615 Tasting Notes
Tea #28 from Traveling Tea Box C
More Earl Grey!
This one is better balanced than the Teavana tea, to be sure. And I think the Bergamot flavor is better done. It’s also a softer flavored cup, lacking the punch I expected in an EG.
For decaf, though, this is pretty outstanding.
Preparation
Tea #27 from Traveling Tea Box C
I’m down to the last five teas in the box (at least of those I’m going to try anyway)!
This is an okay Earl Grey. I used a typical (for Earl Grey) perfect teaspoon for 6 ounces, and found it kind of bland when compared to other EG’s I’ve tried. There’s a nice bit of cream after the main sip, but lacking in the sip itself. The Bergamot is where this falls into meh. It’s not bright citrus and ever so lightly florals, but kind of flat on both respects.
It’s not a bad cup, but not one I’ll be seeking out again.
Preparation
Tea #26 from Traveling Tea Box C
I’m actually really surprised to find I’ve never tried or picked this up before — I love blueberries!
The blueberry scent in the dry leaf is present, but not overpowering. And smells nice and natural.
I’m not huge on Adagio’s black base, because it has some astringency I don’t like, and it’s a little fickle with bitterness. But cold-steeped, it circumvents all that.
The blueberry flavor is so good. Juicy, fresh, sweet blueberries, in a strength I’m actually surprised with. I like this blueberry flavor more that DT’s.
Next summer I’ll be cold steeping this all season long. Yum!
Preparation
Tea #25 from Traveling Tea Box C
Oooooooooh. This was a pleasant surprise.
This tea brews up a beautiful dark red color and smells faintly of maple and quite a bit like cigar leaf. Like good cigar leaf.
The taste is quite sweet and maple-y. The rooibos and honeybush flavors eek through and keep it from being overdone, but I was still surprised that it was this sweet without sugar.
For rooibos, I really liked this, but I still don’t like rooibos-flavor in much of anything. So don’t know if I’d ever order this on my own, but it’s well done for what it is.
Preparation
Tea #24 from Traveling Tea Box C
This tea was almost awesome to me.
Because on one hand, it’s a nice smooth green tea with a soft rose flavor and hints of sage. And these are things I really enjoy.
But on the other hand, there’s also a strong deal of lemon that hits my tongue with the rose, and rosemary, which is a spice I only sometimes care for. And I probably would have liked it more without these.
And yet I don’t really want to stop drinking it. It’s very well balanced and all the flavors are there, and I’m glad I got the chance to try it. It’s just not quite my thing.
Preparation
Tea #23 from Traveling Tea Box C
The dry leaf here smells really really funky. And not in a good way. Like a rotten fruit in the sun kind of way.
But surprisingly it actually makes a pretty awesome cold steep. I was worried when I cracked open the thermos I was steeping in and got a whiff of the wet leaf again, but the tea itself doesn’t really have that same pungent aroma. I definitely get strawberry off it. And some caramelized sugar type notes. It kind of reminds me of lychee with more citrus.
I don’t think I’d like this at all as a hot cup, but I’m actually really enjoying this iced.
Preparation
I’m hearing the fruity adagio blends are much better cold-brewed. I thought the 3 I tried hot, all tasted like rotten fruit.
I think their Blueberry White is pretty good hot (but better iced) and enjoy the Raspberry Black well enough, but overall I’d say that is a pretty good (and true) rule. Especially the sweeter fruits (peach, apricot and the like).
I haven’t had very many good experiences with Adagio fruit teas while hot, but a few are ok cold-steeped. I almost passed up trying this one because of the funky smell. I tried it hot, didn’t like it, so iced it down, still didn’t like it and finally dumped it. I hate wasting tea.
Tea #22 from Traveling Tea Box C
The dry leaf smelled less like smoke and more like fish-something, so that was a little off-putting. I have some seafood/shellfish anaphylaxis stuff going on, though, so I’m a bit hyper-sensitive to anything that is remotely fishy.
Nothing terribly complex in the cup, though. It has an earthy quality, like freshly turned soil, and a bit of stone mineral-ness going on. It’d definitely a ‘cool’ feeling oolong, despite the notes of smoke. There’s a nice sweetness to the sip, too.
Definitely not an outstanding oolong, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Preparation
Tea #21 from Traveling Tea Box C
I’m starting to wind down on the box, and I’m hoping to fully finish up this weekend. I’ll have it out early next week in any case.
Can I preface this by saying, I love hazelnuts. Cookies, biscotti, panna cotta, semifreddo. You name it, I’m there. Especially semifreddo. Oh my god. What I don’t like is the hazelnut flavoring used in coffee. Ever. It’s too overwhelming.
So. This tea. Hazelnut in a drink has been redeemed! Instead of being a punch of hazelnut to the face, it takes your hand and wanders with you.
This definitely isn’t Nutella in a cup. I don’t even know if I’d go so far as to call this a dessert tea, either. It has kind of an understated decadence, though. It’d probably hit the dessert mark with milk and sugar. But it wouldn’t be this then. And this is pretty outstanding on it’s own.
What this is is a really subtle, tasty cup of dark cocoa and hazlenut on the back of a smooth black tea. It’s a nice natural chocolateyness, a little like unsweetened dark chocolate shavings. The hazelnut is perfect; it’s nutty and sweet and adds a wonderful layer of nuance.
I don’t think this tea is perfect, but it evokes some wonderful feelings.
Preparation
Tea #20 from Traveling Tea Box C
Finally a tea that tastes as good as it smells!
For as much as I don’t care for Della Terra’s chocolate flavors (or fruit flavors), I really adore their pastry type flavors. I think they nail them.
As far as taste goes, this is definitely strong cinnamon, but there’s also a good deal of raisin, vanilla, and hints of brown sugar. And it’s those last two that make this taste like a cookie. I actually thought there was enough natural sweetness to not add milk or sugar and still capture a cookie essence, but this would be amaaaaaaaahzing as a latte.
I really want to make zucchini bread this weekend.
Preparation
I’ve been meaning to stop by the farmer’s market and see if I can pick up zucchini so I can make some bread. I like to add chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, and walnuts to mine. It makes for an absolutely delicious and not at all healthy breakfast.
I’m lucky enough to have friends nearby with an over-abundant zucchini crop this year. I just add walnuts. Then toast it and slather with butter. So, so good. And not good for you.
I started making this as a latte after I tried it for the first time. loooooooovvvvveeee it. perfect for breakfast or right after dinner.
I hated having to give this one up, but anything with cinnamon is being purged from my cupboard. My toddler is allergic to cinnamon and isn’t old enough for allergy meds yet. Since I can’t stop him from drinking my tea all the good dessert teas are being given new homes :(
I’m so lucky my food allergies are things that don’t appear in teas :(
Tea #19 from Traveling Tea Box C
I did this one as a cold steep, because I love iced fruity teas. But this one ended up tasting really odd. The berry flavor was there and the primary flavor, but there was a soapy, almost minty weird that I’m crediting the lavender (pretty sure it’s lavender, anyway) with. The berry flavor was just so-so. I just really don’t seem to care for a lot of Della Terra’s artificial flavoring.
The good news was that Fiance liked it and was more than happy to finish off the rest of my cup.
