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10/11/2021 Fall Time, Halloween time with Adagio TeaFor some of us everyday is Halloween, and no, we don’t get tired of it. The flavors of fall, however, are seasonal. Adagio Teas has both the season and the holiday covered with teas and teaware. Fall Teas Of the teas I sampled my favorite is the Puerh Hazelberry. Normally I see puerh as a category of tea that is best experienced unflavored and in multiple gaiwan steeps. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go for me. The dry leaves smell like dessert with the fruit and nut flavors overwhelming the tea. But when the leaves are wet that’s when I could smell the earth of puerh rising up over the strawberries, hazelnut and cream. Though dark in the cup, don’t be afraid. This is an amiable darkness with a soft touch that is not astringent at all. It is a friendly puerh with smoothness and a touch of that walking through a wet forest experience that I love. The earthiness of this puerh is on the whole mild with subtle mushroom notes, and capable of multiple steeps. I still preferred it without any sweetener or milk, though it can handle both if that is your cup of tea.  They also went fall on their matcha with Matcha Cinnamon Apple. It’s unsweetened which is best for customization. I don’t usually do flavored matcha but the flavoring is both natural and mild so the tea is still the star. The matcha is a tasty Samidori cultivar from Uji, Japan, a vibrant green and not bitter. This is great as a latte and sweetener brings the apple cinnamon flavors out. I also enjoyed it plain though as the matcha is good quality. If you are new to matcha having a latte is a great introduction as it can be intense on your stomach especially if empty. Remember, once opened, store your matcha in a cool, dark place away from sunlight and have it within two months or it will begin to turn bitter. Be good to your matcha and it will be good to you. TEA NOTE: When preparing matcha traditionally it is best to use a chasen bamboo whisk. Using a spoon may leave you with chunks. For me chunky matcha is a no. If texture is important to you, get one of these tools for your matcha preparation. It is easier to use in a flatter based bowl, or dedicated matcha bowl. For a latte or smoothie using a blender will work.  Adagio has a limited edition box of six Wicked Teas in decorative metal tins (I think I was sent last year’s designs but the teas look to be the same). Though small the tins are packed with enough loose leaf tea to invite a friend over for a pot. (Or three. No judgments.) They are all flavored and lightly sweetened blends. Two are caffeine free and the rest have a caffeinated black tea base. Notable ones for me: Monster Mash There are eyeballs in this tea. Candy eyeballs. I love that. It reminds me of that Sherlock episode where an eyeball is shown floating in Sherlock’s tea (Adagio has a tea just for that fandom too). These, thankfully dissolve into sweetness (no experiments or heads in the fridge necessary). The creme and caramel flavors mixed with this black blend lend a dessert taste. I think milk (of choice) is a good complement here, amping up the creamy feel. The sweetness is mild, but sufficient for me. Whatever the mystery black blend is it is low in astringency but full enough in body to shine through when milk is added. TEA NOTE: I think the candy eyeballs are only in the six tin sampler pack version of this tea, not the a la carte version.  Candy Apple Concoction This is a black tea base with apple pieces and sugar in it, red sugar. It does look pretty almost like a magical element (poof! You’re a toad!) No. This tea won’t give you the powers of an animagus or transform you into an amphibian, but it is the essence of fall apple picking during Halloween. I let the water boil and then cool slightly, steeping at about 205° for four minutes. I also used one and a half teaspoons for an approximately 10 ounce mug. I liked it brewed at this strength and time. The tea tasted good with nothing else in it. The sweetened apple flavor definitely came through while the cinnamon is playing peek-a-boo in the background. If you prefer your tea extra sweet you could use a no calorie sweetener of choice, honey or simply more sugar. This Tea pairs well with a simple tea biscuit too. TEA NOTE: If sugar is a no no for you try one of Adagio’s many other unsweetened fall teas  Adagio Candy Apple Concoction tea The other teas in this box are:
The ingredients for each tea are not listed in the box I received, but all of the info is available on the Adagio website. I get it. It keeps the look of the box clean and gives you a reason to visit the site.  Adagio Ceramic Tea Infuser - Bones Tea Infuser Cups The company has a fall and a Halloween double walled infuser cup available, and they sent me the Bones one. It includes a fine mesh brewing basket that hooks to the rim of the cup and a lid. The volume isn’t listed on the box but it holds about 10 ounces. I like having multiple forms of teaware for different brewing styles and situations. Pros for this tea infuser cup:
Thanks to Adagio for providing the teas for this adventure. For more Halloween tea check out these posts:
Tea and a Tale: Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Join my mini-tour of The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and a bit about tea in the 1800s. Tea Halloween Style - Dragon makeup and pumpkin coffin scones! Happy Halloween! Get out your Tea Cauldron - Make your own pumpkin tea at home Go get your Halloween tea on! 11/24/2020 Adagio Teas Christmas Gifts for Tea FansHey tea lovers! I have a couple of very cool tea focused Christmas gift ideas to share with you from Adagio Teas. They sent me their 2020 Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Christmas tea ornaments gift to check out. The video above gives you a sneak peak of what’s inside. Don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler alert. I only show one tea in the Advent Calendar so you can still be surprised with a new tea every day. The 12 Days of Christmas comes with a tea list though, and I do reveal that. The advent calendar is available in tea bag or loose tea format. Note, the teas for the loose version are different than for the bagged one. So get both! (I like ‘and’ in this case more than ‘or’.)  I have already dug into these teas and want to share notes on a couple. The black Cream Tea, which is in the 12 Days... as Eight Maids a Milking Cream Tea, tastes as good as it smells. I don’t buy a lot of flavored teas but sometimes they just hit the right note. The leaves have a scent of sweet cream. Brewed it is creamy and slightly sweet on its own, but I think the taste is brought out best with honey and a bit of milk. This tea is also available in a sample size, 3 oz., 16 oz. and a 15 bag box. The tea base is Ceylon and there is no sugar or dairy in it, just natural flavoring.  The ornaments hide gifts of tea in Adagio Teas' 12 Days of Christmas Another holiday inspired tea is the Pu-erh Chorange, available loose and in bags. It smells and tastes like the classic Terry’s Chocolate Orange candy! (Now I want one.) I liked this tea naked (The tea, not me. Though I have nothing against naked tea drinking. Drink your tea wearing what you want!) It’s also great with a bit of honey to bring out the sweetness. The puerh is gently earthy, round and smooth creating a great base for the balancing act of the chocolate and orange. On the caffeine-free end I tried the Rooibos Nutcracker. The hazelnut and chestnut notes were what really grabbed my attention in this blend. It also includes apple, cocoa nibs and caramel flavor. I folded some homemade whipped cream in this tea and it was like Christmas dessert in a cup. This is a good one if you want to roll around in the season without getting a caffeine high. It’s an unusual holiday season for many. I realize I am appreciating every moment of beauty, fun and kindness more than ever. Wishing you some of the joy of the holidays in your cup. Note: Though Adagio did provide teas I am not an affiliate and these are just links to products mentioned for ease. Enjoy! The unboxing video above shows you an overview of what was in the BRUU tea subscription box. Now let’s talk a bit about the teas. It is my understanding that the types of tea change each month. When you join the service you indicate your tea preferences and they create boxes for you around them. BRUU sent me a box to review, so I did not indicate my preference. This time there were 2 CTC (crush tear curl) black teas, a flavored green tea and one herbal tisane. Let's get our tea on!  Somerset Pekoe Tea from BRUU Somerset Pekoe The first black tea in the BRUU box was an orange pekoe named Somerset Pekoe. This was a very broken leaf tea that gives flavor over very quickly. It has a fruity nose, floral notes and a briskness taking milk and sweetener well. This orange pekoe tea is from Sri Lanka (aka Ceylon). The card that came with this tea indicates it was grown in a cooler region on the Talawakelle tea estate. That information is interesting because temperature is one of the factors that affects the antioxidants (and flavor) in tea. (Note that polyphenols are a type of antioxidant and catechins are a type of polyphenol. Ugh. That’s it for the science lesson for now. We’ll come back to that in another post.) For those who aren’t aware, orange pekoe (abbreviated OP) is the name of a grade of tea and has nothing to do with the flavor. There is no orange in it. This one is a broken leaf orange pekoe which is usually without golden tips.  Surianalle Black Tea Surianalle black tea, from Munnar This was the "discover' tea in the box and came with a special large information card. From the town of Munnar in the state of Kerala, India this is a high elevation tea - listed as 1532m above sea level. Both from what I've experienced and what I've been taught tea grown at higher elevations tends to have a more complex flavor profile. One reason is there is greater carbohydrate content in the leaf which lends a sweeter flavor. This happens because the conditions are so difficult that to grow a plant needs to put more carbohydrates in the leaves. Other details listed include the soil: sandy loam; season: December-February; and average temperature: 19℃. This is another very broken CTC tea. I found it to be softer, rounder than the OP, and less brisk but fuller bodied. It would also take milk and sweetener well and be a good morning cuppa in the British fashion.  Turkish Apple Tea from BRUU Turkish Apple A simple, but pleasing mix of 3 ingredients: apple, pineapple and lemongrass. The fruit and herbaceous notes work well together. They have a pleasant party (without any actual turkey, though it's a funny little image on the package there.) The card on this herbal tisane said it is a famous tea. If Turkish apple is a famous tea, I must live under a rock. Not surprising as I'm more of an underground, cult favorite kind of person anyway. I am more familiar with the traditional black tea in Turkish culture, made in a samovar as a concentrate with hot water added to obtain the desired strength. Per my research Turkish apple tea was introduced as a tea for tourists a while back because traditional Turkish tea, just like their coffee, is very strong and most western tourists weren't into it. So a no tea, caffeine free, herbal version was created of which there are many variations. Some use flavorings as opposed to actual pieces of fruit. It looks like this is a variation on that tourist aimed tea. Very Berry This is a flavored sencha tea, a Japanese green from Shizuoka. It has everything in it: flavoring, mallow blossoms, rose petals, freeze-dried strawberries, blackberries and raspberries and freeze-dried yogurt granules (that’s a new one for me). It is very berry indeed, and the sugar in it means no sweetener is required. The tea took a back seat in my opinion, but I think that was the point. If you like the benefits of green tea but prefer fruity tasting tea this would be a good blend for you. There are different types of tea subscription services for different types of tea drinkers. BRUU’s subscription box is a low cost introduction to a variety of teas for a tea lover looking to expand their knowledge and experience the fun of getting tea delivered to their door every month. The information cards are a fun addition, though a bit hard to read (but that’s why cell phones have magnifiers). They use responsible packaging from recycled sources too with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) symbol on their box. Yes, they deliver to the US. This tea subscription service would be good for the tea drinker who is:
Thanks to BRUU for supplying the box for this tea adventure.
 One of Greater Los Angeles’ very cool evolving areas is Highland Park. From music venues with an independent community scene, to vegan cafes, to dollar stores, to long standing local favorites to new privately owned specialty shops Highland Park is eclectic and surprising. I became intrigued by this area when hosting for the Youbloom music festival at the Hi Hat. Recently I felt the urge to do more exploring there. Interestingly, the very first place I discovered after parking was Wild Terra - an herbal apothecary with a small, carefully curated tea section. They had only been open a week. The owner Danielle Noe and I got talking about a mutual love of tea. She said Earl Grey was her ‘comfort food’ growing up. The energy. The serendipity. I had to do a blog on this place. Even better for this tea and entertainment blog, Danielle has a wild background as a special effects makeup artist having worked on some stuff you may have heard of - HBO’s True Blood and the Aquaman film, for example. As a matter of fact, the windows at the back of the shop were from Merlotte’s bar! (see the gallery below) Man, TV and film are everywhere in this town. So cool.   From Bon Temps to Herbs and Tea Danielle has a clear love for herbs and spices, how they grow and what they can do for the body. Most of what she carries herb-wise is from California and all of it is organic. She even grows some herself. There are two sections of wall dedicated to herbs and spices including 3 types of Holy Basil, Damiana, Mugwort, Skullcap and on and on. Tea-wise the selection is small but carefully chosen. Some of the teas are from Biodynamic farms, most are organic except for those from Africa which are Fair Trade. She orders directly from some of the estates including Bitaco, a certified organic tea farm from Columbia which has been growing tea for 60 years. Danielle shared their Tippy Negro 2 with me which reminded me of a light Yunnan - smooth and mellow and the color of liquid amber. She has multiple teas from Kenya, including the new purple tea (read more on what that is here). She has an organic Assam from India and some compelling Chinese teas. There are teas from Japan on the way too. Included in the tea wall are Yerba Mate, and the only US native plant with caffeine, Yaupon. It is in the same holly genus as Yerba Mate and Guayusa and contains similar amounts of caffeine. Danielle also carries two types of Coffee Leaf, regular and mango scented. Yes, there is such a thing as coffee leaf that is steeped like tea! Crazy! (I got to do some tasting and will share that part of the experience in a separate post).   These Reishi mushrooms look pre historic! Other Unique Finds Wild Terra has a variety of mushrooms including whole Reishi mushrooms which look like some pre-historic relic (see pic). She makes tinctures from them too with a triple extraction process:
Wild Terra also carries:
So go get your tea and herb on in this little gem in Highland Park! Tell Danielle the Tea Deviant sent you;) |
AuthorCassandra Vincent  CategoriesAll Classic Tea Flavored And Funky For Love Of Tea Herbs Infusions Lifestyle And Health Matcha Meditative And ASMR Sessions Recipes And Uses Specialty Tea Brands Spices Tea Accessories Tea Adjacent Tea And... Tea And A Laugh Tea And Art Tea And Holidays Tea And Music Series Tea And TV Tea Around The World Tea Cocktails Tea Events Tea In Film Tea In History Tea Innovations Tea Pros Tea Shops/Shops With Tea Tea Types Teaware |
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