100 Tasting Notes
How i got it: Tried it and got a bag from my sister-in-law house, beginning this year
Experience: Smooth to mild intensity aroma, this tea has the Ceylon style, but the notes took some effort to distinguish. In this sense, this tea is a bit plain, and lacks very much of the fruity, caramel and crisp notes found usually in these teas, even simple ones like Lipton’s Royal Ceylon. Its flavor follows the line of other Supremo teas in being not very rich or complex, and having bitter-y, earthy notes. Anyway, its flavor is well defined and lasting. Better than others from the same company, but not that good too. Slightly above average, I’d say.
Would i buy it?: I don’t think it was good enough to convince me. Moving on to other possibilities.
How i got it: Tried it while having supper at my cousin’s house
Experience: When you are eating at the table with your family, you can’t be too picky with your steeping times, hehe. So i tried to guess something like 3 mins, and try this tea. Aroma wise, it’s very light, and took me some effort to distinguish the tea scent, which was a mild, powered-down version of the classic Ceylon tea smell, with less fruity and more floral notes. In the taste side, that was the case too. Less caramel and crisp notes than usual, and more smooth, floral ones. I’d have liked a bit more intensity (maybe a couple seconds more could have helped), but this was a fairly good tea.
Would i buy it?: Maybe I’ll get a box someday to reevaluate
How i got it: My cousin brought a bag for me from his honeymoon in Dominican Republic
Experience: Seriously, this was a gratitude test. As for the aroma side, everything was ok: intense pineapple smell, with a bit of mango and a little bit of hibiscus, I think. Well, that last part was the difficult one: hot hibiscus taste. The same reason I run from tisanes is their acidity, and this one was quite tart. However, this was a gift, so…. It took me a bit of effort to finish this tisane, but the flavor became more benevolent as the cup began to get cold. I managed to taste some pineapple and peach behind the tartness, but not much more. I really am grateful for the gift, but to be honest, this tisane is out of my league.
Would i buy it?: I don’t think so
How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.
Experience: Last tea in the ‘Magic Fruits’ assorted pack. This one has an intense strawberry-candy aroma, with a hint of kiwi that appears from time to time. The tea is almost imperceptible in this respect. On the taste side, along with the sweetness of the strawberry scent, I can taste a fizzy sensation very similar to the one in the Mango & Pineapple tea I tried earlier, which is probably due to the kiwi. The scents are less dominant in the flavor side, so there’s a little more space for the tea to express itself. Mild intensity, relatively well balanced and good duration. I expected a bit more of this one, to be honest, but it retains the Basilur standard of quality anyway. Good.
Would i buy it?: There are some possibilities, but I’d give preference to other teas in the pack.
How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.
Experience: Well, let’s go back to Basilur now. This is the third of four teas in the “Magic Fruits” pack. To my surprise, its aroma turned out to be simply delightful. This is one of the best mixes of scents I’ve tried: very natural and well balanced, although it has very little presence of the tea. Its flavor is very enjoyable too, with a sip that begins with a soft mango taste that grows up to be mildly intense and ends with the pineapple, which leaves a curious fizzy sensation in the mouth. The tea is more present at the end of the sip too. An unusual blend, maybe the flavors are a bit overwhelming… but good nonetheless.
Would i buy it?: Actually, I’d have to think about this one with a couple cups more to give an answer.
How i got it: Tried it last night while having supper with my cousin’s family
Experience: Cool! We now have an Adagio shop in Santiago, so this opens a new world of possibilites about tea. Well, i have a well supplied cupboard, so i only joined the trip there to guide, hehe. Anyway, i got invited to try this one. Coconut, ginger and an unknown herbal/spiced scent are the main players in the aroma side, while this resonates in the taste, too. The coconut and ginger mix is enjoyable (spiciness included), and their flavors were very natural, but they were a bit overpowering, so the tea got the background and was almost imperceptible. Reminded me of Stash’s Cononut Mango, but this time serious ginger-y. Medium intensity, good duration, relaxing blend. Very good start in my experiences with Adagio, I’d say.
Would i buy it?: It could be a nice addition to mix things up a bit
How i got it: A gift from my mother
Experience: This tea has a mild to intense aroma, with notes of orange, cinnamon, vanilla and almonds (at least, these are the scents I can recognize, because there are a few more in the blend). On the other hand, its taste reminds me to Milagritos’ Winter Carousel. The tea flavor is very hidden, due to the strength of the other scents present, mainly the orange (points for being very natural in this one) and the almond ones. To be honest, I didn’t like the resulting taste that much, but it doesn’t get to be bad either. I’ll say average.
Would i buy it?: I don’t think so. As always, better teas out there to try
How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.
Experience: Second tea of four of the “Magic Fruits” pack. This one has a smooth berries aroma, almost creamy, with the tea on the background. Never had rosehip before, so I couldn’t identify it in the mix; probably it blends very well with the raspberry. On the other side, its taste reminded me almost immediately of La Teteria’s Berries Silvestres; the berries taking the main role over the tea. Very well-defined flavor, mild to strong intensity and good duration. As usual, nice job from Basilur.
Would i buy it?: Good possibilities
How i got it: Got a bag in a trade with my sister, long time ago.
Experience: Well, it’s my turn to try some teas of the “Magic Fruits” collection from Basilur. I got one bag of each type included in the pack, so i’m starting with L&L. As always, Basilur presents a well-balanced mix between the Ceylon tea’s and the scents’ aromas. In the flavor part, the lemon notes are more dominant, but not to the point to be overwhelming; the first sips seemed to me to carry some mint, slightly herbal notes (which makes sense now i see the ingredients, hehe), while at the end of each one there’s a hint of lemon caramel, very much to the style of Twinings’ Lady Grey, but a bit more natural, maybe following Basilur’s Kandy in that sense. Very good, overall.
Would i buy it?: Has good possibilites for a flavoured tea
How i got it: Tried it first and got a bag from my wife’s parents’ house, some months ago.
Experience: Maybe latin-american teas have a characteristic aroma, because at this point I think I can distinguish well between a Ceylon tea and one from Te Supremo. I don’t know how to describe it, but it appears to be like a derivation from Ceylon, with less fruity notes and complexity. Same occurs with the taste, which in this case is very, very simple, almost without nuances, but still gets to be nice. Medium intensity, acceptable duration. Maybe the baseline for what could be a everyday black. Slightly above average.
Would i buy it?: I don’t think so, except in the case of hurry.
