(no subject)

[the_rck]

I splurged and got two Adagio samplers, the chai and one other (I think it was pu erh or something like that. It sounded different. I may completely hate it, but it was only $7, and I believe in trying new things).

This morning, I tried the chocolate chai. I actually made it up for Cordelia to try because she was curious, but she didn't like it, so I drank it. I don't think I actually tasted chocolate. I did taste cinnamon, a lot of of cinnamon (which probably explains why Cordelia didn't like it). I'm not sure how the flavor will stand up to stevia because, as this cup was for Cordelia, I sweetened it with honey. There wasn't a strong bitter flavor, though, so I thought maybe I could drink it unsweetened. Later in the morning, I tried that. It wasn't awful. I still didn't taste the chocolate, though.

I neither liked nor disliked this one. I will drink the rest because I paid for it, but I won't buy more.

I do like that the Adagio packets have clear instructions on them. There's a fair amount of variation in terms of best temperature and steeping time, and I'm really bad at guessing. I know that green tea needs water at a lower temperature than does most black tea, and I know that herbals tend to need longer steeping times than caffeinated teas, but beyond that... I'm still figuring it out.

Comments

[heavenscalyx]

Oh, hey, another place to try, which is a little pricey when you get into the league of our tea consumption, but the samples and small amounts are affordable, is Harney & Sons. The teas are really nice, and their blends are apparently lovely. (Don't know if you like bergamot-flavored teas, but I have it on good authority that their Paris blend is excellent -- I can't try it because I am apparently allergic to bergamot!)

[the_rck]

Thanks for the link! I've bookmarked them for future reference. I'm not going to look until I've tried several of the Adagio teas. I don't need to buy more samples right now, however tempting they may be.

[lovepeaceohana]

In terms of boiling times, the rule of thumb we were taught is that you pour it boiling over black tea and steep three to five minutes, and for green tea you wait ten to twelve seconds after you've taken the kettle off the heat before pouring it over the leaves and steep four to six minutes. White teas steep for like a minute or two, herbals for upwards of five minutes because they're not really tea made from tea leaves, they're things like tree bark and spices and they take longer to soften and release their flavor.

But really, that's what the directions are for :P And I'd always follow those over any rules-of-thumb I may have tucked away.

[the_rck]

Thanks for sharing. Having a rule of thumb is good for teas that don't come with directions or when the directions are only on the box which I want to discard.

I did have a green tea that instructed me to use water at 93C. I was at a loss as to how to be that precise, so I let the water boil then cooled it for about a minute.