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Jul 24th '20
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First thing's first: Let it be known that you'll be greeted by a warm and soothing aroma from the moment you first open the bag, and that carries over to your cup once you've finished steeping, too.
Beyond that, you get some nice sweetness from the apricot (no sugar or honey needed; though honey compliments it very well) and very mild floral notes from the marigold. The apple pieces thankfully aren't 'loud' and don't overtake the tea, simply acting as a compliment to the rest.
Well-suited to sipping, as the flavors start to shine through the Ceylon more as it cools, so try not to chug it~
In the end, makes for a lovely, mellow cup. It also re-steeps well; the second cup was almost as good as the first.
(Kept wavering between steeping this for 3:30 min or 4:00 mins, so I met in the middle and brewed it for 3:45 at 200°F)
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Jul 22nd '20
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Brewed for 2:30 min at 176°F. Was expecting to like this, figuring that mango would pair well with green tea, but the mango flavor was almost plastic-y? Not sure if I got a bad batch or what, since other mango teas I've tried from Adagio didn't have this issue, and I didn't do anything wildly different time or temp-wise than what I usually do for flavored green teas.
Ultimately, I really wanted to like this, but...no. Honestly not sure if I can even appraise it fairly, since I'm not so sure this is normal.
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Jul 20th '20
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Probably should have checked out the reviews on this one a little more closely. I brewed this at 205°F for 3:30 mins and found the rose flavor a bit more intense than I'd like, with a tendency to sort of cling to the back of my tongue (also found the tea to be too astringent, imo). Tossed some chocolate chips I had in the cupboard into my already-brewed cup in order to cut the rose back enough to want to finish the cup.
Despite saying that, it's not horrendous -- the flavor is thankfully more muted than the smell, and I think it works well in blends -- it's just too much for me on its own.
Though not in a big hurry, I might be willing to pick up a sample pouch at some point in the future to see if I can get nicer results by steeping at lower temperatures/different times.
All-in-all, not great, but not terrible, either. If you're into straight florals, you'll probably like this more than I did.
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May 24th '18
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I ve had more than one person tell me that the scent reminded them of barbeque, but the taste is another story.
Woody and a little citric, I feel Rooibos comes off as being livelier than its fellow Honeybush. The taste doesn t settle on the tongue quite as heavily either. Between that and the flavor differences, I think Rooibos is the more compelling choice as an everyday drink, but less desirable for the times when you want something to wind down with.
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May 24th '18
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Smoother and more full-bodied than Rooibos, its aroma (and to a lesser extent, its taste) is more herbaceous, and -- surprise! -- honeyed, than its brother. Honeybush has more deeply earthy tones, plus floral notes that mingle nicely with the previously mentioned traits.
A lovely cold climate, evening relaxation, or under the weather cup, but I think I d have to give Rooibos the edge if considering which makes for a better day-to-day drink -- Honeybush is just more reminiscent of some sort of rustic herbal remedy, which, while cozy, doesn t seem as appealing for everyday consumption.
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May 22nd '18
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Not bad, but not amazing. Comparing it with the other breakfast teas, it's fuller-bodied than the Scottish Breakfast, but less so than the English Breakfast. The taste is flatter/less complex than either, and it possesses more astringency than either. While this could either be a good thing or a bad one, based on your perspective (and usual caffeine levels~), it feels like there's a harder caffeine kick attached to this one.
I'll say it works better with cream and/or sugar than the others though without hesitation -- in fact, I'd outright recommend cream with it -- the flavors actually feel a little more distinct when you add some.
In the end, not a bad option, simply not my first pick.
[1.5 teaspoons of loose leaf per 8 oz. of water were used when brewing the tea for this review.]
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May 21st '18
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All-in-all, a fairly nice morning cup that has more complexity to it than a simple Ceylon or Assam would provide.
I find that this has a little more edge to it than the English Breakfast does, owing to the occasional peppery bite from the Yunnan, while maintaining just a touch of the almost fruity tone the EB has. It s not as full-bodied, though, and it loses more nuance when you add cream to it. Also, while it comes to down to preference as to whether this is a positive or a negative, this tea has almost no astringency whatsoever.
[1.5 teaspoons of loose leaf per 8 oz. of water were used when brewing the tea for this review. I also plan on updating once I ve had some of the Irish Breakfast tea in the next day or two so I can try to make a good appraisal on the differences and similarities.]
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May 19th '18
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Delicious black tea with a warm, comforting aroma. Has a good, bold taste with an almost mildly fruity/jammy undertone to it that plays well off of its other traits. Adagio's description of 'on point' astringency is very much on the mark as well, as there s enough astringency to notice, but it doesn't feel irritatingly drying. Makes a great morning cup of hot tea, though I'd be curious about trying this as an iced tea. Honestly, I think it might bring a little more character to the table than the usual ceylon.
As for adding any whistles and bells...it holds up to sugar and/or cream, but I prefer it plain, personally, as I think the Keemun's character is at its best that way. I'd suspect honey would mesh well with it, but have yet to try it.
(1.5 teaspoons of loose leaf per 8 oz. of water were used when brewing the tea for this review. I also plan on updating once I've had some of the Irish and Scottish Breakfast teas in the near future so I can try to make a good appraisal on their differences and similarities.)
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May 19th '18
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A fair, basic black tea. Not bad at all, but nothing especially noteworthy. Can't quite call it full-bodied, but it's not really thin, either. To its credit, it's not particularly astringent, so it works as a nice morning cup, and the taste is pleasant, though not very complex.
Using Adagio's Ceylon Sonata as a comparison point, I'd have to say that the Assam isn't as 'bright' in flavor, and is a bit 'heavier' on the taste buds. Maybe just the tiniest bit earthy, too. None of which are necessarily negatives, simply things to consider.
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May 18th '18
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I've had this in blends before and thought it worked well in them, but I find it unbearable on its own. All barbecue/pine-fire taste with nothing else going on. It's the only cup of tea I've ever had to pour down the drain -- adding cream just made it less palatable, while adding sugar just makes it strange. (If anyone has suggestions on what might make it more appealing, I'm open to them though.)
Two stars instead of one, because I think that even if nobody in the house will get through the sample bag while treating it as a drink, it might work well for seasoning meats.
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May 17th '18
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Fuller-bodied and a little richer than many other teas, and distinctive without being in-your-face about it. Not too astringent either, so finishing a cup is satisfying, rather than leaving you immediately reaching for more drink. Holds up well to cream, should you prefer adding some to your teas, but by no means requires it to be enjoyable.
Has a bit of a honeyed aroma while steeping, and the color is lovely. Just be aware that with this tea being curled, you don't necessarily need to use as much to get a solid amount of flavor.
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May 16th '18
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Interesting taste. Earthy and almost a little mushroom-y, which sounds like it would be terrible in a tea, but somehow, it wasn't. Full-bodied and fairly smooth, it mellows well with milk, much to my surprise, without losing its character. So if you over-steep it or otherwise find it confusing, it's worth adding a splash of cream to try rounding it out. My biggest complaint is probably the smell...while it was okay out of the bag, I found that once brewed, it smelled of fish. Yikes.
Thankfully, that smell did not carry over into the taste, but it's not a scent you get used to, either -- you'll notice every time you go to take a sip, and that makes for an odd experience.
I don't know whether I would buy this again, personally. The smell just makes things a little too strange, even though the flavor's not bad.
But for whatever's it's worth, it may be a good substitute for coffee -- my mother's been looking to replace coffee and thought this was full-bodied and flavorful enough to satisfy.
It also was great for a stomachache, so there's that.
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May 16th '18
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Good balance between the cocoa and the caramel, with neither one being too brash by overtaking the tea or each other. Works great both plain or with some cream added to it, and the scent is also nice, coming off as sweet but roasty.
Could make a good replacement for a morning cup of coffee, according to coffee-drinking relatives.
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May 16th '18
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Hadn't tried all of them personally (just the Candy Apple and Gingerbread flavors), but both of them were enjoyable. Candy Apple managed to taste distinctly like its namesake, which I was thrilled with, and while Gingerbread missed the mark a little, it was still a rather cozy winter tea.
As for the packaging, the tins are cute and contain plenty of loose leaf for sampling. Definitely nice for gift-giving. But heads-up -- Adagio fills the tins very full (you get your money's worth!), so I'd suggest opening the tins over a plate or something the first time you go to use them in order not to waste any.
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May 14th '18
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I bought a bunch of samplers to give to my mom on Mother's Day, mainly looking for ones she might like as everyday coffee replacements. I included this and a couple other flavored ones in my order for when she wanted to treat herself a bit.
Well, yesterday, my mom, my sister, and myself all tried this one out. First off, it smells delicious straight out of the bag. I mean just plain delightful -- wonderfully fragrant and just like chocolate-covered strawberries. And while that mellows out a bit once brewed, it still does well in managing to actually taste like one. Everyone was impressed with it (even Mom's usually tea-indifferent boyfriend when he tried a little of hers!)
No sugar is needed -- there's enough natural sweetness between the strawberry and rose. I'd personally like to try it with a bit of milk/cream at some point, though, as I think that might bring it even closer to 'liquefied choco-strawberry' territory.
Either way, we'll definitely be ordering more of this in the future!
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Aug 18th '16
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This is such a convenient little thing -- very much a 'no fuss, no muss' product. It doesn't seem to be leaky, it works with plenty of cups/mugs, it does away with a need for paper filters, it gives a nice amount of room for the leaves to unfurl, and the mesh is good at preventing a cup full of particles, even when it comes to finer-sized varieties like rooibos. It would be nice if this came in a glass variety rather than just plastic, but that's a fairly small gripe given the product's positives.
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