5 Tasting Notes
I was so excited to find this in the organic section of my grocery store—this is by far the fanciest tea I’ve ever seen them stock. (I also noticed they’ve gotten in Twinings Earl Grey looseleaf tea! They’re really stepping up their game, tea wise.) This tea smells insanely delicious—I was floored when I opened the tin, it smells like a bakery, all warm and sugary. When brewed, the smell becomes a bit lighter, and vanilla and caramel become the most obvious notes. The tea itself is great—the black tea is rich and bold and spicy, and it pairs well with the sweet, mellow vanilla flavors. I think that’s what I like best about this tea—the push and pull between the bold and the sweet. It has a great silky mouthfeel, and a bit of a bite in its aftertaste.
I really appreciate the complexity of this tea—it manages to feel elegant and primal all at once, and is immensely satisfying. The perfect rainy day cup.
Today I decided to try this tea hot with a little sugar. It is delicious—the strawberry flavor is much stronger in the hot version than in the cold, and the apple flavor has all but vanished. Tart and satisfying, although the mouthfeel is a bit syrupy. It smells exactly like fresh picked strawberries, and the tea is a very beautiful deep pink color. It makes for a bright spot of warmth and color on such a grey and stormy day.
Preparation
When I received my new package of samples from Adagio, the AC was out at my place, so I decided to begin with this tea, cold-brewed and heavily sugared. The resultant beverage was a pretty pink tisane that smelled like strawberry gummies. It was sweet and light, with a good strong strawberry flavor (though I would have preferred it to be a little stronger). It was a bit too heavy on the apple for my taste, but over all, it made for a tasty and refreshing iced tea—a nice escape from the heat of an apartment without air conditioning in Florida!
The scent of jasmine is beautiful, exotic and nocturnal, and not overpowering like in the previous jasmine tea I’ve tried. The taste is warm, earthy, and grassy—very foresty, but at the same time the feel of it was light and clear. A little bitter, though I think that’s because my water was too hot—I keep forgetting to pick up a thermometer at the store, so I had to guess the temperature. Grass peaking out from beneath a layer of decaying leaves in a moonlit forest.
I recently purchased Numi’s Collection, a sampler of bagged organic teas. Of all the teas in this collection, the Rooibos Chai is the one I was most excited about. I only recently tried rooibos for the first time while on vacation. (I am very, very new to the world of tea.) I absolutely loved it—although that might have had something to do with the fact that it was also my first experience with loose leaf tea. So I was eager to see how the sweetness of rooibos paired with the spicy deliciousness of chai.
This tea smells AMAZING. It smells like the perfect lazy morning tea: warm, earthy, and a little exotic. The vanilla note is sweet and subtle (but certainly not lost!) among the blend of spices. Unfortunately, I can’t really taste the vanilla, and I miss that bit of sweetness. The flavor is much like other chais I’ve tried, but a bit more full. It’s rich and bright and spicy, with a very smooth mouthfeel. The spices are a bit tingly, which I like. I’d like to try it with almond milk, to see if that might bring out some more of the vanilla flavor that’s eluding me, but unfortunately I’m out. (Next time, though!)
Overall, this is definitely one of the best bagged teas I’ve tried, and my favorite Numi tea I’ve tried so far. It’s comforting but far from bland, and I imagine it would be equally suitable for late at night as it is for the morning.
