151 Tasting Notes

60

Who knows what’s in Adagio’s teas?
I do love the flavor of orange! But I almost didn’t taste this because I read the ingredients on the sample packet I received last week: “rooibos tea, orange, natural orange flavor.” I dislike rooibos immensely. Then I looked at their website and there was no mention of rooibos: “Ingredients: Blended With Orange, Hibiscus, Rose Hips, Rose Hips & Natural Orange Flavor.” Suddenly hibiscus appears along with rose hips (twice if you don’t expect an Oxford comma, otherwise rose hip flavor too). Since I do like hibiscus and rose hips, I opened the packet and did not see any rooibos among the 3g of contents. So I steeped up a cup, according to directions. Smelled good, and the infusion started out blue, then became deep purple after 10 min of steeping. Tasted bitter and only slightly orange, with no hint of rose hip other than bitterness. Added sugar helped, but it needed more orange IMO. Thankfully, there was no rooibos. It seems to have been a misprint on the packet. I note that Adagio offers three types of blood orange product, one especially for iced tea, and one with “spice” added to the name, and this was neither of those— just plain Blood Orange. I’ll give it a 60 rating because it was not balanced to my taste, but recommend it to those who love hibiscus and rose hip.

Flavors: Bitter, Blood Orange, Hibiscus

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 3 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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75

Received a loose-leaf sample of this last week from Adagio. Appearance, taste and fragrance indistinguishable from “Jasmine Dragon Pearls” sold by Tealyra. Plenty of reviews on the Adagio product here to inform you, and I rate it a 75 (just like the Tealyra product).

My major complaint is Adagios inadequate labeling on the packaged tea— specifically the ingredient listing. I have uploaded a photo of the foil packet, which lists “ Ingredients: jasmine phoenix pearls”. That is not a legal ingredient list! Green tea is not included as an ingredient! Jasmine is not present, only the infused floral volatiles. Phoenix is a mythological creature, not an ingredient! Pearls are a marine product, and are not in this blend. Ingredient lists should be technically precise, complete, and accurate! People depend on this information, and I do believe it is a legal requirement. Adagio could be more accurate here. What they are showing on their product is IMO insufficient.. The website lists green tea as the only ingredient, which is incomplete because the jasmine volatiles are not shown. And I question whether the website is the proper place for the ingredient list.

My secondary complaint is the photograph on Adagios website which shows the pearls, along with what appears to be dried jasmine flowers or petals. There were no jasmine flowers or petals either mixed with or inside the pearls of my sample. I have attached a photograph of my steeped leaves, clearly showing their size, beautiful green color, and the absence of any jasmine petals. While it conveys the concept of a floral component, the photograph on their website could be misleading.

Preparation
1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

I think it’s a bit of a special case because the tea is scented with jasmine, which is different from jasmine flavor or oil being added. On their website they don’t bother to list ingredients at all, probably because it’s considered to be an unflavored tea.

There appear to be jasmine petals in the photo, so I would think they would at least list that? In any case it would be clearer to say “jasmine-scented green tea” or something.

TeaEarleGreyHot

Cameron, after posting my review I noticed those apparent petals in the photo, and examined my steeped leaves closely, and found absolutely no jasmine petals present. I have further edited my review now to include that information, and uploaded a picture of my spent leaves. I agree that it is a bit of a gray area on how to describe a volatile infusion, however, I think there is a proper way to do it.

Roswell Strange

Chiming in to say that from a regulatory standpoint “green tea” is correct ingredient labelling because the petals (or essential oils) of the flowers themselves are not physically present in the blend. Scenting is a processing step that impacts the taste of a tea, sort of like how roasting impacts the taste of a product but is not adding an ingredient either. It’s definitely better to list as “jasmine scented green tea” or, in the case of roasting, “roasted green tea” but to simply declare as “green tea” is just as compliant.

The petals in the photography are interesting to me because they fall into a more grey area. Bare in mind I’m certainly looking at this from a biased lens given my position within the industry, but a lot of people aren’t very capable of looking at pure tea leaves and picturing a flavour to go along with them – so, at least to me, the photo reads more as “set dressing”.

Like if the name of the blend was “Yunnan Berry Bliss” and I saw a photo of a bunch of black tea with fresh sliced strawberries around then I think it would be a reasonable assumption to assume that the company was trying to evoke the tea has a strawberry note and I wouldn’t be buying a tea with unprocessed strawberry in it. The grey area here is that flower petals are a fairly common ingredient in tea blends (processed or not) but also can just be a tasting note. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t always have the warm and fuzzies towards Adagio – but I genuinely don’t think the intent here was to be bad/deceptive. Just to paint a better flavour picture for the average consumer (of which most of us on Steepster are not).

Honestly, the fact there was even an ingredients list on the packaging for a straight/traditional tea is more than you’d get from most tea companies. Truly, the amount of straight up non-compliant tea products I see from companies in North America from both an ingredient/nutritional declaration perspective is STAGGERING

TeaEarleGreyHot

Thank you for your feedback and insights, Cameron and Ros! I have softened my wording accordingly in the review note.

TeaEarleGreyHot

Interestingly, as I explore the Adagio site, I noticed that the page for these jasmine phoenix pearls uses “dragon_pearl” in its URL. I surmise that Adagio has re-named the product, possibly to obscure their supplier and comparisons of this tea with the identical product supplied to other retailers:
https://www.adagio.com/green/dragon_pearl.html

Furthermore, Adagio sells another product “Jasmine Pearls” in pyramid sachets:
https://www.adagio.com/teabags/jasmine_pearls.html
and on that page, reader Rachel asked how they differed from the dragon/phoenix pearls. The Adagio reply was “They are the same tea, different packaging.” and actually gave a link to the phoenix pearls page! And yet, the two teas have different photos: one with visible jasmine petals and the other without petals! This kind of sloppiness in documentation really aggravates me, as I am a scientist who has worked in a food chemistry laboratory!

Finally, of possible interest to Steepster user ashmanra, I see that Adagio offers, under their “Masters” section, yet another grade of jasmine pearls called “yin hao long zhu”, said to contain more buds and to have a more delicate flavor in a paler yellow liquor. I have not tried it yet.
https://www.mastersteas.com/teas/yin-hao-long-zhu.html

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50

I was so happy to receive this Rwandan tea last week because a former coworker is from Rwanda, and told of life there and the coffee farm they came from. The dry loose-leaf tea leaf consisted of 1-cm threads, as in the photo, and had a mild aroma. I steeped as directed, and obtained a translucent brown liquor. Nothing really stood out in the flavor or fragrance. Inoffensive but unimpressive, and the initial infusion tasted more like the 3rd infusion of generic grocery store black tea. Similar to Lipton tea bags, but less brisk, less aromatic, less malty, less enjoyable. The tea is now listed as being discontinued on Tealyra’s website and I doubt it will be missed as much as I’ll miss the $5 I spent on it. Not recommended, and I’ll rate it at 50.

Flavors: Tea

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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40

First of all, this tea is badly named. It is NOT a post-fermented heicha dark tea such as Liubao (as distinct from Pu’erh) bearing tiny “golden flowers” of the fermentation microbe (Aspergillus cristatus, formerly Eurotium cristatum) that many might expect, especially if exploring probiotic teas. Adagio should re-name it. That said, I did read reviews here and knew to expect an oolong before ordering.
Sadly, I must concur with reviewer amandastory516’s evaluation. My sample pack (received a few days ago) tasted of old, stale green tea that had lost 95% of its character. There was some promising aroma during the steep (per Adagio’s directions) and a nice green color, but the taste from the first infusion was okay, if weak and devoid of the many flavors promised. The second infusion had a slight bitterness and cardboard flavor that would have been terrible except for being so washed out. I did not attempt further infusions, would not recommend, and will not buy again this product. I’ll rate it a 40, not even as satisfying as the generic Té negro teabags I bought at a supermarket in Mexico.

Flavors: Cardboard

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Roswell Strange

I haven’t looked up any information about this tea to check if this is could reasonably be the case, but my assumption is the name is meant to be a reference to “Golden Lily” which is the English translation of Jin Shuan. I agree the similarity to the term used with dark tea/heicha is confusing though.

TeaEarleGreyHot

I think you’re right, Ros! They would have been wiser to call it “Golden Lilly” and been less effusive in their praise.

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75

Newly received from Tealyra, I brewed a teaspoon of the green tea jasmine-scented pearls grandpa style in 8 oz boiling water. I began sipping after a minute or so of steeping. As the pearls unfurled, beautiful large leaves and buds swirled in my cup, amidst a clear golden-green liquor, and the powerful jasmine scent filled my nose. I loved the authentic jasmine fragrance, and it took me back to my childhood play amongst the jasmine hedge we had in California. I relaxed and took my time sipping the tea, allowing the floral notes to waft in my face and fill my sinuses. The base green tea was enjoyable too, but very mild and I found it difficult to call out any specific flavor notes, so distracting was the jasmine as to render the infusion pretty one-dimensional. Only in the finish could I appreciate the sweet vegetal tea notes. Not sure at all what type of green tea was used as base, but it wasn’t a small-leaf variety, nor long jing. I suppose the nuances of specialized leaf would have been overwhelmed by the jasmine, or potentially overpowered the jasmine! I recommend for jasmine lovers, and give a rating of 75.

Flavors: Jasmine, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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90

Jammy, malty, sweet and aromatic, my experience with Adagios Irish Breakfast blend was delightful! I brewed the full sample pouch just as directed, in 10 oz boiling water for 2 min. Because the leaf was pretty finely chopped (2-3 mm bits), it brewed up fast, but surprisingly free of tannin or astringency! Adagio hit a home run with this one, which I’ll rate as 90 and definitely recommend and buy again.

Flavors: Jam, Malty, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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65

Just received this sampler pouch. Brewed as directed, in 10 oz boiling water for 2-1/2 min. Loved the orange and bergamot aroma of the dry leaf, which was pretty finely chopped (2-3 mm) except for a 1 cm square chunk of orange peel. While brewing (only one steeping) the pungency of the aroma was pronounced, and the resulting liquor was a bit on the strong side, both with regard to the tea component (good) and the bergamot flavoring (too strong). Overall I felt the tea could have used more— and fresher— orange, and less bergamot, which had a harsh chemical note to it. I detected astringency, too, which is expected, but I was surprised by the numbing sensation on my tongue! The Ceylon tea component was either overwhelmed by bergamot flavoring, or nondescript to my buds. If I try this again, I would reduce the leaf amount and reduce the steep to 60-90 sec. I can’t recommend nor condemn this product. Will rate it as 65.

Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Chemical

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
Cameron B.

I was always confused by this tea, since it has orange peel but then is actually just a plain EG with no orange flavor? I expected it to be more like a Lady Grey I guess, but seems the orange peel is mostly for aesthetic purposes.

TeaEarleGreyHot

Totally agree with you, Cameron! Even Bigelow’s Constant Comment has more presence of orange! And yeah, speaking of aesthetic, what are the blue cornflowers all about, which seem to be in many of Adagios blends, offering nothing except a visual pop.

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86

I’ve enjoyed this tea now and then over the years, and this particular pouch is of the 2016 harvest, so it’s long in the tooth, so to speak. But its flavor and aroma have been stable over the years, and I do like it. the leaves are large, twisted threads that expand in the cup gradually with each successive re-steep. Western style with a stainless infusion basket, I used about 3 g leaf in 8 oz boiling spring water for 30 sec on 1st, 90 sec on 2nd, and 3 min on 3rd infusion. Plenty of Assamica character (very smooth and non-astringent, with a woody stonefruit scent and taste and notes of minerality. Just slightly malty, no hints of cinnamon or camphor, but a great mouth-coating feel and nice lingering aftertaste. Pretty straightforward, Got two solid, tasty infusions, with notes of cardboard appearing in the third steeping, as the leaf petered out. I found it interesting to compare this Taiwan-grown tea to similar Assamicas and Ruby 18’s from Taiwan, and to teas actually grown in Assam, India. This product falls somewhere in between. I’ll rate it 86, and am sipping down my supply in earnest.

Flavors: Cardboard, Mineral, Stonefruit, Sweet, Woody

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 45 sec 3 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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99

I’m sipping this tea again today and enjoying its sweet floral and malty flavors immensely. Again western style, as before. But I cannot justify the 95 rating when it deserves a 99. So there it is, an excellent brew! Thank you @Song Tea & Ceramics!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec 3 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

Revisiting this Qimen, the same mylar pouch I bought during pandemic, from the back of my cupboard. Looking at my previous review, the score of 54 seems a bit harsh (since I’ve assigned regular Lipton “pekoe cut black” teabags a rating of 65). The tea has good flavor of fruit and malt, and nicely aromatic, but is indeed smooth and delicate as compared to plain Keemun which I still prefer. But there is a time for smooth and delicate flavors, and this delivers on that promise! Raising my rating to 70, with the caveat that it is on the expensive side of 70. The second steep was watery and with the previously mentioned notes of cardboard, so I won’t advise multiple infusions.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Life is too short to drink bad tea!
Pan-American: Left-coast reared (on Bigelow’s Constant Comment and Twinings’ Earl Grey) and right-coast educated, I’ve used this moniker & Email since the glory days of AOL in the 90’s, reflecting two of my lifelong loves—tea and ‘Trek.

Now a midwestern molecular biologist (right down to the stereotypical Hawaiian shirts), I’m finally broadening the scope of my sippage and getting into all sorts of Assamicas, from mainstream Assam CTCs to Taiwan blacks & TRES varietals, to varied Pu’erhs. With some other stuff tossed in for fun. Love reading other folks’ tasting notes (thank you), I’ve lurked here from time to time and am now adding a few notes of my own to better appreciate the experience. You can keep the rooibos LoL! Note that my sense of taste varies from the typical, for example I find stevia to be unsweet and bitter. My dislike of rooibos may be similarly rooted in genetics.

I am conversationally friendly but absolutely not here looking for dates or money. Nor to sell anything. If I’ve started to follow you, I don’t mean to be creepy, it only means you posted something I liked reading, or it was about an interesting tea or event. And I’ve recently discovered that the Steepster system only notifies me of new posts written by people I follow. If you follow me, I won’t assume anything. If I do not follow you, it isn’t a snub—you’re still a good human being!
_______________
Photo with Aromatic Bamboo Species Raw Pu-erh Tea “Xiang Zhu” by Yunnan Sourcing, which is most definitely aromatic!

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Chicagoland-USA

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