The Adagio website lists a Blueberry White tea, which is what my package says, and a white blueberry tea, but scrutinizing the website I believe my tea is the Fresh Portions – Single Serve Packet. It is loose tea, and it does say Blueberry White on the packet and not the other way around. I am guessing the two are the same product with different packaging.
There is a LOT of leaf in this package but white tea is lightweight and fluffy, so I trusted them that this is the right amount for one cup. The white tea leaves are broken pieces of green and light brown, so I am guessing this is a Bai Mu Dan. It is similar in appearance to shou mei, but color and flavor seem to say otherwise, so I will stick with Bai Mu Dan.
What you get is a light and smooth cup of white tea with – in my opinion – just the right amount of blueberry flavor. The aroma is very natural. This isn’t the super grape-y blueberry flavor that I find a little unbelievable but a more natural, more realistic blueberry flavor. I added no sweeteners and found it to go down quite easily with no astringency or grassiness.
A nice bonus is that I got three steeps out of these leaves with the third having good color and still some light fruit flavor, making the price for the individual Fresh Portions a little more palatable, so keep that in mind as you weigh convenience against cost. Whenever possible, I purchase for the most responsible environmental impact that I can, so I would go for loose leaf in bulk, but if you need to carry good, loose leaf tea with you and want an easy to transport, pre-measured portion, this is a good option. I enjoyed all three steeps.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
This tea blends together the taste of juicy blueberries with premium white tea from Fujian province, China. Very fragrant, like freshly harvested ‘highbush’ blueberries (the aromatic variety). Soft, rounded mouthfeel with a clean, refreshing finish. A customer favorite, this tea is delectable both hot and cold. Full-leaf tea in portable, individually wrapped bags – superior taste and maximum convenience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Reading Nook Blend Organic Black Cream Loose Leaf Tea from Plum Deluxe. . . .
Feeling fretful and restless, unable to decide which of the many tasks at hand I ought to start, frustrated over adulting and situations that are somewhat out of my control for now, and tired of the rain, rain, and more rain, I decided not to do anything for now, but to pick a tea that needed reviewing instead. The chores will wait for me.
As I went through my box of tea, the title of this one grabbed me and said, “This is exactly what you need right now. A great book to escape into and a great cup of tea.”
I always listen when tea talks to me, so I headed over to the internet and downloaded a book I have been wanting to read for ages and made a whole pot of this beautiful blend.
Before I even started drinking it, I was already feeling more relaxed. The top of my infuser basket held the loveliest colors of pink rose petals, little lavender blossoms, and golden bits of chamomile floating lazily over the black tea leaves. An aroma wafted up that felt like a gentle hand patting the shoulder with a “there, there.” Now, feet up, tablet on lap, one chapter down, and two cups in me, I have a new attitude.
Ah yes, this was just what I needed, indeed. Every element of the tea is nicely balanced and making me feel more peaceful. The black tea is soft and smooth but still strong enough to make a nice “real tea” base for the blend. The floral elements are soft and sweet. I added nothing to this and it doesn’t need a thing in my opinion. The rose is sweet and creamy and adds roundness to the texture, the lavender is soothing and so much more interesting than just lavender by itself, and the chamomile would be the lightest touch here to me, adding to the sense of peace, as I associate it with unwinding and letting go of worries and cares. The tea says, “Breathe.” So I do, deeply and slowly.
The overall effect is just what I desperately needed – enough of a break to relax and restore the strength to do what needs to be done next. But not tonight. Tonight is going to be just me and a good book and a full pot of Reading Nook Tea. Breathing.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Herbal
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
The reading nook blend is our signature organic tea created for enjoying while perfecting some of our dearest passions: reading, writing, and enjoying conversation with friends.
One needs a touch of caffeine to keep the conversation flowing, the pages turning, or the pen on the move, so we start this blend with a wonderful cream black tea. We then added rosebuds for creativity and sustenance, lavender for flavor and aroma, and top it off with a bit of chamomile which adds a calming balance to it all. Customers often tell us this is our prettiest tea!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Caramel from Kusmi. . . . .
I am taking a wee break from work to enjoy Mardi Gras cookies – delightfully almond flavored and sweet – and a hot cuppa. This new-to-me caramel struck my fancy, and I am delighted with the pairing.
You might think sweet with sweet wouldn’t be awesome together, but this black tea from Kusmi is from China, lacking the lemon/citrus notes one gets from most Ceylon tea and the caramel is not overly sweet but instead is almost a burnt caramel. Honestly, if I hadn’t prepared this myself and someone had told me it was a tea from China with natural caramel notes, I would have believed them.
Put together, it makes for a wonderful tea to pair with sweets or to drink on its own. As usual, I have added no milk or sugar and it is smooth and delicious, but I would say that this tea would handle milk and sugar VERY well for those who prefer additions.
I have the muslin tea sachets, and I have steeped twice and literally forgot I was drinking a second steep. There is no sourness, but a mere hint of briskness and the flavor of the black tea is lingering. I think this would make an excellent breakfast for folks like me who are not looking for a big brown boot of a builder’s tea to kick start them in the mornings. This has all the strength I need for a day starter or an afternoon refreshment.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Kusmi
Description
With its delicious aroma, this black tea from China flavoured with caramel is the perfect drink to enjoy a quiet moment. It goes wonderfully with pastries.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jade Cloud from The Spice and Tea Exchange. . .
I needed a tea experience tonight. My husband wanted to know what I meant when I asked if he wanted to join me for a tea experience, and I told him, “You, me, the kid, on the floor with the tea tray and NO ELECTRONICS!”
But I had to choose a special tea to gong fu, and I really wanted to try something new. This one looked interesting, with its thin, twisted leaves that are such a dark green.
The first steep was really smokey. The company calls it toasted chestnuts and I’ll buy that. I don’t think I have ever had toasted chestnuts so I can’t say for sure. But definitely woody, nutty, toasty, and earthy come to mind. There is a long lasting aftertaste reminding me of the liquor from cooking mustard greens or turnip greens, a Southern favorite in the USA.
The second steep changes pretty remarkably. As the stronger flavors step back, a light floral taste comes forward – very light, with Southern greens still in play. My husband liked the second steep much better, and the kid did, as well. We plowed through four or five steeps and still wanted more tea, so I got fresh leaves and a new kettle of water and we started all over again.
This time I gave the leaves a ten second rinse to try to duplicate the taste of the second steep in the first. But even with the rinse the first steep had a lot of smokey flavor, which my husband noticed right away. After my “I told you so” we moved on to the resteeps again.
Again, these are earthy green and lighter. Husband and the kid say they enjoyed it, and preferred the later steeps over the first. I have to say that I enjoyed wending our way through all the flavors this tea had to offer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Spice and Tea Exchange
Description
Special grade of green tea produced in high-elevation gardens of Hubei, China. A smooth and mellow cup, with a sweet aroma and the slight flavor of toasted chestnuts.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Christmas from Harney and Sons. . . .
White Christmas announces on the tin that it is white tea with almond and vanilla flavors. When I opened the tin, there was an aroma that was none of the above. Then when I steeped the tea, the aroma was even stronger. It wasn’t white tea, it wasn’t vanilla and it wasn’t almond, but I couldn’t place it and thought at first it might be some kind of mint.
Time to cheat! Looking at the list of ALL ingredients in the tea, I see it! Ah ha! Cardamom! Of course! Ooooo, I really like cardamom! More lemony than mint, but still a high note rather than a deep one. There are also white chamomile blossoms, to remind one of snow.
Someone asked me tonight what white tea tastes like. I told them it often tastes the way hay sitting in warm sun smells, and that’s why some people prefer it flavored. I think this white blend should have plenty of flavor for anyone. Just don’t expect it to be merely almond and vanilla, since the cardamom is a powerful player here.
Harney’s sachets are intended for twelve ounces of water, not a mere five or six like most teabags. And since this tea resteeps, you can get quite a lot of tea from this tin of thirty sachets.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Harney and Sons
Description
Recline in front of a glowing fire while the snow drifts, and the tree lights twinkle. A sip from this warm and nutty blend completes the perfect winter wonderland. Features hand-picked white tea blended with almonds, vanilla and cardamom, accented by white chamomile flowers. Tin of 20 sachets. Each sachet brews a 12 oz cup of tea. Caffeinated.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!