The Adagio website lists a Blueberry White tea, which is what my package says, and a white blueberry tea, but scrutinizing the website I believe my tea is the Fresh Portions – Single Serve Packet. It is loose tea, and it does say Blueberry White on the packet and not the other way around. I am guessing the two are the same product with different packaging.
There is a LOT of leaf in this package but white tea is lightweight and fluffy, so I trusted them that this is the right amount for one cup. The white tea leaves are broken pieces of green and light brown, so I am guessing this is a Bai Mu Dan. It is similar in appearance to shou mei, but color and flavor seem to say otherwise, so I will stick with Bai Mu Dan.
What you get is a light and smooth cup of white tea with – in my opinion – just the right amount of blueberry flavor. The aroma is very natural. This isn’t the super grape-y blueberry flavor that I find a little unbelievable but a more natural, more realistic blueberry flavor. I added no sweeteners and found it to go down quite easily with no astringency or grassiness.
A nice bonus is that I got three steeps out of these leaves with the third having good color and still some light fruit flavor, making the price for the individual Fresh Portions a little more palatable, so keep that in mind as you weigh convenience against cost. Whenever possible, I purchase for the most responsible environmental impact that I can, so I would go for loose leaf in bulk, but if you need to carry good, loose leaf tea with you and want an easy to transport, pre-measured portion, this is a good option. I enjoyed all three steeps.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
This tea blends together the taste of juicy blueberries with premium white tea from Fujian province, China. Very fragrant, like freshly harvested ‘highbush’ blueberries (the aromatic variety). Soft, rounded mouthfeel with a clean, refreshing finish. A customer favorite, this tea is delectable both hot and cold. Full-leaf tea in portable, individually wrapped bags – superior taste and maximum convenience.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Peach Oolong from Adagio Teas. . . .
Back in the depths of winter, this cute perfectly-sized giant iced tea bag found its way into my samples box. I opened it up, gave it a sniff, sighed longingly for warmer temps.
This fun, quart-sized sachet is perfect for brewing up a big ol’ mason jar filled with tea. I deployed my favorite cold-brew method and let this one do its thing in the fridge overnight (or more realistically, a few nights, since I usually forget what I have brewin’) and it was the perfect, golden liquor after about a day. The brew is mildly peachy and fairly hearty for an oolong– it’s almost reminiscent of an iced black tea in that regard, but a little bit less robust. This would be the perfect base for a slightly unconventional Arnold Palmer-style bev, and is absolutely made for sunny sipping.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Full-leaf tea in pouches that make iced tea easy and delicious. Simply place overnight in a pitcher of water. Awake to find a tea rich in flavor and aroma, at a price that’s a fraction of the supermarket-bought teas. For quicker preparation, steep in hot water for five minutes and add ice. Contains oolong tea from Taiwan with the summer flavor of perfectly ripened fruit. Be a peach and try this tea. Makes 40 ounces.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maple Creme Oolong from Adagio Teas. . . .
One of my coworkers slipped me a baggie with 3 servings of this as I walked in this morning, so I obviously had no choice in the matter but to try it. It’s just me, the new Florence and the Machine album, and tea. Obviously the key ingredients for a great morning for this graphic designer.
The first thing I noticed about the tea was how strong it smelled. I could suss out that creamy maple through a Ziplock bag held at arm’s length. MAMA LIKEY.
Second, I noticed how ogle-worthy the tea looks. It has pieces in it (likely the apple) and red leaves (safflower) to give off that Canadian feel. Bless those Canadians and their charming accents and dreamy prime minster. What a great bunch of folks.
But what about the taste? Delicious, guys.
When it’s on the tongue, you get spices. It’s like a cider-chai. But then, when you swallow, ahhhhhhhh, syrup. Apples, spices, and maple for DAYS.
BOOM. Suddenly you’re Justin Trudeau’s best friend. He calls you with hot gossip. He invites you on hikes that are exactly at your exercise level. You’re going horseback riding with his mountie friends next week. Also: there’s a sale on flannel at your favorite store, and you will never be cold again.
Thanks, Canada!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sabriel Fandom Blend from Adagio Teas
Full disclosure, this is one of the blends I made on Adagio Teas. Their create-a-blend tools are just too much fun, and their fandom tea community is active and engaging. I wanted to review my Sabriel blend because I had been stewing over the idea for a long time, and it was so satisfying to have it finally come together.
Sabriel is one of the main characters from the Old Kingdom book series by Garth Nix. I won’t go into too much detail about the books, except to say that the series essentially follows the lives of “good” necromancers who help fight dead creatures or put the dead to rest. The stories are beautiful, imaginative, and just a little spooky.
For my Sabriel tea blend I wanted something impactful but nuanced; her work managing the magic of the dead takes steadiness and subtlety. The body of the tea is made up of two types of green tea. The gunpowder tea is robust without being astringent, and adds a whiff of smokiness that compliments the crackling, toasted notes of the hojicha tea.
The rest of the ingredients are all fragrant and sensory-inspiring. Peppermint brings a cooling creepiness, like fog in a graveyard, or a settling peacefulness like still water. Rose and lavender can have the morbid interpretation of flowers at a funeral, but can also being nostalgic, like remembering a favorite bouquet or garden memory. Cardamom adds some spirit and peppery spice, and feels a bit unexpected without its usual partners of cinnamon and ginger. The scent of cardamom always makes me think of opening the kitchen spice cabinet, and all the cooking possibilities within.
I have not come across a blend quite like this in my tea drinking experience, so I was more than happy to have the opportunity to make it myself. It was also great fun to honor one of my favorite characters and book series in tea form.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bonfire from Adagio Teas
Adagio Teas might be known for the fandom-inspired blends submitted by their users, but the tea company also offers their own seasonal blends. One of my favorite flavors they have created is a fall blend called Bonfire.
This blend is mainly comprised of honeybush herbal tea, which brings the perfect caramel, woodsy notes to start as a baseline. If you are wary of red rooibos teas, don’t worry about this blend, the honeybush is much more gentle and less medicinal than the rooibos. The honeybush is paired with just a smidge of smoky black lapsang souchong. There is little enough lapsang souchong to keep the caffeine level low, and to not overwhelm you with its bacon-like scent. Truly, the smokiness is relaxed and minimal, if you are on the fence, give it a try. Personally, I’ve grown to like smoky teas, so I add an extra scoop of lapsang souchong to the Bonfire loose leaf to really pump up the robustness.
What takes this blend to the next level are all the other herbs and additions. Apple pieces add some juicy sweetness and their trademark fall flavor. Aniseed and cacao nibs add some dessert tones to make this brew feel like a treat. Orange peels and cloves bring their wintry spice combination, and red peppercorns add a pop of color and just a hint of cracked pepper flavor.
This tea is delicious on its own, but also goes well with lemon and honey, or could be a tasty starting point for a hot toddy. The blend is not available all year round, so I always make sure to stock up and make it last.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush and Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description:
Crisp autumn nights call for warmth and comfort and little can better provide them than an autumn bonfire. Behold our bonfire blend: Honeybush hazelnut and cocoa nibs relax and ground you, while a spice blend of aniseed, cinnamon, clove and orange peel offer cozy comfort and zest. Apples and rose hips add soft sweetness while lapsang and red peppercorn offer hints of smoke and the flickering spark of heat. A perfect tea for fireside enjoyment or downtime dreaming.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!