Adagio Teas

Backlogging. It’s VERY hard to oversteep this tea. Actually – I really don’t think it’s possible to oversteep this. AWESOME!

I’m not a big Jasmine fan. Normally. This is the BEST Jasmine ANYTHING I have EVER had yet. It makes me ENJOY Jasmine. I never thought I would say that but it’s true. Not that I will suddenly turn all Jasmine on your arses but this is good stuff right here. As soon as I opened the tin it was like I was in the center of Jasmineville. And instead of the Jasmine smelling of old lady perfume it was more of a natural Jasmine scent…truly unexpected. As I steeped the leaves/needles the scent lingered but was still true. After the steep it started to even out but was still quite strong. At this point I was a little worried that the Jasmine taste was going to be too over the top based on the aroma but it was just right. That taste was paired with a nice, soft sweetness which led me to a smirk or smile…this tea has proved me wrong and I don’t mind! The BEST 2 parts was that it WASN’T bitter and that there wasn’t a funky aftertaste. The only thing I disagree with is that the descriptions says a ‘whisper of jasmine’…for me, it was more a SHOUT, but, it all worked out…to be a wonderful tea experience.

I received this from Adagio along with the other holiday blends, and I have to say, this is MUCH better than the previous Pumpkin Spice blend I had earlier today.

It’s taste does resemble chestnuts, though I would wager that it has more Vanilla in it than anything. I also got an oak-like, or “smokey” taste in this tea, which I am guessing is the chestnuts. I get the smokey taste after I swallow it, so it has that sense of an aftertaste.

I really do enjoy this tea (even though it is a black tea), but I can’t help think that it derives from the Pumpkin Spice. Perhaps it is in my mind/palate from earlier in the day, but these two are definitely similar. Yes I realize that they are the same type of tea, but the taste is all too similar.

Steep Method: IngenuiTEA
Steep Time: 4 Minutes even

As usual, heated water and poured it on top of the leaves. Used Steep.it again, but setting it to 4 minutes instead of 3:30. Good call.

Sip, sip, sip! Opinion and Reaction
The chestnut flavor and the earthy tones of the black tea blend well with he subtle Vanilla-Caramely flavor of the tea. Excellent tea, especially for those just getting into black teas. Not overwhelming, but has a consistency throughout the entire experience.

Certainly reminds me of chestnuts (and caramel) over an open fire?

TeaCast scale: 86/100.

Still not my favorite but it’s growing on me so I can at least drink it. I am not going to re-order but will continue to tweak this to my liking…maybe by the end of the sample tin I will love it…or not…

YUK! Oversteeped on purpose – Awful! Tastes like grass

Smells a bit rice-cakey. The coloring is somewhere between a white and green tea color. After steeping the rice-cakey smell turns into a slight – that’s a VERY slight – smoky scent. The taste seems a little reminiscent of green tea meets plain-NO-buttered popcorn. The aftertaste is a bit grassy. Not bad. But so far not in my fave TOP 30 Adagio’s. Will try again, however.

Though I contemplated reading my Computer Organization literature, I decided to take a break to try one of Adagio’s fine seasonal products. Though I have had seasonal teas in the past, none quite compare to this Black Tea, that which is full of flavor.

I’ll admit, I’m not really a big fan of Black Teas (though ironically it is the type of tea I started on), but I am always willing to try Adagio’s flavored stuff, as it is usually pretty decent. There was that one occasion where I bought their Pineapple Black Tea, which I am still afraid to touch, let alone DRINK! Anyway, I digress.

Right now my window is open a crack (Allegheny likes to CRANK the heat, which is bad when my door is closed), and I can smell the faint sense of Autumn. Leaves are falling and that chilly air is just creeping in, though not as bad as winter, that’s for sure. So, the mood is set for some Fall-esque tea, am I right people?

Steep Method: IngenuiTEA
Normally, when making some tea from Adagio, I use their/my trusty IngenuiTEA steeping mechanism. I figure since they sell it, they’d want you to experience their teas in it. Also, I feel that I get a better, more thorough taste, than with my Zarafina, or some other auto-teamaker.

Steep Time: 3 Minutes, 30 Seconds

I heat the water first and when it’s boiling (about 200° F) I pour it into my steeper, the Pumpkin Spice already in there. Decided to have some fun and use Steep.it for their recommended amount of time for teas. A good thought, but I should have set my own time (3:30 was too short for this black tea).

Sip, sip, sip! Opinion and Reaction

This tea is surprisingly light for it’s type (black) and certainly has that “Fall” attitude to it. The taste is definitely there, a plethora of Vanilla and Oriental Spice-ish taste, as well as some Pumpkin flavoring to it. I’m actually surprised that there wasn’t MORE pumpkin flavor. I swear I need to steep it longer. I’ll try that on the next steep, but man it definitely needs MORE punch! So, Adagio, if you are listening, I am giving you the Thumbs Up on Steepster.com, but for next year (or even your next batch) please please add more Pumpkin flavor! Maybe there is a lot in it, but the Black Tea tastes overwhelms it? If so, use White Tea or even Oolong (my favorite!). It does go well with my mood at the moment, but there’s simply not enough Pumpkin flavor, I expected Pumpkin Pie! It’s more like Oriental Spice with a twist of Vanilla and a little hint of Pumpkins. Just sayin’.

I like it, but I don’t LOVE it.

TeaCast scale: 81/100.

After this cup…I’m officially out of this tea, too…parting is such sweet sorrow…

Believe it or not…I’m getting low on black flavored teas…kind of. So I am having this! I only have enough for one more cup after this tho…

Thought I would throw an Adagio into the mix…was looking for a flavored black…this did the trick.

This is a little lighter in color that my previous attempts eventho I steeped just as long and roughly the same amount – but NOT to worry – the taste is still great – actually, it might be even better! Whatever I did this morning…I must have done it right!

This was nice this morning.

YUM

I seem to be enjoying this one with each attempt. Very nice scent and taste! A good flavored black.

resteep – good

Following my craving for Black teas today…I decided to try this one again. I really like it. I will say – the black tea doesn’t seem to be as strong as the black tea flavor in the Strawberry Adagio Flavored Black. I also noticed that the Raspberry is harder to oversteep than the Strawberry…just a few comparison notes there…hope you don’t mind…now back to our regularly schedule tea programming…

My New Tea Shipment is HERE! YAY! I randomly chose – out of the ones I ordered – to sip first – and here it is! It’s the Raspberry Flavored Black. At first sniff this tea reminds me of Raspberry chocolate almost. It seems to steep quickly and the aroma lingers. The coloring is that of a regular black tea. The taste is a medium flavored black tea with slight raspberry flavors throughout. I know I will enjoy this tea most mornings! First sample – a success!

Made this for myself while visiting w/ my friend Helen. Decide to steep it a lil shorter this time to see what’d happen. Pleasantly surprised at the flavor punch! Yummy. I think I’ll keep steeping it at 3min from now on.

This is my 1st oolong since my shocking cup of Ooooh Darjeeling as well as my very 1st Jasmine.

Raw leaf observations: I love teas that are as much of a delight to watch steep as drink when they are finished. The tightly rolled leaves have a smooth and slightly sweet aroma, nothing similiar to a pu erh as some oolongs have.

Steeping method: 2.25g of pearls in 6oz of purified water heated at 195 degrees F for 5 min in Adagio’s IngenuiTEA.

I’m surprised at the light yellowish-amber liquor of the 1st infusion. By far not as light as a green or white tea, but definitely lighter than most of the oolongs I’ve tried.

It smells just like it did in the tin, although a bit more pronounced. A smooth and sweet scent, yet not flowery or perfumey like rose might be.

This is much more positive than my last oolong experience. It tastes just like it smells. It’s not weak for my tastes although a bit weaker than I expect from an oolong. It does not have a strong punch of flavor that you’d get from a black tea. It’s lighter and smoother. It doesn’t upset my stomach like most black and flowery teas do.

2nd infusion: 6 min. Hmmm… Interesting. This infusion is darker than the 1st. The smell is a bit stronger as well which makes me wonder if there’s more caffeine in this infusion than the 1st. While this infusion is stronger, it’s not too strong. It’s a personal preference as to which one a person might prefer but both are not just drinkable, but good.

3rd infusion: 7 min. Lighter in liquor, aroma, and taste than the 2nd but yet still stronger than the 1st. Still very good. I think I’m going to switch to something else now, but I’d think one could get a 4th good infusion out of this and I will try next time I desire an oolong. I can see myself buying this one again.

So far so good. The first steep is an interesting blend of an early picked oolong with all of the aromatic of a quality darjeeling black. A 30 second steep yielded a lot of flavor and a light golden color. Not my favorite oolong ever, but I will definitely drink it again. Well done for the first oolong from Darjeeling.

Delicious and fresh

Works in theory, just not in execution. I’ll be drinking it for awhile though since I have a 4oz tin sigh It isn’t undrinkable, just not very good.