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I finally got around to placing my first Adagio order late last week. It’s getting close to my birthday and my fiance just got a third (!!!!) fish tank, so I figured some tea was in order. If my apartment is going to be slowly taken over by aquariums the least I can do is compensate by ordering lots of tea. Really, I see no other solution.

I got a sample tin of this tea because I love Earl Greys and Earl Grey + fruit just seemed like a winning combination. I steeped this at work (so, I have no idea how much tea was used, how hot the water was, or an approximate steep time .. oops) and added a bit of sugar. It’s not bad, maybe not my favorite Earl Grey, but I love how smooth it is — no need to add milk! The fruit flavor is vague but there, and makes this tea just a little more special. Probably not something I’ll reorder, but I’m really glad I tried it.

This is the sort of black tea that I love – one where a 2 minute steep is sufficient. I don’t have a lot of time in the mornings, so teas like this one are perfect for making in a travel mug to bring to work. I made this in the Timolino with rock sugar.

It is so good. This tea has a thick mouthfeel and the aftertaste is pure caramel. I don’t taste chocolate, per se, but the thickness of this tea makes me think I’m biting into a sweet treat.

Delicious. And well worth the wait for this to be reblended.

I didn’t have time to make myself tea before leaving the house this morning (the joys of waking up late … maybe I should invest in one of those programmable tea makers for days like today?), so I grabbed a bag of this to take to work instead. I haven’t been a huge fan of ginger + fruit in teas, but figured ginger on its own might be okay. Because it’s a breakfast tea, I had this with milk and a bit of sugar.

The ginger makes this warm and pleasantly spicy; I really enjoyed my cup of this. A nice, relaxing cup of tea to drink while reading emails.

2tsp Cool Cucumber mixed with 2tsp Pom Tango
1.5tbs of rock sugar
Brewed hot and then chilled.

My friend recommended Cool Cucumber/Pom Tango as an iced tea and, since I’m trying to clear out my cupboard, I made some this weekend. I think I used too much of the cool cucumber, though, because the mint from that tea overpowers everything else. Pom Tango adds a nice – if subtle – sweetness though.

I made this hot and cooled it down so my fiance could have iced tea. He had the brilliant idea of oversweetening this one a bit and adding a sliced lemon and it is perfection! I actually get fruit this time around and the lemon really brings out the blueberry. Now I wish we weren’t almost out of this one…

I brewed another cup of this last night using my leftover leaves. The second steep is so much better than the first! The cinnamon is still the prominent flavor, but is toned down enough to actually compliment the apple. The floral notes are gone! It actually tastes like apple cider!

Now I’m really on the fence about this one…

I’ve had this one other time when I cold brewed it for my fiance. Cold brewed, it’s like a very floral apple juice. Not bad, especially in small doses. I tired it again last night as a hot tea and I’m really on the fence. The first part of the sip is all Hot Cinnamon Spice with apples, and I really like it. Then, the taste goes flat and floral, which makes it really hard to take another sip. :-/

Oh, Strawberry Cream, I debated getting you for so long. You sounded so delicious, and, indeed, your first cup was all creamy fruity perfection. Subsequent cups have, unfortunately, fallen quite flat and I get more sucker-punch strawberry than anything else. You’re not bad, Strawberry Cream, but I think I’m going to take a long hiatus from you.

Backlog from yesterday; this was one of the teas available at work.

This one isn’t bad. I wouldn’t want a box of it, but it’s a decent lemony tea. The honey comes across as a floral taste and the lemon adds bite to the background.

I feel like I did something wrong with this tea … but I also enjoyed it. Yay for flexible tea?

Also: if anyone has steeping instructions for 52Teas white blends, please share with me! I’m in the dark on the best way to brew this and I really don’t trust my own judgement.

Dry, this smells heavily of raspberries. Steeped, this tastes like a mixture of raspberries, white tea, pastry, and a hint of confectioner’s sugar. On my first sip, I was honestly shocked to be able to taste confectioner’s sugar! 52Teas does do a good job flavoring their teas! As I sipped, the sugary taste devolved into raspberries and pastry crust. Not sure this one is my favorite, but I enjoyed it.

[1.5tsp/8oz 170F/3min]