865 Tasting Notes
Made tea and mom wanted some so I had to make something I knew she’d like.
The rolled leaves in the Adagio brand seems smaller than in the Moroccan Mints that I’ve had… or maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I’ve had it.
This is the 1st time I’ve had gunpowder straight, not in Moroccan Mint. In the tin, the leaves smell kinda like cow dung from a cow that recently ate a LOT of grass thrown into a camp fire. It does have a very slight aroma of a pu erh, but yet grassy like a green tea and smokey like lapsang souchong.
I steeped 2.25 grams of leaves for 3 min in purified water heated to 175 degrees F. The liquor is a medium yellow which is more yellowish than I expected. The aroma is exactly what it smelled like in the tin.
When I taste it, I’m not suprised. It tasted exactly like it smelled both in the tin and after steeping. There is a lapsang souchong-esk taste to it, but that is soon enveloped by a grassy taste and finally a smokey flavor. But the smokey flavor isn’t the same in a lapsang souchong, it tasts more like cigar ashes had dropped into it.
I remember hearing somewhere that the smaller the gunpowder leaves are rolled the better quality the tea, although I have no idea if this is true.
Did you do multiple steeps of this one? Because I’m thinking of giving it a try sometime this week!
Yeah I stopped at 3 I think, but I’ve been getting at least 6 from my greens, especially when I start my steeping time at 30 sec instead of 3 min.
Good mixed w/ chai spice mix too!:)
I’m shocked! It’s 1pm and I haven’t drank any tea yet! I’ve been too busy working on my resume for my DREAM job! At a tea shop! So the not drinking tea this morning is quite ironic. I’m ashamed. :( I’ll make the 3rd infusion for lunch.
OK. It’s official. I think I have too many favorite teas. This is, or at least I though, my favorite unflavored oolong but I haven’t been drinking it because I’ve been drinking white, green, and chai teas which have always been my preference over oolongs (flavored or not).
When I opened the tin, I was also afraid that my daring tea tasting may have gotten me in trouble. The last time I had this I had not yet tried pu erh, but after trying their Pu Erh Dante, I’ve discovered I HATE pu erh. I don’t remember this smelling like pu erh, but it does. Or more accurately a green tea/pu erh blend.
I steeped 2.25g of tea leaves in 6oz of purified water heated to 195 degrees F for 5 min.
As it steeps the liquor turns a golden amber and the leaves floating on top of the water makes it kind of look like insects are trapped in it.
I was right. It does taste like pu erh although not a strong one- possibly a black/pu erh blend which is odd based on how it looked in the tin.
I’m not sure how I feel about this tea. 2nd infusion might tell me more.
When I took the cover off the tin I immediately smelled the apple. It kind of smelled like their sour apple (which tastes nothing like apple)… I wonder if they use granny smith apples?
I went against the directions and just used the common measurement of 1 teaspoon per 6oz of purified boiling water and steeped it for 5 min.
The liquour was quite dark, but not as dark as some black teas… probably because the spices took up some of the space that would have otherwise been occupied by tea leaves when I measured it.
The first thing I could smell was the apple, followed by the warm spices, then fainly followed by ceylon tea.
This tea is spot on given the title. The first thing that hits my tongue is the crispness of the apple, then the spice, but the spice doesn’t burn. I can even faintly taste the black tea.
The 2nd infusion (w/ an increase in steeping time of 1 min) is very close to the strength and flavor balance of the 1st infusion, but the 3rd one is mostly consumed by the spices. I personally probably wouldn’t do the 3rd infusion, it just tastes like a basic unflavored chai.
Serving suggestions: Unsweetened. Instead of milk like the traditional chai, I’d steep it in apple juice or apple cider (hard or not). Maybe blend it w/ a caramel black tea?
Oooh I like how you think. Both the cider and the caramel idea. What kinda caramel tea would you use?
Botanical Indulgence’s Creme Caramel Oolong located on page 3 of the catalog.
I’m nervous about trying this tea. I don’t like coconut, but came in a sampler set that I got so it’s not like I intentionally bought it per se. I knew I’d like the other ones in the sampler so I hoped for the best with this one.
When I open the tin I’m even more worried. The only thing I can smell is the coconut. No spices. No lemon grass. No ceylon black tea.
Since this has large pieces of flavoring, I decided to measure it by the teaspoon instead of the industry standard of 2.25g/serving. I steep it in 6oz boiling purified water for 5 min.
The tea has a medium amber color, kind of surprising for a ceylon.
The sent when steeped is definitely of coconut… I hope I don’t regret wasting this teaspoon of tea.
While I’m not a fan of coconut, assuming a person drinking it would like it does, I’m very glad I measured the tea by the teaspoon (it’s more dense than 2.25g/teaspoon). Served unsweetened.
It’s a very weak tea, but I’m not sure if I’d prefer it stronger or not. The first thing that hits me is the coconut of course. Second, I taste the lemongrass… well kinda… I really only taste the grass part of the lemongrass. Finally the spices, but it’s not really the flavor the spices. It just burns my throat. There is absolutely no flavor of the black tea, infact because of the “grass” part of the lemongrass this could be mistaken as a green tea chia.
My conclusions: Do I like it? No. Would someone that likes coconut like it? Probably. Would I like it better stronger? I’m not sure. Would someone else? Probably. Would I drink it again? Probably, if that was my only option. Would I buy it again? No. Serving suggestions: unsweetened, steeped partially or entirely in coconut milk if milk is desired, a touch of pineapple juice or a few (dried, candied, or fresh) pieces added during steeping? More leaf used during steeping? Maybe. I voted it thumbs down because I personally don’t like it and I’m not sure someone else would think it’s strong enough when steeped by industry standards, which would be even weaker than the way I steeped it. I also rate a tea based on number of infusions I can get and I’m leary I’ll be able to get the average of 3 good infusions..
the 2nd infusion surprised me. First, there was virtually no aroma to it. Second, there was almost no coconut in this infusion at all. The lemon that was hiding in the 1st infusion came back as the dominant. Then the sweetness, but not the flavor, of the coconut. And last the warmth of the spice. There was a faint taste of tea, but it was more of a sencha then a ceylon
I find it actually tastes quite good just with regular skim milk. You’re right in that it doesn’t have the harsh spices of a Masala chai but I personally felt the tea was plenty strong for what it was supposed to be and that the flavours mixed nicely. Maybe try fiddling around with the amounts and the steeping time?
The 3rd infusion was a lot like the 2nd. 1 min extra steeping time as always (up to 7 now). No aroma. When I take my 1st sip it tastes like a light lemon herbal tea. Then about halfway I get to the spices that are oddly stronger than the 2nd steeping, yet lighter than the 1st. Still no black tea taste to speak of. These leaves are dead. 3 infusions max here, if that.
Thanks Jillian, but I don’t like this tea enough weak to want to fiddle around and possibly waste more tea due to me liking it even less. And I tend to drink teas that taste good when prepared to industry standards.
I was really excited about this one because flavored oolongs are rare and even taboo w/ some tea drinkers, but was disappointed. Instead of normally measuring it by weight (2.25g/6 fl. oz) I decided to put one teaspoon in because of the flavorings. I steeped it at 195 degrees F for 5 min in 6oz purified water. I personally like at least a 1:1, but preferably a 2:1 ratio of flavoring to true tea tast. Unfortunately the taste of the oolong was completely masked by the lemon. This would be good in TheraFlu or a hot toddy during the flu season with a lil honey and whiskey. I rated it a thumbs down because I personally do not like herbal teas alone, but if you don’t mind that you can’t taste the oolong tea it’s a very good tea.
ok… WHERE’S MY SPOON??? This is by far my favorite dessert tea. I’m picky about my dessert teas. I don’t like purely rooibos or herbal teas. I don’t like a tea where the flavoring is so strong that I can’t taste the tea.
The second I opened the tin I wanted to eat it. I’m pleasantly surprised to smell chocolate 1st because pepperment can be very over powering, folowed by the peppermint, and then last the sencha- but it’s definitely there.
I steeped 2.25g of tea in 6oz of purified water heated to 175 degrees F for 3 min.
Once steeped, it has a very pale yellow green liqour. The second I lifted my cup to my nose I knew I was in heaven. It smelled exactly like it did in the tin. First I smelled the chocolate, then peppermint, then the very slight grassy aroma of the sencha.
This keeps getting better and better. In the tin it smelled great. Steeped it smelled fantastic. And it tasted absolutely sinful! I was not surprised with the layered tast profile. The sweet, but not overly sweet, chocolate (almost like a semi sweet) hit me 1st. Then the crisp peppermint coated my tongue. Finally, the smooth but grassy sencha. I can definitely taste the sencha, it’s slightly stronger in the taste profile than it had been in the scent profile. This would be a wonderful tea to use for green tea ice cream.
I was also surprised by the fact that I can get at least 3-4 infusions out of this. I would have thought the chocolate would dissolve.
The only improvement I’d make is the name. Cocomint is kind of misleading. It makes it sound like it’s coconut mint green tea. Based on the name I would have looked right passed this one, it was only when I read the discription that I realized it has chocolate in it.
I hope I can find a white tea version of this!
I got this tea as a birthday present as I normally do not by bagged tea or herbal/rooibos tisanes, but I was quite amazed at not only the taste but the longevity of the tea leaves.
The first thing you smell when you open the canister is rose. It’s so strong you can taste it.
It says to steep one tea bag in a “cup” of boiling purified water, but to me a cup of tea is 6 oz so that’s the measurement I used. I steeped it for 7 min.
I was kinda nervous about this tea because I hate chamomile, but was pleasantly surprised that the smooth rooibos blended very nice w/ the lavender and the rose so I didn’t even notice the chamomile. Rose was the primary flavor just as it was the primary sent, but it was cut very gently by the rooibos so it didn’t taste like I was drinking my grandmother’s perfume.
If you are like me and don’t drink herbals or rooibos, I’d encourage you to still buy this but rather than steeping it water, steep it in your favorite green or white tea.
I was also surprised that it did have a relaxing effect. I know chamomile does calm the stomach, but when I drink this I do feel some of the stress leave my body.
But most surprising of all was it’s ability to stand up to reinfusion. I got 3 great infusions by increasing the infusion time by 1 min for each cup. I probably could have even gotten a fourth.
