Popular Tasting Notes

Had this for the first time last night before bed (silly me! I wanted some tea and this was all I had at home that was looseleaf!), and cooled the rest of the pot for lunch today. It is probably one of the nicest black teas I have drank. I didn’t find it that floral (maybe I’m expecting perfume flavors, like a jasmine tea?) but the rose was present. Overall it was like a less strong English Breakfast with very little sweetness, the sweetness it did have coming from the rose. I know it was ‘mixed’ specifically for me on 10/17 because the package says so, so maybe the the floral factor with go up as the tea ages. And age it will, the package is gigantic!
I’m actually concerned, given that I just bought this tea and thought I would be in love with it, that I just may be having a falling out with black teas. I’m just so obsessed with the silkiness of oolongs lately, black seems so thick and cloying. I still think I will drink this one up for the caffeine boost in the mornings, since it is way better than the standard supermarket black or cheapie-cheap ceylon I usually turn to for a caffeine hit.
Cooled, it has bittered significantly. Definitely needs sugar now, but the rose has come more to the forefront. I think I would make it stronger, and try cold brewing it next time for iced tea. The current cooled state is a result of me realizing how late it was to be drinking a whole pot of black tea!

Reasonnable price.
The brew in a zhong at 95°C was far better than in a big teapot.

Refreshing the best green tea I’ve tasted.

Sad to find that this is no longer on the Adagio site. :( It’s really good! Just the perfect amount of mint to make it not too overpowering but still have a touch of mint flavor.

soft mixed fruit flavor

I’m starting to fall behind on my reviews again. It’s always amazing to me how I can go from being caught up on a project to behind in the space of a couple days. I actually finished the last of this oolong earlier in the week, but had a rough draft of a review written at least 2-3 days before that. Oh well, I still have a review for Verdant’s Huang Jin Gui from two weeks ago that I need to post. Anyway, on to this tea.

I tried steeping this tea a couple different ways, however, the method that worked best for me is the basis of this review. Rather than using my 5.5 and 6 ounce gaiwans, I decided to use my small 4 ounce gaiwan. I was torn on whether to use 5 or 6 grams of leaves, but after trying it both ways, I went with 6 because the 5 tasted slightly weak to me. I followed the gongfu method outlined on Verdant’s website once again, so an initial infusion of 10 seconds in 208 F water followed by a series of 2 second infusions. I carried this one out to nine infusions (10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 seconds).

Initially, this tea presented a creamy, floral, and slightly fruity nose with a hint of toasted character. Initial infusions emphasized toasted sesame, ginseng, cream, custard, green apple, pear, honeysuckle, lilac, and jasmine notes underpinned by a slightly grassy vegetal character. The tasting notes on Verdant’s website also described nori, apple brandy, rosemary, and alfalfa flavors, but I didn’t get any of those, at least at first. Later infusions saw the floral, sesame, and ginseng notes fade and the cream, custard, orchard fruit, and vegetal notes emerge more fully. I detected alfalfa and hay specifically. I also began to notice a slight citrus note on the finish that reminded me of lime zest. The final couple of infusions were mostly creamy and vegetal. I probably could have gotten at least 1-2 more infusions out of this tea, but decided to cut it off at nine as I didn’t see the flavor radically changing or anything new emerging at that point.

The first time I tried this I was impressed, but my opinion of this tea wavered after a couple more sessions. Over my last couple of sessions, I began to feel like I had gotten it right again and I once again began to really enjoy this tea. Compared to many of the other green oolongs that are available, this has a really unique aroma and flavor profile. I kind of doubt it will be for everyone, but for me, it has all of the savory, creamy, vegetal, fruity, and floral notes I love on one level or another. If you’re a fan of newer style Chinese oolongs, then I think there is a good chance you will greatly enjoy this tea. It is definitely worth checking out regardless.

It was available and most likely to survive in a cup that previously had coffee

The jasmine smell was almost overpowering when this first came, but has calmed down since then (but not disappeared, which I was afraid of because it’s SUCH a gorgeous smell!). I totally agree that the jasmine doesn’t drown out the tea; it’s very balanced, though certainly if you don’t like jasmine this isn’t the tea for you. I’ve enjoyed this several times; a second infusion is tasty but has less flavor/more wateriness. I’m wondering if this would be good iced…

I found this tea in my advent calendar this morning, and was excited because I’m a big fan of breakfast tea blends, and I’ve never tried David’s. However, this one didn’t make an impression. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, just that I was expecting more. The flavour is nice, and I had it with milk which makes it smooth and almost creamy. The aroma is almost smoky, which I wasn’t expecting. Overall, this tea just didn’t “wow” me.

i love this tea- really great scent. I am currently drinking it as a ice tea- with honey. Its a great summer tea.

I like it. The taste of the tea does not get lost in the spice flavors.