53 Tasting Notes

61
drank Pu Erh Poe by Adagio Teas
53 tasting notes

One of the reviewers said that this was like a beginner’s pu erh for people who can’t take the real thing, or some such. Yeesh- that makes me a tad nervous.

So, I leaned into my cup nose first, and – ooo hoo! Mushrooms? No- hay or straw.

An old bog.

The wet guinea pig cage from Mr. Padva’s 3rd grade classroom.

This stuff is dark as coffee in the cup. On the spoon, its a pretty, darkish/reddish liquid. Not nasty tasting, as I feared. It’s almost like when you taste limburger and are pleasantly surprised- although this is nowhere as strong or off-putting as limburger. It’s got a strong flavor that is unsweet in the manner of unsweetened cocoa. I don’t really want to say bitter, though.

I may one day try it sweetened, though that would seem to defeat the purpose of pu erh- it’s supposed to taste like…this (my tea vocabulary is lacking). Until I get accustomed to it, I won’t add anything.

I can definitely come to appreciate THIS pu erh – but it’ll take a few brewings.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
SimpliciTEA

“The wet guinea pig cage from Mr. Padva’s 3rd grade classroom.” How funny!

K S

I just read this review. I laughed out loud. Good stuff! Go ahead and add the sweetener. I do and it works well.

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95
drank Thai Chai by Adagio Teas
53 tasting notes

I am not the world’s biggest chai fan, but I have had a memorable restaurant-chai experience that I’ve longed to recreate at home. Before I knew anything about loose leaf teas I was doing the “dusty teabag” + milk thing and thinking that was as good as it could get. Now that I’ve joined the realm of loose leaf tea drinkers, I’m excited about the higher quality chais I can try- maybe I’ll even like the stuff better.

This chai has a flavor profile I really like. I’m not into the clove/cinnamon/nutmeg and “heavy” flavors that masala-type chais have. This spicy combo leans too much into cinnamon for me, but is still set off nicely by the coconut, ginger, lemongrass and cardamon. The lemongrass and coconut are my favorites (I must say that lemongrass seems an odd pairing with cinnamon, but I can live with it).

After being hit full force by the cinnamon, I detected the lemongrass. Coconut comes in somewhere in the background. Yum! Oh- and you can forget the photograph showing a large slice of coconut. The coconut is of the grated variety (if you want large coconut pieces, try the Caribbean Calypso by Teavana).

I added unsweetened vanilla almond milk (why not?) post-steeping and found that while I liked the flavor, it cut the sweetness a little too much. I put in a few pebbles of rock sugar and – hey, now! Now I’m really enjoying this!

I got down to the bottom of the cup, and you know those little floaters that alway escape the infuser? I almost wanted to chew them, because they made that last bit of tea extra-delicious! Maybe they could be added into some moist, delicious muffin batter.

Anyhoo, I look forward to my next Thai Chai with vanilla almond milk & rock sugar (or honey) experience.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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62

Funny, the “chocolate notes” in this tea were more enjoyable to me than the Chocolate tea from Adagio (that I only gave 15 points). Adagio recommends 2-3 pearls per cup so I tried 3. I could have used 2 and would have been perfectly happy with the flavor, which I would describe as “medium” as opposed to a weak or strong flavor. I tried it without sweetener and with, and think I could comfortably drink it either way.

Watching the pearls unfurl into a seaweed-looking mass of dark brown leaves was kinda fun- so much so that I forgot to take them out. This tea’s earthy flavor doesn’t need to be strong for me to enjoy it. Next time I’ll use 2 pearls and take the leaves out earlier.

UPDATE: I’ve discovered this to be the perfect work tea. I get involved in my work at times and have, a couple of times, steeped this tea longer than I intended to. I’ve discovered that no bitterness is caused by this.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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15

Glad I got only the sampler size. I was all excited because I like the honeybush vanilla tea I have from Teavana. I’ve since learned that HV from Teavana isn’t rooibos- just a close relative. Rooibos Tropics doesn’t even smell that good to me- it reminds me of a chemical used to make a bad aroma smell better. I tried it and did not enjoy the flavor at all. I could tell it was supposed to be tropical, but I didn’t get a clean, clear taste of tropical elements. It’s a muddier mix overpowered by that chemical aroma.

I think I will save this tea to mix with others.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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15
drank Chocolate by Adagio Teas
53 tasting notes

Oh, I so wanted to like this tea. I’ve seen the verbal swooning of other chocolate tea drinkers and figured I’d try a sample size. I took it to work today to try for the first time.

My first impression was of the aroma- definitely cocoa-y more than chocolaty to my nose. Not a bad thing, but I wasn’t sure I liked this chocolate tea idea – perhaps because unsweetened chocolate does not appeal to me. I figured I’d try some half-and-half and was really excited about that! Well, a teaspoon probably would have been enough for my cup but I guess I forgot this was tea. So now I had a cup of light brown, slightly cocoa-tasting milk. How to save it? Agave nectar! Oh, no, that was not the right choice. Lord, what a nightmare I created.

I tossed it out.

It’s a .08 oz bag, folks. Any suggestions for me are greatly appreciated.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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100

I purchased the Dragonwell when I began to build up my “straight teas” collection. Boy, am I glad I chose this! I love multiple infusion teas for my work days, and this is one that lasted all day- about 8 infusions. It’s got a smooth mellowness that I can drink with or without honey (or rock sugar)- a slightly “green,” calming flavor. I loved that the liquid was free of the floating pieces that my herbal teas produce; everything in the cup settled prettily at the bottom, reminding me of the pebbles and plants visible through clean, clear river water. During my recent cold, I added a little ginger tea and found the pairing wonderful. A soothing beverage for sure.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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62
drank Masala Chai by Tealuxe
53 tasting notes

This is strong stuff! The aroma of cloves is sharp (and cloves are not my favorite spice). I’ve had cheap grocery store chais in the past and a couple of times in Indian restaurants, so I am by no means experienced.

I first tasted this “black” and found it a bit too strong tasting. Drinking it in the traditional manner, sweetened and with milk, makes this a less sharp and more mellow, delicious treat for an evening or weekend.

Sometimes I am in the mood for a sharply flavored tea that wakes me up- this would definitely be a morning wake-up tea for me, either “black” or with milk.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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94

This tea is a guilty pleasure. It’s hard to see it as a “serious” tea because it’s like drinking candy. I imagine the sugar rotting my teeth, but I love every sample I get. The two main reasons I haven’t bought it (yet?) is because 1) it’s outrageously priced, in my opinion. They charge the full price for each of the two teas they’ve blended. Wouldn’t it make more sense to charge half the price of each? 2) I want to limit the sugary teas I drink and 3) I figure I can make a comparable blend myself more cheaply than Teavana sells it for. For now, I save this treat for weekends. By the way, I never make the whole package at once. I use 1-2 tsps at a time.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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90
drank Fruta Bomba by Teavana
53 tasting notes

Although I’m in the southwest, it’s winter and the air can get pretty chilly. In addition, I work in an overly-cooled office environment, so I’ve had plenty of weeks to enjoy all-day hot tea marathons. Teavana’s Fruta Bomba, however, disappointed me as a hot tea. The flavor isn’t bad, but it didn’t wow me. Despite some sweetness, it is tarty, with a flowery/berry flavor and aroma. I find that it gives up most of its flavor in the first infusion. A third infusion just doesn’t work. But iced, this is one of the best teas I’ve had! I will most definitely be stocking up on this for those 100F+ days we have down here.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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90

I like to drink tea at my desk at work, where I am a captive to the computer and telephone. A good tea is a blessed escape. I had mixed feelings about this tea when I first tried it at home- particularly upon observing an oily sheen on the surface of the water. I am trying to move away from the fruity, sweetened teas and wasn’t impressed at what I was seeing. Yet, I grew to love this blend of slightly sweet, tropical flavors and the wonderful aroma that reminds me of a sunny beach. The linchpin was when I took it to work and was able to get about 8 infusions from one tea ball – hours of pleasure that helped me transcend Cubicle City for a few magical hours. That was a memorable day, and for that reason I have just ordered 4 more ounces.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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Uselessly overeducated, bored travel agent for whom teas are a blessed escape. I switched to tea after a lifetime of Pepsi addiction and haven’t looked back.

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