Thursday, May 15, 2008

Tangerine Tea Review

Type: Black
Origin: Ceylon
Price: Sample (regular price - $6 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Adagio
Brewing Method: Per Instructed – 2.0g of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, boiled at 200°F-212°F, steeped for 5 minutes.
Overall Score: 4.3 out of 5


Adagio’s Tangerine Tea is a blend of Ceylon black tea base with tangerine flavor all through. I could smell the citrus aroma as soon as I opened the can. I did not find any bits of tangerine in the entire sample can that I had, though. Therefore, only tightly curled Ceylon leaves filled my teapot, but the pungent aroma of tangerine was definitely present.

The color of the brew was a beautiful light orange – the color that Ceylon teas should be.

The brew smelled extremely sweet but also tart. It tasted sweet with a significant amount of tartness to it, which was expected of the citrus flavor. However, I was left with a slightly bitter aftertaste as well. From the Ceylon point of view, the tea was light bodied. The tangerine flavor easily masked the taste of the Ceylon.

The negatives of this tea were the astringency and slightly bitter aftertaste. Also, I think the citrus flavoring seemed a bit overpowering compared to the Ceylon. Every time I took a sip, my mouth wanted to pucker a little from the tang of the tangerine flavor.

Those who really love the flavor of tangerine would enjoy this tea because it definitely delivers a citrus taste. Drinking this brew hot was too tart for my taste buds. However, I think this could be turned into a great iced tea.

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