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“Pulling off the lid of the sample tin (this one was on tight) I caught a wiff of the dry tea. The only thing I can describe it as is a cross between cinnamon and light dill pickles. Yeah, I don’t...” Read full tasting note
“Trust Auggy to send me a conundrum in a tin. [Hahaha, just kidding. Love you, Augs.] But seriously y’all, this tea belongs in a carnival somewhere between the bearded lady and the contortionist. It...” Read full tasting note
“Backlogging… this is bad… and is getting worse! I drink this just to finish it. quickly quickly!” Read full tasting note
“Goodmorning Steepsterites. Word of the day is ‘BRRRRRRRR!!!!’ I’m having an unplanned day off because my city looks like a christmas card (Look!...” Read full tasting note
Stay cool with this refreshing, spa-inspired blend of cucumber and premium Chinese white tea. Excellent over ice, this unexpected pairing will leave you relaxed and centered; a lot more convenient than placing cucumber slices on your eyelids.
Ingredients: White tea & natural cucumber flavor
Steeping Directions: Steep at 180° for 3-5 minutes.
Company description not available.
Pulling off the lid of the sample tin (this one was on tight) I caught a wiff of the dry tea. The only thing I can describe it as is a cross between cinnamon and light dill pickles. Yeah, I don’t get it either. It’s not that I don’t like it – I LOVE dill pickles – it’s just such a non sequitur for me and my nose.
I’m glad to see the large number of buds in this tea instead of the crumbled up bits you sometimes get. Taste-wise this tea is actually very close to the taste of raw cucumber, though I’m also still picking up a very minute trace of cinnamon or some other spice.
Trust Auggy to send me a conundrum in a tin. [Hahaha, just kidding. Love you, Augs.] But seriously y’all, this tea belongs in a carnival somewhere between the bearded lady and the contortionist. It is bizarre.
The leaves will punch you in the sarcophagus if you aren’t ready for the stench when you open up the tin. And yes, I am going to call it a stench, because I don’t think it’s an extremely appealing smell. It smells like brine, with maybe a hint of cucumber [but just a hint]. There’s a spicy nudge that almost smells like cinnamon, but it has that sweet edge Auggy was talking about so it really reminds me a lot of Red Hots, which I was never a fan of. Sometimes it has this sharpness to it that reminds me of when I got pine sap on my hand one time and it was really hard to get off and smelled kind of nasty. It’s one of those smells that is impossible to ignore and makes your nostrils feel not unlike they’re being poked with a skewer.
With a smell this pungent, you’d think the tea would be inarguably disgusting, but surprisingly, or not surprisingly as I am discovering with Adagio’s smell to taste ratio, I didn’t find this to be true. This was one of the rare cases where I was so glad the taste did not live up to the smell that I let out a huge sigh of relief after the first sip.
It kind of tasted like cucumber, but even more of that cinnamon/Red Hots note came out in the taste. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t hate it. The scent of the liquid is still a liiiittle bit overwhelming, but the taste was surprisingly mellow. Cucumbers, a cross between dill and sweet pickles, and Red Hots. There is nothing in my head that say those flavors should meld together, but for whatever reason worked okay.
As it moved to luke warm, it began to get a little bit sweeter, which I liked. But when it cooled, the any taste I could pick out was pretty much gone. It sort of tasted like cucumber water, which I can make a little more easily by just sticking cucumbers in water. EDIT TO ADD: Somewhere around here, in the lukewarm range, I also was getting the flavor of plain, unbuttered popcorn. That kind of weirded me out. Not sure where it was coming from, but it wasn’t completely unwelcome.
So, for the novelty, I’ll probably finish off this sample tin. I’ll just have to hold my nose a bit because the stink of the leaves is strong enough to actually make my eyes water. [I wish I were kidding.] But this definitely isn’t something I’m going to buy.
Cofftea recommends it iced xD
I hate cucumbers and I hate pickles, so this sounds like nightmare-in-a-tin for me. Throw in the Red Hot taste that everyone seems to be picking up on (which I, too, never liked), and I doubt I’d be able to even take a sip of this, even if the flavor wasn’t as bad as you thought. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get past the stench alone.
Thank you, thank you. I will continue to do my best to throw you difficult and confusing teas!
Want the rest of my tin? That’s what I’ve been smelling cinnamon! Didn’t think of it before.
@Ricky Yeah…thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think I like this tea enough to give it a lot of effort. Plus, I didn’t like it cool, so I really don’t think I’ll dig it iced. I can chill cucumber water for much less trouble.
@teaplz It is certainly not a tea for everyone, but it’s one of those things that I’m glad I’ve experienced if that makes sense. Maybe if someone just gave you a shot glass of it hot so you could hold your nose and get a feel for the taste? The smell I would not inflict upon anyone who wasn’t willing to sniff it. It is knock your head back, kick you in the gut strong.
@Auggy Yeah, thanks for that left hook. APPRECIATED.
@Ricky HAHAHAHAHA one tin’s enough for me, but thank you very much for your offer.
Ricky, if you seriously want to get rid of it and don’t mind sending across water, I’ll happily take it. I’m dead curious as to whether or not it’s as dreadful as it sounds.
Angrboda is much, much braver than I am. Cucumber is already extremely offensive to me, so I can’t even imagine putting this anywhere near my mouth.
If I have to hold my nose to drink something I’m not drinking it! :P
Teaplz, yes, but if I like it it’ll be a huge let-down now. :p If I can’t get my hands on a sample, I’m definitely going to include one the next time I feel I can afford an adagio order.
Stay tune for tomorrow’s holiday tea giveaway thread =D and I’ll send it to you. Now, it’s not that horrible as we all say it is. I mean I can finish the tin, but I’d prefer not to, given a choice :D
It does sound like a good candidate for the Travelling Teabox. Sure someone out there along the route will love this tea. <
@Ricky, not iced- well unless you steep it 2x strength, but that just seems like a waste to me. Just stick it in the frige. It’s definitely a conundrum, but that’s what I like about it. I try weird teas even if I’m almost positive I won’t like it just to say I did. I LOVE savory teas. lol Not finish the tin? Heck I have an 8 oz tin at my house!:)
haha thats a trip. I received a free sample of this from Adagio when it first came out and I could not BELIEVE the DISGUSTING smell!!!!!! I tossed it in the trash right then which after hearing fromu guys that the taste doesn’t match the smell maybe I should’ve tried it. Im a wimp. Ah,well.
Cofftea, ahh, that’s a bit confusing, ‘cause I’ve seen you refer to it as “iced” on several posts. And then on your profile it says that you use teacubes. Do you make teacubes of this and that’s the “iced” part? Or do you just have it chilled?
@teaplz, yeah it is a bit confusing. I need to find a succinct way of saying “iced using ice cubes made of additonal tea instead of plain water”. Truth be told I’m normally too lazy to make them (or too impatient to wait for them to freeze) so I just chill it.
@kat even though I have MORE than enough, the thought of you throwing it (or any tea really) physically hurts me lol. But yeah it smellls gross. I’m used to it thought. I’m even getting used to the aroma of the raw sesame tea leaves which in my book are FAR worse.
i asked for a sample of this for Christmas from my sister so hopefully she’ll get it for me :) even though you all seem to think it smells gross im kinda excited to see what it smells like :p and i LOVE pickles so just the thought that it may taste like a pickle is promising
This review has me very curious. Brined cinnamon tea that turns, somehow, into buttered popcorn for a few moments, and then becomes cucumber? It’s one of those things that sounds so implausible and strange that I’m instantly wanting to try it just to see how it happens. I’d be content if it really did taste like cucumber, though…I really like that smell/taste, when it’s fresh and clean (I’ve even had cucumber oil for a perfume, though I will say that it didn’t smell like brine, pickles, or redhots…so strange…)
@sophistre, I drink this often and never get the red hot thing. In RE: the perfume, I have cucumber and aloe scented deoderant.:)
@Kitch3ntools Hehehe, if you love pickles then you might really, really like this tea! After reading all the reviews I saw popping up on it before Auggy sent me the sample I was kind of morbidly curious to try it, too, so I understand.
@sophistre Well, not buttered popcorn, but that kernally popcorn taste. It was definitely out of left field, and only brief. I don’t even know how to explain the tea appropriately, this was the best I could do. It is just…something you need to try. I didn’t find it especially refreshing, though I also didn’t find [the taste anyway] bad. It’s just…it is. Maybe you can talk @Ricky into giving you the rest of his sample!
@takgoti, a sarcophagus is a stone coffin, esp. one bearing sculpture, inscriptions, etc., often displayed as a monument, do you mean an esophagus? LOL:)
No, it’s from a poster I saw. Feel free to google it.
Backlogging… this is bad… and is getting worse! I drink this just to finish it. quickly quickly!
I’ve heard that a lot- thank goodness I feel differently:) Just out of curiosity, what are your parameters?
This time I decreased the parameters. Time: 3 minutes. Temp: about 160 degrees. :) I’m glad you like it though :) I really want to like it.
Try knocking down the temp a bit, maybe 140. You were right to shorten steeping time as well… you could maybe shorten it more. 1-3min. 3g/8oz water. Hope this helps!:)
Oh… and you could also try those parameters and then chill it (don’t add regular ice or you’ll dilute it too much). I think it’s really good hot, but I REALLY LOVE it cold.
Thanks! :) I’ll definitely give it a try!
No prob! I know each person likes different things, but I still can’t help to have a touch of hurt feelings when people can’t stand a tea I love… I just want people to be as happy w/ a tea as I am:)
Goodmorning Steepsterites.
Word of the day is ‘BRRRRRRRR!!!!’
I’m having an unplanned day off because my city looks like a christmas card (Look! http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iwBGrA_DuCCny_0D9mhQfw?feat=directlink and http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AS7NtzJwc9yVtSMUwALKsw?feat=directlink)
and the train service is unreliable enough today that I got a bit worried about whether or not I’d be able to get home again if I managed to fight my way to work. So I gave up and went home. It’s actually more or a hot cocoa day rather than a tea day, but I haven’t got any milk, and hot cocoa made on water is not worth the effort.
What better time than now to give this white cucumber stuff that Ricky sent me a whirl?
The leaves look fairly normal and of a good size. Some of them are pretty dark. I have to say I agree with other reviewers though. They absolutely reek! They smell like pickles and vinegar and something kind of chemical and it’s the same thing in the finished brew. I was rather imagining fresh cucumbers. Not pickled ones.
The colour is sort of yellow with the slightest hint of green, and surprisingly, because of the smell, it actually tastes more like fresh cucumbers than it does of pickles. It’s so weird! It’s got that same sort of bitterness that cucumbers can have, especially in the peel, and I’m picking up a strong note of dill too. I’m always happiest with something that will leave me with a good aftertaste, but this is a bit much. My mouth tastes like I’ve just been chewing a wad of dill and it feels all green. If I go and look at my tongue in the mirror, I’d probably be surprised that it was still red. As it is, I keep catching myself searching for a note of fish that isn’t there, of course.
I’m glad I only made one cup and it only got worse as it cooled. I’m so not a fan of this. Spitty! Spitty! I’m going to go and make something else to take the bad taste out of my mouth.
I’m sorry about your nasty tea, but GOSH your city looks utterly charming.
Thank you. The last ice age gave us a good number of hills in this area. The center of the city where I live is down in the hole. I live on the second floor (or third, depending on how you would count the ground floor) and those two pictures are taken from my balcony, the view in both directions. :)
http://picasaweb.google.com/idhiding/December2009?feat=directlink m too impatient.
Chug it! Don’t waste tea! Haha, it does look like a Christmas Card =D
Sad day! Isn’t it interesting how someone and love something and the next can hate it? How do you feel about cucumbers in general?
Absolutely beautiful photos—-in my part of the world, we tend to get ice rather than snow. I’m with you—-hot chocolate with marshmallow creme would be appropriate.
Ewwwww. And gorgeous photos, Angrboda!
Oh gosh, some of my last comments appears to have gone missing. It’s supposed to say that those other pictures are pretty dark because I took them shortly after having given up on the train and that they’re blurry because I’m not very good at keeping the camera still. Too impatient.
Ricky, I didn’t waste it, don’t worry. I’m glad it wasn’t a very big cup though.
Cofftea, cucumbers for me are the same as peaches. Good to eat, bad to drink.
Gmathis, we don’t get this much snow very often either. Usually it’s just slush. When we get decent amounts it’s 10-15 cm. I reckon I’ve got about 30 cm today, and just a few kilometers south from here they have about 35 cm. Parts of Funen has upwards of half a meter.
Teaplz, I quite agree with the ew, and thank you. :)
wow…that’s such a lovely view!
Lena, thank you. :) I quite like living in a hole like this. I sometimes think my rent is a bit on the high side, but I guess I’m paying for a view like that. And for having the pedestrian street almost literally just around the corner.
I kind of wish I had gotten the dill flavor out of it instead of Red Hots.
Auggy, I don’t know what Red Hots are, but I’m thinking it’s probably the same flavour that we’re interpreting differently. I’m just glad I didn’t succeed in finding the herring flavour I couldn’t stop myself from searching for. :D That would have been even more disgusting.
Red Hots are little red, button-like cinnamon candies. They don’t taste like real cinnamon so much as synthetic cinnamon (the same cinnamon taste that cinnamon liquor tastes like, if that helps?). I pretty much hate them. But I don’t discount a certain similarity to dill. I kind of want to eat some dill to compare now. Maybe if I have some at home. I am greatly intrigued (in a train-wreck sort of way) by the idea of herring tea. It does sound like it would be all sorts of wrong!
I couldn’t really think of it as cinnamon at the time, but now I definitely think it was the same note we tasted. I can sort of see the resemblance even if I can’t taste it.
Herring tea, ewwww!!! I’m not entirely certain that wouldn’t be illegal. It should be.
Lovely snow photos.
Must ditto the comments on your photos. Absolutely picturesque.
It was already 80 degrees by 9am… is gonna be 90 w/ 80% humidity… and our air conditioner broke. I think I’m gonna be drinking solely white tea today hoping it’ll keep my body temp down. Making this 3 cups at a time:
6.75g leaf/4oz water
3oz bottled lime juice
11oz cold water
This is the ONLY thing getting me thru this day.
that sounds quite refreshing! I hope it does the trick (or at least helps!)
Me too!
Oh no, our AC broke just last week and we’re in hot hot Houston. This sounds like the perfect tea (and an interesting one!) for the situation though.
Yummm cucumber white tea is always refreshing!
2nd infusion, 12oz plain and 6oz mixed w/ 2 scoops strawberry matcha.
I could die right now, I’ve been freaking out that I wasn’t going to get the grade I need to finish macroeconomics, convinced I had to have gotten like a 30 on my exam, I actually got a 78.33, which means I really don’t have to worry. I hope. I still have to worry about a stupid science class because I don’t go to the lab and I’m pretty sure that’s unforgivable but it physically pains me to do busy work.
I should do something about it but blah blah anxiety blah blah hide and don’t do anything welcome to my world.
I was worried about this one because my first and only experience with an Adagio white was reminiscent of a slice of bread coated in dust.
This one isn’t bad at all, I drank some of it hot then wanted to try it cold…not as good cold at all, there is a weird aftertaste to me. Hot, however, is oddly refreshing and works for cucumber, which I wouldn’t really expect. I quite like the Tazo cucumber white, but this one tastes like a floral cucumber at times.
So school has been using me as a punching bag as of late, but only about a month left to go. I honestly feel bad about not updating here whenever I’ve had a new tea, so I’m taking a quick break to fill in this one gap at least.
That being said, this tea was worth the loss of the nap I was planning on taking. When I first opened the tin (ages ago) I smelt sour and cinnamon, but with something else that adds a bit of sweetness. The smells blend oddy well together and kind of overlap in my mind,but I’m not a fan. The leaves look un-uniform, with some rolled and downy silver and other open and blackish-brown. I did really enjoy the light yellow it brewed to, and in my glass mug I could see the little hairs from the leaves floating around. I tried not to think about that too much when I maned up and took a dainty sip.
The first taste was more spice than I expected. The cucumber aspect was definitly overwhelmed, but when I did isolate it was like woah. I felt a the same sensation when I’m eating cucumbers, sans crunch, that wetter than water feeling. It also tastes pretty much what I’d expect from a cucumber tea, cucumbery goodness, when ignoring the cinnamon.
One the second steep, the cinnamon was cut back and I enjoyed this cup more than the first. One the third steep I lost interest and left it to sit for about 6 hrs.
Does any know why Adagio added the cinnamon aspect? It doesn’t really detract from the tea, or help it, but I can’t figure out why it would be there. I’ve never thought cucumbers and spices. Pickles and spice, yes. But cukes? Not really.
Love that so many people can taste the cinnamon in this. Makes me feel not so crazy! :)
Me too!
I have a sample of this tea too and am very curious to try it. So far I sniffed it out of the tin and got only pickles like many people here…
@Oolonga, as much as a love it hot I prefer it iced. Unsweetened of course. My favorite way to drink it is in a mojito in place of the lemon lime soda.
Wonderful detail! Thanks! I have to try this one.
Sipdown!
You know how cucumbers smell when you pick them fresh from the garden and they’re still a little dirty? That’s how this tea tastes cold steeped.
And it might sound a little (or a lot) meh, but I absolutely mean that in a good way. I mean, there’s not too much better in summer than a fresh cucumber washed, peeled and sprinkled with a little sea salt (and maybe a pinch of fresh dill). This tea captures that really well with it’s crisp and refreshing cuke-ness.
So. I definitely prefer this one cold; it is really fresh tasting that way. It’s just not something I think I’m keen on in my tea, but I could definitely see why someone could like this.
So, thanks again Kaylee for the chance to realize that I’d much rather eat my cucumbers.
I don’t know if Adagio change the “nose” of this one or if I got a funky batch the last time but regardless THANK THE TEA GODS for the different pre-steep scent on this one! I received this within the savory tea sample and the dry leaf smell is MUCH better than my last batch!!! It smells just like Cucumber this time and actually tastes better and cleaner!
This would be a good question to ask on live chat:) Let us know what you find out:)
I have been having probs with live chat on there lately but they are good about emails too! Might have to email them instead because I am very curious! :P
I never get an email back from them. If it really is different, it’ll have to wait. I have an 8oz tin that’s only half gone lol.
So no more odors of pickles?
@Jillian, I never got the pickle aroma, just vinegar… but since pickles are IN vinegar, I guess that’s pretty much the same lol.
@TeaEqualsBliss, any word on the apparent nose change?
@TeaEqualsBliss, did you ever email Adagio about cucumber’s nose? HAHA! That sounds funny? Your might want to also ask them why they suggest steeping their whites for 7 min.
I love cucumbers. I love cucumber water. I have learned that I do not love cucumber tea. This tastes exactly like white tea with cucumber. Followed package directions and everything. Just not enjoying it. It might be good during the summer, brewed for a shorter period of time, iced, and with sugar… and possibly with fewer leaves than the 2 heaping teaspoons suggested on the package.
I agree with literally every other reviewer that the dry leaves smell like pickles. I quite like pickles, so it didn’t put me off. And ok the brewed tea smells briny too. And now that I think about it the tea also tastes vaguely briny… reading the other reviews has actually made me like this tea even less! At least it’s pretty – a nice pale yellow. Great thanks to TastyBrew for sending me the sample, but I don’t think I’ll be drinking this again any time soon.
Now you see why i never even opened my sample :-)
Haha no wonder you were eager to get rid of it! I’m thinking it might be interesting to cook with…
Pickles? That’s really weird. And it’s kinda too bad that the tea sucked, because I like cucumbers too.
Was this sample a free one that came with the order? Because I have a peach oolong that I got as a free sample with my order from Adagio and it wasn’t very good either.
I’m wondering if those free samples from them are really low quality or something because it seems like they aren’t that good.
This was a sample that I’m assuming TastyBrew got free with an order. I feel bad for anyone who actually paid for it.
Haha yeah me too, it’s such a shame. I’m really glad I didn’t pay for my peach EWWlong sample either. But at the same time I think that if a company is going to provide a free sample it should be of good quality regardless. It makes me wonder why I would even want a free sample if it’s gonna suck.
Yeah a good free sample tends to end with me making a purchase. Why waste everyone’s time with a bad sample?
Totally agree~! bro fist You’d expect a bit more from Adagio.
I laugh every time someone mentions the cinnamon. I’ve had this countless times and never smelled or tasted cinnamon.
@Jillian, I got the same cinnamon/spice taste (though it made me think Red Hots since there was a sweetness to it). I’m glad I’m not the only one that got that!
@Auggy, I’m starting to think I’m the only one that DOESN’T. lol:)
@Cofftea, Me too! ;)
Sure glad I don’t taste cinnamon when I make my mojito spin off w/ this!