I love the idea of this blend: something for autumn, peppercorns and spice and smoke— truly some of my favorite sensations. That in mind, this tea was much sweeter than I expected. The apple and aniseed and cocoa nibs help keep this blend gentle and dessert-like, and orange flavoring keeps it bright and drinkable. The smoke is just a teeny, tiny whiff. I also like that this tea is low in caffeine, so I can drink it anytime without being so hard on my body. I’m glad to see adagio making seasonal blends of their own, it makes it fun to stop in and shop on their site. But I do wish this blend had some more gusto. A blend called bonfire didn’t seem to have very much cinnamon flame or savory woodsmoke. Maybe I’ll pump up my personal batch with some more lapsang and see how it goes.
Edit: I’ve been brewing this tea with about 50% lapsang souchong mixed in and it is a lovely sweet-savory woodsmoke experience. Would recommend.
Flavors: Anise, Apple, Cocoa, Nutty, Orange Zest, Pepper, Smoke