*I was given a gift voucher to try Masters Teas by Adagio Teas at no charge to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. Visit my Disclosure Page for more information.*
I am an evening tea drinker. My husband and I enjoy a cup most evenings, but he’s a “plain tea” guy. For him, it’s orange pekoe or bust. While I’m not a connoisseur by any stretch, I do enjoy a variety of teas.
A few years ago, Adagio Teas reached out to me and asked me to review their tea. I got to sample some fun and delicious options – read my review of those here. I still have a few of those leaves in my cupboard, but I did run through most of the specialty teas, so when they reached out again for me to try a different option I jumped at the chance.
Masters Teas by Adagio Teas is marketing their teas as a way to enjoy the freshest specialty teas from around the world. Each pouch of tea leaves has a harvested on date, and a beautiful description of the flavours.
Something that was lacking for me was the brewing instructions on each pouch. Each tea has a specific time and temperature, which can be found on the website, but it’s not printed on the bags when you get them.
From the website:
”The intention of Masters Teas is to share the finest, freshest specialty teas direct from the farms where they grow. We invite you to get to know the artisans who tender them and learn their stories. It is not necessary to be a tea connoisseur to enjoy these exceptional productions, as we intend to offer as much information as possible to help you on a journey of tea discovery. Masters Teas is proud to offer you our 2019 fresh-from-the-field teas the moment they arrive.”
My experience
I ordered the Masters Taiwan sampler set. It’s a set of four Oolong teas. I’m not sure I had ever tasted Oolong tea before, so it’s hard for me to compare, but I was pleasantly surprised how well I liked all the varieties.
My favourite bag was the formosa fancy bai hao. It’s very light and actually has a taste of honey, like the bag says!
The teas are flavourful with one teaspoon per cup. I have been able to steep it a second time, for a little longer, and enjoy a second cup from the same leaves. That’s a great feature in an artisanal tea, and so far it’s worked with every cup I’ve brewed.
The website has detailed descriptions of the flavours of each variety, as well as some history and growing details. The stories of the farmers are set up in question and answer format and there are many farmers for Masters Teas!
If you are thinking about trying some fresh new tea flavours, I would recommend purchasing a sampler set. There are enough leaves to brew quite a few cups in each bag of the sampler pack, so you can really take your time deciding what you like best.
Masters Teas by Adagio Teas has a great collection of artisanal teas for tea enthusiasts from beginner to experienced. I have enjoyed each variety I ordered, despite my hesitancy to branch out into more specialized teas.
What’s your favourite tea?
Jess
