Gunpowder is a hand rolled green tea from the Guangdong province of China.  And from the background info from Adagio, it is apparently a favorite green tea in Morocco and the Middle East where it is prepared with mint and sugar.  The flavor of this tea is more smoky and leans more towards oolong than the vegetal taste of most green teas.

I steeped just under one tablespoon of leaves with about 2 cups of 180F water for about 3 minutes. At first I was a bit worried because there was a lot of dust and the tea brewed up brownish green.  I was expecting a bitter cup, but was pleasantly surprised by a very light tea.  The smokiness of this tea is nothing like that of lapsang souchang. It sort of lingers at the back of your tongue and is really only noticeable if you really pay attention. 

You may be able to tell from previous posts that I prefer vegetal, grassy green teas, whites with floral notes, or pungently flavored 'kick in the face' black teas.  Gunpowder is not one of those.  This just wasn't a tea that I enjoyed.  I'd like to say that gunpowder is a pleasant hybrid of green and black flavors with a hint of smokiness, but it just tasted like cheap tea from a Chinese restaurant that was used to wash an ashtray.


Technorati Tags: adagio teas, gunpowder, green tea, smoky, chinese tea, brew, moroccan mint, guangdong

Irish Breakfast is a smooth black tea that is great for breakfast, as its name implies.  Irish Breakfast is a blend of high grown Ceylon with a malty underscore of a hearty Assam.  The flavor of this tea is more mellow and deeper than the Ceylon Waltz that is also from Adagio.  This tea is very heavy and tends to coat the mouth, so it would be perfect with a bit of milk or lemon.


I steeped one heaping tablespoon of leaves with about 1.5 to 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. The malty flavor of Irish Breakfast was very smooth with just a tiny bit of astringency.  However, the flavors in this tea are really understated, so it didn't really spark too much of an interest in me.

Maybe I need more variety from my teas, but I'm just not a fan of most black teas.  I think Irish Breakfast is a tea that would be appreciated by coffee drinkers and chocolate lovers.


Technorati Tags: adagio teas, ceylon, assam, malt, black tea, brew, blends, irish breakfast

There's really not much to say about Ceylon tea. It's what most people think of when they hear black tea. This tea from Adagio has a very nice well rounded 'black tea' flavor. While there is nothing spectacular about Ceylon Waltz, there's notihing wrong with it either. The tea brews clear and fragrant with little to no bitterness unless you let the leaves steep for more than 5 minutes.

Two heaping teaspoons of leaves were steeped for 5 minutes with 2 cups of boiling (distilled) water. However, since today is 97 degrees (without humidity), it's just too hot for a hot cup of tea.  So about half way through my cup of Ceylon Waltz, I added a bunch of ice, milk, and honey for a cool milk tea.

This is a good tea if you like black teas, sweet teas, iced teas, or milk teas.  However, don't be disappointed by the absolutely unspectacular flavor of this tea.


Technorati Tags: black tea, adagio, brew, ice tea, ceylon, waltz, milk tea

Snowbud is a white tea from the Fujian province of China. This tea is comprised entirely of unprocessed leaves and buds. I would describe a cup of Snowbud as very clean and delicate tasting. There was a very light hint of floral, but the flavor is definately more 'earthy' than that of White Peony.

I brewed this tea from Adagio with water that I let cool down for 3 minutes after boiling. About one tablespoon of leaves were steeped in two cups of water for six to seven minutes. This is a very delicate, even after such a long steeping time, the tea had just enough of a slight yellow tint to distinguish it from plain water.

Snowbud is a very mild flavored tea and I would not recommend this if you prefer the stronger flavors of black, flavored, or green teas. Even though I'm a fan of white teas, this one was still a bit too 'weak' and delicate for my taste.

Technorati Tags: white tea, snowbud, adagio, leaves, brew

I have never tasted Lapsang Souchong before, but from the comments on various blogs and forums, the impression I had was that this would be a bitter and muddy tasting tea. When I opened my sample tin from Adagio's, I was pleasantly surprised by the smoky aroma. This is a smooth tea that was only slightly astringent, certainly no more so than an improperly brewed green tea. The flavor is definately bold. It reminded me of blown out birthday candles, barbecues, and bonito shavings. Perhaps I'm weird, or maybe it's because I've been raised on bitter Chinese herbal remedies, but I found the flavor of this tea to be very mild and soothing. The smokiness of this tea is sweet, resembling the bitterness of chocolate or cigars rather than the bitter and stinging scent of cigarette smoke.

I brewed this tea with 2 cups of boiling water to 1 tablespoon of leaves which were steeped for about 5 to 7 minutes. The color of this tea is a deep brown with a slight red tint.

Lapsang Souchong is a good tea if you enjoy a strong tea with a bold flavor. This tea from Adagio's has a balanced smoky aroma that isn't overpowering or bitter. However, I can understand why many people don't like this tea. Drinking lapsang souchong is an acquired taste like drinking black coffee or smoking cigars.

Technorati Tags: black tea, adagio, lapsang souchong, chinese, brew, smoky