Tea Review 116 - Adagio Teas Gourmet Tea Collections

Artisan Comfort Collection
Sweet Medley Collection
Adagio Teas

Up today, two collections of gourmet tea from Adagio Teas. Each contains five pyramid bags of six different teas. The Artisan Comfort Collection features mostly unflavored black, white, green and oolong teas and the Sweet Medley Collection contains flavored black, white, green, oolong, rooibos and a tisane.

I won't comment on each one of these teas, but there are a few that stand out for me. Not surprisingly, given my preference for unflavored tea, those are the ones I liked best. Especially noteworthy, at least for me, the Dragonwell, Oolong Goddess, and especially the Golden Yunnan, all from the Artisan Comfort Collection.

As for the Sweet Medley Collection, I liked the Peach Oolong best and I always go for a good strong Peppermint. Also surprising, since I don't like Earl Grey or vanilla, is the relatively palatable blend I came up with when I blended the former with the Vanilla Rooibos.

Artisan Comfort Collection
Jasmine Pearls
Silver Needle
Dragonwell
Wuyi Oolong
Golden Yunnan
Oolong Goddess

Sweet Medley Collection
Earl Grey
Citrus Green
Peach Oolong
Peppermint
Blueberry White
Vanilla Rooibos

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Tea Review 106 - Adagio Jasmine Silver Needle

Tea Review 106
Jasmine Silver Needle
Adagio Teas

Adagio sez:
Young and elegant tea leaf buds with a whisper of jasmine aura. All the appeal and softly sweet nuances of a classic Silver Needle tea, enhanced with the aroma of night-blooming jasmine flowers.

I've never cared much for the practice of ruining a perfectly good tea with flavoring. But, of course, this is a subjective thing, everybody likes what they like and one tea drinker's ruination might be another one's liquid bliss. So there, I say to myself in a stern tone of voice.

Of the better-known varieties of flavored tea, I'm probably most fond of jasmine. A good jasmine, in my opinion, is very subtly flavored and not perfumey tasting. Which is a pretty accurate description of Adagio's Jasmine Silver Needle. It takes a well-known variety of white tea, doctors it up a bit and makes it pretty palatable all around.


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RedUmbrella Tea, Canada’s Loose Leaf Tea Co.

Tea Review 105 - Mighty Leaf Ginger Twist & More

Ginger Twist
Mighty Leaf

I'm kind of fond of all things ginger, so I was excited to try Mighty Leaf's Ginger Twist. As they describe it, "our Ginger Twist herbal tea is a harmonious mix of lemongrass, tropical fruits, and mint fueled with a touch of ginger and ginseng."

This is all well and good, but the ginger seems to be something of an afterthought. This was a bit disappointing, considering that it is ginger tea. Putting aside the relative gingerlessness, however, this was not a bad blend. I'm not enamored of lemongrass, but all the flavors are so subtle and well proportioned that the end result is quite appealing.

Here are some brief notes regarding some other teas Mighty Leaf has sent along. They seem to specialize in flavored blends, which are not necessarily my cup of tea, but some of them are not bad.

White Orchard
White tea, melon and peach. I've always had kind of a thing for peach-flavored tea so this one worked for me.

Orange Dulce
Black tea with orange, vanilla and jasmine. The vanilla spoiled it for me but your mileage may vary.

Green Tea Tropical
Green tea with pineapple and guava. Another nice blend, though, as in most cases with flavored blends, the actual tea is overpowered by the flavored stuff.

RedUmbrella Tea
Canada’s Loose Leaf Tea Co.

Tea Review 93 - Narien Teas

Dragonwell
Silver Needle
Narien Teas

If you're new to tea it might take some time to get used to the relatively subtle flavors of some varieties. This point was brought home to me when I recently tasted two samples from Narien Teas, an online tea merchant who got rolling in the summer of 2008.

While their Dragonwell (green) and Silver Needles (white) were both good, I'd been going through a phase where I was drinking stronger varieties, such as a robust Yunnan (black) and a strong Sencha (green). Which tended to color my perceptions of these two low-key teas. The moral, I guess, if there is one, is that what you've been drinking now is likely to have an effect on what you're drinking next.

If you'd like to sample Narien's wares, tell them Tea Guy sent you. Better yet use the coupon code "teaguyspeaks" and get %10 off.

The Collectible Teapot & Tea Calendar 2009 (Wall Calendars)
Zarafina Tea Maker Suite

Tea Review 87 - Jun Shan Yin Zhen (Yellow Tea)

Jun Shan Yin Zhen (Yellow Tea)
Upton Tea Imports

As I read through the section on yellow tea in Mary Lou and Robert Heiss's excellent book, The Story of Tea, it occurred to me that I'd never actually tasted any yellow tea.

Well, I decided it was time to resolve this matter and set about getting my hands on some. I'm not inclined to buy tea in quantity without tasting it first, so I found myself patronizing Upton Tea Imports, who make all of their stock available in sample sizes (if you know of anyone else who offers yellow tea samples, do tell).

Yellow tea is probably the least known type of tea. According to the Heiss's, it's similar to a green tea, except that after the initial drying and just before the first firing, it goes through a step "called men huan, during which yellow leaf tea is lightly and slowly steamed, then covered with a cloth to allow the leaves to breathe."

Here's what Upton has to say about their Jun Shan Yin Zhen:

"This rare yellow tea from the Hunan province has a rich history, and was once a famous tribute tea. The flavor is light yet richly layered, with floral notes, a light, fruity aroma and a gentle bite on the palate. Very limited supplies."

As far as the dry leaf goes, Jun Shan Yin Zhen is reminiscent of white tea, with small, narrow leaves that may or may not have a yellowish cast to them. It seemed that they might, but perhaps I was just in a suggestible state.

The aroma of the dry leaf, as well as the brewed tea, is very subtle and the latter has a light golden/yellow color. The flavor is just as low-key, though my perception might be affected by the fact that I've been drinking a lot of heavy Assam teas lately.

Mouth feel is exceptionally smooth, without even a hint of bite or bitterness. The best part was a lingering, sweet aftertaste that was still around a half hour later and may have lingered longer if I hadn't taken a drink of water.

If you're a fan of full-flavored teas only, Jun Shan Yin Zhen is probably not what you're looking for. For those who like white and light green teas, it may be worth a try.

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tea, green tea, food, food and drink

Tea Review 79 - Rishi Snow Buds White

Snow Buds (Xue Ya), Organic White Tea
Rishi Tea

I've sampled assorted and sundry white teas before. I remember liking most of them, but nothing really stood up head and shoulders above the pack. But just recently I found myself really impressed with Snow Buds, from Rishi Tea.

This is an excellent white tea, or at least so say I, but I think part of the fact that I liked it so much had to do with my tea drinking habits lately. Which has pretty much consisted of a whole lot of strong, heavy black teas - Yunnans and Assams mostly.

To suddenly make a changeover to a delicate white tea was a nice switch and served to remind me that black is not the be all and end all of tea.

Rishi describes Snow Buds as "a rare white tea that is hand harvested in very limited quantities for Rishi on the high mountain peaks of northern Fujian, China."

As for the flavor, there's no point in me reinventing the wheel, when Rishi has already offered up a good description, "its clear infusion offers a fresh green note with a complex savory flavor and aroma that can be likened to toasted grains and baked sweet potato."

I don't know that I'd have been clever enough to isolate the two latter components of the flavor, but I also won't argue with that description.

If you're looking for a nice, light white tea, whether as an antidote to too much black or just because, you could do a lot worse than Snow Buds.

Highly recommended.

Image: Rishi Tea

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Only the finest imported teas at Golden Moon Tea

Tea Review 76 - Inko's White Tea Energy

Inko's White Tea Energy
Inko's White Tea

Until now my experiences with energy drinks have been rather limited and totally unsatisfactory. In fact, the full extent of my experience has been about two sips each of a couple of the big name ones - which shall remain nameless and which really sucked, if I may be blunt. But maybe taste is not a key factor when it comes to selecting these products.

If you're looking for an energy drink that doesn't taste like cough syrup, you could start with Inko's White Tea Energy. Inko's also makes a quite fine line of bottled white teas, with nine flavors in all, most of which we've reviewed here at TGS.

Inko's White Tea Energy comes in an attractive, blue 15.5 ounce can and contains 92.4 milligrams of caffeine, which Inko's claims is "jitter-free." Since I'm fairly sensitive to caffeine, I decided not to test their claim by downing a whole can of the stuff. But I did taste it and found the taste to be quite nice, kind of like a lightly sweetened lemonade.

While I didn't really pick up much of a white tea flavor, it's nice all the same and it sure beats those carbonated Robitussin knockoffs.

tea, green tea, food, food and drink, white tea, energy drink

Only the finest imported teas at Golden Moon Tea

Tea Review 64 - Anteadote Pure White Tea

Anteadote Pure White Tea
Adagio Teas

Now this is the way bottled tea was meant to taste. If you ask me, that is. Not that you did. But I'll inflict my opinion on you anyway. Toss those sickly sweet tea-like beverages in the bin and give Anteadote a whirl.

Adagio Teas makes four different flavors of Anteadote bottle tea, including black - which I reviewed here - jasmine, green and white. Each contains nothing more than purified water, tea and vitamin C, which works for me just fine. What else do you need?

What surprised me the most about Anteadote White was just how strong the flavor was. I admit to not having a real wide experience with white tea, but those that I have sampled - both hot and bottled - have always been very subtle. Anteadote White has quite a bite, kind of a like a robust green without quite so much of the greenish flavor, if that makes even the least bit of sense.

Highly recommended. Down with sugar.

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Tea Review 50 - Inko's Lychee & Blueberry

Lychee White Iced Tea
Blueberry White Iced Tea
Inko's White Tea

I've never tasted anything flavored with lychee and I've certainly never eaten a lychee, at least not knowingly. In fact, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't recognize this particular fruit if the sky suddenly opened up and started dumping them on my head.

Having said that, I'll go on to say that Inko's Lychee variety is pleasant enough, if rather low key. As far as what to compare this flavor to I have to confess to being a bit stumped. Definitely on the fruity side though. I'll go that far.

Inko's Blueberry worked a little better for me but that's most likely due to the fact that I'm keen on blueberry to start with. The best thing about this variety - and I also found this to be the case with Inko's Honeydew - is that it actually tastes like what it says on the bottle.

As I was drinking this one I could actually imagine someone squeezing the berries into the jar and then topping it off with a bit of white tea. While I suspect that's not how the actual production process works, it's a winner nonetheless.

Recommended on both counts.

See my previous Inko's reviews here, here, and here.

Tea Review 48 - Inko's Honeydew & Honeysuckle

Inko's White Tea Honeydew
Inko's White Tea Honeysuckle
Inko's White Tea

Honeydew flavored white tea is a flaky concept, but it's flaky enough that it sounded kind of appealing to me. And what do you know? It works.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this blend is that the honeydew tastes like actual honeydew, rather than some chemist's half-assed notion of what it should taste like. There's also ginger, citric acid and fructose crystals in the mix, but all I really tasted was the honeydew and the tea. Very nice.

Honeysuckle lacks the sweetener and ginger and has a very, very understated taste, kind of along the lines of Inko's mint blend, but even more low-key. My clunky palate could only pick out the faintest of floral undertones (or is that overtones?) but that's not a bad thing, mind you. Just don't go into this one expecting the typical bottled tea explosion of coarse flavors and cloying sweetness.

Highly recommended on both counts. I'm not generally too keen on sweetened teas but I'd have to give the nod to honeydew this time around.

Tea Review 47 - Inko's Cherry Vanilla & Hint O' Mint

Cherry Vanilla
Hint O' Mint
Inko's White Tea

In the interests of full disclosure, I should point out that I'm not terribly keen on vanilla. And though I like cherries I'm also not that fond of cherry flavored stuff.

So it's probably a foregone conclusion that I wasn't going to be wild about Inko's Cherry Vanilla - and I wasn't. Every time I took a sip I couldn't help being reminded of cough syrup.

But, to be fair, I should point out that if you're coming to this variety without my particular set of biases you'll probably feel differently. Inko's products, in general, have a rather light taste compared to many other bottled teas and drinks. Cherry Vanilla is one of their sweetened blends, but the sweetness quotient is actually fairly tame.

As for Hint O' Mint, well that was a whole 'nuther ball of wax entirely. I liked this one quite a bit. I suspect that the fact that it's unsweetened has a lot to do with it. There's another one of my biases.

Hint O' Mint has a very delicate taste, something that's quite refreshing - and rare - for a bottled tea. There's really just the vaguest mint flavor mixed in with the equally light white tea component. According to the label there's also some ginger in there somewhere, but my coarse taste buds didn't pick up on any of it.

Good stuff, tea fans. I'd put Hint O' Mint near the top of the list of bottled teas that I've sampled to date.

Recommended.

Tea Review 44 - Bottled Peach Teas (X2)

White Peach White Tea
Inko's White Iced Tea

Peach Oo-La-Long
Honest Tea

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I've never met a bottled tea I liked, but it's close. The problem with bottled tea, at least for me, is the sweetener factor, that notion that a bottled beverage won't fly with the sugar-addled American public unless it's sweet.

White Peach White Tea is the first Inko's tea I've tried. The propaganda on the bottle trumpets the health benefits of white tea and features the slogan, "what white tea tastes like." Uhhh...

Anyway, the ingredients in this one are premium brewed white tea, fructose crystals (an especially vile "F" word, in my book), all-natural white peach extract and citric acid.

Inko's does get big points for appearance, with a nice crystal clear amber color. As for taste - not bad, but I just couldn't get past that fructose thing. Sorry, I really tried.

Honest Tea's Peach Oo-La-Long fares a little better in the taste department, though I'm considering giving them a demerit for the excessively cutesy poo name. I'd also knock off points for cloudiness, but granted that's not nearly as important a consideration as taste.

Peach etc. is an organic fomulation that - oddly enough - places organic Fair Trade Certified oolong and black tea fourth in the billing after purified water, organic sugar and organic peach puree. Also in the mix are organic brown rice syrup, natural peach flavor and that yummy old citric acid.

The presence of two sweeteners was somewhat alarming, but the sweetness factor here is actually quite understated or, as the blurb on the bottle would have it, it's "a tad sweet." Indeed. Overall, the taste wasn't so bad. On a stifling hot day I might just be able to knock off a bottle or two of this stuff.

Tea Review 33 - Tempest White Snow & Apricot

Organic White Snow with Apricots
Tempest Tea

To make a good fruit tea that strikes just the right balance of fruit and tea is a tricky business, but when it's done right it's a thing of wonder.

Kind of like Tempest's White Snow with Apricots, which also gets a bonus point for the evocative name. A blend of an organic Chinese white tea with organic apricot pieces, this one hits the nail right on the head, if you'll forgive my descent into tepid cliché.

The fruit overtones are just about right, giving the blend a very smooth taste and a noticeable flavor of apricots that doesn't go too far and become overpowering. This is a very smooth and mellow tea with hardly a trace of bitterness.

Available in three sizes, from one ounce ($5.40) to one pound ($36). The sample I tried was in a pyramid bag that allows the tea leaves more room to brew, thus releasing more flavor. If I'm reading their Web site right, Tempest offers nine flavors of tea in this type of bag.

Tea Review 28 - Adagio White Assam

White Assam
Adagio Teas

White Assam. Who knew? Certainly not me.

I should preface these remarks on White Assam by saying that there are few things I like better than a good, robust black Assam. It's the sort of thing that makes me want to thump my chest, pinch the senoritas and shoot holes in the ceiling.

But White Assam doesn't go there, as you might have guessed. What you get for your 180 degrees and seven minutes steeping of these long, thin leaves - mostly grayish, with a smattering of white - is something quite different.

The last time I brewed White Assam half of the leaves hung suspended in the water and half sunk, which created a nice effect that reminded me of stalactites and stalagmites in a cavern. The leaves produce a light reddish-brown brew with a delicate taste and perhaps just the faintest overtones of fruit and malt. Overall, I though the taste was closer to a nice Darjeeling black, but what do I know?

Available, as most Adagio teas are, in four sizes. In this case, a sample size ($4) all the way up to a half pound ($38). Not for bargain hunters, but well worth it.

Recommended.

Contents: Sample tin
I paid: na

Tea Review 15 - Adagio White Monkey

White Monkey
Adagio Teas

White Monkey is, of course, a green tea. Nothing confusing about that, now is there? It's grown in the Taimu Mountains in the Fujian Province of China and is processed exclusively by hand. The leaves are small to medium-sized with a coating of fine white down that presumably gives this one it's name.

Now, I might actually go so far as to say that a cup of White Monkey makes me want to jump around, twittering and screeching like...well, like a big white monkey, but I would never stoop to such undignified shenanigans. However, this is a very nice tea all around, from the time you open the little tin and catch a whiff of that pleasing aroma, to watching the leaves unfold in the hot water - the agony of the leaves - to the pale golden color and the light, but very pleasing, green tea taste.

Like most of Adagio's teas, White Monkey is available in four different sizes, from a ten-cup sample tin up to a half-pounder that goes for $19. A relatively rarefied pleasure, compared to some teas, but if you've got the hots for the good stuff, it's worth it.

Contents: Sample tin
I paid: na

Tea Review 12 - Fuze White Tea

Fuze Orange Blossom White Tea
Fuze Beverage, LLC

Rather than take the risk of offending millions of Southerners, not to mention a host of tea drinkers abroad, I'll refrain from stating that sweetened tea is an abomination. But that doesn't mean I won't be thinking it.

The first thing you notice about Fuze teas - they also make a green variety - is the nifty keeno bottle and the not so shabby packaging. The second thing you notice is that they're really going after the "tea as health tonic" demographic. The majority of the packaging is devoted to touting the praises of the many polyphenols and vitamins contained therein. By golly, one eighteen ounce bottle of this stuff contains as many antioxidants as three whole servings of vegetables! Whee!

But I think I'd rather go with the vegetables - unless there are lima beans involved. Because the third thing I noticed about Fuze white is that the neato packaging was a lot more appealing than what was inside. Though, if you're a fan of sweet tea, your mileage is likely to vary.

In addition to filtered water, Fuze white's main ingredients are crystalline fructose, honey, natural orange ginger flavor with other natural flavors, white tea solids and white tea extract.

Which all adds up to a rather bland flavor that's kind of like weak lemonade made with oranges instead of lemons. Oh, and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

As for the white tea component, I going to assume it's in there, since it says so on the label. I didn't taste it, but maybe that's just me.

Provisionally recommended, to fans of pre-sweetened ready to drink beverages. A relatively good value, I might add, if you're into this sort of thing.

Contents: 18 ounce bottle
I paid: $1.39