Adagio Custom Blends, Amy Zen

So I went to a friends place this evening and I know she is a Firefly fan so I took my tins and have her the choice of which she wanted to drink. We ended up splitting a pot of this tea and tbh, I wasn’t looking forward to it. Of course, when I actually did enjoy it, I was quite surprised. First thing I noticed was a great vanilla taste but then as I paid a bit more attention to the cup, I picked up of notes of floral bergamot and sweet rose which are both flavors I am typically wary of but they worked perfectly in this tea. I was pleasantly surprised by River but then again, she is full of surprises :)

Surprise! One more Firefly tea! :) I thought I’d lost this but I’d just left it at work. Silly me.

So, this is a peachy oolong, with cream and a little bit of spice. It’s quite calming and relaxing which is awesome because that’s what I need as I’m feeling super anxious at the moment. What gives?

Well, Simon is here to save the day. I’m chilling out a bit.
Thank you VariaTEA! It’s only lightly peachy but the cream is nice. I can go for subtle.

Last sipdown for today! That’s all the firefly teas!
:D

I think I over-steeped this by 10 minutes but it’s totally forgiving. I’m tasting licorice, and orange and lemongrass and it’s really calming. So relaxing. Time for bed.

Dammit. I could possibly buy some of this too. Guys – this person REALLY knows how to blend tea!

ETA There’s no actual licorice in this so maybe it’s the blueberries steeped to the max that I’m tasting?

ETalsoA I’m at 200 teas!!! Bahahah

Oh! I like this one too! It’s a nice black assam, with chai AND lemongrass/coconut. It’s a really interesting combination and I really, really like it. I think this is one of the ones I’ll think about long after it’s gone and want more.

Also, I’m not done yet, but overall I’ve been very impressed with the Firefly teas. The blender has obviously put some thought into each one, and they all taste at least decent with a few standing out. That’s really something! I hope whatshesaid enjoys them as well!

Yeah. This is going on my list, unless it turns terrible once it cools.
Thanks VariaTEA! (202)

Another one from VariaTEA! I’m just working my way through the whole crew. Hahaha. (203, lalalala, Sil, I can’t hear you!)

I really like this one! I’m not sure why that is either because it’s really just a regular chai with added cinnamon, but perhaps that’s all I need? I love the mix of fierce chai toned down with sweet sweet cinnamon. Zoe’s fierce, but she has heart. :)

Thx!

If I liked rose just a little bit more, this blend would be amazing. Sweet rose, bergamot, vanilla… it’s light and floral and not as simple as it appears. I like it! I just wish it were a little less rose and a bit more vanilla.

Thanks VariaTEA! (204, +50 at Sils?)

Here’s another lovely sample from VariaTEA! Thanks! :D (206)

It’s a very relaxing spearmint tea, with a bit of green tea in the background, and the ocassional comfort of hazelnut rising to the top. Thumbs up!

Sipdown! (208)
I’m sending the other half of this on to whatshesaid so she can experiment with Adagio’s zany teas, but I want to thank VariaTEA for giving it to me in the first place! FIREFLY!!!

I didn’t realize it was an oolong but I can taste it in the base – just a little bit of roastiness lurking below. I can also taste a little bit of chocolate sweetness and some orange! It’s a nice cup, but not one that’ll linger in my memory for days, so no need to restock. (Unlike Thor. Or Loki… Come back to meeeee)

Thanks again for letting me try this!

And… onto my third Firefly tea, courtesy of VariaTEA! Thanks. :D

This is an interesting tea. Wow. So strange.
It’s rooibos, and coconut. Lavender! And just a little bit of bergamot to make Sil and others cringe. I guess there’s black tea somewhere in there but I can’t really taste it under all those crazy flavours.

Again, this one seems to be a nice match for the character it was named for. I don’t think I’d want too much of it though.

Thanks!

Here’s another one from VariaTEA! I had to sneak this sipdown (215) in because Jayne is a bit of trouble, and sometimes needs to be seperated from the other teas, due to his forceful nature.

(i.e., the overpowering smoke!)

ANd yes, when I sip this I definitely get lapsang souchong. But there is a little bit of chocolate mint hiding at the end of the sip. I’m enjoying the cup but I so rarely drink smoky teas that I would never order 3 oz of this. Not even with all the maple in the world to add onto it. :P

But thank you VariaTEA! And I agree, this blend definitely suits the characters, just like the Kaylee one suited her!

Yay! This is another one from VariaTEA. She actually gave me the entire Firefly set as samples and I know I’m going to have fun trying them. I had to start with Kaylee though. She’s probably my favourite. Also, I did sorta name my daughter after her (her middle name is Kaylee) because this character is so awesome, full of heart, and incredibly talented at something not typically done by a woman. I consider that makes her a good role model. :P

It was funny. I was searching for names and as soon as that popped into my head I couldn’t think of any others. My bf came up with the first name because I was idea’d out. :P

So anyway. THIS TEA:
It’s dark chocolate (and really flavourful for an Adagio tea!) mixed with sweet strawberry goodness, and back by floral notes. I’m not generally into floral teas, and that was what made me hesitate about this one, but it makes me think of desserts, and valentines day, and happiness and everything shiny.

Y’know… I could maybe drink 3 oz of this. Eventually. :D
Thanks!

I wanted to try experimenting with this instead of having it my usual way – hot and plain. I opted for an easy option of adding a touch of milk to the hot brew. I thought it would add a nice creaminess to the dessert flavors of the cup. However, when I opened the fridge, I realized we only had vanilla almond milk since we have not replaced the milk we lost when our fridge gave up on life last week. Oh, and I did not get around to drinking this until it completely cooled since I forgot about it while I cleaned my room. So now I am sipping on a cold cup of Kaylee sweetened with vanilla almond milk and I just don’t think I am a fan.

The almond flavor is too strong and it is competing with every other element in the mug. Unfortunately, the only thing that is strong enough to stand out is rose. Consequently it is a weird combination of strong rose and sweet nut. I like this tea but I don’t like it prepped like this and now I know. 170.

Sipping on this tea, I can’t help but be reminded of Kaylee’s pink dress. It is sweet and feminine and a but over the top but Kaylee pulls it off. Rose is at the forefront but it is complimented by the candy strawberry flavor similar to that of strawberry licorice. On top of all that, a hint of chocolate is floating around in the cup just beneath the other elements to add a bit of depth. I think I would actually get this one again because I really do love Kaylee and this tea is a great representation of her character.

Recently I packed up a sample of all the Firefly teas for Cavocorax and this smelled the best of all of them. Consequently I am taking a break from sipdowns to give it a try. It is nice though the rose is bordering on a bit too much. However you get a nice bit of strawberry at the end of the sip and the chocolate provides a pleasant richness to the cup. Maybe not one I would want three ozs of but I am happy I have lots more in the tin.

Sipdown (152)

The last of this is a whole lot of sweet smoke. No particularly distinctive sweet flavors (like I wouldn’t specify it’s caramel or chocolate) but there is definitely a generic sweetness there to compete with the lapsang. Mint also isn’t all that present but as with so many of my other teas, that can be an age thing. So long Jayne.

I decided to try this as a latte because aside from the lapsang smokiness, it seemed like the ingredients would go well with milk. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to taste any of those other ingredients because the smoke just took over and smokey milk is something I could live without.

Sipping on this tea hot, as expected, all I got was smoke. However, once I get past that, I can notice a bit of cocoa coming through and just the tiniest sprig of mint. I will continue to let this cool to see what comes of the tea but as of now, it is quite pleasant and definitely captures Jayne’s character.

Why do you taste like licorice?!? How does this happen?!?

Though this is better as a cold brew, as in it is less sweet this way, I am still getting licorice. I don’t understand why but that is what I am getting. Oh well.

So this tea looks like a chiffon tea with the added flavors of apple and rose hips. However it is not a combination I am loving. The lemongrass contributes a sort of tropical element while the apple comes through as a sweetness that is out of place in the cup. Moreover, the combination comes off as artificial and is almost reminiscent of licorice. I will try this again but as of now, it is just not for me.

One of my favorite teas, this blend contains black, gunpowder, orange peel, and spices. It wakes me up in the morning without getting me all jittery. It’s perfect for any Firefly lover.

I have not done much business with Adagio and I’ve never tried their custom blends but I pulled this one out of Artp’s Traveling Teabox. It’s interesting – black tea with a hint of cocoa and orange. I’ve enjoyed it but it’s probably not something I would purchase.