Featured & New Tasting Notes

This is what I’m drinking at work at the moment. Currently they’re messing with the ceiling and the ventilation system so it’s impossible to work. In the meantime I figured I could go and talk about this tea.

It’s the house blend of a small local tea shop near where I live. It consists of Panyong, Keemun and Yunnan black tea with mallow flowers and is supposedly without or low in tannins.

I’ve had a sample of this ages ago which I liked but never bought more of. I’m pretty certain it didn’t have the mallow flowers then, but I can’t really be certain. (actually I think I might have an ancient review of it somewhere, but I don’t have access to it at the moment)

It’s a pleasant blend with a nice floral but not too much so aroma. It’s a good work-tea and I imagine it would be quite nice with a bit of milk as well as without. I don’t really agree with the no tannins, though. I feel like I’m definitely picking up some tannins in this.

However, I learned a few weeks ago that it’s not a particularly good tea for brewing in the morning and bringing on the train in the travelling mug. For some reason there I didn’t like it much at all. I expect it was too much of it at one time since this is not necessarily a tea where you have to drink gallons.

One, maybe two cups is pleasant, but enough.

(I hope this is getting a green thumbs up sign. When I move the cursor away from the icon it turns into the red thumbs down… It’s supposed to be a green one for liking it!)

Steeped for 3 min in less-than-boiling water.

This is a light, gentle, and slightly sweet white tea with the bitter citrus taste of bergamot. Bergamot flavouring is about the only time I can stand bitterness in my tea. In this one it’s enough to give the tea some bite, but it isn’t the punch in the face you can get with some earl greys.

Must. Order. More. Tea.

I have such a small hand full of oolongs and greens now which is sad because that’s pretty much what I’m going to have in the evening. In fact, I have enough leaf to do one, maybe two more cups of this tea.

So the big question: do I order more Rishi so I can get more of this only Chinese green I love? Or do I go somewhere else to get new teas and just suck it up for a while and be Jade Cloud-less?

These are the tough choices in my life.

But on the plus side, kitty-girl is happy and drugged up and the lump wasn’t a tumor. Woo!

This is Teavana’s crème de la crème of white tea. This is my bread and butter tea. While I’m on the topic of bread, I’ll also point out about the flavor that if tea and butter had a child, this is probably what it would taste like. The texture of the tea liquor has almost a viscosity to it.

After a day with challenges, this is my tea. After a day with something to celebrate, this is my tea. Fortunately, today I am celebrating a good day with this tea and the Avett Brother’s Pretty Girl from Cedar Lane.

Oooooooh! Update from the last time I had this! So… I got the POUND of Pu-erh Vanilla Mint that I ordered! Mwahaha, I was so excited!
So to celebrate, last night I did as Rishi recommends, and I brewed it like a chai. Half milk, half water, and 2 tablespoons of tea per 12 ounces. It was very good (when you smell it you’re going to think of Andes Mints or Girl Scout Thin Mints!) but I, personally, prefer it just brewed with water. It creates SUCH a dark brew, but it’s not bitter at all, and it’s just… awesome. It’s awesome. You should try it. It’s awesome.

Have a great day!

One of my favorite herbal teas from Yogi Tea. Great amount of sweetness while still maintaining the body of a rooibos.

Yay, my Harney & Sons order arrived this morning! does a happy dance

This tea is smooth as silk without any bitterness, and yet the flavour is distinct and not at all weak. This is a tea with presence, it knows it doesn’t have to shout to be noticed.

So THIS is what they’re using for all the flavored black teas at Adagio. I knew it was Ceylon, but I didn’t know which blend. Anyway, this is a good, standard black tea. The leaves smell sweet and smoky, but the smokiness doesn’t really appear in the tea itself. But that’s alright, I’m not really a fan of smokiness anyway. It brews up a really pleasant shade of amber, and was a great way to start my day.

Found this tea bag in the teacher’s lounge with other tea bags that are provided for us. My own work tea collection is in my classroom so I rarely need to get tea elsewhere but I was feeling adventurous.

Steeped for 3 minutes, smells like an instant Chai mix. Taste isn’t too bad, not high quality but it is flavorful. May have to get out of my tea corner more often just for fun.

1st sample I’m trying from the white sampler. White and green teas are my favorite.

The raw leaves have an extremely light aroma, ever so slightly like vinegar yet not NEARLY as strong as some white teas, like their white cucumber which is my favorite.

Steeping method:
2.25g of leaf in 6oz purified water heated to 180 degrees for 7 minutes.

When steeped the liquor is a buttery, creamy yellow and the aroma is MUCH lighter than I was expecting based on the liquor. I almost had to inhale the tea to smell it, but this could be because I woke up congested due to allergies.

Wow… This is an interesting tea… the flavor is light, but also creamy, thick, and buttery. Brandice was right, it does have similarities to broth. Is this the tea Mrs. Butterton drinks? Infact I may add my bullion to this when I make chicken soup instead of water…

2nd Infusion:
Steeping time: 8 min.

The liquor of the 2nd infusion is slightly lighter than the 1st, but I’d say that a better way to describe it would be more translucent. This infusion looks like tea instead of butter.

The scent seems to be stronger for some reason, but maybe my sinuses are clearing.

The flavor is a little weaker, allowing it to be more fluid instead of thick. The 1st infusion seemed to coat my tongue while this one just washes over it. It tastes more like tea instead of butter or broth.

3rd Infusion:
Steeping time: 9 min.

What is it with me and 3rd infusion lately…
The aroma and liquor were lighter than the previous 2 infusions as I expected. The flavor was also a bit lighter (weaker), but it was also lighter as in it didn’t taste ANYTHING like a butter slick over my tongue. Maybe this is what a white version of their cream flavored tea would tast like. It’s light, yet creamy, and yet there’s also a very light floral taste in the back… but it’s NOTHING even close to drinking perfume. I think this is my favorite infusion. I should be able to get a decent 4th infusion out of this, but I think I’ll wait and move on to another white sample for the rest of the day.

Conclusions:
This is a strange white tea. I don’t really care for the buttery texture and taste of the 1st infusion but it isn’t so foul or weak that I won’t drink it. I may make the 1st infusion for a friend:)

I’ve learned that teas can taste like things that aren’t tea-esk… campfires, cucumber, horse droppings, and now butter.

Not my favorite white tea, but I might buy it again and would drink it if someone offered it to me.

Eventho I was thinking a black tea to start my day – I did this one instead. Upon opening the tin – the aroma of mini mint chocolate chips or maybe even ice cream seems to be the thought that first enters my mind. It seems to steep fairly quickly. As you steep it is smells more chocolate and less minty. At first sip you can taste the Rooibos but the Chocolate follows it and the Mint is the caboose. The after taste is more minty than anything. As the tea sits in your cup for a while it gives off a slight coffee sent but doesn’t really taste like it. Nice, creative blend. MIGHT be one of my favorite flavored Rooibos Blends from Adagio so far…but I am still pondering that for sure. In the meantime…a thumbs up!

This one is just fun, with birthday-cake taste and sprinkles mixed right in with the leaves. Makes me feel special.

One of my favorite oranges (just behind Tazo’s Wild Sweet), this one needs a long steeping time at a high heat. But it turns out perfect. It really is the scent and taste of oranges sticky and sweet on your fingers and in your mouth. Sometimes I find it just a touch too abrasive or sweet, but it’s really the perfect back up.

Drank this with a touch of honey again. When it’s brewing it has an almost berry-like scent to it which is very pleasent.

I bought this mainly for iced tea, but my overall tea stash is dangerously low so I’ve been taking it hot. Really nice for a fruity tea—not fake or cloying.

I’m running low on everything!!! Luckily, I’ll have a brand new box of goodness from Adagio as soon as I get home. Yea! New teas and new posts to follow.

Does anyone know of an ANTI-rain dance? I’m about tired of driving to and from work in the rain. And my dog can’t go out and play. Wanna see a 150 pound Great Dane that is scared of the rain?…come to my crib. At least this cuppa kept me nice and warm and snuggly as I pretend to work. I’m on my second cup. Bravo Sagittarius tea!

I really enjoy this tea. With its solid mango flavor, it may be the best “fruity” black that I’ve had. Might try a second steep just to see what happens…

I didn’t think I liked white teas. In fact, I didn’t think I liked this tea. But two days ago, I had it again for the first time since I started paying attention to water temperature. Delish. Light, grassy/vegiteal, and easy to drink. I’m adding it below the oolong on my this-is-all-I-want-to-drink list.

Standard mug – blue pottery. 1 tbsp. gently steaming water. 5 minutes.

Second brewing. 6 minutes.

I was hoping to try a third brewing but I fear I might be tea-d out for the evening.

Considering that I had the teabag version, the tea was very fine. It helps me survive while I’m waiting for the good stuff to be delivered, because to my horror I could not get any loose tea in Madison, WI… Actually I don’t think I’ve seen much of it anywhere since my arrival in the US over 2 months ago…

This Blueberry is certainly my friend. My friend is going to be gone after today and will be missed. Maybe it will be reincarnated some day (another purchase). Regardless – I am going to enjoy the time we will spend together today. (See how many resteeps I can get).

Clean and lovely, I had this during my morning while teaching. The white is smooth, while the mint adds a lovely zip to every sip.

You wake up to the sound of your alarm, and reach over to hit the snooze button. But you realize that your alarm clock is a blueberry. Confused, you sit up and reach to turn on the light, except that the light is a blueberry. You reach to pull back the duvet, only it has been replaced by a sheet of blueberries. Panicked, you run into the bathroom to look in the mirror, and…YOU ARE A GIANT BLUEBERRY.

Open the package and take a whiff, and it’s like every single entity in your realm of consciousness has been replaced by blueberries. The scent is strong, young Skywalker. Luckily, I like those little blue pellets, so this is an enjoyable experience for me.

The scent continues to waft up sweetly when the tea is brewing. The taste is a similar to the blueberries as well – slightly tart, but with an unmistakable sweetness [if you get good ones, that is]. The sweetness in this tea arrives in the finish and lingers in the aftertaste.

For me, the rooibos in this is almost unrecognizable. When I do taste it, it’s in the aftertaste, but it’s not strong.

I’m curious to try this iced.

So far so good, Rishi. You’re two for two. Can you keep it up? CHALLENGE EXTENDED.

My box of tea samples from Adagio came today. The samples are all in tiny tins! It is very cute, but I’m not sure what I will do with so many little tins once I’ve finished the tea.

This Decaf Tropics has an excellent flavor and fragrance that makes me think of sunny days on a beach sipping a drink with an umbrella in it. The fragrance is true to the flavor.

The black tea base is ok. It isn’t Lipton, but it isn’t up to the grade of my favorite black teas either. It has more tannins than I like and a slight bitterness. Also it doesn’t have much complexity. (On the other hand, it’s better than most grocery store tea. However, I’ve been getting spoiled with the great black teas I’ve been trying.) I steeped it for 4 minutes. Next time I’ll try 3 minutes and see if that improves it.

Despite my slight disappointment with the black tea, the adept hand Adagio has with the flavoring makes up for the dull tea. It is pleasant to drink and a good bedtime tea. I look forward to trying the rest of the samples.

For a tea bag, you can get quite a few brews out of this one.