1746 Tasting Notes
I’ve been waiting a while in huge anticipation…… Thank you so much, LiquidProust for your heavenly offering of oolongs. I’m going to write a lot more about that later and in every post.
I was pretty curious about this one because I like sweet rose and creamy things. It also so happened to be an oolong. Then I hesitated a bit because it was a phoenix oolong, which in my experience tend to be fruity, but a little to light. Then, I figured, it would definitely be worth to try, and it’s something that can do to help LiquidProust.So, now to describe this tea-or over describe it. The scent is highly feminine, like walking into a Chinese Beauty Shop. Cream blushed with with roses and little bits and pieces of fruit welcome me. David Bowie’s China Girl Plays in the back ground.
Then I steep it for 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Dainty. Very dainty, and very light. A little too light for me, but enjoyable and very clean. I get the rose and cream, but barely.
I steep it a second time for about 4 minutes. More rose, more cream, still as girly as ever. There’s an apricot sweetness at the end.
Third steep for five: rose and cream combine into something lighter and more floral.
Fourth steep after six: really faint. I’m going to have to leave it for longer to see if I can get any more out of it. I know it’s oversteeping, but I’ve been able to savor some last bits of an oolong before.
Okay, so overall, this is a really delicate, clean, and very womanly tea. This is something that I think white tea lovers and floral tea lovers would like. For me, it’s way too delicate. I used a little less than two tea spoons in seven ounces, then six ounces. I got the stronger bit on the latter, and a part of me wonders if I needed more leaves for my tastes.
For the time it is right now, it’s a perfect summer tea. It’s refreshing, light, and probably good iced as well. Also has little bitterness and not nearly as dehydrating as some other teas I’ve had. I’m definitely going to pass this tea along, and share it. :)
Flavors: Cream, Flowers, Rose
Preparation
It’s very light, and very floral. To me, it was actually not to far from Teavivre’s jasmine pearls, which is surprising because it’s bagged. The Jasmine is perfume like, but not overwhelming. The green tea is also pretty smooth. The after taste still lingers, and is partially sweet. I can drink it pretty easily without honey or sweetener. A part of me actually prefers this one to Numi’s: the price is significantly better (mom got it for herself for less than two bucks for 24 bags), and it doe not have the same astringency nor tannin aftertaste that Numi has. It’s cleaner, and I was actually lucky that I got it so fresh for a bagged tea.
Flavors: Freshly Cut Grass, Jasmine, Perfume, Sweet
Preparation
LuckyMe recommended it as a cheaper oolong, and what do you know, I found it at Big Lots for $1.80 for 24 bags. I totally didn’t need it considering incoming swaps, but I’m going to need it for my trip down to Florida and for drinks on the go. Also, my mom got it for herself anyways, so it’s our shared stash.
It’s a really smooth oolong, and for a bagged tea, it actually has a complete simple profile, with some notes of complexity. Turns out that this is one of the teas that I used to drink as a kid in Hawaii. I smell and taste a really herbaceous brown rice character, with a woodsy body, and a honey like finish. Not anything spectacular, and experience tea drinkers might compare it to cardboard, or a standard oolong. I really enjoy it, and especially so because of how cheaply I can get it for the really passable quality. Hence the higher review. Taste is really closer to a 65-70, but price and convenience bumped this tea up 10 points for me. It just might be a decent introduction to a newbie, but it might not be sweet enough for a developing palette.
Flavors: Earth, Honey, Rice, Wood
Preparation
This is my first Mate, and I lean towards the roasted variety because of it. On it’s own, it’s got a weird, butter taste to it with lots of wet grass. Like others have mentioned, it’s also got a pungency a lot like cannabis. I’ve made it with hot chocolate, and on it’s own with coconut oil blended that tastes really unusual, sweet, buttery and herbaceous. I’ve also had the cocoa version and chai version of it, which I prefer.
This tisane is really best suited as a blend ingredient, not a main tea itself. I honestly bough too much of this because of the health benefits, and as a possible coffee replacement, but I wish I didn’t. Worth trying, but not great.
I have close to a pound of it right now that I need to give away, or it will go bad soon. Message me if you want to swap for it or if you need a blend in the next few weeks. Otherwise, I might have to dispose of it.
Flavors: Butter, Cannabis, Grass, Herbaceous, Wet Moss
Preparation
I liked this tea because it reminded me A LOT of a Thai iced tea. And it is very, very sweet….practically perfumy. I got this when I was up in college, and again, nerdiness. I can kinda see why Wash got this blend. Thai iced tea is a very tropical drink, one that you would drink while on vacation. Wash is one of the more laid back characters on the show, and he normally wears the same kind of shirts that I saw tourists wear on their vacation in Hawaii.
This is a little bit better iced, and not bad hot. I’m honestly biased to coconut, though, given that I grew up in Hawaii. I probably would have rated it lower now as someone who is starting to prefer purer teas, and like all the other Adagio’s that I’ve had, it depends entirely too much on flavoring. I am glad that I only had a sample, and that I drank it when I did to enjoy it a little bit more. I totally understand why people would be peeved as a fan-and again, not like it because of the rampant syrups.
Flavors: Citrus, Coconut, Lavender, Perfume, Sugar
Preparation
Another one that I got from my discounted sampler while up at school. Out of the pack I got, this one was one of my favorites, having a truly alien flavor. One of my friends even called it out of this world, though Kasumi is one of the more grounded characters in the game-well, with the exception of her exquisite tastes. This tea was designed around her very well, though how can you accurately characterize someone based off of tea notes? Tis an art that I am partially curious of.
To describe this tea properly, I am going to talk about her character a little bit. Kasumi is a master, intergalactic thief and cat burglar, stealing pieces only of the “priceless” kind. She herself does have a Japanese heritage, and like a hooded ninja, she is incredibly skilled in stealth, hacking, and deception. Though adept, she is by no means hardened; more playful, and possibly insightful, really.
For whatever reason, this black and rooibos blend actually suits her well, and better than a green tea. Yes, she’s Japanese, but that cultural angle comes more in with dominant jasmine smell and taste. After the jasmine, the taste transforms into something creamier, and maltier, with a candy like sweetness provided by the cream black tea and the Earl Grey moonlight. The rooibos provides the remaining potent sweetness from it’s own mildly citrus like nature, and the amber color of this tea. Like her, there is a sweetness and decadence to the profile, but a lingering subtlety in how the flavors come together.
Now, this is not a tea for most. It is VERY sweet. It’s more for an amateur who would like the highly flavored nature of this tea. And definitely for a Mass Effect fan that likes this character. The extreme dependence on the extracts for flavor is the only other off putting angle of this tea, relying less on the natural, pure taste and aroma of the tea itself. That can be said for most Adagio tea, though: too much dependence on flavoring extracts. As you can probably infer from reading this, this is blasphemy for a tea purist; yet a new, foreign dessert to a newbie.
Flavors: Cream, Earl Grey, Jasmine, Rooibos, Sugar