Taste Test: Adagio Holiday Teas, take 1

Here's my first batch of reviews for Adagio's Holiday Sampler pack. My computer has deleted three different Candy Apple reviews, so you'll have to wait a bit for that and for the Candy Cane. Enjoy.
Holiday pack:
Chestnut
When I decided to purchase the holiday pack, this was the one I was thinking I would take out when friends come over. You know, the tea that’s good enough but not the stuff you’d horde. I opened the tin and the first whiff was heavenly. The scent is very rich and very creamy. It smells of caramel, chocolate, nut (of course) and a little woody. I might not be the best person to review this tea as I have never tasted a chestnut, so I have no idea if this tastes like one. It does however taste heavenly. I made two teaspoons worth of tea for about 12 oz of water (my standard strength) and then filled it up with probably 2 oz of milk, and 2 tsp of sugar. The pre-milk color (yes, I do add milk last) was a nice rich…chestnut color. (Sorry, I hope that’s more descriptive than it seems.)It was very silky with nutty overtones and it maintained caramel undertones. All in all, wonderful. A definite purchase again.
Scent:****
Flavor:****
Aftertaste:****

Pumpkin Spice.
First off, let me tell you I love pumpkin. Love. Come ‘holiday’ time (by which I really mean when it’s cold enough that turning on my oven won’t overheat my apartment) I’m a big fan of pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, pumpkin butter. You name it I like it. When I opened the container to smell this stuff I was very disappointed. It didn’t smell particularly pumpkin-y and it didn’t smell particularly spicey. It smelled oddly nutty, and kind of like dirt. I wasn’t excited. While it was brewing I noticed it did get a pleasantly orange color that stayed when I added my milk and sugar. For this, because I was anticipating not liking it, I added a total of 3 tsp/1tbsp sugar, a little over 2tsp tea, and probably 12 oz water. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. In many pumpkin pie there’s the overtones of clove before anything else and then maybe cinnamon and then sugar and, eventually, pumpkin. This tasted more like a good cooked pumpkin with a sprinkle of spice and maple syrup – it tasted like a squash! What smelled like dirt ended up tasting almost like an acorn squash – very nutty (as far as squash goes) and very rich. The ‘spice’ flavors came through as undertones and as complementing the emphasis on pumpkin. As much as I liked chestnut, I like this more. If you are a pumpkin pie fan, this might not have enough clove or cinnamon for you. If you are a fan of the squash itself, unadulterated, order now! I plan on, in the future, mixing this with a masala chai blend I love (not an adagio blend, one I’ve only been able to find at my local Hard Bean coffee/tea shop) for more of a ‘pumpkin pie’ tea. “
Scent:**
Flavor:*****
Aftertaste:****
FYI: I tried this tea ½ and ½ with my favorite masala chai blend. I want to try this with oriental spice (after, that is, I try oriental spice) to see how they blend together. Anyhow, pumpkin spice + masala chai = pumpkin pie. Heavenly. I’m debating buying two tins of it, one to drink plain, and one to keep mixed as a ‘pumpkin pie’ blend. You should try it.
blend:
scent:*****
flavor:*****
aftertaste:*****


Gingerbread:
I was really excited about this one. I’m a big fan, as I said, of the spices that tend to go into ‘holiday’ baking. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger…I love them all. The scent is amazing. It smells very sweet, slightly fruity with a caramel undertone. It doesn’t smell gingery or spicy, but it smells nice. I again made a double batch of this, and, I must say, I was disappointed. The flavor tasted maybe a bit like molasys and a bit like old cookies, but nothing particularly gingerbread about it. The scent was much nicer than the smell. Now, mind you, this is a better rendition of gingerbread than Celestial Seasonings did a few years ago, and it is still a decent tea, but it’s not what I was looking for. While I will enjoy my sample of it, this is not something I would repurchase.
Scent:*****
Flavor:***
Aftertaste:***

Taste Test: Water Buffalo Yogurt

woodstock water buffalo yogurt, vanilla
This stuff is amazing.
It’s like greek yogurt, except not as fatty(I think...I'm not positive on this one) and not as sour.
It’s like vanilla custard, except not eggy and not as sweet.
It’s like heaven in a plastic container.
A nice thick consistency, this retains spoon-scoops (like stonyfield farm , unlike brown cow) but the texture is less silky and more like a very fine ricotta cheese. If I could afford it, I think I would eat only water buffalo yogurt.
yum.
I gotta try the cheese!

test

test one two three...
(anything but that)