Gingerbread

Tea type
Black Fruit Herbal Blend
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Astringent, Bitter, Bread, Clove, Malt, Tannic, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Artificial, Citrus, Metallic, Smoke, Sour, Sweet, Earth, Molasses, Cookie, Vanilla, Creamy, Custard, Dark Bittersweet, Dark Wood, Smooth, Caramel, Honey, Spices, Cream, Tea
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 45 sec 2 g 10 oz / 306 ml

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65 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Just finished my sample. I have to say, milk really improved it. I wish I had been doing that the whole time. I’m kind of on the fence about trying this again when winter rolls around again,...” Read full tasting note
    61
  • “Steep Information: Amount: 1 tsp Additives: none Water: 1 zarafina cup, filtered water Tool: Zarafina Black-loose-medium Served: Hot Tasting Notes: Dry Leaf Smell: Sweet fruit Steeped Tea Smell:...” Read full tasting note
    11
  • “Another Christmas tea that I forgot to drink (until now that is). Another bagged tea from Adagio’s Christmas tea collection. It smells like cinnamon rather than ginger but it does have a biscuit...” Read full tasting note
    40
  • “I don’t understand this tea at all. It is actually pretty interesting because I can’t really nail down just what it tastes like. It is not really gingerbread to me. The dry, crunchiness is somehow...” Read full tasting note
    80

From Adagio Teas

Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with sweet gingerbread. Both Gingerbread men and women agree: this unique tea is the perfect addition to any house (gingerbread or regular). A comforting old-world treat, delicious in any season. Warm and cozy, perfect sweetened or not.

Blended With Black Tea, Natural Gingerbread Flavor, Cinnamon, Orange & Ginger

About Adagio Teas View company

Adagio Teas has become one of the most popular destinations for tea online. Its products are available online at www.adagio.com and in many gourmet and health food stores.

65 Tasting Notes

12
123 tasting notes

Like others have suggested I didn’t steep this one too long. Even with only two minutes the taste is bitter and not very gingerbready at all. I got this free in my black tea sampler and I’m glad I didn’t get too much or I would have to unload it on someone. The smell is reminiscent of a holiday candle from Yankee candle, there’s a waxiness to the taste as well. I usually stay away from black teas flavored to be like desserts, it’s just too risky.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 15 sec

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48
292 tasting notes

Short and not sweet, brief, backlogging note for this one for my own poor memory.

Another nope from Adagio’s Advent. It’s no wonder I lost interest in the advent calendars this year.

Surprisingly a bit bitter – definitely strong. Not for me, though.

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70
216 tasting notes

a number of years ago I had tried Adagio teas and found every single one I tried harsh and bitter. but as time went by, my tastes changed and I like bitter now. So I decided to give them another try to see what I think.

So for this. I’m not seeing any bitter here. It seems rather smooth to me actually. It has a slight spice like taste to it but I don’t know if I would exactly say its ginger, cinnamon, or orange that is shown in the ingredients. Its more like a bland general spice flavor. In fact its so bland that 30 minutes after drinking I honestly can’t remember what it tastes like and have to take another sip to remind myself.

It also does not resteep well. This might be a tea that works better with a single long steep time, which I don’t tend to do. I’ll try that next time I give it a go.

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50
58 tasting notes

From the moment I smelled this, I knew it wasn’t going to be great. It had a vague scent of cinnamon, and nothing much else. Similarly, it tasted bland, with a slight hint of some kind of spice, and not much else.

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48
3986 tasting notes

Adagio Advent Calendar – Day 18

Ooh, a festive flavor today! I have a gingerbread tea in my Tinsel Teas sampler as well that I haven’t tried yet, so hopefully this is tasty.

Hmm, no. The flavoring is actually really bland, I’m not getting a whole lot past a hint of clove maybe. And the base is just meh, a tad astringent and a tiny bit bitter with some malty and bready notes. Mostly it just tastes tea-ish though.

So mostly it’s just a crappy black base with almost no added flavor. Boo!

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI_SUdFAQD3/)

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Bread, Clove, Malt, Tannic

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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553 tasting notes

Back log from early early this morning. . .

After having a pretty delightful gingerbread tea from Brandywine Teas (which is now sold out), I’ve been on the hunt for another one. I didn’t have the biggest hope for this one but made into a latte, this tea is not too bad. I think next go I would add in a bit more ginger and cinnamon to bring out the spices a bit more but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Sadly, not a substitute for my beloved Gingerbread Rose, but not bad either.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg

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40
1216 tasting notes

Holiday Tea-son! Tea-sipper reminded me of this one, which I got from Meowster’s cupboard de-stash last summer. I still need to try it, so may as well now! Adagio’s flavored blends can be quite hit-or-miss with me, because sometimes I seem to have issues with whatever brand of flavoring they use, and while I’m not willing to do business with that company anymore because of their anti-LGBTQ+ practices, I’ll at least still sample previously acquired Adagio teas in my collection. So, let’s see how this one stacks up…

The brewed tea is a burnt sienna color, and smells spicy, sweet, and slightly smoky to me… the aroma actually reminds me more of a Yunnan tea than a Ceylon, huh. The base tea is actually surprisingly nice for being a Ceylon, which is typically not my favorite; there is a very mild astringency, but it is very mild, and many Adagio teas I’ve had in the past have gone a little overly robust/too astringent for my tastes. This is right in my pleasant zone. It’s a bit malty, with some subtle citrus and smoky notes. The sip is not overly spicy, which I appreciate; I’m getting more of a warming cinnamon flavor rather than a ginger punch, and the cinnamon at least isn’t that overwhelming artificial “red hot” flavor that I dislike. In fact, I wouldn’t mind just a touch more cinnamon and a bit more of a ginger note (not something I say often, but the spice actually seems a little too underwhelming here). I do like that it is a bit sweeter, which reads more cookie-like than many gingerbread blends that go too spice-heavy.

But it still doesn’t really make me think of gingerbread… mainly because, yup, I’m getting that “Adagio flavoring” issue… they put their orange flavoring in this, didn’t they? * checks * Well, the ingredients claim it has orange, and I’m not seeing obvious orange peel in my leaf, so I’m assuming it is flavoring. Every single Adagio tea I’ve ever had that is orange-flavored I get this weird aftertaste that is overly artificial, slightly metallic, and coats my tongue oddly. I get that from their almond flavoring, too. If it isn’t from orange, it’s at least from something that is in this tea, because I’m noticing it. It isn’t as bad as I’ve had in the past, because I think that flavor isn’t used as strongly in this blend as the teas I’ve had that were specifically orange-flavored teas. But it is leaving me with this sour metallic feeling in my mouth I don’t like. Meh.

I tried the tea as a latte, too, hoping that some sweet vanilla almond milk might temper that sensitivity I seem to have to Adagio’s flavoring. It was certainly an improvement, but I was still noticing it. I have a pretty big bag of this, large enough I’d feel bad binning it. If you like this one (or just want to try it) and are within the US, feel free to contact me and I’ll gift it to you.

Flavors: Artificial, Cinnamon, Citrus, Malt, Metallic, Smoke, Sour, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 g 12 OZ / 350 ML
tea-sipper

Well I KNOW we both had the exact same tea from Meowster. I loved it, you hated it. Different tastes, I guess. haha

Mastress Alita

I have a known sensitivity to certain flavoring agents that Adagio uses in their teas. I get this reaction to many of their flavored blends. It’s almost like an allergy, really.

Mastress Alita

The only other person I know that gets this same reaction is AJRimmer… oh, and my Mom, but then her tongue may be quite similar to mine, hahaha. And I don’t get it from ALL their flavorings (off the top of my head I know the cream flavor and the rose flavor didn’t cause it, but the orange and almond have). I don’t know how to describe it except it feels like there is a metallic aftertaste in my mouth and like a coating over my tongue. I’ve had this problem with flavorings from other companies too (specifically with mango flavorings), so I know it’s some reaction I have to certain artificial/natural flavorings, but since those are never listed (like brands or what is included in them) I have no way of knowing exactly what it is that causes it for me. Just luck of the draw!

tea-sipper

If no one else wants it, I was staring at my pouch yesterday thinking a few teaspoons wasn’t enough. haha.

Mastress Alita

Sure, no problem! I can get it out the next Monday off in my work rotation (that isn’t a holiday, obviously!)

tea-sipper

But PLEASE if anyone else wants it, please take it!

Nattie

Can you fill me in on Adagio’s anti-LGBT practices? I have no idea what happened, and Adagio is one of very few companies that have a warehouse in the UK so they were one of my go-tos when I started out. I definitely don’t want to give my money to a company that does shitty things, though.

Mastress Alita

I’m asexual, so I consider myself part of the LGBTQQIAAPP+ community, so some of the things I’ve heard about their CEO’s treatment of LGBT employees have me no longer buying their teas (I will sample their stuff through trades/anything I have in my cupboards before I found out this news, I just no longer will give them my money). I’m not about to tell anyone else what to do with their money, it’s just how I feel being a part of that community myself. But here is a link from a former Adagio employee chronicling the mistreatment of several Adagio LGBT employees by the CEO, if you’d like to read it:

https://twitter.com/elliottjunkyard/status/980876681597673473?lang=en

Nattie

Thanks for the link. I’m not a part of the community myself (or at least not that most other people would count me) but I cannot stand bigotry. Thanks for the info ❤️

Mastress Alita

One of the A’s is for Allies ❤️

Nattie

I’ve never heard that addition before! I like it (:

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94
4170 tasting notes

Thank you to Meowster for this one a few months ago! I had been meaning to drink this one for a note around the holidays and then realized that this one and a blend coming up in my Angry Tea Room advent seemed to be the same blend, so instead of drinking the one in the advent, I’ll just drink this instead! I tried this a few months ago and I do NOT understand the low Steepster rating for this one. 57 !?!? I like it! It’s very accurate to what it should be. Though it seems less gingery than it should be. But there is a lovely hint of sweetness there and a flavor that I swear could be frosting on a gingerbread cookie. All of the flavors here just say COOKIE and really mingle in a satisfying way. Even after two minutes, the color of the brew is quite dark which I can appreciate. The second steep had less flavor but it’s still delicious (it also tastes better with these cookies I’m eating but this tea is almost as good as actual cookies!). I really like this but somehow I usually like the flavors that Adagio uses, though have never actually bought anything from Adagio (so that means a huge thank you to other Steepsterers and tea boxes for allowing me to try a bunch of Adagio teas over the years.)
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 14 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

ETA: Now what is odd is that I gave the Angry Tea Room blend that I thought was the same a 70 rating. I’ll have to try that one again. So possibly I’m wrong that it’s the same.

Mastress Alita

I’ve found that Angry Tea Room sources their tea pretty much from Dethlefsen & Balk (same as Fusion Teas and Tealyra for many flavored blends), so I’d put my bets that it is likely a D&B blend.

Mastress Alita

Hmm, looked through D&B and while they do have a Gingerbread tea, it definitely is not this one (has star anise and marzipan flavor). I concur with your assessment; looks like it is sourced from Adagio from the imagery and ingredients.

tea-sipper

Hmm, interesting. Somehow I’ve never been on D&B’s website before.

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79
201 tasting notes

Sipdown #3

Well, this is the end of the Gingerbread, the last loose leaf black tea I have right now. I suppose it’s fitting that I finish it as the Holiday season comes to a close.

First off, I would like to say I tried something different this time. Rather than just use sweetener, I used a small amount of almond milk along with two splendas. I must say… WHY was I not doing this before. I almost want to give this a whole new rating based on the tea’s flavor when both milk and sweetener are added. It’s like eating a cookie. I’m guessing a gingerbread cookie, but since I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a gingerbread cookie, I’m not sure. But with the milk this tea suddenly takes on a richness that it did not have in any previous steeping. It’s so wonderful. Slight malt flavor, along with a definite ginger sweetness. The bitterness is no longer prominent. You know, I think I will bump the rating a smidgen. This is just too good not to. I really wish I had been doing this all along. Oh well, maybe next time I can get some more and use this prep method each cup. Until then… (Muffled Another One Bites The Dust playing in background)

Flavors: Cookie, Ginger, Malt

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Mastress Alita

You should try cutting the sweetener and just go for vanilla almond milk sometime, it makes fantastic tea lattes!

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50
100 tasting notes

Smells good, tastes okay, nothing special. I received this as part of the monthly tea subscription. I wouldn’t have bought it so I am glad that I got to taste it. It is fine, but nothing special, I will not re-purchase it but will enjoy the tea as it is seasonal.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Ginger, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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