A passion for drinking a perfectly steeped (for me) cup of tea and baking regular and gluten free biscuits and cakes to go with it.
There are 21 teas listed on the back of the box. This is our first duplicate. Thank the Gods it’s a good one!
This cup has confirmed that I must order this tea.
Any random thoughts, Hipster Wife?
Just how much therapy I have left because of my childhood. I’m gonna mail you this one love!
Strawberry Banana Split The aka: Why the fuck is this a tea flavor?
BISH, WHEN I OPENED THIS DOCUMENT AND SAW THIS I FREAKING LAUGHED OUT LOUD. IT ECHOED IN MY HOUSE.
This is not listed on the Adagio website, so we can presume that idiot intern was trying to use up stock, and look good to the boss again.
1. First impressions?
Before I even opened this I wanted to know WHY. This entire concept is terrible. I fear I won’t like it. Why? 1. Rooibos. Always a bad idea. 2. BANANA????
When I opened it I was really surprised. It smells like strawberry candy. It smells sweet.
SURPRISING! The first few sips while it was still hot tasted stale (freaking Rooibos) As it cooled down it became palatable. The staleness went away. I did not think this blend would work AT ALL. I am happy to be wrong.
I wouldn’t buy it because I despise Rooibos. But it is tasty.
2. Do you think this is a good choice for an Advent Calendar? Why yes, or why no?
No. it’s not seasonal. I think that Zennial they hired from the scenario in my last post was at the meeting like “I really like banana and strawberry flavours” and the marketing team ran with it.
3. Tell me how you really feel. Or any random thing that needs to be said.
Random… strawberries are my favourite fruit. I like bananas slightly green and with melted peanut butter. Strawberries are the first summer fruit and are harvested here in the Northeastern US in June. Strawberries are part of the rose family.
How many splits does this get outta 5?
Weirdly… 4 out of 5 splits for this.
THE DAY I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!
British Prime Minister Earl Grey gave his name to this hugely popular tea back in the 1830s, and has since been thought of as a classic English afternoon tea. Its flavour is made up of simple black tea flavoured with stimulating oil of bergamot.
*gasps softly* Stimulate me, Prime Minister.
*Thank god he had an awesome name for tea. Mmmm this cup of William Cavendish-Bentinck is quite brisk this morning love.*
Cavendish Foods!! Did you ever watch To The Manor Born? Peter Bowles played Richard Devere, who owned Cavendish Foods. Not classically handsome, but Penelope Keith’s Audrey Forbes-Hamilton falls for him and I couldn’t help but fall along with her.
I’ve been waiting for this day. My favourite tea of all time, and a blend I’ve not yet tried. I’m sort of giddy.
Sadly the bag only smells like black tea. There is no bergamot at all. I went to my cabinet and sniffed all my basic, no frills Earl Grey blends and they all had that organgy scent.
I am preparing for disappointment.
Looking at the ingredients we don’t know what tea leaves they are using. Frankly if it isn’t Ceylon, it isn’t Earl Grey. WHY flavourings?!?!?!? Why can’t they use actual bergamot oil and or peels? and if they are using bergamot oil or flavouring, why can’t they spell it out? Why can’t they interlace Ceylon with bergamot peel?
The first sip is surprisingly good. There is a *slight* bergamot aftertaste.
Overall it does not taste like an Earl Grey. I’m very disappointed. 2 out of 5 William Cavendish-Bentnicks for this disappointing cuppa.
For fucks sake F&M… WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THE CITRUS!?
I agree with the wife. This is just another tea. In that weird way that Lipton is tea.
Is Lipton tea, though? Maybe we need to review it, and then compare to Builders and PG Tips.
When you ask for tea and it’s just brown water with a hint of something. I am not sure if my snobbery has reached new heights but this lack of flavor can’t be a tea bag. I have tea bagged versions of Earl Grey that are fucking amazing. This is not one of them.
5 stars if you want that kind of tea you gotta add a pound of sugar and call it sweet tea.
^ that sounds like some southern bs right there
1 star if you want Earl Grey. This tea should be gray because it tastes like nothing.
I bet you it would be perfect for Old Bill Cavendish-Bentinck.
F&M has a LOT of explaining to do to Santa and tea drinkers everywhere as to why their Earl Grey is subpar.
Blended With Oolong Tea & Natural Almond Flavor
Almonds are mentioned as far back in history as the Bible. They were a prized ingredient in bread served to Egypt’s pharaohs. Their exact ancestry is unknown, but almonds are thought to have originated in China and Central Asia. Explorers ate almonds while traveling the Silk Road between Asia and the Mediterranean. In the 18th Century, aided by the Franciscan monks, the almond tree made a leap to California, where it found a hospitable home. A large almond industry is now based in the Sacramento area.
Toasted, raw, or sprinkled with hickory smoke, salt or cinnamon, the almond is one of the world’s most popular nuts. Except, it isn’t a nut at all! It’s a drupe, a stone fruit related to the cherry, peach, and plum. Its original Latin name means “tonsil plum”. Aren’t you glad it was changed? Quirky names aside, almonds add a sweet nuttiness to tagines, salads, and it’s a nutritious snack. Just 12 to 24 almonds provide substantial manganese, calcium, vitamin E, potassium, and benefit hair, skin, and nails. Almond Oolong: it’s what’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Oolong Tea | Moderate caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3-5 minutes.
God bless the Franciscans! I love almonds.
Tagine (or tajine) is a Berber dish which is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. I need to find a place to eat this.
1. First impressions?
This is our third Oolong. Just saying.
Smells like Amaretto. Which I enjoy. On the rocks.
After steeping the almond scent is weak and almost chemical. But the oolong begins to shine.
Natural almond flavor is NOT the best accompaniment for Oolong. *strokes Oolong* shhh… show me on the doll where the tea blenders hurt you.
It’s like a fight in my mouth between a delicious oolong and an evil almond.
2. Do you think this is a good choice for an Advent Calendar? Why yes, or why no?
Nuts have always appeared at Thanksgiving and Christmas events. So yes, it’s logical they would poison us with this.
3. Tell me how you really feel. Or any random thing that needs to be said.
Does anyone at Adagio actually taste these blends? Or are they sitting in a conference room with a Power Point presentation about how many tons of Oolong the idiot in purchasing acquired? I have a vision of people sitting at a huge conference table looking very nervous while an executive says “what can we blend with this to make it exciting for the consumer” and some idiot child who just graduated college and never had anything but Lipton before starts throwing out ideas.
Millennial: what if we add… almond extract? (looks at inventory list on their iPad)
Executive (nods): good way to move all that Oolong idiot Bob in purchasing stuck us with AND we can get rid of that almond flavoring from last season. Brilliant! Make this travesty happen.
So the tonsil nut gets a what out of 5?
0. Zero. nothing. No tonsil plum.
They really need to get their blend masters to talk to marketing about coming up with names for these. Plum, Apple & Cinnamon Infusion is awkwardly long.
Glowing with the promise of warming spiced plum, our zesty tea infusion brims with the evocative aroma of cloves, cinnamon and rosehip. Sweet, spicy and a suitably festive deep ruby red colour, this is a cup of good cheer for a very merry Christmas.
Before I steep, this smells fruity and spicy. The apples and cinnamon are dominant, the hibiscus is hiding in the background. It brews up nicely to a reddish pink.
The hibiscus is in the sip. Love that tart flavour! It tastes a bit like mulled cider, but more robust. It makes me crave plum preserves. It leaves a nice spice on the tongue.
The smell and flavour are consistent from beginning to end. I didn’t want this cup to end. The spice is almost peppery at the end.
This offering belongs in the Advent Calendar. Plum pudding, dried apples, fruit cake, spices everywhere… it is perfectly seasonal.
Tart, spicy, fruity. This gorgeous cup gets 5 out of 5 Sugar Plum Fairies.
One year I get nothing but green tea. This year it’s fruity infusions and no black tea that actually tracks.
I gotta be honest.
I wanted to add champagne to this. I love bubbles with hibiscus and so it may be a bit conditioned response. But I kinda wanted to just use this as a cocktail base.
I don’t drink bubbles, but a quality tequila would be GOOD in this.
2020 has been hard y’all.
Between E-Learning, quarantine, family members who think masks are for wimps. It’s beeeeeeeen HARD.
So while I didn’t add bubbles to this, I did drink it iced with some sugar and I didn’t even feel bad about it.
HW, I bet it was fab iced!
In this post Adagio’s text is in red, HW’s questions are in black, and my replies are in pink
Cinnamon has long been a mystery to the Western world. Though it has been a popular spice since ancient times, it wasn’t until about the mid-to-late thirteenth century that Westerners actually knew where it came from, with rumors suggesting anything from it being fished from the Nile to it being collected from the nests of cinnamon birds. The real answer? It’s harvested from cinnamon trees in Southeast Asia. Oolong faces similar confusion in regards to its name, with several competing theories still fighting for the true name crown. So far as we can tell, none of them involve birds though.
A blend fit for royalty, this Indian inspired chai is a cinnamon lover’s dream. The rich complexity of oolong tea lays a smooth foundation for a majestic cup, packed with savory spice notes and hypnotic aroma. Elements of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chicory and cocoa nibs harmoniously blend together creating an exciting, yet truly satisfying chai that is sure to tickle your taste buds.
Oolong Tea | High caffeine | Steep at 212° for 5 minutes.
Did you know that chicory root used to be used as a substitute for coffee during war time?
Based on what I know of Egyptian mythology, I don’t know how excited I am by knowing that people may have thought it was fished out of the Nile. You know the story about how Isis and Nephthys put Osiris back together after their brother Seth had cut him into 14 pieces… and they couldn’t find one sort-of-important piece? Yeah.
1. First impressions?
It smells like a red hot candy or cinnamon imperials. Or Big Red gum. I had a bus driver call me Big Red as a kid. He meant it affectionately because there were two younger and shorter kids on the bus with red hair. But I was deeply offended and thought he hated me. Side note – I didn’t mean to make the nice Vietnam vet cry when I was crying and asked why he hated me.
Anyhoo… it tastes like it smells. If I added sugar to my tea it would be exactly like a cinnamon imperial. There is no sense of the Oolong at all. It’s not really giving me any chai flavors Cocoa nibs? Where? Not in my cup.
2. Do you think this is a good choice for an Advent Calendar? Why yes, or why no?
Yes because it has spices we associate with Christmas.
3. Tell me how you really feel. Or any random thing that needs to be said.
*cracks knuckles* Imma get random and maybe ranty.
While there is enough in these bags (which BTW I’m all about the format of this calendar even if I don’t like all the teas) for more than one little cup, I could not drink more than the little 6 ounces my cup holds. And I’m a hand painted 22 ounce beer stein as a tea mug kinda Viking. I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon teas.
WHICH *throws hands in the air* Adagio’s astrology blend for Aries is freaking cinnamon. Nay, nay. This ginger-haired, Viking-blooded Aries says no to this. Unlike Alexander Hamilton I can totally say no to this.
Also, what is the deal with all the Oolongs? Did Adagio buy a metric ton and are trying to get people to buy it? Oolong is a really nice black tea. And it is not blending well. It’s being used (abused) as an excuse to throw flavorings at us.
I’m giving this insult to Oolong 2 out of 5
Beautifully sharp then blissfully mellow to taste, this bright red Rhubarb, Raspberry & Nettle Infusions Tea is superbly warming and fruity and redolent of rhubarb crumble. A refreshing and unique tipple for true infusion lovers.
Ingredients: Hibiscus, Rosehip, Apple, Strawberry Leaves, Nettle, Flavourings (7%), Raspberry Pieces (4%), Rhubarb Pieces (4%).
I get excited about blends like this. Some of my home blends have hibiscus and rosehips. Strawberry leaves are good for digestion, are diuretic and laxative, anti-inflammatory, have Vitamin C and Manganese. Nettles are not something I keep (yet) in my home apothecary. It is used for arthritis pain, it’s an anti-inflammatory, and promotes urinary tract health.
At my first sip I said “Oh” out loud.
This is very good. It has actual raspberry and rhubarb pieces, not flavourings.
I can’t go on all day about how much I love this cup. It could become a new herbal staple in my cabinet. It’s going on my shopping list.
I’m pondering… does it belong on an Advent Calendar? Only if we want to torment ourselves with thoughts of warmer days. It doesn’t really have that Christmas spirit.
5 out of 5 Rhubarb stalks for this beauty.
I am not a fan of raspberry flavoring so this having actual bits of berry in it had me wondering if I would like it more. When I see raspberry tea I immediately think of the 90s in Southern California when you couldn’t walk 3 feet without hitting Lipton’s Raspberry Iced Tea. It was in machines in fast food places, it was in bottles at 7-11. EVERYWHERE.
I’ve been known for drinking tea since I was 4 years old and ordered tea as my main drink at Clearman’s Northwoods Inn in Rosemead California. It tickled both my parents and the waitress. She stated she’d never had a kid ask for tea before. I was like. Gimme. Also gimme that sugar bowl. But, that is another story.
This was a decent cup. I would actually like to try nettle on its own because I’m curious about isolating its flavor.
Damnit… I already bought your present.
This didn’t have that awful flavor I was expecting. It was sweet but not cloyingly so, nor was it artificial at all. I think the rhubarb cuts the sweet enough. I drank this tea without a second or third try. I don’t think it’s a good fit for Christmas unless you’re from the Southern Hemisphere. Where it’s summertime and there is ice in your tea. But that’s just me.
I give it a surprised 5 out 5 Gimmes.
The pear (Pyrus communis L.) originated in China and Asia Minor before it traveled far and wide to become the world’s fifth most widely-produced fruit. Its sensuous shape is a frequent representation of the female form in the art world and symbol of divine sustenance, abundance, and longevity. We think its floral elegance is a sweet addition to the delicacy of Fujian white tea, making it ideal for dessert or as a light-bodied aperitif. Definitely a tea for meditation or just gazing out the window. Add a bite of dark chocolate candy or a scone dotted with raspberry jam: nirvana.
Premium white tea from the Fujian region of China. Infused with the taste of ripe pears. Warm and sugary aroma, like a freshly baked pear, with a pear skin crisp finish. Wonderfully smooth and rounded, perfect hot or iced.
White Tea | Low caffeine | Steep at 180° for 3 minutes.
1. First impressions?
Meh. I’ve had this before. I’m not a huge fan of it. The flavouring doesn’t overpower the delicate white tea. Smells a bit like baby food pears.
2. Do you think this is a good choice for an Advent Calendar? Why yes, or why no?
Partridge in a Pear Tree. Obviously it belongs here.
3. Tell me how you really feel. Or any random thing that needs to be said.
Pear juice is often used as a natural sweetener. Adagio seems to use dried apple as a natural sweetener. You can dry pears. Why would you make the decision to use ‘natural pear flavor’ instead of actual pear? I’m really baffled here. Keep the apple bits in, that’s fine. But dry up some pear and throw that in. Has anyone at Adagio eaten dried pears? Very tasty! They could still add their flavoring, but do us a favor and use the actual fruit that is in the name of the blend.
I’d like to give this 3 out of 5 Partridges in a Pear Tree.
Assam tea, indigenous to Indias steamy Brahmaputra Valley, is one of the world’s oldest varieties. Made from the delicate leaf tips of the Assam tea bush, its full-bodied and robust character makes it an ideal companion to a really special breakfast.
Ingredients: Tea
Tasting Notes: A tea for any discerning sipper, our Assam Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe is a top grade tea with a memorably light colour. Distinctive in flavour, it is an ideal companion to cream cakes or gingerbreads at Afternoon Tea.
Hold up… why just say the ingredient is TEA when it is obviously Assam Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe? I understand it’s the name of the tea, but clear up your ingredients, F&M.
Honestly – this tea is good. Dry mouth feel, slightly bitter. Tastes like a quality black tea. No nonsense. No flavours. Just tea.
I have no critique for this. It would never be a go-to for me. If you like straight up black tea, please order this. You won’t be disappointed. 4 out of 5 Tippy Goldens
This is one of those weird teas for me. I have a three taste thing that I do and it failed two of the three stages.
I don’t like adding milk to any tea that has citrus in it because of a weird accidental curdling accident I am not over with. BLARG!!
This was weak to me as a plain cup of tea, my first taste. It didn’t scream any orange pekoe and if there were flowers I was missing the memo big time.
Second taste I added a scoop of honey. Now I was drinking honey water. I considered just pouring it into a hummingbird feeder to see if the caffeine did anything to them? *Pictures of their little wings flinging off stopped me.* **Also the lack of a bird feeder and a non-screened in porch**
I was about to dump it, and decided to add milk. It made it taste okay. I don’t think there was any orange in this. I never got even a hint. I could’ve been drinking Lipton.
So I give this a single pekoe crying in the dark because it wasn’t included in this tea.
Let’s learn what the heck Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe actually is…
From https://www.beantowntea.com/tea-grading FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe) :
Usually in a flush (tea picking season or harvest), a small quantity of Tippy or Flowery grades are made. Usually reserved tea or high value estate tea are of flowery grades. They are much more expensive to produce than run-of-the-mill grades, because it involves sorting out the tea tips by hand. FOP tea is made with pickings containing a young leaf from the top of a tea branch and one leaf bud. FOP grades have very good liquors and strength.
Flowery Orange Pekoe Grades:
FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe)
GFOP (Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
FTGFOP (Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
SFTGFOP (Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
In conclusion, Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe does not have any flowers or citrus in it. And tea companies should explain this up front.
In this post the text from Adagio’s site is in red. My words (Viking Wife/Lady Grey Moonlight) are in pink.
If there’s one perfect word for Pu Erh, it’s earthy. That makes it the ideal foil for fruity flavors and the warmth of heady chocolate like our shou (ripened) style Pu Erh Chorange. This marriage of chocolate and orange is a love match. It’s a dessert beverage that tingles the palate with citrus as the smoothness of chocolate calms the body. The natural aging process during years of careful storage ensures that the leaves are evenly and fully fermented, adding an edge of sweetness. Boil water, brew, sip. Sink into the pleasure of Chorange Pu Erh.
Rich chocolate and sweet orange bring a confectionary note to the gentle earthiness of pu erh. Lively citrus lifts the blend while the warm chocolate and easygoing pu erh are grounding and smooth. Reminiscent of a favorite treat.
Pu Erh Tea | High caffeine | Steep at 212° for 5 minutes.
How is this pronounced? One of my boyfriend’s cats has a weird meow that I’d probably spell Pu-Erh.
1. First impressions?
Smells like stale chocolate orange. As if you left last Christmas’ Terry’s Milk Chocolate orange unwrapped in the toe of your stocking and you’re now decorating for the season and you have found the thing all dried up and stale.
Once it has steeped it smells chocolaty, in a better way than a few minutes ago.
OH MY GOD WHY DOES THIS CUPPA SMELL LIKE A GRANDMA? And it tastes like a Tootsie Roll. Maybe an orange Tootsie Pop.
I’m not here for this.
2. Do you think this is a good choice for an Advent Calendar? Why yes, or why no?
In theory, yes. In actuality, NO. Just get me a Terry’s dark chocolate orange and leave me in peace. I’m traumatized from sipping liquid grandma.
3. Tell me how you really feel. Or any random thing that needs to be said.
Imma go off on the Adagio write up.
The marriage of orange and chocolate is normally a love match. In this blend they were married too young, grew apart as they grew up, and now are bitter towards one another, but they can’t divorce because they went against their parents wishes and didn’t have an arranged marriage, but were a love match. I’ve seen this Bollywood film.
“The natural aging process during years of careful storage”… IS THIS WHY IT SMELLS LIKE GRANDMA? Grandma in the assisted living facility full of old people smell. In my mind the Pu-Erh is stored in a nursing home. I can’t ever drink this again.
This mess gets ZERO of out 5 Terry’s Chocolate Oranges.
Tea and biscuits 