74 Tasting Notes
Got this in a sample packet from a PBS purchase. Liked it, yet found it disappointing. Glad it’s still summer, as this tea has a Kool-Aid kind of flavor, which at least goes with the season. However, it’s got an artificial quality to the flavor, which I would attribute to the stevia in it. I dislike artificial sweeteners, even those of the so-called ‘natural’ variety. One can definitely taste that in here—more so than most other flavors. I didn’t taste any rose, but for me that was a plus, since I’m not too crazy for flowery teas. I couldn’t really taste the hibiscus either, which was disappointing, as I do like that. I liked it, but not enough to want to buy it again.
Flavors: Artificial, Raspberry, Rosehips, Summer, Sweet
Preparation
This tea is absolutely heavenly. I’d held off drinking it till yesterday (9-9-15) in honor of Queen Elizabeth II having outreigned Queen Victoria. It’s like Super Earl Grey—only daintily, beautifully more piquant. The lemon and grapefruit touches enhance the bergamot. It’s just outstanding. Even cold in the cup (I’d made it hot) having cooled, it was delicious. I had it lightly sweetened with just a bit of sugar. I cannot praise it highly enough!
Flavors: Bergamot, Earl Grey, Grapefruit, Lemon Zest
Preparation
What a great iced tea this makes! It brewed up dark, looking like regular (black) tea, although it’s herbal. I had brewed a couple bags together to have one for a nightcap, then refrigerated the rest. Two days later, I grabbed it in the morning—wow! This is a terrific iced tea! So cool and refreshing! (Yeah, duh, it’s mint—so cool and refreshing is a given!)
Do I recommend this—as an ICED TEA, YES!
Preparation
“The Prince” (by Kristina Moy) is the first Severus Snape-inspired custom tea from Adagio Teas I’ve sampled. I was afraid that the not-quite-a-heaping-teaspoon wasn’t quite enough for my two-cup teapot; I was right. I let it steep longer to help make up the difference. It was still a little weaker than I would have brewed it earlier in the day, but for evening it was fine. It had a good deep green tea flavor (not surprising, since its makeup is hojicha and gunpowder with lemongrass). The lemongrass was nicely balanced, not overpowering or intrusive. I liked it, and will definitely be drinking it again—soon! Kudos to Ms. Moy for an enjoyable blend (Severus in a rare good mood—a little stern with the depth of green tea flavor, but relaxing nonetheless)!
Flavors: Green, Lemongrass, Smooth
Preparation
This is my idea of a nice cup of chai: a well-rounded group of warm flavors, all interestingly competing for notice, but none sticking out to the detriment of the entire blend. The tasters at CS did a terrific job blending all these flavor notes together. There’s the warmth of the cinnamon and cardamon piqued with a bit of star anise. There’s a subtle bit of licorice taste, though that’s probably from the star anise. The black pepper fills out the background quietly. I blend a bag or two of my other chai blends with it, so this one can mellow it all out together.
Do I recommend this tea? Absolutely!
Preparation
I am glad to be finishing up this box. I confess I generally make a pot of chai, and blend at least two different chai blend teas together, in order to average out any extreme flavors from one end of the taste spectrum to another.
This tea has what I call an ‘angular’ taste: too much ginger, too much anise, too much of a ‘cool’ distant set of flavors in what I want to have ‘warm’ flavors. The cinnamon gets lost amid all the ginger, which I normally would love—but not here. This blend tastes ‘unbalanced’ to me, for want of another phrase. I don’t like this tea by itself.
However—when blended with another chai, like Celestial Seasonings’ India Spice CHAI TEA, it harmonizes beautifully, fills those chai flavors out.
So: By itself, I don’t recommend this one. BUT TOGETHER WITH ANOTHER CHAI? YES!
Flavors: Anise, Artificial, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger
Preparation
Very mild-tasting, gentle unassuming mint tea, is the general impression for this one. The taste of the chamomile is so subtly blended in, it’s more a whisper than an announcement.
I too am a member of the insomniac club, so welcome this as a nice go-to-bed cup. On the bland side, but one doesn’t want excitement before trying to sleep. I made a pot of it so that tonight’s will be at room temp, rather than hot. Nighty-night!
Flavors: Spearmint
Preparation
I am finally using up my last potful of this tea. I made it in the coffee maker. That spring/plug device at the bottom of the coffee basket works to keep the brewing liquid there once the pot is removed. It’s actually a splendid device for letting tea steep in the basket. Just pull the pot collecting the hot tea away so that the basket fills, then replace the pot so the basket drains the hot tea, then repeat: delay(brew), drain, repeat.
I had no sugar here, so just drank the tea black. It was much better than the last time I’d had it. Since Teavana’s discontinued it, there’s no point in recommending it or not. Just know that the longer steeping time and hotter temp seemed to improve it. Still not a favorite, but drinkable.
Flavors: Apple Candy, Artificial, Cranberry
Preparation
This is a nice tea, although I was disappointed there was no actual pumpkin flavor. It’s a nice spicy blend, lighter than a chai would be. One can taste the green tea, but it’s definitely more for the spice that one would drink this. A flavorful mild tea, nice for autumn.
Flavors: Anise, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Orange
Preparation
I bought this five years ago when visiting in NY. Recently visited, went looking for tea, found this. Knew I must have been the one who bought it, as my very recognizable printing was on the box in bold marker “This is BLACK tea”. ( So many boxes of Lipton green tea are yellow and green boxes I wanted to make sure nobody looking for green tea would drink this one in error.) Since I can’t drink too much caffeine, I was glad to find it. Even five years old, it was worth drinking. NOT GREAT, mind you, but I was still glad it was there so I could enjoy decaf tea at our daughter’s house. I tried comparing it to Twinings decaf English and decaf Irish Breakfast teas. It was not the time. This was weaker by comparison—but in fairness, the other two teas were only six months to a year old, not five years old, like this one! Will save the comparison testing for another time when I have a newer sample of this one—whenever that may be. Good old reliable Lipton pekoe and orange pekoe black teas, always good hot with lemon and sugar! The regular (caffeinated) is the black tea I grew up with. Still makes a reliable cuppa.