Anteadote Black Tea

I’m glad I finally had the time to try all of the Anteadote selections from Adagio.  Ending with the Black Tea was definitely a good choice for me.  I wasn’t very impressed with the green and white Anteadote options, but the black tea was a hit with my taste buds.  It had an authentic China black tea flavor to it (reminiscent of a Yunnan vibe).  It’s not too strong or too weak and that’s what makes this organic and unsweetened black tea a hit.  Each drink had a satisfying black tea flavor to it and the vitamin c flavor was not nearly as present as it was with the green and white Anteadote options.  Organic ready-to-drink beverages are a great way for people to conveniently enjoy organic tea.  If you brew your own iced tea, there’s no need to bother with RTDs.  Fortunately for the bottled tea distributors of the world, ready-to-drink teas are in high demand.  Anteadote is a great option for those that want to grab a bottle and drink organic iced tea on-the-go.  All Anteadote organic teas have zero calories.  The heavy-duty plastic bottles contain 16.9 FL OZ of delicious tea.  I can’t stress enough how refreshing an unsweetened tea can be to enjoy on a hot day.  I enjoyed most of Adagio’s Anteadote selections.  The two that didn’t impress me (white and green) had an odd vitamin flavor to them, which overpowered the natural tea flavor.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed this black tea option as well as the oolong and jasmine tea.  I definitely recommend that you try one of the selections and judge for yourself.

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Adagio Chai

By now, most of you know what tea vendors are talking about when Chai is mentioned.  Sure the word “Chai” means tea in many languages, but most of us relate to Chai as an often spicey/sometimes sweet/always aromatic/great tasting black tea that originated in India – known as Masala Chai.  You can find Chai at your local grocery store or online tea shop in the following types: powder form, liquid concentrate, standard tea bag, and loose leaf.  Many tea vendors keep evolving their product lines and now you can find chais that use green tea and rooibos as its tea base.  These alternatives to the traditional Masala Chai give the consumer more variety.  Adagio has recently started its own line of Chais.  I was fortunate to try all of the selections.  Chai is a fun tea that is full of character.  It’s not for everyone because it is packed with intense flavors and aromas.

Adagio Chai

Adagio’s Masala Chai (black tea/caffeine): This is a solid effort at the traditional Masala Chai.  You can see a mix of cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, and ginger mixed throughout the Ceylon black tea.  Of the 6 chais I tried from Adagio, this one had the most intense flavors.  If you like chai that makes your tongue tingle, this is the one for you.  The dominant flavors found in the mix of spices blend to create a very powerful flavored black tea.  If you’re new to Chai, the flavor comes from the spices.  The quality of the spices and tea used by the tea vendor are crucial to the end result.  My only complaint about this version is the use of Ceylon tea.  I would have preferred an Assam black tea base.  Assam black tea (in my opinion – especially CTC) supports the flavors of the spices better and it can withstand longer steeping times without tasting bitter.  Having said that, I enjoy Ceylon teas – just not as the base of the chai.

Adagio’s Thai Chai (black tea/caffeine): Thai Chai just might be my favorite in the bunch.  It was the one that I found myself picking over the others.  It has a creative and inviting personality.  It tastes and looks like they left the clove out of the batch and inserted coconut and lemongrass.  The addition of the coconut and lemongrass gives the chai a sweeter flavor and silkier texture.  It’s a bit more tame than the traditional Masala Chai.  Thai Chai might be more suitable for the casual black tea drinker.  Although the tea is not as spicey, that doesn’t mean it is any less flavorful.  In fact, this tea bursts with flavor.  The aroma of this tea is mouth watering.  The lemongrass gives the tea an excellent finish.  If you enjoy lemongrass in your black tea, I definitely recommend Thai Chai.

Adagio’s Bengal Green Chai (green tea/caffeine): Very similar to the Masala Chai, but you will find China green tea in place of the Ceylon black tea.  All of the same fiery spices are present in this Chai.  I really like this…  The texture of the liquid is changed simply by substituting black tea for green tea (very smooth).  There is a slight vegetal flavor, but it’s quickly masked by the spices.  This tea has a very clean finish to it with a pleasant aftertaste.  If you are more of a green tea drinker than a black tea drinker, this is your obvious choice to enjoy spiced Chai.

Adagio’s Spiced Apple Chai (black tea/caffeine): I thought the apple flavor paired well with the chai spices; which made it an incredibly warming beverage.  This is perfect for a cold evening.  I haven’t tried it iced, but you might be able to sweeten-up the tea to make a tasty iced chai.  The apple flavor is certainly present, but it’s just an accent to the already powerful blend of spices.  I think it’s an excellent compliment, but you still have to like Chai to enjoy this tea.  Simply liking apple flavored black tea might not be enough to enjoy Adagio’s Spiced Apple Chai due to the spiced nature of the Chai.  The aroma of this Chai is sure to get your attention and anyone standing within 10 feet of your cup – very aromatic.

Adagio’s Chocolate Chai (black tea/caffeine): I love chocolate, but I wasn’t thrilled with this Chai.  It lacked the same zing as the other flavors.  It does have a pleasing aroma – sweet chocolate, but the flat flavor really brought this one down.  With the Ceylon black tea used as the base, Adagio’s Chocolate Chai simply tasted like a flavored version of black tea.  It wasn’t bad, I just couldn’t get into the chocolate flavoring while still considering this to be a chai.

Adagio’s Rooibos Vanilla Chai (herbal-Rooibos/caffeine free): This is a great offering for people trying to avoid caffeine.  Rooibos is a South African shrub that is loaded with antioxidants and it’s naturally caffeine free.  I was really surprised to be able to taste the silky-sweet Rooibos through the mix of powerful spices.  The addition of vanilla is a tasty compliment to the Rooibos.  If you’ve never tried chai spices with Rooibos, this is a good place to start.

Have fun with Chai.  Sweeten it to your liking.  Add milk or soy to give it more of a creamy texture.

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Anteadote White Tea

Moving on to an unsweetened RTD from Adagio – Anteadote Organic White Tea…

I wasn’t anticipating wonderful things from the Anteadote White Tea.  The Jasmine and Oolong have easily been my favorites in this product line.  They were packed with natural flavor and freshness.  The white tea fell short for me in the flavor department.  I can barely detect the white tea flavor.  The beverage starts with a quick crisp sweetness, but the bitter finish washes the faint white tea flavor away.  It tasted very similar to the green tea.  The white tea had a noticeable vitamin flavor to it, which I noticed in the green tea (Vitamin C is an ingredient).  Although I appreciate the addition of Vitamin C, I don’t necessarily want a beverage that tastes like a vitamin.  The good news, this is a refreshing beverage.  Even though I think there is a lot of room for improvement, I enjoyed the fact that it was a healthy/unsweetened beverage that I could drink after working out or coming in from the hot weather.  The plastic 16.9 FL OZ bottle makes white tea more convenient for those that aren’t comfortable steeping loose leaf teas.  If Adagio can get the white tea to shine a little brighter, I’ll give it another shot.

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Anteadote Organic Oolong

I can’t say I know too many people that actually know what Oolong truly is.  For those of you that are new to tea, Oolong is tea (camellia sinensis) just as much as black, green, or white.  In fact, many of the most popular Oolongs steep to reveal a much fuller and greener tea leaf than green and black teas.  I like steeping Oolong for people so they can connect to what tea really is – a leaf.  Often, Oolong is loosely described as being in-between a green and black tea.  In other words, it is processed using a particular method to where the leaves are semi-oxidized.  To me, some of the more enjoyable teas I’ve had over the past few years have been Oolongs.  Do not be afraid to try an Oolong if you haven’t.  It has such a clean, fresh, slightly floral, nutty, fruity, and lasting flavor that creates for a unique tea experience with a high value.

As far as Anteadote’s effort to make an unsweetened iced tea from organic oolong – excellent work.  I really enjoyed this.  Every sip was rewarding.  This was so much better than their green tea for me.  It was identifiable from the get-go.  When I opened the bottle, I could smell the freshness that was captured during production.  I was immediately reminded of the many loose leaf Oolongs I’ve enjoyed over the years.  I know my friends and family would enjoy this tea.  It’s going to take a lot of bloggers and marketers to get the word out that Oo”long” is not short on flavor and value.  The word “crisp” comes to mind as I’m drinking this.  I’m simultaneously being relaxed as I refresh with this beverage.  I had to pace myself not to drink the entire bottle before I took a few notes.  I was impressed with Anteadote’s Organic Oolong.

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Anteadote Green Tea

If you are a green tea drinker and you are looking for a convenient way to take a refreshing, organic, unsweetened green tea on-the-go, Anteadote has an option for you (16.9 fl oz plastic bottles).  I’ve been drinking unsweetened iced teas for a while and it’s fun for me to finally get to try Anteadote.  For the most part, I enjoyed the green tea.  Green tea is such a general term so it’s important for me to try to define the characteristics of this green tea.  It reminds me of a Dragon Well without the sweet buttery flavor.  It has a strong flavor that is slightly grassy with a light bitterness.  At times, I can really pick-up on a vitamin flavor and scent (vitamin c is an ingredient of Anteadote).  I wasn’t very impressed with this tea, but I’d have no problems drinking a couple of bottles on a hot day.  There’s no doubt that the filtered water and unsweetened green tea makes for a refreshing beverage.  Without the preservatives, the green tea tends to quench my thirst more than a sweetened beverage.  Green tea lovers will appreciate this beverage, but I was left hoping for a more defined green tea flavor.

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Anteadote Jasmine Tea

I literally have every variety of Anteadote offered by Adagio and I can’t wait to drink all of them (16.9 fl oz plastic bottles).  I grabbed Ateadote Organic Jasmine Tea to start my reviews.  I had a feeling this was going to be really good.  I’ve had a lot of excellent green teas and oolongs that were infused with jasmine over the years.  Jasmine, to me, is one of the few floral flavors that I absolutely enjoy.  It has a mix between a flower and fruit scent and flavor; therefore, jasmine makes an excellent complement to tea when it comes to my taste buds.  The great/healthy thing about the Jasmine Tea is it is unsweetened.  So, you have a beverage that has zero calories with plenty of flavor.  Trust me, if you enjoy jasmine flavored teas, this will floor you.  I’m talking from the first sip – WOW!  It’s early in the game, but I’m going to say Anteadote Jasmine Tea might be one of my favorite unsweetened teas of all-time.  I can’t get over how well the jasmine flavors explode with a smooth and satisfying freshness.  I sat in the sun for hours before breaking the seal on the bottle.  The unsweetened teas are very refreshing.  My only issue with this tea – I’m not sure what kind of tea was used in the product.  I’d at least like to know if it’s black, green, or oolong.  If I had to guess due to the color (pale brown/yellow) and sweet flavor, I’d say it was an oolong.  Either way, I think this tea will be enjoyed by many.  A fresh jasmine tea with no preservatives and a touch of vitamin c  is much appreciated by this tea drinker.  I’ve been drinking a lot of sweet teas lately, so it’s a great time to start drinking more zero calorie bottled teas (everything in moderation).  This one is simple, if you like jasmine infused teas – this is a must.

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Adagio | Emerald Green

Emerald Needle gets its name from its long and thin shape and dark green color.  The leaves are plucked while they are still buds just before they would have opened.  The needle-like buds give the tea a pleasing dry presentation.  The shiny emerald colored buds look very inviting piled on a tea tray.  I’m picking up a licorice and pineapple scent to the dried product.  The sweet scent almost makes you forget that this is a green tea.

Steeping: Make sure the water cools to around 180 degrees before steeping this tea.  It will get bitter quickly if the water is too hot.  I found the key is to let the water cool and steep the tea for just a few minutes.  When I use a Gaiwan, I shorten my steeping time.  The goal is to get the flavor you expect from the tea – experiment and have fun with it.  This is one of those teas that stands on end as it steeps (interesting if you have a glass or clear steeping pot). The fruit flavors continue to shine through the classic China green tea flavor.  In addition, there is a floral component to the flavor.  There’s still a vegetal bite on the back-end with this tea.  I like variety when it comes to tea.  Emerald Needle is a tea that I can drink every other day or early in the evening after a meal.  I don’t think this tea is for everyone, but I enjoyed the variety of flavors it offers.

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Adagio's Fujian Baroque

I was excited to try a newer black tea from Adagio.  As a long-time tea drinker and Adagio customer, I started to feel like I tried all the major black teas supplied by Adagio – until now.  Fujian Baroque is an interesting tea (if you haven’t guessed, it’s from the Fujian region of China).  It has a very dark brittle dry tea leaf.  The scent is very mellow.  I detect a very light sweet and peppery aroma, but it’s nothing too exciting.  After steeping the tea leaves in water around 200 degrees for about 3-4 minutes, you are left with a very flavorful, simple cup of black tea.

Fujian Baroque in the cup

I never  judge a tea totally by the scent of its dry leaves.  It certainly can help determine the quality of the tea and add to the overall experience, but it’s not the deciding factor in how a tea will taste.  The flavor of Fujian Baroque is very refreshing.  It has a very clean and naturally sweet flavor.  I’m detecting processing similar to a classic Ceylon, but this tea’s real charm comes from its natural sweetness.  I bet this would make an awesome iced tea.  It’s very smooth and easy to drink.  Anyone that enjoys a classic black tea will really like this.  This is the kind of tea you can brew and just sit back and enjoy.  You’re not going to be blown away by dominant flavors, but you will be reminded how “awesome” simple can be.

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