Rooibos Nutcracker

Continuing my backlogging, this was Day 17 of Adagio.

They packed so much Roobios in their advent calendar for 2021

I brewed 7 minutes. Not bad. Nutty and warming. Would be good for winter OR fall. The apple and cocoa are a nice background blend to the rooibos with cameral smudge. Definitely get the nuttiness through as it has chestnuts and hazelnuts.

I was very pleasantly surprised at this one. I’m not sure how but i tasted chai.

Day 18 of advent calendar

Adventaggedon Day Eighteen – 6/6

Definitely had mixed feelings seeing this tea. Part of me wanted to celebrate Adagio including a blend that was more overtly festive (something I’ve felt a little lacking) and another part of me was rolling my eyes hard at getting another sweet and nutty blend.

It tastes fine – present rooibos but not super medicinal/mineral and not too sweet either. But it does really just feel like another rehash of the same almond and hazelnut flavour that we’ve now tasted multiple times in the advent. With the amount of use those flavours have gotten, it’s safe to say that it’s something that clearly works well for Adagio’s customers and if I hadn’t tasted so many other variations of this tea so recently I think I likely would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmU0moLO1Ug/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpQ5Vq791y4

Steep:
212°F
5 min
Metal Strainer

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: woody, sweet caramel – sugary wood
Liquor: translucent dark red brown
Steeped Tea Smell: woody, sweet, slightly nutty
Flavor: woody, nutty
Body: medium
Aftertaste: woody

Post-Steep Additives:
sugar
caramel, hazelnut, woody finish
not getting the coco

Re-Steep:
10 min
weak, watery, not worth it

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

YouTube
opening the calendar – https://youtu.be/n18ABVz5D04
first steep – https://youtu.be/nVIv_I2M8yE

TikTok
opening the calendar – https://www.tiktok.com/circuitswan/video/7152717672659176746 first steep - https://www.tiktok.com/circuitswan/video/7153094185137016107

Twitter – https://twitter.com/CircuitSwan/status/1579687024571056129

Blog Post – https://amazonv.blogspot.com/2022/10/adagio-teas-loose-leaf-herbal-tea_11.html

Statement of Sponsorship or Advertisement:
I received this product for free in return for writing a review.

Disclaimer:
All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Preparation: Western
Tasting Note: The flavoring with the Rooibos, does a good job of creating a silky nutty, toasty feel. The apple keeps the blend sweeter and isn’t too tart. It has cocoa nibs that give it a little bit of chocolatey-ness but nothing too bitter. Added bonus, the flavors don’t feel muddled or bitter.

I have had this tea before and honestly, I am surprised that it is still good. I think I got this sample in 2021 around this time. Opened it a month ago and it still is pretty nice.

What a nice surprise! I pulled this sample from the Bits-N-Pieces bin for a change of pace this evening, expecting a little bit of muddiness from the hazelnut/rooibos combo. Not a bit of it! The apple pieces and cornflower add the perfect balance of fruit and brightness. Reminds me just a little of my mom’s fresh apple cake with raisins, minus the spice. Nostalgia always makes tea taste better.

Not bad for a rooibos. It has a nice caramel like flavor. Almost maple waffle. A little nutty. I overstepped it and it still turned out okay. I was distracted when sipping it while trying to make a fire with wet wood. I eventually succeeded, but it rained last night so no fire for me tonight. :/

Adagio Advent Calendar – Day 18

To be honest, I’m getting a bit tired of nutty teas lately – it seems like there have been a lot of them in my advents.

This one is very simple in flavor, it mostly just tastes like woody rooibos with some chestnut notes. Although looking at the ingredients, it looks like there are cacao nibs and caramel flavor as well. Unfortunately, I’m not really getting caramel past the natural dark sort of burnt sugar notes from the rooibos. The chestnut flavor is rich and pleasant.

Overall it’s a bit thin, and it sort of feels like a blander version of their banana nut honeybush.

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI8bVHGAmpT/)

Very good tea. Would definitely repurchase in 3oz quantity.

I really wanted to love this one.

I bought this as a work tea because I was running out of herbals, and I need them to balance out the other teas I’m fond of drinking. This was one that sounded so good to me on Adagio’s site. And it is good. It’s just not as caramel tasting as I expected. Good, kind of sweet, but also woody. I liked this one, but I probably won’t reorder it.