Yunnan Noir

I’m rather fond of this tea when I’m looking for a simple loose-leaf black tea. In my estimation, it’s perfect without sugar. The flavour can get extremely bitter if you over-steep it, so it is definitely a tea to keep an eye on, but it has a rich, mellow taste when you’ve steeped it right.

Absolutely splendid! This is a gentle black tea: smooth & sweet, and it doesn’t seem to tend towards bitterness. Aftertaste started off with coffee vibes, but quickly moved into malty territory. Second specimen from my recent Adagio purchase that surprised me with its non-bitterness.

The leaves smell very interesting after an infusion.. but I can’t quite place it. If anyone could conjure up a cognate, I’d be grateful.

With a little bit of sugar and creamer, this is one of my favorite mellow black teas. Not the most outstanding flavor, but still very delectable!

This tea has been a favorite of mine since Adagio introduced it a year or so ago. I’m a big fan of Ceylon and Darjeeling teas, so I don’t drink a lot of Chinese blacks, but this is one that I can really get excited about. I brew it a little longer and with more leaf than most black teas and am rewarded with a very rich cup with pronounced chocolate notes and a really nice mouth-feel. It has a little less of the peppery quality than some Yunnan teas, but it’s there in the background. I’m enjoying a cup right now as my first tea of 2010!

Just made this for the first time, and it’s really strong and good. Sort of a mix of wood, chocolate, and smoke.

My first tea from the Yunnan region of China and I’m liking it. It took a bit of getting used to because of it’s strong flavor but it is very enjoyable. It has the dark color of coffee, the immediate taste of black tea but is smokey with a bit of a nutty and almost fruity flavor. A full bodied tea that I’d say is worth a try.

Very interesting tea. It is very dark in color and almost reminds me of coffee. It definitely has a cocoa smell and flavor to it. What sticks out to me is the smoky flavor.

Sipdown 63 – 2024

Meh. This was fine. Inoffensive, but forgettable.

Nice looking black tea pearls. But nondescript on palate. A bit astringent and without flair.

Whenever I open a tea (sample, in this case) for the first time and see a mix of blonde and brunette leaves, whether they be twisted, straight, or curled (also in this case) it immediately makes me smile because those are the leaves that most often yield my favorite tea profile in the whole world—wheat bread and chocolate.

Yunnans are often noted to have a little pepper in the mix, too—if there was in Adagio’s take on Yunnan, I didn’t notice it. Didn’t mar my morning cuppa at all. Based on the age of the reviews I’m seeing, this has been one of Adagio’s consistently quality offerings for years.