like this much more than a did Melon Cooler, but it’s not as tasty as Luscious Watermelon. Given that the latter hasn’t been available for a very long time I think this is a pretty solid option for an accessible watermelon profile though!

Ok, just a quickie review of this.

This is… not good. Like, really not good. I love rooibos and I love EG, but this tastes nothing like either. For starters, the rooibos base is less of that wood flavor I enjoy and more… um moss? Lichen? Whatever it is it’s not a fresh wood taste, it tastes like wood that’s been allowed to decay for a while. And the Earl Grey is drowned out by the rooibos here. If there’s any bergamot present, I can’t taste it. Basically, to make this drinkable I drowned it in sweetener. Now it just tastes like straight Splenda, so I guess I don’t have to dump it.

Just… bad. Probably the worst EG I’ve tried yet. Sorry, Adagio.

I’m glad that I went back to drinking this as a hot brew because the mug that I made myself while working from home on Tuesday was the perfect balance of savory sage with a pleasant earthy citrus undertone and sweet blackberry notes in the vein of a blackberry compote or syrup. It’s a unique combo, and the umami of the sage really prevents this blackberry from being cloying/too candy like.

Having this cold brewed tonight.

I’m trying to only drink through one side of my mouth because, after a few weeks of no to minimal discomfort, my teeth are absolutely murdering me again tonight. I did call two different dentists (finding an English speaking office right now is trickier than planned) but wasn’t able to get an appointment booked. I’ll try again this week…

This isn’t bad as a cold brew, but certainly not as nice as it was hot. Less juicy blackberry jam notes, and way more herbaceous sage. I like sage, so it’s not an issue – but it’s feeling less balanced overall. I’m probably going to go back to drinking this one hot.

This was a free sample from my last Adagio order – but it was hand selected by me! I picked it because I was a more elevated flavour concept that I would typically expect to see from Adagio. Rightfully so or not, I associate Adagio’s permanent tea collection with more straight forward flavours that execute one primary element (ex. coconut, blueberry, peach) and not blends with layers of flavour. So, I was curious to see how they would approach this concept!

The dry leaf smells really good and intriguing – my assumption was that this would probably be mostly blackberry with the TINIEST hint of sage, because sage can be such an intense and polarizing flavour. However, there is a sizable amount of visible sage in the dry leaf and it’s noticably present in the aroma. The blackberry is stronger on nose alone – very sweet and almost soda pop “syrupy” blackberry – but it’s not as strong as I’d expected…

Steeped up, an interesting thing happened! The primary flavour note actually became the sage – very thick and herbaceous, and all throughout the sip. I’m quite pleasantly surprised with how strong it became/how present it is in the cup. With most tea blends that incorporate herbs I always seem to be commenting on how I wish more of those flavours were present, and this is the perfect amount of sage in my opinion. The sweetness of the blackberry that I was getting in the dry aroma is much softer too; the blackberry is noticeable but secondary to the sage by a fair bit and a lot more naturally sweet over a soda/candy kind of sweetness. I like how it combos with the sage, and appreciate the needed sweetness is provides to the cup composition without making this a “sweet tea”.

The oolong base is fine – I don’t love or hate Adagio’s oolong base. It’s pretty average in terms of body with a slight roasty element. It’s a good canvas for “deeper” flavours because of the blanket body it provides, but I think it would be a bit unremarkable if it weren’t being mixed with flavours.

Overall, though, this was very nice! It was a pleasant surprise, and one of the better teas I’ve had from Adagio!

Another tea from the leap year order.

This one I decided to try straight. I’m not usually one to add much to green teas unless they are heavily flavored. so I wanted this straight. It’s… well I can taste the green tea, that’s for sure. I’m getting the grassy notes that I would expect from a green blend, but the bergamot is pretty subtle if present at all. In this case, though, I feel that may be a good thing. I don’t think a bitey bergamot would mesh well with the grassy green. I could be wrong. I don’t know if I’ve had a green EG before? Not sure. This seems different.

There is a floral note to this but it is pretty weak. Actually, the tea as a whole is mild. It tastes like average green tea. That’s about it. The more I drink it the less I taste any amount of Earl Grey in it. Perhaps I brewed it too weak? I used 1.5tsp/12oz/2min/180F, so I followed the directions. Maybe I will add a bit more leaf to this next time. I’ll hold off on any final judgement until I can fiddle with the brew a bit.

Me: >*Sitting in front of the computer for the third night in a row*<
Me (Thinking): Shanie. Shanie what are you doing
Me (Thinking): Shanie you fool, you have two drawers and three cabinets of tea you could be drinking right now. What are you doing?
Me (Thinking): Dammit Shanie, get off your butt and drink some tea. You haven’t had tea in a week. The internet isn’t going anyway and neither are you. GO. DRINK. TEA.

Me (Out Loud): “Well. When you put it that way…”

And thus, here I am actually having a cup of tea.

This is from the Adagio order I made a month ago, which honestly feels like about three years ago right now. It was the same order as the Brigadoon Breakfast, and I’m only getting to it now, so that should give an indication of my personal level of motivation right now.

Anyway, I latte-d this. I brewed it 3 minutes at 212F, with 1.5 teaspoons for 12 oz water. It’s my usual settings for loose leaf Earl Grey, so no need to switch it up now. I didn’t measure the milk, but there were to Splenda packets added off the bat. I didn’t test it plain, so sorry if you wanted to hear about that.

Anyway, taste is… Well, it’s certainly got that BOOM! of bergamot I love. The floral/citrus of this is right in your face. However, while it’s bordering on harsh, the milk added makes it better.

Oh, I should mention that, in an effort to curb some of my sugar intake, I now use Fairlife 2% Milk. It’s not quite shelf-stable but has a similar flavor and texture. And while it does require continuous refrigeration (like most milk), it lasts 2 weeks once opened and usually about two months if you don’t open it! So while I had initially switched because the Fairlife has much less sugar than most milk I would normally drink, it really comes in handy right now because I can throw a couple of jugs at a time in my fridge and not worry about it spoiling.

ANYWAY, back to the tea.

As I said, the addition of the milk makes it much less harsh then I would imagine otherwise. But there’s a flavor present here. I can’t put my finger on it at all. It’s… well I can’t say if it’s because I added two Splendas, or if it’s a combination of the Splenda and the tea, but I think it’s a cupcake flavor? Maybe carrot cake? Ugh! I wish I was better at determining flavors. It’s something cake though. Again, it could be that I used too much Splenda, or it could be a combo of the total latte. But it isn’t unpleasant. I like it. It’s kind of dessert-like.

What I will say is, in comparison to other EGs on in my cupboard? Nah, there’s really nothing special about this. I’ll give that it’s more balanced than some, but it’s not something that I would consider a necessary variety of EG. I have other Earl Greys that have similar flavor profiles but do their thing better than this. Somehow, I would say the Bigelow Bagged variety is one of them. Side by side, I’d say I like the Bigelow better than this. But this is better than the twinings loose leaf by far. So yeah, maybe someday I’ll make a spectrum scale of all my different EGs and where I would put them. I wouldn’t try and go by numerical ratings as, while I have a scale in my brain, I can never remember what I rate things from week to week so it may turn out that something I rated 75 one week, I actually liked better than something I rated 82 the next.

Anyway, I’m not making a rec or rating on this either way. I’m just gonna say it’s pretty good, but not great. Maybe a tough above average

Let’s say… C+