Adagio Teas - Discontinued

This was the best green tea I have ever had from Adagio! Light, a tad tart from the citrus, and not at all bitter.

I really enjoyed this one iced, though it was too much like hot cucumber water warm! It definitely tastes a bit like veggies and is mild and not overpowering at all. Not my favorite, but it was still interesting to try.

This is a very earthy tasting tea that is best prepared by longer than average steeping than is typical for white tea. Even still, it is not my favorite.

This was surprisingly mild, and sort of nutty and deep in flavor. It lasted several steeps, which I always love, and is a solid purchase, though nothing super special.

The coconut pairs really well with the oolong and provides a nice flavor where the coconut is noticeable but not overpowering.

This is a tasty basic oolong, like a lot of the other reviewers reported. It is smooth, a bit earthy, and generally good all around, but nothing special.

well, first steeping, following directions exactly was non-interesting. i may have been biased by the fact that the dry tea smells awful, super fake flavoring like. second steeping, i forgot about it, and it sat for about 10 minutes, and y’know what? it’s a little better. added a little honey, and it is even better! however, that doesn’t mean it is a hit or anything. i think i was expecting something more like vietnamese artichoke tea, made with actual artichoke plant parts (not “natural artichoke flavor”), which isn’t caffeine-y, so doesn’t actually have tea in it (i think). if they’d added actual artichoke bits to green tea, might have been better, possibly.

I received a small envelope of Adagio White Cucumber with an order, and my initial impression was rather negative. The dried tea smells like vinegar!

Fortunately, that unpleasant scent dissipates quickly as soon as hot water is poured over the leaves. The brewed tea is light and refreshing. The cucumber flavoring is unmistakable, and the base appears to be the standard white tea used by Adagio in most (all?) of its flavored white tea blends, from Fujian province in China.

Is white tea the new green? For a couple of years I was not really paying attention to the tea scene—just drinking sencha and sencha-style blends or else coffee—and there were some big changes during that period. One is the dominance of the silken sachet method of brewing; the other is the surprising emergence of a wide variety of white teas. I suppose that I could say Keurig, too, but I cannot imagine that very many tea connoisseurs are using that machine. (Why?)

I like this tea, but since I used it as a predominant component of one of my custom blends (hrh emperor oliver #2), I probably will not buy it separately. I am needless to say relieved that the strong vinegar scent of the dried tea does not affect my enjoyment of the brewed tea.

I steeped it with quick 20 secs steeps, while increasing the steeping time after each steep. I tried this with my glass teapot and also my purple clay teapot.

Verdict?
The leaves were pretty much chopped or like teabag mulch when I got it as a sample. Had a hard time cleaning afterwards…
As for the taste, it’s mildly toasty and a touch of something sweet, almost. But it’s pretty much your everyday oolong. Nothing special. Good in bulk.

I compared it to Teahaus farmosa oolongs, and this was much more flavorful than Teahaus’.

I don’t think I’ve ever logged this one but tonight I just want something… different.. I will admit that I hate the aroma of the dry leaf. It smells like vinegar. Very off putting.. But good news is that the vinegar aroma disappears after it’s brewed. The flavor is nice. The cucumber is very natural tasting and it blends well with the sweetness of the white tea. There is a nice vegetal note. It’s quite relaxing, actually.

Tea #2 from Another Traveling Tea Box

I was surprised by how good the dry leaf looked. There were a mixture of large, broad leaves and long needles. The smell was pleasant, though not identifiable. After steeping, the tea smelled and tasted like a mild cucumber water. The tea base was quite smooth, but not that flavorful. The second steep was completely flavorless.

I would love to sample more cucumber white teas, but I don’t feel the need to try this one again.

Tried this one tonight, because I’d had it in blends but I’d never had it straight before. … but I sweetened it with swedish fish, just for fun. Because why not?

I think I would enjoy a guanabana lingonberry blend.

It’s not fantastic or anything, but I’m still kinda sad that adagio is discontinuing this one. (Now what are we supposed to use in blends as a shorthand for “quirky”? =P)

SIpdown from the traveling tea box I was a part of a few months back…and apparently I’m not really feeling it today. Oh well, its gone now!

Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box

When I saw this in the traveling tea box, I had to try it! Artichoke? So weird!

I’m not sure if this suffered from tea box contamination, but I’m getting some citrus flavor from it. Also butter greens, but no distinct vegetable or artichoke flavor is detectable. Pretty tasty, but probably not how it is really supposed to taste? Some other reviewers of this tea did mention a vinegary or meyer lemony taste, so MAYBE its really supposed to taste this way. Anyway, I like it! It is weird :)

Got this because I wanted to try more oolongs. Most unflavoured oolongs smell like plants to me. It tastes kinda woodsy. Very mellow.

My taste buds are still being weird, so I think I need to try some more.

Backlogging
Thanks to KallieBoo for this tea in our mystery swap!
However, this tea is not for me, I found it very tasteless and just plain bland. Sorry tea

Dry: Smells wonderful, like kale or spinach fresh from the garden. Looks like garden variety Shincha, but a little greener.

Steeped: Nice light green color. Tastes a little like the sprouts Jimmy Johns used to use mixed with flowers.

HH teabox…. I think Adagio’s black base could work with any flavor. This is no exception, though I’m not really sure what toasted sesame should taste like (a sesame seed bud?) It does have a hint of toasted, nutty flavor. I seem to love many other Adagio flavors more though. There will be some left in the teabox!

Taste like black tea.

number 40: The last tea from “Another travelling tea box.”

I may have done a dumb thing by prioritizing my tastings. I’m left with a weird-sounding cucumber tea as the last tea I taste. The funky smell of the dry leaves doesn’t help. Oh well, here goes nothing.

The smell is basic dry tea, but toasty. The taste is a bit strange, probably the cucumber. The taste is clean, with a good finish. No hint of the unappealing dry tea smell. There is certainly nothing wrong with this tea, but it doesn’t really appeal to me. Part of this may be psychological, but mostly I am mentally comparing this to the many Bai Mu Dan teas I drink regularly, and for the same price they are a lot more interesting.