4 Tasting Notes
Fresh out of the bag, this tea reminded me of my days in the barn, picking through leaves of hay. What an unexpected wave of nostalgia and longing. I spent about three minutes just breathing it in. Literally. But I did my best to not allow that to color my opinion of the tea overall.
The directions call for two heaping teaspoons steeping for three to five minutes at a temperature of 195°F. I elected to use one mostly-heaping teaspoon in a smaller teacup, steeping four minutes at the recommended temperature. I also want to note that I did not add anything to this tea; I often find that white and green teas rarely beg to be sweetened. White Symphony was no exception.
After steeping, this tea – in both smell and taste – reminded me of a Jasmine green tea I have. The floral scent is quite calming, and the taste is what I would expect from a good (floral) white tea. While it’s nothing spectacular or out-of-this-world, White Symphony is nonetheless a wonderful choice.
Want to give this tea – or any of Adagio’s other teas – a taste? Let me know and I will send you a $5 gift certificate to use for your first purchase! :)
Preparation
It’s official: This tea is magical. Not only because a particular unicorn is both the face and namesake of this blend, but because the tea itself is divine.
When first opening the bag, I was hit with an amazing scent. My first thought was, “This smells like being pampered.” It seemed like a silly thing to think, but then I realized that such a thought was perfect! For those of you unfamiliar with the newest My Little Pony series, Friendship is Magic, Rarity will be the first to encourage you to have a spa day. (And if you aren’t familiar with the series, do begin it ASAP!)
I steeped a generous teaspoon of these leaves (with a little wiggle room) for four minutes in boiling water. I think that was a great choice, as my cuppa turned out perfectly! After brewing, the aroma tells of each tea used in this blend. And the taste is wonderful. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a cup of black tea on a regular basis, this just might threaten your usual brew. I know this blend will be a staple in my cupboard from now on! I finished my cup about half an hour ago and the taste still lingers on my tongue. Yum!
(I always give new teas a first go without any additions, and really, this tea was just fine on its lonesome! But true to my personal habits, I’ll probably experiment with sugar and half-and-half in future cups.)
Want to give this tea – or any of Adagio’s other teas – a taste? Let me know and I will send you a $5 gift certificate to use for your first purchase! :)
Preparation
These little pearls of tasty greeted me with the wonderful scent of cocoa when I opened the bag. Clearly off to a good start!
The directions on the bag recommended a “heaping teaspoon” for each cup, but I remembered the description on Adagio’s website advising the use of two to three pearls per cup. I chose to place three pearls in my teaspoon infuser. A heaping teaspoon seemed like it would be a bit much for one cuppa, and only using a few pearls would leave each of them some room to unfurl and steep properly. To be very specific, I chose two larger and one smaller of the pearls. I steeped them in boiling water for four and a half minutes. (The recommendation was boiling water for three to five minutes.)
The scent of cocoa is not very prominent once the tea is brewed, but the hint is still there in the taste. The farther into my cup, the more earthy the tea tasted. I did not add anything to this tea since it was my first brew, but I will likely add a bit of sugar next time. It is entirely enjoyable without the addition of sugar but my personal preference is for a sweeter taste. Another future cup might have me experimenting with half-and-half as well.
Completely unrelated to the tea itself, the name invokes a certain want all on its own. If you’re partial to dragons, that is. Why not try a cup to celebrate the Year of the Dragon? As for me, I feel a bit inspired. Perhaps I will use these pearls to create a Fire & Blood Latte for the second season premiere of HBO’s Game of Thrones. And since the gaming world has confirmation on the release of Guild Wars 2 later this year, I might have something on the brew there as well.
Want to give this tea – or any of Adagio’s other teas – a taste? Let me know and I will send you a $5 gift certificate to use for your first purchase! :)
