My very first Adagio tea – ever courtesy of Adagio. Of course it had to be Earl Grey green. I always think Earl Grey black when EG is mentioned, but in truth I probably prefer green just a wee bit more. It is clean and crisp and seems a tiny bit more exotic or something to me.
Back in my early tea bag days I drank Bigelow EG black in quantities that made my stomach burn in pain. I then discovered Twinings EG green but it was discontinued. Then came my Ahmad obsession. During this time I discovered loose leaf. I also discovered loose versions of EG green are few and far between.
All that background clutter was free. On to this tea. It smells pretty fantastical of bergamot. The leaf has blue cornflower just because it is pretty. The tea leaf is long, straight, and flat. I under leafed unintentionally. Used 180 F water and a 3 minute steep.
Despite not using enough leaf this is still pretty good. The bergamot is stronger than many of you like it but not over the top by my standard. It is sweet and almost creamy.
The second cup at 4 minutes and 190 F, is the same bright yellow cup. The taste is more a mingling of the green tea and bergamot. Sweet and ends with a strong citrus. If it wasn’t so hot outside this would be awesome for porch sitting if sweetened and iced.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with my first Adagio tea. Immediately steeping a second cup pretty well tells the story.