Adagio Teas is where I credit my loose leaf tea beginnings. They have a variety of teas for both beginners and experts, but their success comes from their lively fandom blend community. There’s a themed-blend for every movie, book, and video game out there. I know I’ve had a great time designing my own flavors, and I’m always interested in trying new blends from other tea lovers.
My favorite summer blend of late has been Forest Friend by Leslie Kiesler. This blend is a homage to the main creature in the film, My Neighbor Totoro, of Studio Ghibli fame. To me, Forest Friend is tea-blending at its best. It is mixed from Adagio’s white strawberry, white pear, and rooibos jasmine flavors. On their own, none of these teas are really my favorite: I found the strawberry to be a bit too sweet, the pear to be a bit too earthy, and the rooibos jasmine to be overwhelming floral. But when mixed together in these proportions, I can’t seem to get enough of this tea. It’s magical, like finding out you have a big fuzzy, forest friend as your neighbor.
I prefer this blend iced, with our without sugar depending on my mood. This is a blend mainly made up of white tea leaves, so keep your water temperatures a little cooler than usual to avoid any harsh notes. The strawberry makes this a delectable summer blend, almost like sugary kool-aid, but the pear and white tea gives the sweetness just enough grounding that it doesn’t become too much like candy. The rooibos jasmine is amazing when added to a blend in smaller quantities. It adds some tart, herbal rooibos flavors, and relaxing floral overtones. There are even blue cornflowers and golden marigold flowers in the dry leaf to make the blend look vibrant in my pitcher as it brews.
Top off the great taste with Leslie’s cute label on the tin and you’ll realize why it is so hard to resist this blend. Forest Friend is always in my wish list for when summertime comes around and I need a sweet, magical way to cool down and brighten my day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White/Rooibos
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description: There’s a friend waiting for you in the forest, but he’s snoring the day away. Wake him up with a cup of tea so you can begin a magical adventure!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Huang Jin Bolero from Adagio Teas. . . .
This Anxi oolong isn’t currently available on Adagio’s site, but I’m reviewing it so you know what to look for if it returns or if something like it pops back up!
Here we have a lovely oolong with a nectar/nut flavor that’s closer to green than black. It’s a very light flavor that stays with you after you swallow it. This tastes like that point in the late afternoon when you’ve stopped paying attention to time. Dinner will come eventually, you guess.
This feeling is, more accurately, the feeling of long summers at summer camp. This tea is summer camp in a bag. It reminds me of long afternoons spent making crafts and learning archery and swimming laps. Gritting my teeth until I found a few friends in my group. Trying to make blades of grass sing. Getting picked up at the end of the day, woozy with sunburn. Having dirty feet and having little scratches around my ankles from hurtling across rocks. Learning how to craft a ghost story and tell a lie about having kissed a boy and pretend to be a mermaid effectively.
I eventually stopped going to summer camp (as do most of us, unless we wind up owning one). But every summer I always wonder why I’m not there, still. I’m like “it’s camp season. Why am I in this office?”
Today a little part of me scurried off to camp season. Thanks, Adagio.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
This tea is not currently available but click below for oolongs that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cream from Adagio Teas. . .
Just the notion itself of a cream tea (meaning a full tea service, scones + jam + clotted cream, etc.) brings up all the good feels for me, you guys. During my brief study abroad stint in London in college, this was my regular treat-yo-self to myself– a book, cream tea, some quiet.
So while this tea (aptly named “Cream”) from Adagio isn’t making me any specific promises including scones and jam, it certainly has some significant memories to live up to. And live up it does! It’s a lightly sweet, slightly vanilla-ish, mostly sweet-cream flavor that blends beautifully with the Ceylon base.
It, unsurprisngly, takes cream and sugar incredibly well, and is especially delightful on a rainy morning with the windows open and a good book nearby (ask me how I know). The reviews from fellow tea-lovers tell me that this one is an awesome accompaniment to other teas, and bumps up the creamy factor in everything from herbal infusions to Earl Greys. I haven’t tried this yet, but you’d better believe it’s how I’ll be finishing the rest of my stash. Along with scones + jam + clotted cream, of course.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Which comes first, the cream or the tea? If you’re not sure, don’t worry… neither are the English. However, its unanimously agreed that, whether you prefer your tea first, or cream first, this dairy-free cream flavored Ceylon black tea is a treat for your teacup! Sweet, inviting and warm, with a delicate creamy consistency and aroma of fresh black tea. Pleasantly brisk and very refreshing. Teatime calls…
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Mocha Breve from Adagio Teas. . . . .
It’s sunny as hell, and the first day of Penn State’s summer break. Yet here I sit with a pumpkin spice tea. Because I break ALL THE CONVENTIONS. I’m standing strong against The Man. Resist where you can, kids.
Pumpkin spice is tasty all. year. round. Yum.
Throw in a little chocolate for taste and mate for kick, and I am ready to roll. This is a great blend.
It contains mate. Mate is a caffeinated genetically-not-technically-tea. Its influence varies from person to person. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in any previous posts, but I feel like I should probably point it out to you now. My best friend could drink a mug of it and fall asleep for the night shortly thereafter. However, she has no idea how it would affect her baby (she’s breastfeeding), so she can’t drink it right now.
She’s worried her baby might react to mate the way I do.
Mate makes ME feel like a kid at Chuck E Cheese, though.
SORT OF RELATED FACT: Did you know that Chuck E Cheese’s full name is “Charles Entertainment Cheese”? I’ll wait while you Google that.
Regardless of whether you love giant mouse mascots, video games, pumpkin spice, chocolate, or caffeine, this is the tea for you!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
That perfect delicious drink, invented and served by Levi to warm any girl’s heart. He’s sorta brilliant that way. This black tea is filled with the smooth sweetness of pumpkin and spices mixed with warm cream. A touch of mocha nut mate with accents of cinnamon, apples pieces and cocoa nibs might just blow your mind.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mocha Nut Mate from Adagio Teas. . . .
This is tea’s answer to coffee!
If you like that full, diner coffee feel, but maybe don’t like those jitters, give this maté a try. Maté isn’t a “tea” as such; it’s a different type of plant (also caffeinated). It affects people to varying degrees, so you might want to try this in the morning so it won’t affect your sleep.
The flavor is a little bit of a bitter zing, with a nutty body, and a slight whisp of chocolate. Mate works on me very much, so I am definitely INVOLVED IN MY DAY at this point. Listening to podcasts*, talkin’ tea, and making designs 100%.
* Where IS Richard Simmons? The podcast about his abrupt disappearance is really interesting. His past and connection to the public is REALLY COMPELLING. Everyone he knows is a CHARACTER — as is he, obviously. I am chomping these developments down like peanut butter cups. Which I will obviously have to then dance off to the oldies.
This tea reminds me of Denny’s somehow. Like when you and your friends are out preposterously late and there’s literally nowhere else to go. So you wander out to Denny’s because it’s open and 1 AM. And of course, because you’re a little stupid and/or drunk, you order yourself COFFEE. Which sounds delicious, until it’s 4 AM, your friends are gone, and you can’t sleep. So you listen to the Backstreet Boys until the sun rises, eat breakfast in the dorm basement’s middle-of-the-road dining commons, and then sleep the rest of the day.
I speak from experience here. I an a connoisseur of late-night 24-hour establishments. Our Denny’s was the best one. It was by far the most beautiful one I’ve ever been to, and the staff was friendly, regardless of the hour or busyness. Note that I said “was” — even though it was one of the most popular places in my town, it somehow lost its license or something (???) and is gone.
I’ll just have to fill in with this tea.
I’m not sure how I’ll fill the hole in my heart left by Richard Simmons, though. Maybe a different tea. I’ll let you know if I figure it out.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
The mellow chicory-like character of our Brazilian toasted mate is a perfect platform for a favorite indulgence: chocolate! Add a bit of hazelnut and you have the perfect treat. Great straight up or enhanced with cream and sugar. If you’re a fan of chocolate mate teas, we invite you to give this formula a try. Please note that all Mate varieties contains caffeine; we would not suggest it as a nightcap.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!