Gingerbread

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/)

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.