Hazelnut

Steeped up a steaming mug of this dessert scented black tea this morning with breakfast. Thanks Lori for sending a generous portion of this tea my way. It’s a sweet, toasted hazelnut black tea that did well on its own. I think next time I’ll try it with a splash of cream and dollop of sugar and see what flavors it may bring out. I think it would hold up well to milk and sugar. This is a delicious dessert tea (that I had for breakfast :))

I can finally drink tea again after having my wisdom teeth removed! Well, actually I could have a few days ago, but with one of my ‘teeth’ hurting pretty badly I didn’t want to risk it and waited until the surgeon gave me the go ahead today :)

I wanted to have something warm and soothing to end my night, so when I saw this sample pack in my tea box it jumped out at me.

The aroma as I opened the bag was rich and hazelnutty. It smelled delicious. The aroma stayed just as nutty as it steeped & filled my kitchen with a comforting warmth.

The tea itself required very little sweetening. I added just a touch of milk- it seemed fitting for this tea- and I fell in love. Nutty, rich, silky, warm and soothing. A very relaxing cup of tea. It would be a great way to end the day or to wake up with in the morning.

A nice toasty cup of Hazelnut!
My only wish would be that the base wasn’t Ceylon, but it’s still tasty!
I even added a touch of maple syrup to it.

Back to the old routine after yesterday’s green marathon…

This is an okay tea – definitely not heavy on the hazelnut. Admittedly, I use a lot of leaf which I don’t mind because this is pretty cheap compared to coffee – something I tell myself I want, but don’t drink because its a little too strong. So this will tide me over until I can find something that pops more in both the hazelnut flavor and tea’s strength (caffeine)…

Side note – I did find some brown rice, popped and unpopped, in the hazelnut tin. Sifted those out, but still used them to brew it in the tea. While not noticeable, I think it probably brought out a little of the toasty nuttiness of the tea.

Thank you Madeline for the wonderful sample! Your sample box has really been a treat. I really like this tea, I’ve been blending it with Teavana’s English Breakfast. I like how strong and distinct the hazlenut flavor is. However, I do have to be careful about over steeping this one, I’ve done it a few times and it was overwhelmingly bitter.

Thanks Raul for getting me to try this tea!
I love hazelnut coffee, so it only makes sense to try it in a tea form.

And Adagio rocked it!

The smell when you open the bag is a wonderful hazelnut. I love the black tea for this as it compliments the hazelnut flavor. And then while brewing there is that promise of a delightful hazelnut flavor.

I love this tea first thing in the morning. It hits my senses & wakes me up…just like my coffee would.

Overall, this is a tea I always keep on hand. I have the biggest bag available so that I’m never without. And I must brag again that I am in a one day delivery zone for Adagio…well, that is until they open a store here in NY…HINT HINT to the people at Adagio!!!

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 22 oz filtered boiling
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Very sweet and vaguely nutty
Steeped Tea Smell: black tea, nutty
Flavor: bitter, astringent, black tea, some sweet nutty at the end of each sip
Body: Medium/Full can’t decide
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: barely translucent dark brown

This was a huge and generous gift from Lori via the take it away thread.

I love hazelnut, so sniffing this tea makes me happy.

WOW that is some strong tea, next time I am brewing it much shorter!

It has yummy morning wake up black tea potential (shorter steep, some milk and sugar)

Post-Steep Additives: sugar, a bit better, could have used some milk

I am fully confident I will like this tea at least as a 50% once I fiddle with it

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/adagio-teas-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

Reminder, 0-25=BLEH 25-50=ok, will drink but not ordering 50-75=would order if already buying from somewhere and can add to order, or if it’s there in the store nearby 75-100=LOVE

The last of this tea is upon me:( I enjoyed smelling the tea in the tin..When I open my tea drawer, I could smell it! The Ceylon base is good but the hazelnut is not strong. The $2.00 sample was very much enjoyed and I know it will be missed in my cupboard. This tea is on my shopping list. Enjoying the last cup with a chocolate:)

This is the first tea from the sample pack that was sent to me by Will Work For Tea!

The smell was great, I loved it instantly. The nuts are very “present” in the smell, but not dominating the whole picture.

I was so exited about this that I almost oversteeped it, but it turned out I held it only for 30 or so more seconds than I wanted. Good luck for me :)

The taste was very, very mild, really creamy and dessert-y. I added a hint of sugar, will try it with milk next time! Overall, one of the best dessert teas I’ve drank, a really good one for evenings with a book or some good music.

I like this far more than I thought I would. I don’t know what my hang up was… it smells great, and I like hazelnuts. I think I assumed it would need sugar or something. However, it’s good just as it is! It just has a tiny edge that some sugar would knock off if you wanted to avoid it. In fact, for a flavored tea, it’s quite good!