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I was worried that I’d hate this. I haven’t had an Earl Grey since my last Twinings bag at a continental breakfast.

Funny thing, I don’t hate it. Which is great.

As soon as I opened the seal on the bag that the tea came in the scent of bergamot almost knocked me over. It was the strongest bergamot I can remember experiencing.

Surprisingly, the tea wasn’t nearly as strong as a brewed cup. This isn’t to say that it’s weak, because it wasn’t by any means, but it was lighter than any other Earl Grey that I remember. Drinking it, the white tea hardly came out because of the bergamot, but made a subtle base so as to not make one feel as if they are drinking hot, diluted bergamot oil.

It was lovely (clean, as some people describe it), and I believe I’ve found my Earl Grey of choice.

Maybe they (whoever invented the blend) should have made the tea blend with white tea in the first place…

This isn’t bad…

I know chocolate teas are mostly (by nature) a disappointment to me, but I figured I might try it before I couldn’t anymore.

It’s not the most delicious tea I’ve ever tried, but I like having it on hand as a desert tea. It’s not terribly spicy, and the flavor that comes out most in this tea is a sort of tang from the fruit (maybe even from the chilies). There’s a bit of spice that lingers as an aftertaste, and so reminds me of drinking water and pepper flakes at the same time. It’s there but not as strong as it could be.

There is a bit of chocolate, but it’s a rather watery flavor. Naturally, that’s the case because the tea is being steeped in water. I’m sure adding a bit of milk (or even preparing it like a Chai in milk itself) might make the chocolate a bit more believable.

It’s a tasty tea and my family likes it so I suppose it wasn’t a terrible investment. In fact, I’m glad that I snatched up a half pound before Teavana pulled this from their shelves. I’m sure I’ll find other ways to prepare this.

I bought an entire pound of this at the Heavenly Sale. I just couldn’t help myself.
I need this stuff.

I was never a coffee drinker. The reason I fell in love with this tea is because it tastes like I always imagined coffee ought to taste like, and Teavana claims that it has about as much caffeine as a cup of regular coffee.

I wouldn’t know what kind of energy a cup of coffee gives you because I’ve never liked the taste of coffee enough to drink more than a sip, but I can’t face an early morning without it.

The aroma is not unlike coffee, but not spot on. It smells more like cocoa and less burnt.

The first thing that one tastes is a beautiful, roasted (some say “bran”) flavor and then a strong, undeniable, chocolate flavor. The tea is not astringent or fully as burnt tasting as coffee in the least. It’s not a very complex tea, at least to my taste buds, but it is much more satisfying than the flavor of coffee.

This stuff is amazing.

Yeah, no…

I don’t know if it is because I’ve been on a white tea binge for the last couple of days or what, but seriously I’m drinking a Christmas candle. Not in a good way (if it can ever be good).

Cinnamon is amped up on this tea, but it’s so jam packed with strong, conflicting flavors it’s almost confusing. I can hardly pick any of them out. It’s complex, but I say that to mean that this tea doesn’t seem to know if it’s an Oolong, Mate, Chai (in increasing order of likeness) or something in between. Chai comes out on top if I concentrate, but it’s not spicy like a traditional Chai (cinnamon, being the perpetrator, I presume), and thus, resembles the artificial scent of a Glade Plugin. I taste no Oolong or even any Mate, save for maybe the fruit in the Samurai Blend.

Also, as other people have already ranted on, the sample comes pre-packed with their rock sugar. Hey, Teavana, what if I prefer honey? What then? The sugar left a really odd aftertaste too… very chemical tasting, it was like Splenda. If I wanted that aftertaste I would drink a diet soda. I’m not. I’m drinking tea.

I feel defiled.

Also, also:
To add insult to injury, I guess Teavana was trying to get rid of these sample packets because I got two of them… I’ll make a nice potpourri with the other, I suppose.

Chamomile is such a normal thing to me, it hardly occurred to me that I should try to write a tasting note for it.

Also, I will muse here: Since coming to this site I’ve realized Chamomile is not universally loved… go figure :)

Before having Adagio’s Chamomile this was always something I’ve only had in a Bigelow or Twinnings bag. The first time I had Chamomile loose it was an experience. It was almost like watching a movie on a small antenna TV and then seeing it later in an IMAX theater. The flavor was amped up and just more “real” in a way that is difficult to describe.

I’ve found that one tsp. per cup is the way to go on this, at least for my tastes. I’ve added too much (and steeped it too long) and gotten a sharp and unpleasant dirty taste from it.

It also smelled way different than I can remember any bagged Chamomile did. It really did have this sweet and almost apple type scent. When prepared correctly this scent transferred nicely into the taste as well, to an extent.

All in all, I’m not sure if this is the best loose Chamomile out there, but it sure opened my eyes to what Chamomile could taste like.

I finally got around to trying this after getting it in the mail on Christmas Eve.

I’m going to start by saying that the description is, unfortunately, incorrect. This is in fact an herbal white tea, not a pure herbal… and what a lovely herbal white tea it is.

I’ve been sampling white teas mostly as of late and this one is actually like the love child of several of my favorite teas, White Symphony and Silver Needle. It has this lingering and faint complexity brought on presumably by the Peony and a sort of light and sweet, vegetal, grassiness that is a trait of Silver Needle.

Over this base is the mint which is sharp and the most noticeable element of this tea.

Now what made me curious to try this blend in the first place was the Chrysanthemum blossoms. I managed to get two (rather large) Chrysanthemum blossoms in this steep, but I’m not sure what to look for because I’ve never tried pure Chrysanthemum. It might be that buttery flavor in the background, but I’m not sure…

All in all, it’s a very nice tea, and I’m glad I got the chance to try it as it has been out of stock in the Asylum Emporium for a very long time. In my hunt for my preferred white tea it’s up there, right next to pure Silver Needle and White Symphony (and as previously mentioned, it’s almost like a mix of both, with mint and the buttery taste of the Chrysanthemum blossoms). I’m going to use it sparingly and for special occasions, because I don’t know when I’ll be able to purchase it again…

Well done, EA.

Green Tea* Boba. Every time.

I’ve got this odd obsession with biting into those tapioca pearls and then swallowing them when they’re somewhat whole. The texture and flavor is awesome! I love how smooth and soft they are.

I’ve had two different types of boba. One where it was more of a smoothie and one in which it was prepared as a latte. I can’t say which I prefer as both ways of preparation actually affect the consistency of the tapioca pearls. In the former, the pearls are firmer and chewier. In the latter, the pearls are softer and more prone to breaking in half. Both methods of preparation are nice (and daresay, fun), though.

Today I had it blended creme/smoothie style. It was splendid.

*If only to legitimize this as an actual tea (because it’s at least as much a tea as the green tea stuff at Starbucks).

A family member got me this one. It was a pleasant surprise as I’ve never tried a World Market tea before.

The only other Mate I’ve ever tried was Matevana. I’m not sure if I prefer one over the other because they’re both different. This one, despite being marked as “Chocolate” is actually more toasty and less sweet than the other Mate. Because of the fewer ingredients, the taste of the actual Mate seems more prevalent here. If one goes past the (admittedly very nice) toasty Mate flavor, there is a hint of chocolate, but it’s more of a flavor reminiscent of chocolate, rather than tasting like an all out Hershey’s chocolate bar.

I agree with another user, it’s almost like coffee (closer to coffee than the Matevana), but way less bitter.

It’s not a bad thing to have on hand when there isn’t a way to steep loose tea (I love the pyramid shaped bags), but I’m not sure about having this all the time. I’ll have to try other Mates before I decide on this.

I had to try this twice before making a note.

This is by far the most interesting of all the teas in Adagio’s Silver Sampler, in my opinion. It’s Sliver Needle’s polar opposite, with a strong (for a white tea, that is) extremely multifaceted flavor. It still holds the floral and vegetal taste that characterizes white tea, but I’m actually sensing a more emphasized, earthy, floral taste and aroma with a sweet vegetal flavor as an aftertaste rather than the reverse.

This really is a gorgeous white tea and if I had to choose out of the Silver Sampler, I’d like to have this and Jasmine Silver needle stocked in my cupboard regularly, with Silver Needle as a rare treat every now and again. I may give Snowbud another chance, but for now it is the least memorable of the teas.

Final Verdict: This is good. Really good.

This is spicy and awesome~ !

I’ll admit, that the only other type of Chai I’ve ever tasted was Tazo’s bagged Chai tea and Chai Lattes at Starbucks, but this blows both of those out of the water for me.

Firstly the scent of this thing is tremendous. It cleared my sinuses right out. I would sell my left leg for a chai scented Vicks Vapor patch.

I might be using just a little too much tea, but this is crazy spicy and strong (even for a two minute steep). It’s okay though, I like that. A lot.

This is flavorful enough to be had without milk, which is how I usually like to take this particular tea. Milk and perhaps some honey would probably suit this tea, when it’s preferred. I also agree, I can’t really taste the black tea base at all over the spices, but I prefer the taste of the spices anyway.

All in all, my experience in Chai isn’t very diverse or extensive, but I really like this one.