88
drank Chestnut by Adagio Teas
2238 tasting notes

Another first for me, because I’ve never tried a Chestnut tea before. Unlike with Pumpkin Spice, this time I feel like I’m off to a more promising start. The smell of the dry leaves is A-MA-ZING. It’s sweet, nutty, with a burnt caramel note towards the end. It smells like it’s going to be pure flavour, and for once I can’t even detect the base tea, which usually seems to come through pretty strongly in these (Adagio’s Holiday Cheer sampler). All this is making me feel pretty hopeful. I always want to like flavoured tea, but they’re so often disappointing. Could this be the exception? At last?

I wasn’t disappointed. Brewed, this tea smells like a roasted chestnut stand, and tastes precisely like the real thing. Very nutty, slightly sweet, with a toasted, almost burnt, note to finish. I was absolutely amazed. This is the first flavoured tea where I really haven’t been able to taste the base tea more than the flavouring. It’s there in the background, giving body, but that’s where it stays. The real strength of this tea is in its flavouring.

Drinking this, I feel cosy and sort of sentimental about winter and christmas. Definetly my favourite flavoured black to date, and one I’m sure will remain on my list of favoured teas for a long time to come. Perfect!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
CHAroma 13 years ago

Great review! Your description is spot on. Glad you liked this one too. :)

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Comments

CHAroma 13 years ago

Great review! Your description is spot on. Glad you liked this one too. :)

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Bio

Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.

Location

Norfolk, UK

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