I am hoping to put in my first order tonight to Adagio Teas. Do the teas come with instructions? Like for example, how long to steep, etc?
Also, I am having a hard time of what to order. For example, if a sampler has 10 cups, and I order 5 samplers, that is like 60 bucks or so for 1 week a tea on the amount I drink. Or is that per sample within the sample? I am now thinking the latter. So 1 sampler may last a week if I drink about 5-8 cups a day?
Do you think I am better suited in getting 2 oz samples rather than the samplers?
Moderator edit: since this is an Adagio specific question/topic, I am moving it to Adagio>Feedback.
Chip
A teadrinker who happens to Moderate.
Jun 20th, '09, 00:17
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Samplers are good for trying a new tea, rarely are they bargains. Larger is generally better as long as you are pretty certain you will drink it all.
Most vendor brewing instructions are the dreaded rule of thumb variety, not tea or style specific.
A real bonus of looseleaf tea is multiple steeps, so one round of tea can last 2-5 steeps or even more depending on personal taste, making loose leaf a much better value imho.
Most vendor brewing instructions are the dreaded rule of thumb variety, not tea or style specific.
A real bonus of looseleaf tea is multiple steeps, so one round of tea can last 2-5 steeps or even more depending on personal taste, making loose leaf a much better value imho.
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Jun 20th, '09, 00:23
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Jun 20th, '09, 00:30
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Are you a loose tea newbie? Briefly, there are maybe 3000 teas, and there will be many you don't like and some you do. The concept of a sample is to try new teas, not to stock up your shelf. Better to order a sample than get stuck with something. I made that mistake when I first started buying, and got stuck twice with 4 oz of tea I disliked.
Samplers, on the other hand, make nice gifts for non-fussy tea drinkers. But if you know nothing about what you might like, a sampler will give you an idea of the various tastes. In that case, it IS a good buy for you.
You might want to try some better supermarket teas as samples, say Twinings Darjeeling, Assam, Earl Gray or green. The taste has a general resemblance to the good stuff. If you like the bagged stuff, you'll like the loose even better.
I don't know if Adagio sells just samples(not samplers) alone without an regular order. Anyone?
It's a long way to learning what you like, and I'm only on a bottom step. But we also have a swap here if you buy the wrong stuff. I swapped a perfectly good 4 oz pkg of tea, which is highly rated but not to my taste. Someone in NJ had an excess of another that was very fine, but he had bought too much. It's fun. Or can can serve teas you don't care for to company.
Samplers, on the other hand, make nice gifts for non-fussy tea drinkers. But if you know nothing about what you might like, a sampler will give you an idea of the various tastes. In that case, it IS a good buy for you.
You might want to try some better supermarket teas as samples, say Twinings Darjeeling, Assam, Earl Gray or green. The taste has a general resemblance to the good stuff. If you like the bagged stuff, you'll like the loose even better.
I don't know if Adagio sells just samples(not samplers) alone without an regular order. Anyone?
It's a long way to learning what you like, and I'm only on a bottom step. But we also have a swap here if you buy the wrong stuff. I swapped a perfectly good 4 oz pkg of tea, which is highly rated but not to my taste. Someone in NJ had an excess of another that was very fine, but he had bought too much. It's fun. Or can can serve teas you don't care for to company.
I agree with sneakers that sample sizes are great for trying new teas. If you don't like it, it's only a small amount of tea that will go to waste, and you won't be out very much money because sample sizes are fairly cheap. If you know what you like, then a larger size will normally give you a bit more for your money. However, samples are also good if you like having a variety of teas on hand, because it will cost less to get a bunch of different teas than it will if you buy larger sizes. For reference, I think that Adagio's samples contain about 1 ounce of tea, which should make around 10 cups, give or take a few depending on how much tea you use per cup (about 1 teaspoon per cup is usually good).
sneakers, I'm not sure what you mean by "I don't know if Adagio sells just samples(not samplers) alone without an regular order." If I understand you correctly, you're using "sampler" to mean something like a package with a bunch of different teas, and "sample(s)" to mean the smallest size Adagio offers (about a 1oz tin). Is that correct? If so, then you might need to clarify "regular order". I almost always order nothing but samples, often with paper filters, and Adagio has no problem with that. In fact, my last order from just over a week ago consisted of 17 samples plus a box of paper filters. In the past, I've ordered as little as 4 samples (no filters).
sneakers, I'm not sure what you mean by "I don't know if Adagio sells just samples(not samplers) alone without an regular order." If I understand you correctly, you're using "sampler" to mean something like a package with a bunch of different teas, and "sample(s)" to mean the smallest size Adagio offers (about a 1oz tin). Is that correct? If so, then you might need to clarify "regular order". I almost always order nothing but samples, often with paper filters, and Adagio has no problem with that. In fact, my last order from just over a week ago consisted of 17 samples plus a box of paper filters. In the past, I've ordered as little as 4 samples (no filters).
Re: Adagio Teas - instructions?
Not every tea, even among whole-leaf tea, is good for multiple steepings. I think it's best to know the individual tea before making assumptions about how far it will go. For example, whole-leaf oolongs tend to be good for multiple steepings...but some can handle 3 or more long-ish steepings whereas others might be out of flavor after 2 steepings of similar length.
Also, different people have different tastes of how much leaf to use. I find Rooibos, for example, goes very far for me because I like to use less leaf than recommended. Pouchong / Bao Zhong Oolong, on the other hand, I burn through because I like using much more leaf.
I like Adagio's samples...they're large enough that you can experiment a bit with brewing, and also allow your taste for the tea to develop. Other companies offer similar-sized samples too, but some don't. To some degree, I think any real serious tea company will offer samples though.
Also, different people have different tastes of how much leaf to use. I find Rooibos, for example, goes very far for me because I like to use less leaf than recommended. Pouchong / Bao Zhong Oolong, on the other hand, I burn through because I like using much more leaf.
I like Adagio's samples...they're large enough that you can experiment a bit with brewing, and also allow your taste for the tea to develop. Other companies offer similar-sized samples too, but some don't. To some degree, I think any real serious tea company will offer samples though.