735 Tasting Notes

91
drank Earl Grey Moonlight by Adagio Teas
735 tasting notes

This was our nightly pot of tea tonight. As I’ve said before, this is a strong tea and it gets bitter fast, but it’s creamy too. It kind of makes me wish for a pure vanilla black tea, though, as much as I love Earl grey…

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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86
drank Candy Apple by Adagio Teas
735 tasting notes

Yes! Of all the free holiday samples they could have given me, this was the one I wanted the most. I love apple flavor in all its incarnations.

Now, I like the packaging, but who decided to make the steeping instructions darker red on a red background? I can barely read it. And the pyramid bag is convenient, but no string? I had to pick it up out of the water by a corner, which was probably not very safe. I guess they assume I have a spoon.

Anyway, this is a pretty good candy apple tea. Like others have said, I don’t taste the cinnamon at all, just apple and caramel. Which is fine, I like it. It’s like a step up from Tazo’s Organic Apple Red, which I know is a rooibos, but they taste almost identical. My only complaint is that the caramel apple flavor could be a little stronger. I find that after 5 minutes, which is what’s recommended, the ceylon gets a bit overwhelming. But if I had a chance, I would definitely sample this again.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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89
drank Mango by Adagio Teas
735 tasting notes

Mango! An old favorite. It was my first loose leaf black tea. I always get a little of this when I make an order with Adagio. However, it’s been since 2009 since I’ve had it, and that was before the big tin/pouch switchover. I just recently made my first order with the pouches, and though they’re not as aesthetically pleasing, I feel like all the teas I’ve received are a lot more fresh. Plus, they seem to smell much stronger.

I disagree with the recommended steep time, and would go with 4 minutes instead of 3. Then again, I like my black tea to have a bitter kick sometimes. Plus, the fruit flavor brightens up a bit, too.

Now, when I say fruit, I mean indistinguishable citrus. This doesn’t taste much like real mango, but it’s close. It tastes “orange” for lack of a better word. But then again, this seems to taste much better than it used to back in 2006 in my grandparents’ kitchen. Either my preparation has gotten much better, or Adagio has improved this blend.

I wonder if they’ve improved their vanilla… Maybe used the vanilla from Earl Grey Moonlight… Nah, that’s probably wishful thinking. Also, this tea reminds me a lot of flavored hookah smoke.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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84

This is my first darjeeling from Adagio, and I have to say, I think Arbor Teas spoiled me. In comparison, this is a good tea. It gets the job done, and it’s very fresh-tasting and smooth, but the muscatel flavor is a little weaker than what I’m used to. It’s not as sharp and “green” tasting than what I tend to like with my darjeelings. There’s something in the aftertaste that’s supposed to remind me of white tea, and I’m not tasting it.

Still, this is not a bad tea by any means. I’ve just had better. I will certainly enjoy the rest of the sample, and I’ll be giving it a longer steep time as well.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 45 sec

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90

My previous experiences with white tea have been few and far between, and not particularly exciting. It’s not that I dislike white tea, I just like a less subtle tea experience most of the time.

Anyway, this tea is beautiful to look at. The leaves are very complete, dark green with silver, and fuzzy. They smell a little on the sweet side, and fresh. Previously, I’ve gotten all sorts of weird aftertastes with white teas, particularly Adagio’s. This just tastes delicious. I guess this is what white tea is supposed to taste like! It reminds me of spring, of being out in the grass and sunlight. There is a hint of vegetal green tea flavor, but I like it.

I don’t know if this was just a Georgia thing, but when I was a kid, there was this sort of wild grass that if you pulled the longest piece, there would be a tip on the blunt end that was white and edible. It tasted just like this.

This is what a satisfying white tea is like. Now I think I understand. I’ve just had bad white teas in the past!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 45 sec
Kashyap

like the Georgian correlation….

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98

Finished off my sample of this today. I made it for my commute cup of tea, and then again when I got home. I’m sad to see it go, but not too sad, because I know I’ll be ordering more. And I’ll also be ordering Teavivre’s keemun and bai lin gong fu as well, because after sampling, I’m addicted.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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91
drank Earl Grey Moonlight by Adagio Teas
735 tasting notes

I also made an order at Adagio that arrived today. First one in almost three years. As I usually do, I opened each package just to sniff. It’s a sort of silly but fun ritual I have whenever I get new tea. I have to smell it, to get a feel for what it’s going to be like.

The scent of this tea made my friend and brother both grin and agree that we should try it first. It was a potent, incredibly strong Earl Grey bergamot smell, topped with rich, creamy vanilla. Like buttercream frosting. It promised to be something refined and dessert-like.

In their words, it tastes like Fruity Pebbles if Fruity Pebbles was a tea. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but I felt it was worth mentioning. This is a gorgeous balance of flavors. The vanilla lingers longest in the aftertaste in delicious harmony with the bergamot as it fades. It really does taste like the top of a cupcake, but with a strong black tea base. It’s lemony and powerful and I think it will make a great comfort tea to take with me on the way to work when it’s cold. Waking up and sipping this would definitely improve my mornings.

I had wandered away from Adagio, but I find that old loyalty is coming back.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 45 sec
mokutou

I had to laugh when i read about your new tea ritual. I do the same, and it’s a little like Christmas to stop and smell all of the new goodness!

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98

After my experience with Teavivre’s Yun Nan Dian Hong golden tips, I couldn’t wait to give this a try. The leaves were longer and darker than their other yunnan, and the tea brewed to a darker amber/brown. The scent is all around stronger, still fruity, but more robust and sweet.

I think this is what I’ll be ordering next time. While I love how smooth and pure the golden tips are, this stronger, heartier tea is what I was looking for. It’s dark and gorgeous and complex without being bitter or smoky. Something I could wake up to on a daily basis. Hello, new favorite black tea.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec
Kashyap

I liked this one as well…and I generally love Golden Yunnan and teas from that region…but the one I was most impressed with from Teavivre was the B. gongfu

Tabby

Yes, that bailin gongfu was AMAZING. I am definitely going to purchase it. It was so satisfying and chocolately!

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91
drank Coconut Cream Pie by 52teas
735 tasting notes

I forgot I still had this sample laying around! I got it in a trade about a year ago.

Made the whole baggie in a pot, but unfortunately this leaves weren’t stored in a tin. The tea that resulted was a little weak, but still tasted deliciously like coconut. I miss this tea… one day I’ll make an order at 52 Teas. They’ve always been intriguing to me and spot-on when it comes to flavored teas.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
TeaBrat

do you normally transfer all of your bagged teas into tins? I wonder if I should start doing that…

Tabby

I do if I have any empty ones lying around. It really does keep them fresher than plastic bags. I dunno about the foil ones, though. They could be better.

ScottTeaMan

if I have a heavy ziploc bag (not clear), say the one the tea came in, I normally do not transfer to a tin. I find that sometimes the tin changes the flavor (due to the alloy maybe). If I don’t consume the tea quickly, I may tranfer to a tin if the tea is almost gone. I generally don’t use tins as much any more.

TeaBrat

I did read somewhere that the tins were supposed to be better than bags I have transferred my expensive teas but I am leaving the other ones where they are now for the time being. Still, it would be sad to see so much tea go stale!

Dinosara

As long as it’s a heavy foil-lined resealable bag (which many tea retailers seem to use) I don’t worry about transferring it… those pouches are probably more airtight than most tins!

ScottTeaMan

STALE TEA! WHAT A TRADEGY!! I agree Dinosara, you can push the air out of the bags, then seal them tighter by rolling and rubber banding the bag.

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97

My teas from Teavivre finally arrived! I had ordered this yunnan after sampling it, but Teavivre also included a lot of other samples for me to review as well. I will be getting to that tonight and tomorrow, which is my day off.

Anyway, I’ve made two pots already since I opened it last night. It’s my current absolute favorite black tea. I was thrilled to see how much 100g actually is. It looked like a bird’s nest as I transferred it from the pouch to a tin, and smelled so deliciously sweet. The boys have been liking it as well, even the ones who aren’t big tea drinkers. I’ll probably be logging this one a lot this winter.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Jim Marks

This is a really fantastic Yunnan golden for the price. I think it is my new benchmark “value for money” go-to tea.

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Quiet, strange, and in love with the world of tea. Living just outside of Atlanta. Cat lover, electronic music geek, balcony gardener, and collector of fossils. On the hunt for the perfect tea in each of my favorite categories.

After 10 years on Steepster, I have given up. The lack of maintenance, updates, and mobile compatibility have finally discouraged me. I still use my Cupboard and add teas to the database, but I won’t be logging teas anymore.

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