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:***