Masters Teas

This tea had the same fruity smell as the anxi wulong low fire, but way less flavor overall. It looks like this has gotten really good reviews, so it might just be me but I didn’t taste much but a mild fruityness. There’s a floral aroma too but everything is just way too toned down for me. Will try again later with more leaves.

Long time no tea! I’m trying this meng ding mao feng from Adagio Masters again today – using up the last bits of my sample. I steeped for way less time in way cooler water this time, and it’s helping me to appreciate the fruity-peachy-green-ness of the tea. It’s very very mild and probably way too weak for most people’s tastes, but I like it! I’ll remember to brew green tea this way while I’m getting used to the new flavors :)

Another sample for Adagio Masters Teas. When I smelled the leaves for the first time, it initially reminded me of cream cheese danishes that the boy scouts would sell as a fundraiser. They were really good, but I was surprised to have tea leaves smell like it! As the tea steeped, I could tell this was going to be the kind of green tea that’s supposed to be really good but I think smells like creamed corn. And, it did smell like creamed corn. Imagining it as a “peach” smell did help though. It is very very fragrant and peach-y. The tea itself, to me, is sharply bitter. It reminds me of nail polish remover. I followed the steeping instructions, but maybe I would like it better steeped for less time or at a lower temperature? This seems like a fresh, quality tea but so far I am not a fan personally.

Just got three samples from Masters by adagioteas in the mail. I’ve only opened this bag so far, and oh my gosh, it smells so good. It reminds me of strawberry-orange-banana smoothies I would get at lunch in highschool (in a really good way). Really fresh, fragrant and light. There’s also something really floral there. After brewing, the tea itself holds those similar smells (but fruity-ness is less prominent) and the taste is sooo clean and fresh. This is a real treat. I’m trying to think of what the “clean, fresh, green-ness” could taste like, and my first guess is just really good, fresh crisp lettuce, where it’s almost a little sweet.

First Flush Darjeeling has become very tricky to acquire this year; however, I was lucky to acquire this early harvest Rohini! I’ve been working with a few purveyors to try and sneak in a some packages of tea, but they may not arrive until mid May or possibly June. This tea slipped through and proved to be an amazing start to the first flush Darjeelings. The leaves are everything you want in an early spring harvest. You’re immediately greeted with a fresh floral and toffee aroma. It’s a delicate but encompassing aroma that easily filled the tearoom. I brewed this in my wedgwood for a nice clear and clean brew. The cuppa is full with a syrupy sweetness and fruit blossom exhale. You can pick up a clarifying pine tone that works well with the sugared background. It’s a straightforward brew with pleasant tones and aftertastes. This is not an overly complex leaf, it does fade quite quickly after the first infusion; however, this is sold for a bargain at $8.50/oz! Honestly, I don’t think you’ll find a readily available first flush that matches up to this tea at that price. I’ll be stocking up ;)

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To me, the perfect morning cuppa is fresh green tea. This is some high quality Dragonwell that Adagio is now beginning to source through their new Sub-Comp. “Masters Tea”. The leaves are thin, vibrant green/yellow, and with a heady sweet aroma and dashes of tangy fruits like tangerines, pineapple, mango, and papaya. It’s quite a bouqet! I brewed this several different ways, but i recommend a glass teapot (6oz), a small handful of leaves (2.5g) and brewed at 185F with the lid off. The broth is an opaque yellow with silky chestnuts, mild vegetle tones, and sweet clean finish. It’s a great tea, and again its a perfect start to a day!

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https://www.mastersteas.com/teas/huang-shan-mao-feng.html

https://www.mastersteas.com/teas/da-fo-long-jing.html

Yunnan ancient tea trees rarely cease to amaze and this offering is no exception. This sheng or ‘raw’ pu erh offers long, silvery buds and young leaves. The dry leaf aroma is of fruit and earth, while the infusion is medium-light amber. Very smooth with hints of honey, apricot, a soft sweet smoke. Layered and lingering.

The liquor is a pale yellow, with a soft, sweet chestnut aroma. The crisp body is delicately nutty, quite complex, with a flickering hint of sweet grass and apricot blossoms.

This first flush has a light body and layers of character that lean toward floral with a hint of fruity notes and a crisp clean finish.

Dry Leaf Nose: Alfalfa

Liquor: Pale Yellow-Green

Flavour: Creamy, grassy, slightly tart, and dry.

So far this was my least favorite out of the green sampler pack that came with my ingenuiTEA. It had a very strong earthy flavor to it, in fact it was the strongest tea in my sampler pack. However, I found it to be on the astringent side and had a bitter after taste that I didn’t care for. The bitterness disappeared a little bit at room temperature, but it wasn’t much of an improvement

Overwhelmingly grassy with some unpleasant smoky notes. Did not notice any fruit, just too much bitter grassiness.

I brewed and drank this tea out of my large gaiwan Chinese “glass brewing style”. This new style Pi Lo Chun is a lot more interesting in my opinion as it has a enjoyable sweet fruity taste to it which is neither too floral nor too grassy. While the tea does have some subtle smoke under notes to it, the smoke is light enough that it should not be a problem for anybody that likes fruity but not smoky greens.

This is better than the regular pi lo chun from adagio, but still terrible.