Adagio Custom Blends, Cara McGee

So many teas came in the mail and I’m just sitting here working on homework, drinking them all!

This tea was from shmiracles in our most recent swap :)
Totally stood out because it smelled like chocolate and coffee and I just need to wake up! Made with toasted mate, tiger eye (which I actually have never had before) and chestnut. Nice homey ingredients. Definitely feel rustic and such :)
The mate comes out when steeping, and it actually tastes pretty decent. It sorta tastes like a slightly watered down roasted coffee.
I feel like it doesn’t taste like Coulson’s personality, but definitely something he would drink!

Such a fantastic tea that I love so much!
Love the gunpowder and vanilla rooibos and spearmint :)
Thank you tons to shmiracles for splitting the bag with me!

This was a sipdown of the last 5g that I had. So sad to see it go, but I’ll definitely reorder when I get my tea stash down to a reasonable amount! I keep saying that. I already know my next Adagio/DAVIDs/Nina’s/Butiki/every other tea store order out there soooooo yeah. It’s going to take a while haha

I love love LOVE this tea!!
I am so freakin stressed out with all these projects and papers due this week, and because I am a control freak, I’ve kinda made my way as group leader for my Marketing class presentation/paper thing for tomorrow.
Needless to say, Loki has always come through for me. He does have some very soothing qualities about him so thank you Loki for staying with me through these stressful times :)

I totally oversteeped this though. Not the best Loki I’ve made, but still gosh darn good

At my cousins place and after the discovery of their teapots, I bring a whole lot of tea with me now :)

Tonight I’m having Loki with my cousin because she asked me to make her tea and I still don’t know her sleep schedule and stuff so I figured that a black tea blend wouldn’t be that good of an idea since it’s almost 8 and she’s in high school and EVEN THOUGH I’M PROBABLY OVERTHINKING IT I WORRY ABOUT HER SO NO BLACK TEA THIS LATE AT NIGHT OKAY.

studying is a butt.
midterms are butts.
do not like headaches at all.

Loki is good, thank you for existing. Need to concentrate because SCHOOL UGH.

pls excuse my fail of a tasting note. am v sorry

So a friend of mine came to visit. Our 4hour lab got cancelled and I saw her in the computer lab. We both pretty much live on the hill on tuesdays (10am to 8pm aww yeaah!) and our lab is the middle class. I was already on the way home when I saw her and I was like Let’s chill at my place instead of staying here for like six hours.
And so we went home and I like.. the kettle was right there. Loki was right there. It was calling my name and I just let my inner tea lover side of me out and I was like I’m making tea! Did you want me to make you some? And she said yep and wow she was so amazed because I had a kettle and a pot and was legit scooping tea into the pot.
SHE NEVER KNEW THAT LOOSE LEAF WAS A THING?!?!?! And so I was like YEAH I REALLY LIKE TEA OKAY. And now she’s going home with 10 teas and she was really fascinated by it.
SO YES. LOKI TODAY.

LOKI.
SO.
GOOD.
WOW.
IT’S GREAT.

I love the balance of the spearmint and the rooibos and the gunpowder. It smells soooo good from the pack and the spearmint really does come out. The rooibos and gunpowder balance the spearmint perfectly and it was just sooo good.
I ended up making two potfuls of this because my roommates friend came and she loves tea and was all MAKE ME SOME.

So yeah. This tea is sooooo good.
Thank you to shmiracles for sending some my way!

Thank you Shadowfall for letting me try this! So I just read a really entertaining SPN fic where Dean is actually Lucifer and well, that pretty much throws Season 5 and the apocalypse on its side, and I got to work thinking all about Destiel and amazing angel stuff. (It was this one: http://archiveofourown.org/works/556708)

But I didn’t bring my Destiel blend.

I have this.

And you know what? That’s ok. I went months and months just reading all about John and Sherlock, one romancing the other and usually only after a lot of angst and misunderstanding before those two doofuses worked everything out, and then I realized I had overlooked an interesting pair.

YES. The Government and the Inspector. Mycroft IS so much more than appearances would let you believe – that’s part of what he does, is it not? How else can one man be the Government and walk through society without a billion bodyguards as entourage? He’s like John in that he has BAMF-moments that no one expects. But then Lestrade is totally like John too when he is as straightforward as he seems and uncorruptable and utterly loyal. And I’m just making this all up as I go, but what if these two are like different aspects of John? Huh. Anyway, they are both great men who do not seem like they would be a match AT ALL but now they’ve at least shared some screen time so FOLKS IT IS CANON NOW. That’s how it works, right?

And this tea? It’s an interesting mixture that doesn’t work against itself even though it should. It creates something wonderful and amazing, yet understated.

Mmm, the second time I brewed this was decidedly more underwhelming than the first…the flavours came out mostly as just ginger and cardamom (or maybe cinnamon) and it went terribly bitter as it cooled down.

Overall this cup wasn’t half as much fun to drink and I’m adjusting the rating accordingly. :/

Out of the two, I’ve always had a weak spot for Kili…so I had to try him first. I’ve loved the ginger black teas I’ve tried in the past, so I brewed this up with 2tsp in my travel mug (and 2tsp of sugar) for 3 minutes. Then I dropped a bag of crackers on the mug – scalding tea arced across the kitchen and I had to spend the next 5 minutes toweling down my flooring. Lucky me.

Second steep (same leaves) was 200F for 4 minutes plus sugar, then I threw a lid on it and ran off to my microbiology exam. Once I got there I had my first sip – it was rich and yet had mellow ginger tones that were comforting and delightfully spicy. This is a handsome tea with a decidedly playful side – it may just become my go-to breakfast companion.

So after finally getting home I decided to try for a third steep (from the same leaves as earlier) – 212F for 3 minutes as the website recommends – in my 12oz cup with the same amount of tea from earlier. It’s just as good as I remembered…rich without being overwhelming, full of spice and nuance that just unfolds as you sip (and as it cools).

I might be in love with this handsome little dwarf. <3

Everyone is having fun watching the Oscars and I’m stuck in the apartment working on my papers and presentations.
Like what.
No.
This is not okay.
I’ve legit been in the same spot for the longest time and I think I’ve finally finished that 40page paper due on tuesday and I’ve finished the presentation as well.
Now I’m working on my like 5-7 page paper plus the presentation (which I haven’t even started yet) that’s going on on Wednesday.
OH MY GOSH I AM SERIOUSLY SO BURT OUT. I WANT TO JUST SURVIVE THIS WEEK.
I’m not the absolute biggest fan of chamomile but I feel like I needed some Bruce Banner to help tame the angry beast inside me.

Let’s go ahead and celebrate because I just took two online quizzes and I got a 100% on both :) Let’s hope I do that well on the last two quizzes!
And then after that, I’ve gotta finish that group project I forgot was due tomorrow…

But Bruce Banner tea though! I would have never thought of buying it until shmiracles offered to do a fandom swap! She got Loki, I got Bruce and swapped half for half :)
Bruce is a chamomile/green pekoe/earl grey green blend. The earl grey comes out really heavily the second you open the pack, but the amount of chamomile in it. It was a bit overwhelming.
Steeping, it smells like a faint earl grey, but the colour… it’s definitely not the most pleasing? I’d say what it looks like but.. naw. No one needs to know.
The overall taste is really good though! Nice and mellow like the Bruce Banner we all know, but the robust flavour of the Earl Grey with the Hulk and manliness and wow this just encompasses Bruce’s character okay. A very nice blend and the flavours compliment each other nicely :)

The thing that I hate about black/white blends is the fact that the white leaves are so big and light and they always rise to the top of the package, so like my Jack Frost is almost all cream and peppermint.
So now all I taste is cream and peppermint. I know snowbud has a very light and delicate flavour, but that definitely did help balance this blend out.

For some reason, I managed to spill this tea a LOT. Once from the bowl into the pot. Because that happened, I had to open the package I dropped it! So more leaves got wasted :( But I figured since I’m not going to drink the fallen leaves, I’ll just take my bucket and soak my feet this tea :) I brewed my cup, and once it finished, I threw the rest of the leaves into my bucket :)
Now my feet smell like Jack Frost ahha.

(and Jack Frost because I found a thing on youtube and posted it on tumblr and now it nearly has 250 notes like what.
http://speakdragontome.tumblr.com/post/78267023630/i-saw-this-and-i-didnt-know-what-to-expect)

I’ve got a limited amount of tea for the weekend now that I’ve sipped down a whole lot of teas last night.
I’m going to San Diego with my cousins for an event and I’ve got some Jack Frost in my timolino! We were totally in a rush this morning so I just poured boiling water into my timolino and I premeasured this tea the night before.
Brewing in a car going 70mph. Oh wow a bit of tea was lost but it’s all good! Gotta sip slooowly to last me all day!

My cousin is amazed with tea and every time I come home to visit, I always make sure to brink a couple teas I’m willing to share ahha
I brought home Loki, Arthur and Jack Frost to share with her. Last night was Loki, tonight is Jack Frost! Yep. She’s taking after her cousin. I’m leaving her a couple sachets of my teas so she can drink them on her own time :)

So I actually brought two teas with me to class today. One iced, and one hot.. yeah people looked at me funny. They were wondering why I had two travel mugs with me!
Ahh well. My Fruit Sangria was in my Klean Kanteen and my Jack Frost was in my timolino :)

Jack Frost is good. 11/10 would recommend.

So. This is how it feels to have over 100 teas in your cupboard.
I went from 86 to 116. I don’t know if I should be proud of myself or hang my head in shame? Well… I did add my David’s order even though I haven’t gotten it yet (should arrive sometime at the end of the week) and I do have like 4 things in there that are teaware so I technically don’t have 116 teas hehe :)
Well, I’m excited to smell and try all my teas nontheless!!

I was in the middle of typing the top bit and my kettle just finished boiling water and I was SO CLOSE to pouring the water in, but I am smart and I remembered that there’s white tea in this blend! So. Waiting a couple minutes till I pour the water in.

Dry, this tea smells soooooo good! Definitely reminds me of Santa’s Secret by David’s. You’ve got the nice, fresh peppermint, and the lightness of the snowbud, and it all comes full circle with the robust scent of the cream. I feel like this is going to be a very well-balanced blend :)

Steeping, it smells a bit darker than in the package. I can smell the peppermint, maybe a bit *too much peppermint? But I am getting slightly grassy notes from the snowbud. It’s light amber in colour.

Drinking, oh not too bad! It’s pretty nice :) Think Santa’s Secret, but with more cream. The peppermint is there just slightly, and you definitely taste the cream, The snowbud is nice that it tones down the cream a little bit!

Overall, this is a very nice tea! Four for you Cara McGee, you go Cara McGee.

so this is my last avengers tea to review. is this my last avengers tea to review?

i got it from jump62359 and it was a great plan cuz the tea is available on the west coast but they are all sold out at the warehouse on the east coat. i sent her half a bag of Loki and she sent me half a bag of Banner. and Hulk!Bruce is the one to bring Loki down in the end, so it was kinda a poetic plan :)

of all the avengers blends the ones i’ve bought more of are Coulson, Thor, and Steve.
Coulson and Thor are both mate & tea blends and i think i’m just in a toasted mate mood these days. earthy and dark. and hell, the Steve blend is just freakin delicious.

Bruce Banner’s tea is bit too mild for what i see Bruce’s character as. in the movie, with his few lines and introduction, he pretty much exudes a low level bitterness and random distrust at all times. and if you like difficult things you like him! a difficult feely nerd. with a lot of self blame and sardonic charm. (they really did a pretty good job of letting you get to know all the Avengers with a relatively small amount of screen time for each to do it in didn’t they?)

so ya, the tea is fine. good for a late afternoon or pre-dinner cup. but idk about the chamomile.

hey

i’m gonna put this here because you will need this someday and i have found it for you:
The Avengers Drinking Game
http://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/30190761844/the-avengers-drinking-game

The Captain America Drinking Game
http://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/31978466548/the-captain-america-drinking-game

“This drink… I like it!”
“I know, it’s great right?”
“ANOTHER!”
…
“It was delicious! I want another!”
“You could have just said so!”
“I just did!”

against my better judgement i just brewed 24oz of this.
i think i will avoid ppl for the next few hours so i can sidestep the possibility of literally tackling someone with enthusiasm.
so much mate. so so very much mate.

This tea is weird and spicy, and I like it. I’m drinking it out of a really cheap, stained coffee mug so maybe some coffee remnants got through. I really need a tea mug update!

this weather tea is very tasty!

i’m feeling very dry in the sinus and throat and it has a tonic vibe i really need today.

thank you nightvale.

i started today having this blend because i saw Cavo’s note first thing yesterday and also it has safflower accents in it. safflower is not very common in the adagio blends overall. but i like the way it looks and i’d like to use it in my own blends. so i wanna try to get to know it better.
(safflower is also an accent in the ’sherlock’s experiment’ blend.)

so i prepped a good amount of leaf to brew 24oz worth of tea.
i poured the water …. and then forgot about it. woops!
it happens.
(it probably brewed for about 5 – 8 min? idk. i’m a susceptible victim to time gremlins. so i’ll ask one of them how long forgotten tea brews, if i ever catch one.)

but the over-steep didn’t completely demolish the cup!

in fact, i think the long steep really just brought the cinnamon out a lot more.
Shadowfall and Cavocorax both described the tea very accurately.
damp and earthen and mossy and cinnamony.
i do like the cup.
it would be a tea for the days when i’m feeling equal parts brave & sullen.

idk what the safflower does.
i think it’s just there to look pretty. totally fine by me.

my second Nightvale tea.
i drank it before leaving work, chugged it basically, only because i didn’t want it to go to waste.
it’s very earthy, as toasted mate tends to be. it has a somewhat dark mood to it.

i’m real behind on my tasting notes.

there are inches of snow and ice outside.

my cat almost climbed into a hole in the bricked-up fire place tonight and if i hadn’t caught her legs i might have never seen her again and it was terrifying.

right on cara mcgee. [twohandhighfive]
this tea has bracing notes of a stale coffee flavor and smells like the breeze cast off a used ashtray.
in the best way of course.
i’m really digging it.
i’m sure anybody else who likes toasted mate likes it for this reason.
it’s sometimes like a mouth of dirt. juicy dirt.
(ya know, the same way green tea can taste like damp grass)
anyways,
maybe i’ll get a chance to listen to an episode or two of this podcast today.
i’m up to episode 6.