Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘adagio tea’

Let me start by saying, I am not a coffee drinker. For me, the tea I choose to drink throughout the day will be dependent on my mood. This tea would be one that I would use to start my day, as I think it has the ability to give you that initial morning burst that many people claim to get from that first pot of java.

My first impression of any teas is usually in the form of smell. I was a little surprised to find the aroma of the Yunnan Noir to be earthy in nature, as I was expecting a soft and supple aroma. I do like teas that are full bodied and stronger in taste!

The tea leaves were noticeably large in size, and looked like they had been tightly rolled up, possibly to keep in their flavor. This tea has a woodsy smoked flavor bordering on bitter, but not quite. It has an almost rustic taste. As with many of the other teas that I consume on a daily basis, I added milk and 2 sugars. I don’t think I would drink this after a fine meal or sitting down at the end of the day.

I think, for anyone trying to transition from coffee to tea, this will hit the spot, unlike many of the store bought nationally branded products I used to buy!

I would definitely drink it again, without hesitation. If you are looking for something to give you a little pick me up, it will fit the bill.

You can purchase Adagio Yunnan Noir directly from their website.

From Adagio Teas Bengal Green Chai is an eastern fusion blend of green tea from China and a traditional mix of chai spices from India. It is described by Adagio as ” Our smooth China green tea with a chakra warming spice combination. Its natural sweetness and fiery kick will bring you back to center, no matter how polarized you’ve become. OOMMMMM OOMMMMM”

The loose tea presents very well, long leaves of green pekoe tea, lots of cloves, big chunks of cardamom pods, cinnamon bark, ginger root and orange peel; once brewed it makes a cup of tea that is a nice amber color. The aroma of the tea is rich and spicy and stays with the tea even after it is brewed.

I found the flavor of the cloves to be the most pronounced, almost a little too strong, but the ginger, cinnamon and cardamom worked nicely together as an underlying flavor. Overall, I liked the tea but I think that the mildness of the green pekoe was overpowered by the spices. I often add milk and sugar to a traditional black chai blend but I found that this tea isn’t robust enough to hold up to the addition of milk and sugar without losing too much of it’s color and taste.

I followed Adagio’s suggested brewing instructions of two heaping teaspoons per 6 oz cup – 3 min at about 180 degrees. This actually seemed like a lot of tea required to make a cup but I guess it has to do with the loose mix of big leaves and spice pieces – the more tea you use the more likely it is to get a consistent proportion of cloves, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.

You can purchase Adagio Bengal Green Chai directly from their website.

There are a ton of health aspects associated with Green tea. I’ve always had a hard time finding a good green tea that doesn’t leave my mouth with a strange woodsy aftertaste. I decided to try this particular tea 2 different ways and exactly as it’s recommended to brew. 180 degrees for 3 minutes. The first cup was brewed with no additions and the 2nd I added a teaspoon of honey. I never add honey to tea, but decided to see the difference. I’m not a fan of sweet hot tea but I have to say it was this was a pleasant surprise. The first unadulterated cup had a nice fragrance, an earthy, mossy smell I attribute to green teas but not over powering. I would drink if served to me, but would choose something else given the choice.

The second cup with the addition of honey was a soothing refreshing experience. The small bit of honey took away some of the woodsy flavor without adding a ton of sweet to it, almost neutralizing the earthy aftertaste without compromising the actual integrity of the tea. There was a hint of honey aftertaste that was much preferable to the cup without the honey. This was a cup I would happily make for myself after a long cold winters day or as a beginning to one.

You can purchase Adagio Xu Ya Ballad directly from their website.

Well, we have put out our first round of requests for tea from popular retailers around the web and world, and are truly overwhelmed with the responses!  We are currently awaiting samples for review from the following retailers:

52 Teas / Zoomdweebies

Adagio Teas

Canton Tea Co.

Cupteavity

Red Leaf Tea

Rishi Tea

Tavalon Tea

Teaforte

TeaFrog

As the samples start to come in, our reviews will be busy little beavers sampling all types and variety of teas and reporting back to our viewers on the results.  Knowing these tea companies, I expect that we will have some great tea experiences, and I can tell you that myself and our reviewers are anxiously checking the mailbox every day for these great teas!

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See you all soon with the first of our reviews!