113/365
It’s been years since I tried this one! My last sample was tea bags from the Christmas sampler, and I judging by my rating (50) I didn’t like them all that much. I think that might partly be an “in comparison to the other teas in the sampler” rating, though, because there were some good ones! I can remember Chestnut in all its glorious goodness even now! This time, I have a loose tea sample of this one which came as a freebie with my last order. I’m happy to have the chance to give it another go.
Dry, the scent is hopelessly artificial and slightly on the bitter side. It doesn’t fill me with optimism. Brewed, though, it’s quite a different story. The immediate problem is the black tea base, which is a bit obtrusive. Adagio’s base never was their strong point, though, so I feel like I can set that aside. More so since the candy apple flavour makes it all worthwhile. It tastes, to me, exactly like those sugary red fairground confections – very sweet, with just a hint of caramel, and an undertone of apple. If I’m going to be picky, I’d say the apple perhaps isn’t quite enough of a contrast – I’d really like it to be stronger and a little sharper. It’s definitely a floral/floury red apple kind of flavour, though, which I like in this context. It works well with the general level of sweetness.
I’m going to increase my rating of this one a little, because 50 is a fairly indifferent score for me and I do actually like this one. I’d not go out of my way to keep it around all the time, but it’ll be a nice addition to my cupboard for a while.
I’ve found dropping the temperature for the Adagio black bases (to 190F or so) makes them much more tolerable.