Tea Subscriptions

Sunday, December 21, 2014

I've got a backlog on my Adagio Green Tea of the Month subscription that started in May. I just wasn't feeling like hot tea in the middle of August. BUT now it's -2 degrees outside. So we're back to consuming 6 mugs a day (only a few Tbsp of loose leaf).

I really like the apricot and mandarin flavored teas. Genmaicha is always a [interesting] classic if you like popcorn, while the hojicha is more of a once-in-awhile kinda tea. For those times when you want something that is coffee-esque in nature. The jasmine chun hao is the best of all, but I'm a sucker for jasmine tea. So light and flowery. It's on my list of absolute favorites along with cream earl grey, milk oolong, super green sencha, and rooibos masala chai.

A cream earl grey tea (or alternatively, dorian grey) is a nice black tea, with floral overtones from the bergamot oils. The "cream" portion is a vanilla-ish undertone. A nice twist on a classic earl grey. Rose black tea which is a favored variety from Margaret's Tea imports shop in Pittsburgh. Milk oolong (or dairy oolong) is a slightly more expensive tea that's somewhere between a black and a green tea, with a dairy taste that doesn't come from milk. It's hard to explain the flavors, but it's one of my favorite special occasion teas. Super green sencha (matcha iri sencha) is one I've written about before. The first cup is pour-over matcha, the second leaf usage is a brewed sencha. Absolutely fantastic if you want matcha without the price and preparation. Jasmine teas typically use green tea as their base. The jasmine flavoring feels like drinking flowers. Rooibos masala chai is good for evenings as it's a naturally decaffeinated tea that does not come from the camellia sinensis (like black, green, and white teas). I like mine without peppercorns, but if you'd like a tea with a bite you can always add your own pepper! I'm still on the lookout for a white tea I love. No luck yet.