Phil Hovatter Send Message

What the heck? Am I eating a bowl of cereal or drinking a cup of tea? (Not very tasty cereal, at that!) The toasted rice flavor totally dominated the tea. Could it really be as bad as this and still have so many fans? Different strokes for different folks. This one just isn’t my cup of tea. But you know me. I’ll try anything…twice. I’ll let you know if my opinion changes.

Mighty Leaf Green Mango Decaf + Adagio Gunpowder = A Marriage Made in Heaven!

I’m nothing if not a man of science and adventure. I’ll try anything…twice. As much as I love my dirt cheap Adagio Gunpowder, I’ve been pondering ways to shave off a little of the vegetal edge it presents (even though I like it) and soften it with a flavor of some sort. But what to blend it with???

The outstanding feature of the Gunpowder is that it goes down bitter, but leaves an incredibly sweet, lingering aftertaste. Which tea in my cupboard could pair with that bitter-sweet nectar and possibly enhance it?

I went with the Mighty Leaf Green Mango Decaf. When I bought this tea I had high hopes for it as a fruity, tropical dessert tea. Opening the pouch unleashed an aroma that could only be called a mango tsunami — it filled the whole room. Imagine my surprise that this tea came out bitter and harsh in the cup, regardless of how gently and carefully I brewed it. The second infusion was much less bitter, but you have to get past that first cup. So I risked mixing my two most bitter teas to create a tea gestalt — an end product that was greater than the sum of its parts.

The first infusion was just as expected — bitter and slightly astringent, but with a nice fruity punch from the mango. But I wasn’t here for the first infusion. That was just the cross I had to bear to reach the second infusion.

Ahh! The exalted Second Infusion. I’ll cut to the chase and just say that it exceeded my wildest dreams. This was one of the finest cups of tea that I had ever experienced. Smooth, fruity, decidedly green, no bitterness. It was a party in my mouth!

The bottom line is that I took a tea that had been an initial disappointment (the Mighty Leaf Green Mango Decaf) and blended it with something else in such a way as to produce a cuppa that transcended the properties of each component. Yes, friends, a disappointing tea can be redeemed and brought to new life when judiciously joined together with a compatible product. It is a new creation, a revelation, an epiphany.

Still a noob, so this is the only Gunpowder I’ve tried. There are others I want to sample, but I’m happy with this one right now. Really happy.

I was warned about Gunpowder by my sister — too late. I had already ordered it. So I had this whole approach/avoidance thing going in my head when it arrived. Never fear. It became one of my faves from the first cup.

I get three infusions out of my Gunpowder, each one different. The first steep (3 mins.) renders a brash brew with a bit of bitterness and nice complexity. The second infusion (5 mins.) is my favorite. The bitterness is greatly reduced and the flavor is rich and mellow. The third infusion (7-10 mins.) is well worth hanging around for. The long infusion time is necessary to coax the last bit of flavor from the leaves. Round three is mild and tasty.

The thing I like best about this tea is the incredibly sweet after taste. It lingers long after the last sip is drained from the cup. Gunpowder afterglow. It keeps me coming back for more.

The other thing I like about Adagio Gunpowder is that it is the cheapest tea in my cupboard. Dirty dirt cheap. It’s almost like drinking for free.

And did I mention good?

Not all Hojichas are created equal. Hojicha isn’t a commodity — there are real differences between brands. I gave Mighty Leaf’s Organic Hojicha a 93. I might have been more positively disposed toward Adagio’s Hojicha if I had never tried Mighty Leaf. As it is, I found Adagio’s comparatively dull, listless, almost stale tasting. I don’t mean to rip on Adagio — I love them, most of the time. Just not at Hojicha time.

What do you do the first time you encounter a new tea? Look at it, then smell it. I was intrigued by the variety of ingredients. There’s a lot going on in that little silken pouch. Bonus points for that. But then I sniffed it — and it smelled like cleaning fluids!

Somewhat put off by that, but adventurous nonetheless, I brewed a cup. I’m happy to report that the industrial chemical scent was significantly abated by the hot water bath. Then the taste test: Not bad. A little medicinal, but not bad at all. Then it occurred to me — the “medicinal” comment was more of an emotional reaction than a taste sensation. As I pondered this, it seemed to lead me to an innate sense that this tea was good for me, that it would be a go-to when I’m fighting a cold or sinus problems.

I shared it with my wife. She drank three cups of it the next day. Her stand-by for years when fighting allergies or cold symptoms has been Lipton Honey Lemon black tea. She’s not a tea snob (yet), but since I’ve been buying and trying good teas from Mighty Leaf and Adagio, it’s gotten so that she wouldn’t wash her feet in Lipton, much less gravitate toward the stuff. This one will definitely go on our re-order list. Try it with clover honey.

My favorite among the (few) unflavored greens I’ve tasted so far. Slightly smoky and nutty, it produces a rich and comforting cup. I’m a cardiac patient on a low-caffeine diet, so I appreciate the miniscule amount of caffeine in this medium-bodied brew. I could drink this one every day.

I’m still a teanoobie, but this has become one of my “go-to” teas. I don’t know what kind of drugs they lace this stuff with, but it literally makes me feel good every time I drink it. I love the peachy fragrance. I sweeten it with clover honey. Love it, love it, love it.