136 Tasting Notes
This is the last almond tea testing for the night. The first two were from Adagio, and I found their black tea bitter, while their oolong variety was very nice.
This smells like Adagio’s Almond Oolong after brewing. It has a very similar tone to it. On first sip however, Upton once again blows Adagio out of the water on flavor (imo). There is absolutely no bitterness, it is much stronger overall and it makes me go “yum!”. As much as I love Adagio for their customer service/variety, Upton is quickly becoming a favorite for simply flavored teas.
Testing 3 almond flavored teas tonight, and this is the 2nd. The first, Adagio’s (regular) black Almond did not make me a fan (bitter). This one is much nicer for my tastebuds. The almond comes through, but is not overbearing. I added a tbs. of honey and this made this a mildly sweet almond flavored tea. Much nicer than the regular black version. Kudos to Adagio on this one.
Preparation
Thought I would test some almond flavored teas tonight, starting with this one. I have to admit that I don’t have high expectations. I find Adagio’s flavored black teas (the ones I’ve tried, which includes ones before joining Steepster) to be bitter.
Well, this one smells nice…. love the scent of almonds! Oh gosh, there is that slightly bitter black tea taste again (sigh), but it’s not toooo bad this time. Could be the tbs. of honey that is helping. The almond sits back and blends well, if I could only get past that bitter black tea … oh well. For the record, I hate (hate hate) coffee, and am very sensitive to bitterness. This tea will not be my friend.
p.s. my tea does not have any almond pieces that are in that picture… doublechecked… nope.
Preparation
Orange peel, vanilla bean and clove on a black tea. The black tea is well behaved in this blend (not bitter or overly strong). Having vanilla, I expected a creamier feel, but that’s not the case… I’m not getting vanilla, perhaps way in the background. The orange and clove are the basic flavorings here, and while I like clove more than orange, it’s an ok blend (personal preferences are clashing, nothing wrong with the tea). It has a mild spicy feel but not one that’s overpowering.
Preparation
Having just tested Vanilla Green (which was weak according to instructions), I decided to make this stronger from the beginning. I haven’t had much luck with Adagio’s flavored black teas, but this one does not cause an immediate “blech” from me. It is strong, but did I overdo it? Not sure, but the vanilla is probably making this ok for my tastebuds. To me, the vanilla is in the background and not overpowering, only adding some sweetness. I added a tsp. of honey to sweeten further.
Preparation
What happens when you fall asleep at 8 p.m. while watching TV? Well, you wake up at 2 a.m., if you are me. Three hours later, I’m ready to start testing some tea : )
Starting with this one this morning. The aroma in the package is sweet. Haven’t had much luck with Adagio’s flavored black teas so far, so starting off with a green.
My first impression is that is a bit weak (need to add a little more leaves I think). But the taste is very nice. I can taste the green tea first and the vanilla second. I added about a tsp. of honey, so it is on the sweet side to me, but not overly so. I wish it had more of a vanilla taste, so this falls squarely into the “ok” category for me. Will keep sample and play with it again (if I can ever get through all my samples).
Preparation
While searching mint teas on the Stash site, I pondered over this one. Peppermint and chocolate sounded good, but in tea? So I settled for a little 10-pack (what the heck).
The tea smelled wonderful before brewing. The flavors in the brewed tea is lacking though. Peppermint is there, but only getting a hint of the chocolate. Will need to tweak this next time, but for now it’s not living up to what I expected.
Preparation
Winter is finally showing itself here tonight, with the winds picking up and temp dropping. Fully expect to wake up to see snow in the a.m…. not much I hope. But hearing the wind outside caused me to reach for a chai to test.
For the record, I love their popular chai/chai blend (haven’t had a chance to add review to site yet). And I added a tbsp of honey while brewing.
This chai is tamer to me than the blend. It’s missing that slight “red hot” element that makes it unique. But as soon as I said tamer, I realize that it really isn’t tame per se…just different. The spices are in the “medium” spicy category (preferred) and you can tell it’s a black tea background (not a favorite, but this one pulls it off). Not dominated by cinnamon, the other spices meld nicely. Enjoying this cup and warming up already : )
Preparation
I almost bought this the other day! I haven’t been purchasing tea at all so far this year (trying to get through some stuff). I’m glad to know that it’s pretty well received.
I actually have only done one review on their site and you know what? It took them almost 2 months to post it! It wasn’t worth it at all imo. I was very upset when they released their newest teas and only just recently let them be posted to the actual site.
I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like the chai/chai blend…
Sorry, that should have read they released the teas and then waited until much later to post the reviews.
I haven’t tried to post reviews on their site, but have heard they do hinky things on the disc. boards (taking down negatives?). Sounds like the reviews there should be taken with a grain of salt. But yes, this chai is pretty good. I still like the chai/chai blend a bit better, but will finish this too. If I had a way to send a sample bag, I would (but alas, don’t know where to get them). Still have the Samurai one to test too, but know I got it to blend with the White Ayurvedic if worse comes to worse : )
Going to go back and read your reviews of their teas….
I actually only ended up doing a review on the aurora tumbler that I had purchased (I love it!). What else was surprising is that the day mine showed up a whole bunch of other reviews for the same product also suddenly appeared…I don’t understand their posting procedures.
I haven’t had a chance to try the chai/chai blend as its separate components. I also realized when I was drinking mine (the sample) it had sugar pre-added.
:p I’ve posted quite a few reviews of their teas on here! I have immediate access to their store so it’s what I often order b/c I hate shipping fees.
Oh lucky you! I can get to one, with about an hour drive, but I’m one of those strange females who avoids malls whenever possible :)
Let me know when you get a chance to try it. I did add a bit of honey (trying to stop using white sugar and don’t want/like artificials).
LOL I go to the mall for two reasons only; the Gap and Teavana. So everyone in that section of the mall is starting to know who I am (they’re very close to each other). I go a lot with my siblings. :p I just remembered that one of the Teavana workers is in a class I attend! Now she knows my shopping habits! O.O Oh I’ll let you know! :D I do like adding honey to certain blends, but it really depends on my mood. I’m with you on the not liking artificial sweeteners. They taste very obvious to me.
I don’t like strong chai, so this sounds about right for me.
I was a bad girl and bought way too much tea from the Stash (online) sale. Most are chai teas or mint ones, so this one stood out on it’s own, so it’s tonight’s choice for testing. When I opened the package, the smell was Amazing! The lemon smell hit the senses and made me happy.
That happy feeling left after brewing. That wonderful lemony “thing” is gone. First sip reminds me that this lists green tea as it’s first ingredient…that’s what I’m tasting. Not getting any spice, even though I’m not sure where that was supposed to come from. This is a light “ok” tea, with maybe the tiniest hint of citrus, but disappointed.
Edit to add: the lemon/citrus shows up in the aftertaste, but not while sipping. It’s a sour/tart type of lemon taste.
Note to self: try this cold brewed, maybe that’ll save it (stay tuned).
