17 Tasting Notes

77

I’ve really enjoyed this tea. This is my 5th cup. It’s a subtle tea, as most whites are. The ginger is very faint and comes out with the finish. I wouldn’t say there is citrus, s the description suggests. Just white tea with a hint of ginger. I could even go for more ginger. If you tend to shy away from ginger infused teas, this may be a good starting point. I suspect this would be nice iced, as well.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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86

This is a good tea. No doubt about that. I have yet to drink many different oolongs, so I will withhold any judgements.

I do get the smokiness, but I don’t get the peach described in Adagio’s tasting notes. As others have mentioned, the flavor becomes much more apparent after a longer steep. I drank it at 5, 6 and 7 minutes. 6 seemed to bring out the flavor where 7 was too long.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 6 min, 0 sec
wambli

so you steeped from very beginning 5min? 6min, 7min. none before than?

Kyle Hildebrant

I drank it at 5, 6 and 7. I have yet to drink it earlier. Is that what you’d suggest?

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95

This is really damn good.

I have to admit, I haven’t had many chais, but I really do enjoy this. The cardamon is the dominent note. The fragrance and taste are very classic chai.

If you’ve ever wanted to summon the spirit of Christmas in 8 minutes flat, brew yourself a pot of this. It’s the perfect wintery bliss.

I will be ordering more of this from Adagio. I’ll also be ordering a few other brands and blends for comparison.

As with most chai, this is good with milk or cream and a bit of sweetener. My preference is 4 parts chai, 1 part soy milk, and a tblsp of agave nectar. A common way to drink chai is half and half, chai to milk.

I think this benefits from a longer steep time. I tried it at 5, 6, 7 and 8 minute steeps. The latter was my preference.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 8 min or more

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77

This tea would probably benefit from a shorter steeping time; say, 3 to 4 minutes max. That said, here is my review, at 5:00, as suggested by Adagio.

The nose is classic earl gray. A sharp black tea with a singular bergamot note. The nose is delightful, and just begs you to brew it. It’s one of those teas you stick your nose in, inhale deeply, smile, then go for another, as-deep-as-possible breath. The electric-blue bergamot flowers a visual delight; like miniature blue fire flies in an inky black well.

The taste: It’s classic earl grey. It’s a bit lacking in the bergamot that I so thoroughly enjoy about earl greys. A favorite earl grey of mine is Mariage Frères Earl Grey Imperial. I’m using this as a baseline of comparison. To me, an earl grey should have that little touch of smokiness. Just a hint. Like a man smoking a pipe in the other room. I don’t find that here.

The tea is good. It’s not great. To me, it’s a bit flat—a little too two dimensional. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I can’t say I’m in love.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Clintus

I feel the same way.

Kyle Hildebrant

Do you have a favorite Earl Gray? The best I’ve had so far is from MF.

Jasonde

How does this Earl Grey compare to say David’s Teas Earl Grey?

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81

I really enjoy this tea. So much so that I purchased a pound of it. It is a regular, late-night-no-caffeine go-to for me. It won’t blow your mind, but it is refreshing. The taste is chamomile up front, then the citrus hits you and stays there to the finish. Others have said the citrus was a touch medicinal tasting, but I dont get that. A all-around, nice tea.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 min, 0 sec
David Bickford

Completely agree about this tea. I buy it in sachets via Amazon Subscribe & Save. The citrus mellows the grassy chamomile taste without diminishing its relaxing properties.

Kyle Hildebrant

Your right, it does cut through the grassiness you often get with chamomile. This may be a good intro to chamomile for those who have been turned off before.

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80

This is a pretty solid tea. More straight-forward black, and a little less Darjeeling. It has a very round taste, with a very-slight sweet finish. A good tea; nothing mind blowing, but certainly enjoyable.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Kyle Hildebrant

FTGFOP Definition:

FTGF OP – Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – Highest quality grade. Often hand processed and produced at only the best plantations. Roughly one quarter tips.

More on that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_pekoe

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