100 Tasting Notes
[First 100 tasting notes! I have other notes in standby, but i needed a worthy one to celebrate this milestone]
How i got it: A birthday gift from my parents and sister
Experience: Going from soft to mild, its aroma is delicate but very well defined, following a classic Assam style with slight hints of honey. Its flavor has a medium intensity, doesn’t have the usual Assam strength (at least the ones I’ve tried have been quite strong), but in exchange it gives a well defined, lasting and quite complex taste, that’s not so easy to define (I would call it “fruity”). The honey notes in the aroma have a match in the flavor, and the cup ends with a wooden, nice aftertaste, plus some astringency. I could never sense a hint of bitterness in this tea. I can easily count Adagio Melody among the best teas i’ve tried.
Would i buy it?: Surely
How i got it: Got a bag from my parents’ house
Experience: Surprisingly, this tea’s aroma is less berry-er than other similar blends, giving a little more room to the tea’s aroma. Very similar to La Teteria’s Blue Shadow or Basilur’s Winter Tea in this respect, the main aroma could be defined as cranberry with some raspberry, with the addition of herbal hints, almost mint-like. Quite natural. Its flavor is rather smooth and less acidic than other berry blends, and follows the usual premise of “berry scent first, tea in the background” with the cranberry as main player. What i enjoy is the lack of the tipical acidity present in so many berry teas, but i also miss the complexity and richness of, say, Basilur’s Winter. Mild intensity, duration and definition. Slightly above average
Would i buy it?: Maybe to mix the usual menu, but i’m more inclined to the ‘no’ answer
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: This tea has a mild aroma intensity where the bergamot stands first, but there’s also room for the tea scent. Its flavor goes from low to medium intensity, and the bergamot isn’t as strong (but neither as natural) as other EG, tending to appear more to the end of the sip. The tea in the background seems to follow the Supremo Ceylon line, without nuances and slightly earthy flavor. Good duration, fairly well defined, some astringency. An EG rather smooth, without the richness of others i’ve tasted, but enjoyable in the end.
Would i buy it again?: As well as others in the “Noble Origins” line, while it isn’t a premium quality tea, it serves very well to add variety to the everyday menu, so the answer is ‘yes’
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: This tea’s aroma is quite similar to a classic Assam but more acidic, fruity and herbal (and giving sometimes a flash of Ceylon smell, forvige me if i’m being confusing here but it’s the best way i can explain that, hehe). The taste seems to keep up better with the Assam identity thanks to some nutty/chocolate-y notes, but it’s not as robust, rich and complex as others i’ve tasted. Medium to high intensity, well lasting flavor. Like the others in the “Noble Origins” line, this tea has a clearly higher level than the Supremo average. Quite good.
Would i buy it again?: Has some probabilities, but more for the everyday cup than for shining as a special tea
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: This is one of the best teas I’ve tasted among the Supremo ranks. Its aroma has a medium intensity, and seems to be from a blend between Assam and Ceylon, the former being the dominant smell with the latter making some appearances (anyway, that’s not surprising, due to the low profile of Supremo’s Ceylon teas). I noted some smokey hints too, but maybe that was just me. In the flavor area this tea is far behind the average Breakfast blend in terms of strength, but its flavor is quite enjoyable, showing mainly the Assam typical chocolate-y notes with no bitterness and a little presence of the Ceylon. Good tea, easily above average
Would i buy it again?: I’ve actually done it a couple of times, to mix a little my no-so-special, everyday cupboard
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: This tea’s aroma is soft and delicate, and is hard to define it at first “glance”. It has a Ceylon background with caramel notes, but with a lighter character and herbal/honey hints, tending to smell similar to teas like Nepal and Darjeeling. Its taste is smooth too, departing a little from the usual Ceylon strenght, but mantaining the caramel notes classical in Basilur. Has a spiced and wooden to the end of the sip. Well defined and lasting. Very good!
Would i buy it again?: Most probably, yes
[Good to be here after a long recess! =) I been storing entries for months, so let’s go for those first 100 tasting notes, hehe]
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: Spiced and slightly wooden, mild-intensity aroma, and a bit stronger taste than what you could have guessed from the smell. Its notes depart a little from the typical caramel-like, Basilur-Ceylon-trademark ones to be more wooden and malty, although there appear fruity hints from time to time. Good definition, duration and richness. Spiced notes in the middle of the sip, and more bitter to its end, plus some astringency in the aftertaste. Maybe it doesn’t show the complexity that Basilur’s Special does, but a good tea, no doubts!
Would i buy it again?: I give it good probabilities.
How i got it: Got a bag from an exchange with a workmate
Experience: On the aroma side, this tea’s smell is composed mainly by the scents of the base tea (similar to an Assam) and the clove, and has a mild intensity. Its taste, however, is surprisingly mellow in comparison with its aroma. There’s a vague hint of ginger in the end of the sip, and (in contrast from what I sense in the tea scent) I think this tea could may be Indonesian, given its similarity with Whittard’s Spice Imperial. Hints of orange, and very nuanced notes of cinnamon. Relatively well defined, good duration. Not bad overall, but I miss the traditional Chai spiced (and spicy) taste, more intense and complex. Just good, in my opinion.
Would i buy it?: Again, it’s not a bad tea, but doesn’t get very much better than that. I think the answer would be no.
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: Well, long time away from Steepster… Those occasional colds impair my tasting capabilities a bit, so i store my new teas to try them later. Now, let’s get to this one. I’m satisfied to be able to recognize the spiced and slightly smoked smell of the Keemun in it, plus some Assam notes in the background. Its flavor is very intense (I could say this blend follows the same line of Whittard’s Breakfast Earl Grey in that aspect), and is well defined and lasting. Has a good richness level, too. The sweet and chocolate-y notes of the Assam are mixed with the spiced and wooden ones from the Keemun, the former prevailing specially to the end of the sip. Depending on the time you gave it, you could end with some astringency in the aftertaste. Very good, I’d say.
Would i buy it again?: Maybe I’ll get it again sometime, if I get to miss it.
How i got it: Bought it
Experience: Intense aroma, malty and slightly caramel-like, this tea’s smell shows a bit of complexity and some nuances despite being a strong one. I’d say it has some similarity to a Ceylon’s aroma, too. Its flavor is intense, malty and has some bitter and chocolate-like notes at the middle of the sip, while toasted and wooden hints appear more to the end. Well defined and lasting. Is a bit under the level of La Teteria’s Assam Hazelbank, but a good tea nonetheless.
Would i buy it again?: There are good possibilities, if I’m not trying some other Assam.
