Boyfriend got me the Adagio IngenuiTEA for Christmas. :)

[strangeseraph]

We may be separated by an ocean right now, but my boyfriend is all heart and makes me feel like he's right beside me.

We both agreed upon what we would give each other for Christmas because I had the idea that we could do a shared tea tasting over the internet, you know as an online relationship distance togetherness thing.

He got my Adagio for me really early, to avoid the Christmas postal rush. And he got me more than what I asked for Christmas, he also got me a bunch more samples of tea to try besides the four included.

The first one I tried was the chocolate. Yum. I have no palatte for tea yet, have been bagged tea for awhile, so I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it, but it was all right, but not my cup of tea. Maybe I brewed it wrong, my kettle doesn't have a timer or temperature gauge. Added some sugar after tasting it plain, and that improved it for me a little. Its gonna take time for me to get used to loose teas, but it'll be fun trying all the samples he included in the box.

Did I not put enough tea in maybe? I used the sample cap as a measure and put in one scoop. Should it have been more?

Oh, and the IngenuiTEA works a dream. I loves it.

[geeber1]

Seraph, I have an IngenuiTEA also and use it every day. Mine is the larger one as I make a lot of iced tea as well as hot. It's really convenient for when you're in a hurry and don't want to mess with a teapot, strainer, etc.

With black teas I use a rounded teaspoon of leaves for each cup of water. I have made markings on the side of my IngenuiTEA with a sharpie for 1 cup (8 oz.) and 2 cups (16 oz.) since there aren't markings on it. (The only real design flaw with this item!)

My favorite mug is around 16 oz. so I use 2 tsp. of leaves and fill to my 16 oz. mark. I usually steep black teas for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the leaf (smaller leaves go for a shorter amount of time) and use water just off of boiling.

I think it takes some trial and error and I'm sure the more expert TeaChatters here can give you more specific instructions for oolong, green, and other types of tea. Hope this helps a bit, just don't give up!

[Victoria]

I think you definitely need more leaf!! I think the idea is very romantic, and I'm sure you will enjoy your tastings together. As Geeber says - Keep in mind the ingenuiTea is meant for a larger cup and if you fill it up to the top, you will probably need twice the recommend amount of leaf.

[Mary R]

I'm another one for the "more leaf!" crowd. I've found that I prefer the Adagio chocolate made much, much stronger than I'd typically make a black. Honestly, I use about double the leaf for the chocolates. When it comes to Adagio's flavored blacks, I generally do a 4 minute steep in boiling water, but I let the chocolate go to five. It makes a strong, more astringent tea...something I'd personally never drink plain. BUT if I put a touch of milk and a touch of sugar to it, the chocolate shines right through and the über-astringency is calmed right down. (I adore the Valentine's like this...chocolate covered strawberry indeed!)

One of my housemates usually adds a pinch of cayenne and cinnamon to this for "Mexican Chocolate" tea...I've not worked up the tea-fortitude to try that, though.