There’s something that unites people from around the world and you may not have considered it…tea…wonderful tea! Just about everywhere you may travel, a good cup of tea will be waiting for you upon your arrival to welcome you and relax you after your travels – even if it’s just next door. When I arrived in Belfast, the youth hostel I was staying in sat me down and poured me a cup of hot tea to enjoy next to a roaring fire. Out of the dark, wet, cold of the bustling city after 3 flights, a bus, and a taxi, I was ready to relax, and appreciated the hospitality. Good friendships are often forged over a pot of tea, as I still keep in touch with many of the other travellers who were staying there, too.
I remember long afternoons at school, only to look forward to visiting my grandparents who always had a pot of tea ready to go (along with a homemade cookie), and Phil always makes me a cup before he goes to work in the morning. Yes, tea to me is filled with love! Speaking of love, did you know that in this digital age, tea is still picked carefully by hand? Think about that the next time you purchase a box and think about how much work goes into it! It’s astounding, really!
We’ve had the great pleasure to be working with Adagio Teas and have been overwhelmed at the variety of flavours they have available! I honestly don’t know where to start! They thoughtfully chose some tea varieties from around the world so the children could drink their way around the world as a way to make geography more interesting!
We have tried teas from:
- China
- Japan
- India
- Sri Lanka
- South Africa
The teas were mostly black, but there were also some green, white, oolong, and red rooibos as well. Tristan likes a good green tea, while Kalli is a little more fruity like I am. I really loved the white teas’ delicate flavour, while the children preferred teas with a stronger flavour. It’s interesting how everyone has their own preferences. I didn’t think I liked Earl Grey (I know I didn’t in my working days, while it was all a colleague would drink), but the way it is blended by Adagio, it’s really very nice, and I have now changed my opinion on it!
The whole family had fun choosing which type of tea they wanted to try next, and then which flavour (each sampler box has 4 varieties inside). We all looked forward to seeing what each tea would look like, the colours we would see, what colour the tea would turn as it steeped, the aroma that would unwrap and the flavour it would deliver.
Each type of tea needs to be steeped at a different temperature and for a different length of time for optimal flavour, and the packets have this information right on them, which is very handy (my suggestion is that Adagio should also add a little insert into their Blends tins with the same information).
We had about 50 varieties of tea to try out, and we must be around the 40 mark now! This is serious business! I know I’ve certainly been looking forward to a little relaxation time while I’ve been refinishing furniture and fixing up things around the house during our hot summer; and the children look forward to having a break from school work to chat and find out a little about where their tea of the day has originated from.
The sampler boxes are great because you can try out new teas without really having to commit yourself to them – if you love them you can purchase a larger amount of that single tea, and if you’re not a big fan, then that’s okay…but don’t waste your tea! Take it to the office or share it with a friend as everyone has different tastes, and the right person will love that you’ve given them a new flavour to experience!
I’m going to be straight-up with you, we tried all of the teas ‘as is’ without adding any sugar or milk to them. I drink my ‘regular’ tea with a small dash of milk, while Phil has some sugar, and a larger splash of milk, but we found we didn’t need to cover up the Adagio Teas with window dressings as they were very comfortable in their own beauty. Why complicate matters when you don’t need to?
I was gifted with an Ingenuitea diffuser and a glass mug, which makes the perfect cup of tea, and just the right size for me! The Ingenuitea (cleverly engineered in Japan) is easy to use by simply placing your tea in the top, adding your hot water, and when the time is right, just place the gizmo onto the top of your cup (any tea cup or mug will work), and the pressure of the rim will open the valve and the tea will siphon down into your cup without a drip! Genius!
If you’re looking for a gift for a tea-lover for pairing with their favourite show, do check out the ‘Blends’ which are sets of 6 specially blended flavours packed into cute little themed tins. Inspired by Harry Potter, Dr. Who, and more, these are simply delightful! We have had the pleasure of trying out the two newest additions to the Blends family: Matt Morgan Appreciation Societea and the London Collection.
These blends tickle the senses with their fun play-on-words names such as Picadilly Citrus , Crown Jewels, Crow in the Wall, and MajesTEAAA. The tea itself is more fine and dare I say it, even more colourful than the sampler teas as you’ll find dried berries, chocolate nibs, and even confetti sprinkles mixed in!
Each fandom blend is unique, and continues to bring joy as you can reuse the tins after the tea has been consumed – I will have one in my bag for nights at the Camera Club as I find the tea there too strong so I like to take my own and share. I’ll have a tin in my backpack with some mints or little nibbles for when the children and I are out walking, or perhaps create a stylish mini first-aid kit! And of course, the children think they will make great containers for their treasures and crafts.
I loved the London Blends as I like fruity teas, and there were lemons, cherries, and of course I couldn’t resist Oxford Steep as it smelled just like Christmas in London to me, with the seasonal markets and festive scents of cinnamon, clove, and ginger in the air. And in the Matt Morgan my favourite was the Oolinglongling which was peachy, along with a little heat from cinnamon and peppercorns – three of my favourite flavours, and yet I’d never thought to try them together before – and it works!
Definitely check out the Adagio Teas website as you’ll learn so much about tea; from the growers to health benefits, food pairing, and even find some recipes on how to use tea in your cooking and baking; we’ve done this in the past and it’s great, I have my eye on a couple of recipes such as Golden Veggie Fried Rice, and I think Tristan would like the Tea Glazed Almonds, too! I’ve seriously spent hours browsing through the websites looking at teas, information about the, and different ways to use them!
If you’d like to know more or would like to follow Adagio Teas, you can connect with them through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
