257 Tasting Notes
Updated Review – I first had this tea about 14 months ago and have continued to drink it like others drink coffee. I’m now buying it by the case. Amazon is a fairly reliable source, although they sell out. Occasionally finding it in local stores, where my wife clears the shelves when she see’s it (literally, she brought home 7 boxes of it last week). The issue is that there are only 12 tea bags per box. You can get two cups out of one bag, but the caffeine hit is only in the first one.
I stand by my first review – in fact, I’m bumping my rating. And I am almost ashamed to admit, I like this one with a splash of half-n-half; always thought those Brits were crazy…maybe not so much :)
Flavors: Vanilla
Found this tea in a with a bunch of sampler bags when visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. It is of unknown age, but was unopened, in an airtight (like welded shut) heavy ziplock sample bag.
First brew (~2min, 212F) – I like this blend. Surprisingly strong blackberry flavor up front with a jasmine note following. It has what I think of as a green tea finish, slightly green/grassy, but not overdone. No harshness or chemical taste.
Second brew (~4min, 185F) – 2nd steep cam out just as dark as the first (note the extra time). The blackberry isn’t up front like the first steep, but its still there and on par with the jasmine. They complement each other very well. Still green tea, but the grassy is not as pronounced. IF anythng, I like the second cup better than the first. A very drinkable combination – would recommend and would buy if came across it.
Flavors: Blackberry, Grassy, Green, Jasmine
Preparation
This showed up in my tea caddy last week – I’m not one for herbal teas and, to me, Yogi = Herbal. But I looked at the ingredients list and saw Assam black tea. Hmm, Ok. Bunch of other herbal stuff that I had to Google later. Two items of note – stevia leaf and monk fruit extract are included. If, like me, sugar substitutes put you off, be forewarned. Green Tea extract was also included, which I think are code words for extra caffeine. On the “lesser ingredients” list were the things that made me want to try it – orange flavor, tangerine flavor, orange peel oil, and tangerine oil. I’m a sucker for a good citrus flavored tea.
First impression is, to borrow another reviewer’s words, warm orange juice. Specifically warm, watered-down orange juice. But not warm Tang. There is enough Assam to color the brew, but not enough to speak black tea to me. I’m not giving up on it. I am thinking that combining it with one of my more robust black teas might be good. Its more of an “add citrus to one of my black teas” than the reverse.
What can I say at this point? Its not bad, I didn’t throw it out, and I might have a way to better enjoy it, so it gets further exploration. Note: the “sweeteners” were present, noted/notable, but not overpowering. 70mg caffeine/cup
Flavors: Citrus Fruits, Stevia
Preparation
Surprisingly good! The tea is not overly harsh and the vanilla is right there. Does not have an overprocessed or chemical aftertaste. It does pack a punch – the caffeine is real. I checked the recommend box because it is good enough and does the job of giving me a kickstart in the morning; enough that I picked up 2 additional boxes. Can’t say I don’t recommend it if I’m buying more.
Flavors: Vanilla
Preparation
What a blast from the past. This tea has been sitting in a bin in the pantry for over a decade…lost in the dark in the back. Well, Found It!, quite by accident. Since I was intending to brew some tea for iced tea and it found it’s way to the front, I decided what the heck.
Still good – even better, as iced tea, than it ever was as a hot drink. The floral overtones have dissipated, but it still has a green tea bite and a nice clean mouth feel. Not as astringent as a black, and I over brewed it in anticipation of ice watering it down.
Flavors: Dry Grass, Green
Preparation
Disclaimer: this Adagio Signature Blend is a customer’s, Cheryl Yi, attempt to recreate the Mad Tea Party Blend of Disney fame.
It’s close…very close, but not the same. I fixed a cup of the original and the Adagio Blend side by side for this comparison. Dry, the original smells STRongly of apricots, the custom one has a definite peach smell. Note that the original is ground fine and in a tea bag, the custom one is loose leaf. I think this is important. I ran a stopwatch on the brews…90 seconds on the original, 105 on the custom. I let the custom go longer because it was not brewing as dark as the original…note that the custom recommends 3 minutes. I cut it off because the original was done and ready at 90 seconds.
While hot, there was no confusing the original from the custom. The nose of the original was very strong apricots and flowers, sweet and fruity. The copy was peaches and a little muted at that. As they cooled, the original seemed to go a little off, a little chemical? The custom blend kept its peachy smell and peaches and creme flavor pretty consistent.
So – jury’s still out. More loose loose leaf to make up for the fine grind? Longer steeping times? Yes to both, probably. In any case, this one gets kept and tried again, until I get to the end: then stop.
Flavors: Cream, Peach, Vanilla
Preparation
Tazo is the institutional tea of my office, so we burn through this stuff at an unbelievable rate. The upside is that it’s about a fresh as your going to ever see this brand, and it still has a “tired, musty” taste. Another upside is that it’s better than the plain black tea version!
I won’t go spend MY money on this, but I’ll drink it as a last resort because it’s better than the charcoal w/ lighter fluid espresso that the $7000 automated coffee machine makes.
Flavors: Bergamot, Paper
Preparation
Had this tonight, from a tea bag. Wow. Sweet flavor without adding any sugar/honey. Tastes of peaches on a very good black tea base. Now if I just didn’t have to go to a theme park to get it.
Flavors: Apricot, Peach
Preparation
Seems like I saw somewhere (maybe in another Steepster review) that the Disney teas are privately labeled versions from a different supplier. Or I coulda dreamed that.
I found a custom Adagio custom blend, (all hail the Google) http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=60757
,that gets good reviews, albeit from only 5 reviewers. Looking at the ingredient list, I think there are few things in there that are superfluous (marigold and cornflowers), but the fruit flavors “look” right. I’ve ordered some and will report back.
If I’m brutally honest…I find this tea to be harsh and coarse. There is nothing subtle about it; no nuances to its flavor other than a slight metallic tang that might signal some Ceylon tea in there, somewhere. Looking at the tea in the teabag, this one is designed to infuse hard and fast…the “leaves” are more a dust than broken leaf bits; and the ingredient list? “black tea, black tea extract”. I think the latter is code for the caffeine in the “50% more caffeine” claim. From a tea lover’s point of view, I can’t recommend this one. However! if you’re looking for a way to get your caffeine fix in the morning and coffee isn’t your choice, this will do the trick.
I’ve been meaning to try this one.