adagio - the tea review

My tea arrived on Wednesday, so it has been Tea Central of Tea-ness around here. I got ten samples and two full size of the ones I knew I'd love--Irish Breakfast and Apricot--so below, my completely pointless thoughts on Tea, Tea, I Need More Tea Now.

Did Not Like (Not Tea's Fault)

Earl Grey - I am not a fan of Earl Grey except very occasionally; it's a very occasional/social tea for me. Basically, it could not be done in a way I'd love. Gave to friend who loves Earl Grey.

Did Not Like (Tea's Fault)

Golden Monkey - I can't explain why it was ick, but it really was. There was some kind of back bitter/sour thing going on with an underbelly of something vaguely earthly in a bad way. I checked to see if steeped too long, but no. This is the only one I didn't finish. Gave to boss because I'm like that.

Not Sure Yet

Grapefruit Oolong - I need to try this one again with a shorter steep. It was really zest-like notes in it that were bitter and not delicious. But I like grapefruit, so reserving until I can try again.

Good/Great

Darjeeling #12 - It was good but not magical. I'd drink it again.

Ceylon Sonata - very good. It's Ceylon. It's hard to do it wrong.

Orange - very liked, orange a tiny bit strong but I think steeping it thirty seconds less would take the edge off. Very nice sweet edge without citrus sharpness, clear white flavor.

Nepal First Flush - I like this one, but I am getting the steep time wrong. Five minutes is too long, but three is too short. Dammit. Very nice, a tiny bit earthy.

My God Yes

Yunnan Jig - this is a black tea of the freaking gods, okay? I'm almost done with my sample. It's clear medium dark brown, steep time at four minutes thirty seems to bring the best results, water just at boil before adding to tea. I am drinking a very large pitcher of this right now. It has a round heaviness at the first taste and is very mellow with a low warm golden flavor.

Currant - perfect currant tea. Almost done with my sample already. Clear medium-medium brown, steep between four and four and a half minutes (I am not grooving the full five minute seepage; that seems to bring out something bitter that doesn't get picked up if I do it a little earlier). I am in love.

Apricot - it's hard to get apricot wrong (though I have had contenders) but this is very nice. Very good scent, good balanced flavor, full five minute steep to get all the deliciousness.

Unreviewed

Irish Breakfast and English Breakfast - unless something in the Force changes mightily, I'm not seeing how these could go wrong. Irish Breakfast is my go-to tea of go-to-ness. This is my coffee of the tea world (though yunnan jig is really giving it a run for its money; I need to try the yunnan golden now).

Anyone want to throw out their favorite flavors? Adagio or otherwise. On the first will be the second tea buying fit and its nice to be prepared.

Comments

[reginagiraffe]

I find this charming but... I'm pretty sure it's "steep" not "seep". *g* (But seep makes total sense!)

Are any of these decaf (or come in a decaf version)? I unfortunately have a couple of health issues from drinking caffeine.

[blueraccoon]

Most loose leaf teas don't come in decaf BUT: if you take tea leaves, steep them for thirty seconds, dump the water and pour new water, you've essentially decaffeinated the tea. Might be something to consider.

edited to add - white teas have almost no caffeine, herbal tisanes have none, green has less than black.

[blueraccoon]

I buy my tea from Teavana instead of Adagio, mostly because there's a store in the mall and I like going in and walking out with a canister of tea. From them, I would suggest the Assam Gold Rain, which is my current black morning tea (I'm out of English Breakfast, which is my usual morning staple). It's good but I find if I brew it too long it gets a bit bitter, so drinker beware.

Other teas I like - if you like really, really strong black tea I suggest Black Dragon Pearl. I can't drink this without some kind of sweetener because it's that dark, but with a bit of sugar and milk it's really good. I actually have a tin of it I'm not likely to drink anytime soon so if you want a sample let me know and I can pass it along.

I'm a fan of white teas because they've low in caffeine and pretty delicate in flavor, so it's a nice afternoon tea. I have two blooming teas from Teavana - one is called Blooming Tiger and one is Peach Momotaro. I like the peach better, but they're both good. Also with these I have more tea than I'm likely to drink anytime soon as I'm on a black tea kick, so if you'd like a sample, let me know and I can also package some up for you.

[seperis]

Me and a friend are going for a long-delayed girls' day tomorrow, so we're going to look around for tea tomorrow as well.

I'd love a sample please! Email me at seperis at gmail and I'll send you my address. Thank you! I've only tried white tea once (Celestial Seasonings) which I am not sure was representative. The Black Dragon Pearl sounds amazing.

[bientot]

Lapsang Souchong is something a little different - dark and smokey, and if you happen to add honey it turns into something else altogether. You'd probably be better off trying it before investing in a bunch, but I've always found it a very interesting alternative!

[jetsilver]

I am a tea junkie. My current favourite discovery that has some chance of being found outside Australia is East Frisian or Friesian blend. It's very full flavoured. I used to like a strong English Breakfast, but after discovering the East Friesian, the English Breakfast just doesn't seem to have enough flavour for me.

My other favourite I found on holiday in Tasmania, but maybe someone else has tried it? It's a blend of green and black teas, which I was dubious about, but it's *fabulous*.

[rembrandtswife]

I second your vote for East Friesian--I drink Special Tea's version. I also love their Mount Everest blend with a deep and fervent devotion.

[feanna]

My mother used to drink black tea (of some brand that I don't remember) every morming when I was a kid. She's not that regualar anymore, but we still drink tea whenever and almost no coffee. (This is where I could insert the explanation about cake in Germany being it's own meal (in the afternoon) and not desert and how it's called coffe-drinking.)

We've also (when it started getting popular, we are such followers ;)) fallen in love with rooibos tea. It's a lot ,hm, easier(?) to drink because it's not bitter at all. When I was home the last time we had a lemon flavoured one for breakfast. It comes in so many different flavours for different occasions (we like vanilla for colder times) but is nice just plain too. (And personally I've never needed any sugar with it and I sometimes prefer sugar in my black tea.)

I still like black tea, but I'd say that even people who don't like actual tea (in the sense of it consisting of some variation of actual leaves from the tea bush) will probably like rooibos.

[sami]

I think it's something like a jasmine tea, but I'm not sure; if it helps, the Malaysian-Chinese owners of my favourite Chinese restaurant say it's traditional (and also very good for you when you're sick; one time we went there without my mother, and told the proprietress my mother was unwell, and she put a whole bunch of it in a takeout container and insisted we take it home for her).

Wow, that's unhelpful.

I really like chai (although I drink it unsweetened, which I'm well aware is Doing It Wrong but I can't help it, I don't really like sugar and my body REALLY doesn't like sugar in non-small quantities), white lotus, and peppermint tea.

[jesse_the_k]

As far as interesting combos go, Russian Caravan is a mix of Lapsang Souchang (the smokiness) and Oolong and Keemun. If Irish Breakfast is the perfect hearty start to a cold wet morning, R.C. is just right for a stroll around the North Pole.

My #1 go-to tea, morning night & noon, is Rishi Tea's Maghreb Mint. Both like and unlike chai: it's tea + spices. It's a dreamy combo that has just enough astringency from the green tea, just enough refreshment from the mint, just enough savory from the cardamom, and just enough sweet from the licorice. Delicious hot and cold. Another plus is one steeps with boiling water, so it's pretty unwreckable.

[stultiloquentia]

If you like apricot and you're interested in rooibos, try Yogi's Rooibos Sweet Peach. It's my current favourite. Their website is dippy as hell, but the products are good. I also like their Chai Rooibos, and Mayan Cocoa Spice is wacky but fantastic. They do a whole slew of inspired variations on traditional medicinals -- echinacea, lemon ginger and whatnot, if you're into those.

[chrissie-m.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Lady Grey? It's a much lighter blend than Earl Grey, with a bit of a citrus zing to it (but not overwhelmingly so).

I love Teaopia's Amaretto Cherry (I used to love a blend by Second Cup, Canada's Starbuck, called Cherry Vanilla but the bastards discontinued it). It's a black tea that with a lovely cherry flavour, very subtle. I think I will go brew a pot right now.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Lady Grey I kind of enjoyed, but it's an occasional, i think, though I wonder if it would taste better with milk. Hmm.

Oooh, cherry. That sounds amazing.

[dameange.livejournal.com]

Adagio's Almond Ceylon Black and the Vanilla Ceylon Black are my absolute favorites! I'm trying the hazelnut one next.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Writing both down! Thank you!

[cat-77.livejournal.com]

Had English Breakfast for the first time when a Russian coworker talked our boss into turning a group meeting into a tea party of sorts. Had no idea it had that much caffeine in it (had already had a mocha that morning) and was flying for the rest of the morning. Awesome. Added bonus of not sucking on the taste.

Personal fave is a hibiscus tea we get from Holy Land (Middle Eastern food mart). The one I like best I can't translate the name (I don't read Arabic), but comes in a reddish box with a picture of the flower and a cup on the front (cycles through on the pictures here (http://www.holylandbrand.com/teacoffee.html). I've had others, but that one was the best of the bunch. Local restaurant also serves it, but mixed with spices (think nutmeg and cardamon) to make Raina. A bit fruity, but very good.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Anything with teh name "breakfast" is like that; I love like whoa.

Ooh, I wnat to try that tea. Thanks for the recommendation!

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

I don't know how you feel about green tea - is it too light for your taste? I personally love Bi luo chun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi_Luo_Chun_tea). The only downside is that I get it from relatives in China, so I have no idea how you'd go about purchasing it...

*applies Google*

It's actually in the green tea sampler (http://www.adagio.com/green/green_sampler.html?SID=9d79467aaf8029716741004f24ff51c9)! Okay, this is good.

I have aroma hypersensitivity so I actually cannot drink stronger teas (or stay in the makeup section of Sears for longer than 3 minutes, but that's a good thing) so my other favs - jasmine oolong and chrysanthemum - are also very wimpy. But let me know how the Bi luo chun goes for you!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I love green tea. Adding that to my to-buy list. Thank you!

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

Catnip! Plain organic catnip makes an excellent, very green/clean/soothing tea. I like mine with a bit of honey and milk in.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

...seriously? *intensely curious* I have to try that.

[jazzy-peaches.livejournal.com]

I really like a hot cinnamon spice tea. If you don't like cinnamon, obviously not your (tea)bag, but I like that it's got a little pop.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I love cinnamon. *G* Mmm. And now I want some, and it's too late to drink any.

[alwaysaddled.livejournal.com]

Lapsang souchong is one of my favorites, but it is very smoky-tasting, so YMMV.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I've had it before, I think? Adding that; I forgot to even look for it. Thank you!

[hiza-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, tea reviews. You are so awesome. Where'd ya get all the tea from?

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*grins* Tea is awesome.

http://www.adagio.com. They have super excellent tea pot thing that comes with a four tea sampler for 19, which I totally recommend. If you want to try them, email me at seperis at gmail and I'll send you one of their 5 off certificates. If you decide to order, to use it, you have to use the email the gift certificate was sent to. That's how pouncer got me.

They have some amazing teas and a lot of them in both inexpensive sample sizes and larger ones for what you know you like. And did I mention a lot? They have a lot of tea.

[omnipresentdmat.livejournal.com]

DARJEELING I STH CUTEST WORD IN THE WORLD



TI MAEKES ME WANT TO HUG PEOPOLE

[riazendira.livejournal.com]

This is possibly not at all helpful, because well, hard to get... but we're talking tea here, so I thought I'd toss out my favorite anyway. My very favorite tea in the whole world comes from L'epicerie on the Ile st Louis in Paris. I discovered it quite by accident while traveling there during college... now whenever friends go to Paris I beg them to bring me back more. It's called Blue Lagoon. I'm never quite sure if one could get it elsewhere and have it taste the same. It's a loose tea, and I think a black tea (but I could be wrong), and it's amazing. Of course, now it's been a few years since I've had it, so I couldn't actually describe it to you anymore, but I know I'll be getting more at my first chance because it's just that good. Yey tea! (I also had a roommate in college who would make tea every day in the winter, and when she finished steeping it would announce to the world at large "Yey, tea!" before drinking it. She was the coolest roommate evar.)

[yarp-narp.livejournal.com]

L'epicier is actually a Japanese company, I think, and they've been operating under the name Lupicia for a few years. Apparently there are 4 US locations for this company now, mostly west coast.
I highly recommend one of their signature flavored teas. It's called Neptune and is a black tea infused with honeyed fruits and marigold. The aroma when it seeps is seriously to die for, and makes a very good iced tea.
http://www.lupiciausa.com/product_p/12405502.htm

Speaking of iced tea, I was wondering if you've ever tried seeping tea cold? While it means a much much longer process and bigger portion of leaves, the results can be surprisingly good, especially for tea with strong infused flavors. For example, I usually find the aroma of Earl Gray a little aggressive, but when I cold-seep it overnight, the aroma is a lot more contained, there is absolutely no bitterness, and the total impression is just super smooth.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Ohh, tea reviews! ♥

Am responding with a tea-flavoured beverage only, BUT this your post reminded me to order Gorreana tea, which is European tea and among the tastiest ever. :)

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Favourites:

- Gorreana, for always at the moment ♥
- Assam so strong the spoon gets stuck vertically in the cup (often with fresh grated ginger & honey)
- Keemun, for when I don't need a caffeine kick but just enjoyment and nutty* flavours,
- Downy Yunnan, with only a touch of milk and sugar, or none,
- Simple Sencha or Matcha, with only my raw cane sugar, and
- White Tea for when I'm in the mood for something airy and light and more flowery than a bloomin' meadow

* what?

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

You gave nasty tea to your boss, lol. Perhaps the name hints at the ~ingredients, which would explain the taste. ;D


I don't care for hot tea much. It's so weak, compared to the body that coffee has. I keep trying different types, but so far, a pale "meh, ok" is all I've been able to muster. It's a shame, because it's supposed to be healthy.

I just don't come from a tea culture, so that may be part of the problem. o.0

[barkley.livejournal.com]

I am with you on the Earl Grey. So disappointed the first time I had it because I thought I could be forever cool like Picard, but, no, I knew then I could never order it. Sadness. (I am with you on the Darjeeling and the Ceylon Sonata. I do confess I love the Golden Monkey though, so my taste might be suspect.)

I am currently drinking the last of my Black Dragon Pearls (which are not only tasty but also fun because they come pearl shaped.)

On weekdays, I switch off between Irish Breakfast, Darjeeling Summer and Fujian Baroque.

And in the summer, I use the raspberry tea and or Ceylon Sonata to make iced tea.

(All teas from Adagio)

[allyndra.livejournal.com]

I got straight-sided glass teacups so I could feel like Picard when drinking tea. :D I didn't care for Ealr Grey, either, though.

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Lady Grey? I like it more than Earl Grey - it has hints of orange in a much more pleasant manner.

Also, I find blueberry tea to my favorite of all.

[disbelief11.livejournal.com]

Besides the genmai cha I mentioned above, I really enjoy Keemun on days when I want an easy-going, satisfying tea. It's not a challenging tea - more of a comforting cup.

Mmm, darjeeling.

This reminds me of when I used to work at the coffee roasting co. - we had about 40 kinds of loose-leaf tea and I had so much fun tasting them all!

[melodyunity.livejournal.com]

I like Adagio's Spiced Apple Chai, especially with a bit of honey and milk. It's yummy!

[teh_ace.livejournal.com]

I make my tea-snobbish friends and acquaintances cringe by declaring my love for Lipton Yellow Lable! They will then promptly inform me that it's made of the stuff that's swept up from the floor of the tea factory. This sometimes leads to meta heavy discussions where I'm like "the personal is political" and they're like "there are absolute values and an objective truth" and then I have to go "lol, w/e, I've had it every morning since I was ten and the day doesn't start right without it!" and they look at me with pity.

I also like roi-boos or bush tea in the evenings- red tea from Africa, especially flavoured kinds, but I can never find the same tasty brand twice in my store, so don't ask for recs!