The Taste Experience of Adagio Teas

Complimentary product was provided by Adagio Tea for me to try and share my experience.

There are some things that you gain a taste for over time. When I was a kid, tea was not on my list of favorite beverages. At some point, one of my friends offered me hot lemon tea and because I didn't want to be rude, I gave it a try with a good amount of added lemon juice and sugar. I decided it wasn't so bad and not what I had remembered from other tea experiences. From that point forward, I found myself trying different teas over time, in hopes of finding more that I enjoyed. As I have grown older, the varieties of tea that I enjoy have evolved and grown. I can't recall the last time I had hot lemon tea, but there are several other varieties that I have on a regular basis. In fact, I have a few varieties that are staples in my pantry, typically herbal teas or rooibos teas. When I have a cup, I usually enjoy it with a bit of honey or sugar and if enjoying one in the evening at bedtime, with a splash of milk. I have a tea kettle for warming water on the stove, I have multiple tea balls for loose tea and a pot that has a perforated column in the middle that allows me to make a full pot with either loose leaf tea or bagged tea. (For the record, I'm still not a big fan of iced tea...but have tried some recently that aren't so bad.)

Several of my friends had been sharing about Adagio Teas through Facebook, so when I was invited to try some of their products, I was excited to discover what they offered. I explored their different products and decided on a mix of full size bags and sample packs, to maximize my taste experience. Most of their teas are loose leaf, but they do offer some pyramid bag items too. I decided to stick with all loose leaf varieties for my experience.

I ordered two Rooibos varieties - Rooibos Vanilla and Rooibos Caramel. If you aren't familiar, from the Adagio site I share the following description: Hailing from South Africa, red bush tea is caffeine-free and produces a sweet, flavorful cup.

I also ordered two Herbal Tea varieties - Peppermint and Raspberry Patch.

Lastly, I tried out the Hot Cinnamon Spice tea. It is a flavored tea, which is not caffeine free, but is one of my favorite flavors.

I also decided to check out the toasTEA Portable Tea Infuser. I have enjoyed using this infuser to try out all of the new teas.

It is easy to use and I love that it relies on inversion to brew the tea and that when you flip it back upright the leaves are above the water line and no longer brewing.

In addition, the insulated tumbler keeps the tea hot for a long time. I typically poured the tea from the tumbler and put it into an open mug, because to me drinking tea is a full sense experience and the open mug allows for full immersion into the aroma and the visual aspects of the experience, in addition to the taste.

Each tea provides the amount of loose tea to use per cup and the temperature and time for steeping.

The Raspberry Patch is my favorite of the teas that I tried. It offers a full flavor of summer raspberries with an appealing sweet, berry aroma. I added a small drizzle of honey to provide a sweet flavor match to the sweet aroma. This is the one that I go to for a mid-afternoon tea break.

The two Rooibos varieties have a nice, soft aroma and an appealing flavor with notes of vanilla or caramel. I find them to be a perfect evening treat with a drizzle of honey and a splash of milk, and occasionally a couple of thin ginger crisp cookies for dipping.

The Peppermint is refreshing and I have found it a great way to start the day, paired with a couple of slices of toast. I haven't tried the Hot Cinnamon yet, mostly because it feels like a fall flavor and hasn't been the one that drew my interest when I sat down to enjoy a mug of tea.

I love that the toasTEA infuser makes 17 oz of tea, perfect to have a first cup and a top off to warm the tea back up in my mug. It also is a great travel option and allows me to steep my tea on the drive to work and enjoy it on arrival. The Rooibos Caramel seems to have a few more fines in it than the other teas and resulted in a bit of the tea coming up into the drink spout while inverted. Otherwise, it has worked fine with all of the teas that I have brewed and even on immersion, does not leak.

My only concern is that the tea comes in a stand up pouch with a zip closure, which makes storage a bit of a challenge. I think that I need to find a basket that I can set in my cupboard to corral them and keep them from falling over and 'disappearing' under other items in the cupboard. Or, if I stick with a few varieties only, I might pick up some small glass storage containers that I can put the tea in and place in cupboard.

Have you tried Adagio tea? What is your favorite?


No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. Complimentary product was provided for my review.

Crystal Light Mocktails

This evening, we had friends over to our house for dinner and Bible Study. I made Cincinnati Style Chili with all the fixings and sliced up some bread. Someone was planning to bring along some soday, but I wanted to offer some drinks for those that might not want soda and for the kids. I made up a pitcher of lemonade for the kids and then, for the adults (or the kids too), I made a pitcher of the new Crystal Light Mocktails in Peach Bellini.

It was a hit. It has such a soft peach flavor and really does remind me of a Peach Belinni. I really enjoyed the refreshing beverage. I think that next time, I might 'spike' it with a bit of soda (or soda water) to give it a little bubbly effervescence. The drink was a hit with the guests as well. One of the women said that she was adding some of the lemonade to the drink and really liked the combination.

I haven't had any of the Crystal Light Mocktails before, but look forward to trying some of the other flavors. In addition to the Peach Bellini, the other new flavor is Pomtini, which I will be making next. The Peach Bellini and the Pomtini are limited edition flavors, that are available until around June, or as long as supplies last. The other flavors that are available are Margarita, Mojito and Appletini. I think that I will have to try out the Margarita one, I love the lime flavor of Margaritas.

The drinks contain just 5 calories in an 8 oz serving, so they are a great option for a flavorful drink that doesn't contain many calories. Each package has 5-2 quart pitcher packs. They were very easy to make, just add the packet to 2 quarts of water in a pitcher, stir and refrigerate.

Did you see the ad in the coupon section? They have teamed up with the Celebrity Apprentice and the ad is based on that partnership. I love the tag line on the ad "Drink as much as you want and still be awake to hear "You're Fired".

For more information on Crystal Light, you can connect with them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

No compensation was provided for this post. Product samples of the Crystal Light Peach Bellini and Pomtini were provided by Kraft in addition to drink napkins, umbrellas and a pitcher, so that I could try the product and share my experience. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.