How is this tea? My log knows the answer.
It’s a tea as mysterious and quirky as its namesake. Twin Peaks Tea is based in Adagio’s Mambo tea, a combination of Yunnan Jig and Wuyi Ensemble. Yunnan Jig is described as a “forgiving” black tea, “identified by its abundance of soft golden tips, and savory cocoa and black pepper flavors.” It smooths out the rough edges of Wuyi (Da Hong Pao), an oolong given a high fire treatment gives Wuyi a smoky and mineral character.
When you open the package of this tea blend, you’re however hit hard with the cherry flavoring. Initially, it really put me off. Some of Adagio’s flavors smell and taste quite artificial to me, and this was my first impression. I was suspicious.
Steeping it, however, I was heavily introduced to the smoky blend of black teas in the air. The cherry took a firm back seat, a relief on my mind. Cherry is so hit or miss for me.
Tried it straight first. Definitely could taste the firey oolong and black pepper from the yunnan. So much darker than I expected, I worried I had over-steeped it. The cherry became more of an aroma than a flavor, like sitting in the Double R Diner enjoying a drink and catching the smell of a cherry pie just pulled out of the oven.
With my preferred dairy additive (half and half), the cherry was cut out even more. The black teas pretty much remain the same. Sugar, on the other hand, brought that cherry right back out, and finally introduces the cream flavoring as well.
It’s a weird tea, which is what it should be. It tastes woody, rich, and curious. I would personally be happy to skip the cherry (as iconic as it is) for something aromatic to give it a sort of alpine essence, and maybe some sort of other jammy berry (currant or blackberry?) This is probably better suited to be Dale Cooper, or the Double R — but honestly, for what it is, it is a damn fine cup of tea.
Flavors: Cherry, Cocoa, Smoke, Tannin, Wood
