Black Dragon Pearls

Tea: Black Dragon Pearls
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $19/5 oz.
Source: Yunnan, China
Vendor Description: Hailing from the Yunnan province, this black tea version of the popular Dragon Pearl is naturally sweet and smooth with a touch of earthiness. Comprised of only the highest quality leaves and buds, expertly rolled into a large pearl-like shape. Subtle cocoa notes whisper gently as each pearl unfurls delivering a superior tea experience not to be missed. We suggest using 2-3 Dragon Pearls per cup for a sublime tea drinking experience.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is rather interesting. It consists of black and yellow balls. They're about the size of gumballs, weighing about 1g each. They are rather compressed looking and much larger than jasmine pearls. They have the golden appearance that some Yunnan teas are known for (Yunnan Gold for example). There is a very faint aroma to the balls, it strangely reminds me of Nestea instant powdered iced tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3.13g., 5oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a dark brown, red hue to it. The infused leaf makes it apparent that the balls are just compressed leaf. They are not from a single triplet like most jasmine pearls are, nor are they bound together like presentation teas. The tea has a very subdued aroma to it, not making much of an impression at all. Overall the tea feels subtle, yet very flavorful. It slowly opens up into a very bodied taste. It is very mellow and smooth. There is no bitterness or astringency to it, which is rather surprising for a black tea.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: While I wasn't really expecting much from this tea, I was rather surprised. I had expected it to be more novelty in the pearls than a solid flavor, but the flavor proved out over some of the more expensive Yunnan Gold teas that I have had in the past. It is smooth and enjoyable for when you want something that's got some power to it, but doesn't ask for sugar or milk.

Blue Moon

Tea: Blue Moon
Vendor: Red Leaf Tea
Price: $ 3.99 / .4oz - $9.99 / 3.2 oz
Vendor Description: The Blue Moon Tea is a very rare tea from Europe that is made primarily of black tea with pieces of safflower, marigolds and blue mallow blossoms. The tea is characterized by a full-bodied flavor with a hint of sweetness from the Marigold. The safflower and the blue mallow blossoms contributed to the color of this fragrant tea.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea consists of smallish black orthodox leaf. It has some bright orange and yellow flowers mixed in with the leaf. The leaf has a somewhat sweet smell mixed in a musty leaf aroma.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: This tea produced a clear orange hue. There was a light and sweet characteristic black tea aroma to it. There was an almost citric undertone to the flavor. The flavor was light and sharp with a lofty feeling to it. Despite being sharp it was bold all the way through from front to back. The central flavor on the tongue was quite strong and reminded me of that citric undertone again. There is a bit of a tart flavor that lingers on the tongue as an afterthought.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: This is another one of those black flavored teas that feel like they're trying to hard. It's a mix of so many different flavors that you cannot really find any singular flavor, just a feeling. It's not one of Red Leaf's really pricey offerings and isn't that bad, but there isn't really anything singularly amazing about it either. Broad, round jumbled flavor, moderate price. Unless you really like those I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Benico

Tea: Benico - 5538
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $6.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: An invigorating black tea blend with ruby colored acerola, hibiscus and rosehips. Pakced with vitamin C, enjoy this blend iced to combat the fatigue of hot summer weather.

Leaf: The leaf is a rather typical looking black leaf base. It has a sweet, apple cider like aroma. The aroma is very broad.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5Oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: The aroma to the tea is very broad and sweet. The tea itself is a clear brown hue. The flavor is very broad and short lived. There is very little to no aftertaste. The center of the tea is a nice solid black tea flavor. The flavor is broad, warm and enveloping. It finishes with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This tea is a pretty nice flavored black tea. The flavor is sweet, but very general. It is almost like sweetening a tea without sweeteners. The price isn't too bad for a flavored black, but isn't particularly inexpensive either.

Silver Star

Tea: Silver Star
Vendor: Red Leaf Tea
Price: $3.59 / .4oz - $8.99 / 3.2 oz
Vendor Description: The Silver Star is a fragrant tea from Europe that combines the full-bodied flavor of black tea and the rich taste of black currant tea. The tea is packed with the goodness and benefits of strawberry leaves, known to relieve diarrhea and a host of other ailments. The currant also lends a sweet flavor to the Russian Silver.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a smallish orthodox black leaf. The leaves are smaller than most orthodox leaves. There are some small light white/green pieces of leaf mixed in. It has a smooth and sweet aroma to it, the specific aroma feels very hard to pinpoint as it seems with almost all of Red Leaf Tea's offerings so far.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: This tea produced a red-brown hue. It has the same sweet aroma as the dry leaf, and is still rather difficult to pinpoint. The tea itself is rather bold and flavorful. It has no bitterness or astringency and a generally fruity flavor overall.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: So far this has been the best of the Red Leaf Tea offerings. According to the vendor description the aroma is from strawberry and black currant leaves added in. They produce a decently subtle yet sweet flavoring to the tea, but it is a bit on the mundane side. This tea isn't terribly outlandishly priced, but is still on the higher end for a flavored black tea. Overall somewhat average.

Black Night

Tea: Black Night
Vendor: Red Leaf Tea
Price: $3.99 / .4 oz - $9.99 / 3.2 oz
Vendor Description: Black Night is a robust tea with a very mild hint of sweetness. The Black Night has a strong flavor and aroma and can retain its strong taste for several years because it is more oxidized than the other varieties of tea. The Black Night also contains high levels of anti-oxidant and has higher caffeine content than some tea varieties.

Leaf: The leaf of this tea consists of rather small and odd pieces. They are not round like CTC teas, nor are they particularly leafy like most black teas. It is most akin to a small grade of an orthodox tea. There is a rather fruity aroma to this tea, it is rather difficult to pinpoint, but gives off hints of orange and berries. It has an almost musty aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: This tea produces a clear dark red hue. The flavor is smooth with a light astringency on it. There is a light flavor which is slightly akin to an Earl Grey flavor, and it has the tanginess of it. Aside from that this seems like a somewhat nondescript tea and feels a bit confused as to what it's flavor is.

Rating: 2/10

Conclusion: This tea is a bit confusing, it feels like it is trying to be a few different flavored teas at the same time, but not to the point of expressing a combined flavor. If likened to a party, it would be like a room where everyone is talking just loud enough that there's some sound, but you can't listen to anyone in particular. Combined with the rather pricey nature on the low weight end to needing 3.2 oz to get a better price, I don't see this tea as being anything particularly stellar. If you like flavors, pick a flavor and get a specified flavor, if you're looking for a purity of taste pick a nice singular tea.

Malama

Tea: Malama EH-6
Vendor: Lupicia USA

About This Tea: Malama is one of the exclusive teas only available from the Hawaii store of Lupicia. I picked this up as part of of the gift set that was available through retail outlets earlier this year.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a typical orthodox black leaf mixed in with small CTC pellets. There is a rich cocoa aroma to the leaf and some small pieces of macadamia nut in the mix. There are a few other pieces in the mix that I can't seem to identify.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5Oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: This tea has a very strong and sweet cocoa aroma, it reminds me of some cocoa powder. The flavor of the tea is overall quite light, which does not match with the rich dark color of the tea. The flavor even though it is light is quite bold from the beginning to the end. The cocoa shines through the flavor and is a nice bit of an addition. It rounds out the flavor quite nicely. The flavor is overall quite rich and ends with a little bit of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is quite interesting. The cocoa mixed with the black tea provides a nice round flavor for the tea, but the availability of the tea is a bit offputting. It is nice, and it would be worth picking up if it was available easily, but I don't know if it is unique enough to go searching this one out.

Strawberry

Tea: Strawberry - 5227
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $5.50 /50g
Vendor Description: Sweet and lively strawberry flavor reminds us of a soft spring atmosphere. Its strong taste is good with a bit of sugar or with milk.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very ordinary looking black orthodox leaf. Very uniform in both size and color. The strawberry aroma reminds me of strawberry gum, not so much the aroma of fresh strawberry, but that with artificially flavored strawberry products. There are a few pieces of small chopped up flat green leaves mixed in.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 5oz, 3min

1st Infusion: The aroma of this tea, like the leaf reminded me of strawberry gum, but mixed in with a normal black tea aroma. There is a bit of sharpness in the aroma from the black tea component. The tea itself is a very standard clear brownish hue. The flavor is sweet with a strawberry like aftertaste. There is not much of a strawberry flavor in the core of the taste, but rather more like an afterthought. It is smooth and enjoyable, but the flavoring is very much that; flavoring.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea is very much as expected. Nothing spectacular about it, nothing really disappointing. It's your standard flavored black tea that you would find at a variety of vendors. I would have appreciated a flavoring more akin to fresh strawberries rather than strawberry gum.

La Vanille

Tea: La Vanille - 5232
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Indulge in the love of vanilla! A luxurious blend of African black tea laced with exotic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is rather peculiar. It is shaped like a very small pellet ctc, but smaller than any other ctc that I have seen. It reminds me very much of freeze dried coffee grounds. There are cross sections of cut up vanilla beans mixed in with this. There is the distinctive aroma of true vanilla from this tea, rather unsurprisingly.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 2min

1st Infusion: The aroma for this tea is very rich and creamy. It is contribued heavily by the vanilla aroma. The flavor is light and clear for a black tea. It is sweetened by the vanilla flavor, and it almost begst o be paired with a bit of milk and sugar because of that. The flavor is overall somewhat light, but the vanilla keeps bringing to mind a combination of vanilla ice cream and a light black tea. The tea portion of the flavor lightly reminds me of an english breakfast tea.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is a bit difficult to rate. As a flavored black tea, the flavoring is quite outstanding. The vanilla is true to it's name and delivers a wonderful flavor. It's on the upper end of what anyone should pay for a flavored black tea, especially a ctc though.

Sakura

Tea: Sakura - 5804
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $8.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Black tea blended with cherry leaves produces a sweet yet refreshing taste. Tea to announce the arrival of spring. The slight saltness goes well with both Japanese and Western sweets.

Leaf: The leaf consists of a typical flavored black leaf. There is a fair amount of stem in the mix though for a flavored black. There are small pieces of chopped green leaves added into the mix, presumably these are sakura leaves. There is also a very bold sakura aroma from the leaf.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: The tea produces a rich clear brown hue. The black aroma mixes well with the araoma from the sakura leaves. There is a light saltiness that is not overpowering like some of the sakura teas offered by Lupicia. This actually pairs fairly well with a nice rich flavor. There is a light sense of astringnecy, but no bitterness to this tea. The sakura flavor itself pokes out slightly at the end, aside from that the actual flavor of this tea shows through just as a typical black base.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: The flavor of the sakura in this tea isn't terribly outstanding. It blends in mostly with the regular black tea base. The aroma is very outstanding and enjoyable though, and the saltiness of the tea isn't as noticeable as say the Sakura Houji. Overall this is a bit unimpressive, but nothing really detracting either.

Ceylon Kenilworth

Tea: Ceylon Kenilworth
Vendor: Narien Teas
Price: $7.00 / 4oz
Source: Sri Lanka
Vendor Description: Ceylon Kenilworth is an excellent black tea from the Kenilworth Estate, Sri Lanka. The long, crisp, dark leaves infuse into a malty cup that is full of flavor and very smooth.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea consists of large black leaf with light grey edging to it. It has a sweet and distinctively Ceylon aroma to it. Nothing really unusual here.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: This tea has a sweet Ceylon aroma to it. It is very smooth and very typical for a Ceylon. It is a bit smoother and more reserved than other Ceylon samples I've tried. It has no astringency or bitterness to it. Overall it has a very even flavor.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: Different Ceylon black teas fail to impress me as one versus another. They tend to have a very similar flavor to them and don't stand apart from one another. Differences are very subtle and not very noticeable.

Aloalo

Tea: Aloalo - 5904- EH-4
Vendor: Lupicia USA (Hawaii Exclusive)
Vendor Description: A Darjeeling and Assam tea with hibiscus flower. Tea has a beautiful red color.

About This Tea: This tea is one of the Lupicia Hawaii Exclusive teas. There are a handful of teas that are only available at the Hawaii store of Lupicia. A few have started popping up as a limited time item on their website and a few retail locations. This is not one of those.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a lovely color mix to it. It is a rainbow mixture of red, black, green, and brown hues. It has a very sweet and floral aroma to it. There is a very prominent factor to the aroma which I'm guessing is the hibiscus component. I'm not particularly familiar with the aroma of hibiscus.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 5min

1st Infusion: The tea has a very unusual dark purple hue to it, the shade reminds me somewhat of a deep red wine. The Darjeeling component is definitely poking through in the aroma expressing that characteristic floral Darjeeling aroma. The rest of the aroma is very thick and hearty. The flavor of the tea itself has a certain tartness to it. It is very up front and short lived. It reminds me somewhat of cranberry juice, the tartness and snap of the flavor. It just isn't backed by the same sweetness as a glass of cranberry juice. There is a light astringency tailing on the aftertaste after the tartness.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: This is a very unusual tea. I believe that a lot of the uniqueness is due to the hibiscus component, but the overall picture of the tea is a light and refreshing beverage. It is unfortunate that this tea is only available at the Hawaii store. The flavor brings back memories of the Island Breeze tea from Mighty Leaf, which also had hibiscus in it. In comparison this is a richer tea experience and bolder and more flavorful. Thank you to Victoria and her SIL at TeaChat for providing me some of this wonderful tea.

Decaf Earl Grey

Tea: Decaf Earl Grey - 5400
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Decaffeinated tealeaves scented with rich bergamot oil. This decaffeinated tea will not disturb your sleep even if it is drunk before bedtime.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very uniform solid black tea. It has less of an aroma to it than the Grand Classic, yet it still has that distinctive earl grey aroma.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: The tea has it's almost floral citric aroma to it, just like other Earl Grey teas. There is a sharp bitterness from the citric flavor blending with the sharpness of a black tea. The bergamont is well defined and not overpowering. It follows through to a trailing aftertaste with the richness of the base tea. In general this tea feels inferior to the Grand Classic.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea overall isn't that fantastic. Partly due to being an Earl Grey and partly just on it's own nature. Compared to the Earl Grey Grand Classic it falls short in flavor. This is a decaf tea though if that's what you're looking for. This tea is basically good if you're a fan of Earl Grey and you're looking for a decaf version to enjoy. Otherwise I would suggest the Grand Classic.

Earl Grey Grand Classic

Tea: Earl Grey Grand Classic - 5204
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g
Vendor Description:Reproduction of tea loved by Earl Grey of England and used to produce Earl Grey tea. Smoky flavor, matching delicate fragrance of Chinese fruit dragon's eye. Graceful distinct character like an English gent.

Leaf: The leaf consists of typical black leaf with some green/brown accents to it. There is a very very bold aroma to it. It is almost an overpowering bergamont aroma. This is somewhat to be expected though of an Earl Grey tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5 oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: The infusion shares the same strong bold bergamont aroma that the leaf has. The tea is a moderate brown color. The flavor is strong, but the bergamont is almost overpowering. There is a snappy sharpness early on in the flavor, but that dissipates as the flavor continues further. It leaves with a definite bergamont aftertaste.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This is probably the best Earl Grey that I have had thus far, but that still doesn't make me a big fan of it. I'm just not a big fan of bergamont. But the flavoring in this tea is large and in charge as opposed to some more mildly flavored Earl Grey teas. It is priced somewhat high for flavored black tea. Great for fans of the type, or Star Trek fans.

Sakura Premium

Tea: Sakura Premium - 0301
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $18.00 / 50g (w/ special tin)
Vendor Description: A blend of fine Darjeeling black tea with cherry petals and leaves. Sweet and delicate flavor.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a colorful Darjeeling mix with quite a wide variety of leaf size. There are a few pink buds in the mix along with some small pieces of sakura leaf. The tea has a very sweet sakura aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a clear golden brown hue to it. There is a very strong and very noticeable sweet sakura aroma to it. The flavor is very crisp with a light saltiness to it. There is a little bit of bitterness possibly from an infusion on the upper end of the infusion range. It is not overpoweringly salty, but it brings a certain crispness to the tea. There is a light astringency on the backend, but overall the sakura flavor balances well with the Darjeeling flavor to produce a very nice tea overall.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This is the premium version of the seasonal sakura offerings from Lupicia. Their offerings are a little unusual because they come out salty. This one thankfully was not overpoweringly salty, but the salt does throw you off a little. It makes it a very crisp flavor, but it is undeniably salty. Overall this is a pretty good tea, but I'm not sure about if the price tag is warranted.

Bai Ling Gong Fu

Tea: Bai Ling Gong Fu
Vendor: Canton Tea Co.
Price: £6.99/ 40g
Vendor Description: This soft red tea is made from only tender buds, which are shaped into tight and elegant strips. The leaves have fine orangy-yellow hairs hence its nickname - Ju Hong (clementine red). The ‘Hao Xiang’ (bud's aroma) is fresh and sweet with a hint of creamy caramel and the liquor is golden red with a smooth texture and a long, soft, mellow aftertaste.
Additional Vendor Information:
Origin: Bai Lin, Tai Mu Mountain, Fu Ding County, Fujian Province.
Harvest: Winter 08
Grade : Top Grade
Plantation altitude : 500 - 800 meters above sea level.
Varietal : Fu Ding Da Bai Cha variety.
Certification : Organic. Small production directly from local farmer.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is very light and twisted. It is very delicate and coated with many little golden hairs. The tea has a stunning mix of black and gold coloration. There is a very bold black tea aroma coming from these very gossamer leaves.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5g, 208F, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea produces a very dark, semi opaque infusion. There is a heavy malty aroma coming from it. The flavor is very bold, rich, and full bodied. It is smooth with a sweet leading edge to it. There is a certain lightness and wateriness in it, which was surprising considering the color of the tea.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has the same dark color as the first infusion. It is still almost opaque from the dark leaf. There is rich sweet aroma from the tea. The flavor is much richer than before. It feels like a yunnan gold. It starts out with a very strong early flavor and finishes with a rich aftertaste.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was brown hued and very opaque again. This tea has an amazing capacity for color. The flavor of this infusion was more of the rich malty flavor again. It was slightly lighter this time, but still quite rich.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This was one of the best Chinese black teas that I have ever had. It was very smooth and subdued, yet rich and strong. It showed intense color through three infusions without any signs of lightening up. It is on the pricier side for a black tea, but quite pleasant.

Chocolate Chai

Tea: Chocolate Chai
Vendor: Adagio
Price: $6.30 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: We've taken one of the world's favorite indulgences, chocolate, and combined it with the exotic flavors and spices of Masala chai to create the ultimate treat. Chocolate flavored Ceylon black tea blended with cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon. Make it extra rich by preparing with hot milk.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a very noticeable cocoa aroma. It reminds me more of cocoa powder for hot chocolate than it does a chocolate bar. As is typical with chai this tea is studded with some cloves, ginger, orthodox black tea, and there are a number of small brown bark like chips in the mix.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: The infusion is lightly brown, lightly murky. It has a lightly sweet aroma. The tea itself has a light tea flavor and a light chai flavor. It is nicely bodied, and feels like a good chai mix overall. There really is not much of a chocolate flavor to this mix that I can tell though.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: After trying the Apple Spiced Chai, this was a bit of a letdown. The chai mix itself wasn't bad, it paired well with the black tea, but this tea fails to live up to it's namesake. There isn't a noticeable chocolate flavor to it. When compared against the Wegman's Chocolate Chai, this tea falls on it's face. It's priced quite reasonably though and makes a solid chai, just don't expect it to be like a cup of chocolate milk crossed with some chai.

Oriental Spice

Tea: Oriental Spice
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $6.00 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: To most Westerners, it is a little known fact that the word 'Chai' simply means 'tea' in Hindi. Therefore, all teas are technically chais. However, instead of the 'chai' that most Americans are used to (which usually contains really bad tea), we offer an Oriental Spice tea - premium Ceylon black tea with a unique blend of spices; cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea looks like a normal orthodox black tea leaf. There are small pieces of ginger and orange peel mixed in. There are also small chocolate colored brown pieces in there which I couldn't really identify. Based on the description of the tea I would assume the pieces to have been the cinnamon. The aroma of the tea is very chai like.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 5oz, 5 min

1st Infusion: This tea had an aroma sweeter than most masala chai that I have tried. It seems very close to a traditional masala chai though, and based on the ingredient list it is very similar to most chais. The tea itself has a dark red almost chocolate brown hue to it. It has a very chai like flavor on the back end of the flavor. It is very rich with a light sense of an astringency on the backend.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: This tea is very much like a traditional chai, but has a higher tea:other ratio than most chai. It is quite inexpensive though, but the rest of the Adagio selection of chai are all relatively equally priced. If you want a chai like tea, I would suggest getting one of the specified chais.

Mango

Tea: Mango
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $6.00 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: An ancient Hindu legend recounts the story of the mango tree growing from the ashes of the sun princess who had been incinerated by an evil sorceress. When the mango ripened and fell to the ground, the beautiful sun princess emerged. Our bestselling Mango Tea combines the taste of Ceylon tea with the flavor of perfectly ripened mangoes. Sun princess sold separately.

Leaf: This is another one of the lineup from Adagio's flavored tea category. It has their typical black tea base to it, with some dried fruit and yellow blossoms mixed in. It has a rather unusual musky aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 5 min, 208F

1st Infusion: This tea produces a very typical black tea, red hue. The color is somewhat vibrant and warm. There is a very sweet fresh mango aroma paired with the smell of dried mangoes. The tea itself is somewhat light bodied for a black tea. The flavor itself feels sharp and there is a rich fruitiness on the back. There is a medium sense of astringency when it finishes off.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: There is nothing impressive about this tea. It falls right into the ranks of the rest of the flavored lineup from Adagio. Good if you want to make a mango inspired blend with one of their signature blends, but unless you're a great mango fan I don't see many people picking this one up specifically.

Mint Tea

Tea: Mint Tea - 5800
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: Plenty of dried peppermint is mixed with black tea. A perfect refreshing tea when you want to change your mood or after meals.

Leaf: This leaf consists of primarily black orthodox leaf with a bit of chopped mint leaves mixed in. There is a very strong peppermint aroma to the leaf.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: This tea produces a dark chocolate brown hued infusion. There is no murkiness, but a deep rich color. The aroma has a nice mix of black tea with mint mixed in together, the aroma overall though is on the lighter side of things. The flavor is very traditional black tea with a minty crispiness to it. The black tea portion of the flavor feels a bit light, but it is an appropriate amount of flavor though. There is no bitterness or astringency to this blend.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This is one of the more subtle black teas that I have run across. The mint is at just the appropriate level where it is not overpowering nor is it underwhelming. However this tea is quite pricey for a flavored black tea, especially when it's flavored with peppermint. If this tea were cheaper I would consider it to be a good option.

Vanilla

Tea: Vanilla
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $6.00 / 4 oz.
Vendor Description: According to the International Ice Cream Association, Vanilla is by far the most popular flavor, getting a full 23% of all ice cream consumption. Inspired by this love of vanilla, Adagio has created Vanilla Tea. Combining the delectable flavor of sweet vanilla beans and premium Ceylon black tea, I'll scream, you'll scream, we'll all scream for... Vanilla tea!

Leaf: The tea consists of Adagio's standard black orthodox tea base. It is quite uniformly black in color and has an aroma like vanilla extract.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: As typical for Adagio black teas it has a deep red color. It has a rich black tea aroma. The black aroma masks the vanilla in the aroma. The aroma however is sweet and it almost reminds me of coffee. The flavor is lightly bitter, there is no real vanilla flavor to be found, it's not too bold. It's medium boded and a little bit sharp on the front end. It finishes off with a medium sense of astringency.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This is quite a mundane tea. The flavoring is on the weaker side and the black base is very mundane. It feels like most of the other flavored black teas from Adagio. If you're looking for a rather generic black tea this is a good choice. It's rather inexpensive and has no major faults. It's just lacks anything truly noteworthy.