Sometimes we just need to kick back with a good flavored black tea. A mango flavored Ceylon is an excellent choice. Adagio’s mango flavored tea is highly rated on their website. I’ve ordered it a couple of times. Each time, I’ve enjoyed it. It has a fresh mango flavor that isn’t overpowering. The mango flavor makes me think of the Caribbean, which is where I was the first time I got to eat fresh mango. I plan on making some iced tea with the mango flavored black tea. I’ve read lots of reviews that recommend this tea iced. Besides, I’ve been looking for an excuse to use my new iced tea maker.

Just like a lot of other teas, you need to make sure you do not over-steep this tea. Let the water cool down from a boil. I recommend 3-4 minutes of a steeping time. If it’s not enough for you, just adjust to your liking. This is a good starter tea. If you are new to the tea scene, and you just want to see what loose leaf tea is about - try this one. Now, the obvious “catch” to this tea is, you need to like mango or sweet fruits. You can taste the tea in this blend; however, mango is the dominant flavor. Give it a try this summer. Pretend you’re sitting on a beach in St. Thomas and enjoy…

• Shop at Adagio.com

marTEA

It has been a couple of months since my last cup of a quality Oolong loose leaf tea. The Oolong I’m drinking this week is made up of dark, silver-tipped tea leaves from Taiwan. This tea is absolutely delicious. I enjoy everything about this tea. It’s the kind of tea I can drink any time of the day. Unlike some strong black teas or “grassy” green teas, Oolong is well balanced. I don’t feel overwhelmed while drinking Oolong.

Now, I get a kick out of how Oolong is often called the “champagne of teas.” If Oolong had the same affects as champagne does on my wife, I’d be a lucky a man. However, the fact is you can safely drive after drinking Oolong, and your inhibitions will not be lost. So, the next wild party you’re at, don’t expect Cristal and Oolong to be flowing. The champagne reference simply relates Oolong as a fancy and exquisite tea selection. I highly recommend drinking Oolong tea. It really does deserve its own classification. You’ll enjoy the natural sweetness and relaxing characteristics.

• Adagio’s Oolong Selection

marTEA

Keemun is awesome! Recently, I’ve taken a lot of time to try a lot of grocery store purchased bagged-teas. Some of them were good, but none of them were nearly as delicious as the Keemun I’m drinking this week. Loose leaf tea, I’m back! Keemun is a popular black tea from the Anhui region of China. I purchased this blend from Adagio.com. Adagio describes the tea as a hand-made, limited production ‘Hao Ya A’ grade tea. Keemun lives up to its premium status and higher price tag. The scent of the dried tea is breath taking. You can literally feel your brain stimulate by smelling the dried leaves. Now, as far as the taste…I’m going to tell you how you know a tea is worth trying. If the feedback you receive from others ranges from chocolatety to smoky, it’s worth trying. In other words, people don’t know how to describe it. A tea that can be interpreted many different ways is a tea worth trying. Before I tried it, I read that it has a pine-like flavor to it. Pine-like, I haven’t noticed it yet? I would have to say it is somewhere in between all the descriptions. The actual tea leaves are nothing special. It is said to be hand-made, but the leaves are really small and tightly wound. About 4-5 minutes in 212 degree water is all it takes to have a great cup of tea. I prefer this tea in the morning and afternoon. Drink up.

• Shop at Adagio.com

marTEA

If you are a black tea lover at heart without all the fancy added flavoring, a Yunnan tea is a must. This is one of my favorite black teas. The tea comes from the Yunnan province of Southern China. Yunnan tea has character from start to finish. The dried leaves have a noticeable freshness about them. The leaves are soft and lush as if they are still retaining their original moisture from the fields. The scent of the dried leaves is divine. It smells so good, you’d think it was removed from a spice rack rather than a tea caddy. The tea is known for its unique peppery flavor. Peppery flavoring alone did not sell me on this tea. It’s so much more, and to try to say that’s the only thing that sets it apart from other black teas is just - wrong.

Yunnan Gold from Adagio.com is a great introduction to Yunnan black tea. The flavoring of the tea is so complex, that it was funny to read the feedback from other Adagio customers before I purchased the tea. The feedback ranged from Pu-erh to jasmine Oolong as far as what it tastes like. The bottom line is it’s so good you have to decide for yourself. One thing I can say for sure is you’ll quickly form an opinion because the tea has a lot of character. The only “problem” I have with this tea is its price.

marTEA

Do you know what a currant is? I didn’t, and that’s exactly why I’m blogging about currant flavored tea today. I ordered this particular currant tea from Adagio.com. The currant flavored tea from Adagio is black tea from Ceylon mixed with what appears to be pieces of currant leaves. Currants are a grape-like fruit. There are red, pink, black, and white currant berries. Each color has a distinct flavor and culinary use. I’m not sure what color of berry is used with this particular currant flavored black tea. I would assume it’s a red variety, but I just don’t know.

Currant tea has a sweet grape-like scent and flavor to it. Right before you take a sip of the tea, you are quickly reminded of a grape flavored beverage. However, with this blend, you can actually taste the tea. If you like to add sugar to your tea, this is a good tea to sweeten. In fact, I think it tastes great iced. The first few cups of hot tea I made, with the currant flavored blend, turned out a little bitter. I could tell the tea would taste great, but it was going to take some experimenting to get it right. In the end, I found that if the water is not heated to a complete boil the tea tasted great. I would suggest steeping the tea in water temperatures just below 200 degrees (just my suggestion) for 5 minutes.

marTEA

I’ll never forget the first time I tried green tea. It was Green Pekoe from Adagio.com. I remember having this great idea that I was going to start drinking tea instead of coffee. I ordered a wide variety of teas knowing very little about tea. I first tried a white tea, and I thought it was ok. Next, I tried a black tea, and it was excellent. Now it was time to try Green Pekoe. At the time, I thought it tasted like wet grass mixed with spinach juice. To some people that might sound tasty. To me with my expectations for starting a new way of life with tea as my main beverage and my limited knowledge of tea, it was horrible. It was at least 2 weeks before I tried to tackle Green Pekoe again. This time, I knew how important water temperature was to the steeping process. Now, when I put the tea leaves in the water, I knew the goal was not to “boil” the green tea leaves. The goal was simply to allow the leaves to steep at a water temperature (approximately 180 degrees) that would not destroy the leaves and ruin the natural release of nutrients in flavor into the water. At this point, I was starting to enjoy Green Pekoe.

Green Pekoe makes a light cup of green tea. There’s nothing fancy about it. The Green Pekoe I’m drinking is from the Fujian Province of China. The leaves are very dry, pale in color, and frail to the touch before they are placed in water. After the tea steeps, the tea leaves look as fresh as the day they were picked. As I moved on to other green teas, I found that Green Pekoe was in no way shape or form my favorite green tea. However, it was the most important tea I’ve ever tried to master. If I failed with Green Pekoe, I might have stopped my tea journey. I’m glad I don’t give up that easily. If you want to try an entry level green tea at an affordable price, I do recommend Green Pekoe. Green tea is not for everyone. However, you should try it to see if it is right for you.

marTEA

I was looking for a good tisane to try this month. I’ve been on a Peppermint kick lately, and I am not going to stop now. So I found an herbal mix that includes Peppermint as well as Chamomile and Lemongrass. Now, with this kind of herbal mix how can you go wrong? This mix was designed to lift your spirits, aid in digestion, and leave your mouth feeling fresh while making your taste buds dance for joy. I’m still not crazy for Chamomile, but it was easier to tolerate when it was mixed with Peppermint and Lemongrass. This is a mix where you have to be certain you like everything in the mix to truly enjoy it. I tasted all flavors in this mix. Remember to use cooler water temps around 180 degrees for at least 7 minutes when preparing a tisane. Also, don’t forget this is a natural decaf beverage - drink up! If you are looking for a tasty herbal tea, give this one a try. If you are new to either Lemongrass or Chamomile, order a sample size. This tea can be ordered from Adagio.com.

marTEA

The last time I placed an order, I thought I would try one more flavored Rooibos. Rooibos is known as “Red Tea.” My previous Rooibos post gives a lot of background on the red tea from South Africa. There’s no doubt that Rooibos is a tasty alternative to tea. When it is steeped, Rooibos gives off a beautiful amber liquor. Rooibos literally adds texture to the water. It gives the water a very silky smooth texture. What makes this “tea” appealing to a lot of people is the fact that it’s naturally decaffeinated.

This week, I’m drinking a caramel flavored Rooibos. The last flavor I tried was vanilla. I have to be honest, I don’t taste that much of a difference. That’s not saying this tastes bad, it just tastes very sweet and not a lot like caramel. Basically, when I smell the dried Rooibos, I wouldn’t necessarily guess that it is caramel flavored. I guess the only thing I have left to do is try Rooibos straight without artificial flavors. It definitely tastes good, there is no denying it has taste going for it. I need caffeine at this point in my life. Therefore, Rooibos might sit on my shelf longer than other teas. My biggest complaint about Rooibos is the mess it creates. Rooibos is finely chopped. I read on Adagio’s feedback section that someone said it was like making tea with saw dust. It makes an absolute mess of my tea filter. If you can get past the mess, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

marTEA