Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with sweet, tangy cranberries. Clean, bright flavor with a juicy sweetness. This delicious autumn delight is a great complement to your next turkey feast, which your guests are sure to gobble down. Please give this limited-time tea a try– your teacups will give thanks!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is one of Adagio’s seasonal teas, but, it is one that I think I would be happy to enjoy all year round!
I am usually hesitant with Adagio’s black teas, because I often find that the black tea base is too harsh. However, in this particular blend, I am not finding the black tea base to be disagreeable; in fact, it’s really quite pleasant.
The black tea is a strong Ceylon tea with a fair amount of astringency, but it doesn’t taste course or bitter. It’s actually rather smooth, a very pleasant surprise given my experience with Adagio!
The cranberry flavor is more of a subtle hint of flavor – this tea doesn’t scream out “hey! I’m cranberry flavored!” Instead, it is a pleasant black tea with a note of cranberry flavor that is a little sweet and a little tart. I like that the tartness here is not a profound note; just a barely-there hint of tartness that reveals itself in the aftertaste with a tingly tart sensation. Even then, it is not an overtly tart taste; it is quite enjoyable.
While it does have a certain seasonal flair to it, it is one that I would find enjoyable all year round!
Peach Oolong from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Product Description:
The darker, more oxidized oolongs of Taiwan are known for having very lush, playful flavors. Deeply floral, honey and juicy, it’s not uncommon to have a lovely cup that’s almost like a succulent slice of peach. Why not let the tea play with some actual peaches? Our Peach Oolong is truly an inspired treat. Fragrant and sweet like a perfectly ripe fruit, with a smooth astringency and lingering floral aroma. So very harmonious, indeed. Please, be a peach – try this oolong!
Ingredients: oolong tea, natural peach flavor, apple pieces, marigold flowers, apricots
Taster’s Review:
Pairing peach flavor with dark Taiwanese Oolong tea seems a perfect match. This tea provides proof – the beautiful peach tones are so well suited for the sweet, earthy Oolong tea in this cup.
The sip starts out with a strong note of peach with a background note that is slightly nutty and earthy. The peach flavor is sweet and succulent. About mid-sip, there is a hint of flower to the sip, and the nutty tones have developed as well. The flavor is smooth and the texture is silky, and there is a pleasant aftertaste that reminds me of honeysuckle.
This tea is available loose leaf as well as part of the Sweet Medley collection. I received it as part of the gift collection, and I was a little apprehensive about an Oolong in a sachet. But there appeared to be plenty of room for the leaves to expand and release their flavor. This would be a really convenient way to travel with Oolong tea!
Vanilla Rooibos from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Product Description:
According to the International Ice Cream Association, Vanilla is by far the most popular flavor, getting a full 23% of all ice cream consumption. Inspired by this love, Adagio has created Rooibos Vanilla, combining rich, warm dark sugar aroma of vanilla with mellow and grounding rooibos herb from South Africa. Soothing, sweet and very ‘beany’ vanilla fragrance (like warm sugar cookies made with fresh vanilla beans). Slight fruit juiciness from the rooibos, melting texture and comforting flavor. Naturally caffeine free!
Ingredients: rooibos tea, natural vanilla flavor
This tea is part of the Sweet Medley Gourmet Tea Collection from Adagio Teas.
Taster’s Review:
It would seem that vanilla and rooibos are a perfect pairing. Rooibos is a naturally caffeine-free herb, and vanilla is such a soothing, relaxing flavor. It seems like just the right combination for night-time sipping.
The vanilla is pleasant enough, although I did find that the vanilla flavor does need some encouragement to reveal itself. A little bit of turbinado sugar does the trick, though. I have tried this also with a drizzle of agave nectar, but I prefer the turbinado sugar here – it really accents the deep vanilla tones nicely. Without the sweetener, the vanilla is a bit underwhelming, and all I really taste is the woody notes of the rooibos. It doesn’t taste bad, but, if I wanted to drink plain rooibos, I would have brewed some, you know what I mean? So, when you try this one, if you find that the flavor is a little less than you’d like, try a little bit of sweetener and see if that perks the flavor up for you like it did for me.
That being said, once I managed to get the vanilla to come out and play, it was certainly worth the effort. Smooth, sweet and creamy! The rooibos has a woody flavor, as I’ve already mentioned, and a natural nuttiness to it. That nutty tone is a very harmonious taste to go along with the delicious, rich taste of the vanilla. I don’t get any of that funky aftertaste from the rooibos, and that is a good thing.
A very pleasant way to end the day!
White Blueberry from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Product 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.
Ingredients: white tea, blueberries, natural blueberry flavor
Taster’s Review:
This is a very refreshing white tea blend that smells as good as it tastes. As the tea steeped in my kitchen, I could smell it in my living room!
Because this is a white tea blend, it should come as no surprise that the flavors here are delicate. I like that the berry flavor does not attempt to surpass the white tea; rather than compete, they work together. The white tea is soft yet crisp and has a faint grassy taste. The aftertaste is sweet with a light “tingle” of tartness on the tip of the tongue.
The berry flavor is sweet, but not too sweet. It melds well with the fresh tones from the white tea, creating a very vibrant taste – surprisingly vibrant for such a delicate profile. A very pleasant cup that is light enough to enjoy any time of day.
Another delicious tea from Adagio that I received as part of their Sweet Melody Collection. (Look for it in the “Gifts” section on their website!)
Jasmine Pearls from Adagio Teas
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Product Description:
Exquisite Pearls infused with the sublime aroma of delicate night-blooming jasmine flowers.
Taster’s Review:
This is a bagged jasmine pearl which is part of the Artisan Comfort Collection (box is shown above) from Adagio Teas’ new Travel Tea collection. And while I generally prefer my jasmine pearls loose and steeped in my gaiwan, I have to admit that the idea of being able to enjoy my beloved jasmine pearls while traveling is certainly enough of an incentive to try them as a bagged (or should I say sachet pouched?) tea.
And these “pouched” pearls are definitely not a disappointment. The flavor is fantastic. Lightly vegetative with a strong jasmine presence. The jasmine is sweet and smooth and delicate tasting. It doesn’t taste perfume-y or soapy. It doesn’t have that sharpness that I sometimes experience with jasmine teas. These are perfectly delightful pearls!
This is a very uplifting, luxurious-tasting tea that had I not brewed it myself, I would have never guessed came from a teabag. Usually I experience my jasmine pearls while only at home, but these new travel teas from Adagio will give me the ability to take my jasmine pearls where ever I go!