Adagio's Ti Kuan Yin Oolong Tea

 Why yes, I DID get a sampler package of various Adagio Oolong teas for Christmas.  Today's tea is Adagio's Ti Kuan Yin, which the company website describes as follows:

Ti Kuan Yin (also spelled Tieguanyin) is a legendary oolong tea from the Fujian province in China. It is one of China's most beloved oolongs and is extremely time-consuming to produce (well over a dozen distinct steps in the processing are observed). Our fine version of Ti Kuan Yin produces a cup that is warm, soft and soothingly mineral in texture. Notes of toasted walnut and tender collard greens. Intriguing lingering floral aroma, lightly orchid and gentle astringency. A meditative cup.

 I definitely taste the mineral quality - it reminds me a little of NJ shore well water (in a good way).   I have no idea how anyone would taste collard greens in this tea; I am not tasting any of that at all.  It's slightly nutty, I suppose walnut is as good a description as any.  It's an interesting, textured brew that is still essentially tea-flavored.  The aftertaste is clean and refreshing.  I have two more small packages of this tea and I may go out and buy more.

Adagio's White Tropics

 We're in the teeth of a sleet storm here at Mackyntoich Manor, so it's the perfect time to open up a tea that reminds me of warmth and sunshine.  Adagio's White Tropics is a white tea base with flavors of coconut and pineapple - essentially intended to be a tea pina colada.

The aroma is stronger than the flavor.  It has a sweet coconut smell that reminds me of umbrella drinks and old fashioned sun tan lotion.  Tasting the brew, I definitely notice the coconut right up front, but fortunately, the white tea base is solid enough to duke it out with the coconut for supremacy.  There's a gentle sweetness that could be pineapple, but doesn't really have the citrus bite to it.  Finally, the brew has a slightly sweet, very slightly floral aftertaste.  It's not like drinking potpourri.  It's like drinking the scent of the flowers on a summer porch.  All in all, Adagio's White Tropics was a nice visit to summer in the middle of a dreary February.

Adagio's Jade Oolong

 Here's what the Adagio website has to say about its Jade Oolong tea:

Jade oolong tea from the Tung Ting mountain in Nantou County, Taiwan. A highly prized tea, Jade oolongs are a beautiful deep green in appearance, with large, tightly rolled leaves. Once infused, these lightly oxidized leaves gradually unfurl to release their essential oils. Jade oolongs are known for their fresh green-floral aroma, sweet flavor, and clean, delicate mouthfeel.

 It brew up looking more like green tea than a normal oolong.  It has no noticeable aroma to me.

I find the taste to be slightly sweet and a little nutty, very subtle.  I think I probably should have steeped it longer than the recommended 5 minutes because the flavor from my first brewing effort was very feeble.

I'm going to take a second try with either a second steeping or a fresh longer steeping.

OK, I increased the steep time to 6 minutes and I am starting to taste things.  What I'm tasting is nothing more remarkable than an ordinary green tea, however.  Still no noticeable aroma.

It's not a bad tea, it's just very very ordinary.

Adagio's Ali Shan Oolong

 Here's what Adagio's website says about its Ali Shan oolong:

Grown in central Taiwan in a region of 18 mountains, this oolong enjoys both high elevation and a cooler climate that slows its growth. That means the leaves contain a higher concentration of sap and essential oils and these supple green leaves respond well to rolling into ball shapes that may be delicately roasted. Brew in a gaiwan (covered cup) at lower temperatures to fully reveal its delicate soft honey-like flavor with an edge of spring grassiness. A relatively new tea to the scene, only a few decades old, it is harvested twice yearly.

I found the brew to lightly grassy in taste -- in a good way, like the aroma of fresh grass in the spring made into a flavor.  I didn't pick up the honey taste some have described.  This is not a tea to be chugged for its caffeine content.  It's a tea to be sipped and savored slowly.  It's gentle and light and soothing.  I imagine a slight bit of honey would go well in this brew, but it's hardly necessary.

Harney & Sons RMS Titanic Blend

 This tea blend apparently was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic (which was in 1912/2012).  The blend was designed to imitate the type of tea that would have been available on the voyage, using a combination of Chinese Keemun black tea and Formosa oolong.

If you like tea that tastes like tea and nothing else, this is the brew for you.  It's a rich, multi-layered tea flavor that keeps on giving with a smooth, clean aftertaste.  It stands up to honey and other sweetener without becoming cloying.  It also doesn't get bitter when you forget the cup and it gets over-steeped.  Since I got this blend for Christmas it has become my go-to morning tea, and I'm going to buy some more once the tin I have runs out.

Adagio's Coconut Grove Pouchong

 I am always a little dubious about coconut in tea.  They don't seem to be flavors that go together naturally (and I say this as someone who likes coconut).  But, Adagio has surprised me once again with its Coconut Grove Pouchong.

Pouchong, more usually known as Baozhong tea, is lightly oxidized and usually not roasted.  It falls somewhere between green tea and oolong tea in flavor.  This particular pouchong has floral notes that are enhanced by the addition of blue cornflower to the mix, along with the coconut.  The coconut notes are ever so slightly sweet.  The whole brew (without sugar or honey) has a clean mouth feel and a nice smooth aftertaste.  It smells really nice too.

If you like coconut, it's worth trying a sample of this tea; it is not for everyone, but if you like this sort of thing (and I do), it's a fine cuppa.

Friday Afternoon Tea's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

 A friend sent me a sample of the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang blend by Friday Afternoon Tea.  Friday Afternoon Tea is a self-described "small family owned, geeky-themed tea company."  They have really cool stuff and I'm delighted to get the chance to review one of their blends.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a blend of black teas infused with pine smoke.  It's one of their "fandom blends" -- in this case, it's inspired by the Supernatural TV show.

I'm not sure how one infuses pine smoke into tea, but they did it.  When brewed, there's a definite pine scent interlaced with the tea scent. It tastes like good quality, slightly smoky black tea with a gentle pine tree aftertaste, like the equivalent of tasting the smell of a Christmas tree.  It's not the taste of pine.  It's the taste of the scent of pine, if that makes any sense at all.  I think this tea would appeal to people who like Russian Caravan-style teas or Lapsang Souchong.

For the second cup I made out of the sample, I experimented putting a little bit of honey in the brew.  Nope.  Sweetening the tea managed to kill off what makes the tea unique.  It became just a basic black tea, albeit of good quality.