Opus Pouchong from Adagio

Scent in tin: A very light, sweet floral scent.
Brewed in: small ceramic teapot/unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min. @ steaming
Cup: porcelain teacup/ceramic travel mug

I had pictures of this tasting, I swear. And now I can’t seem to find them. So if I come across the files, I’ll post them later, but I guess my descriptions will just have to suffice for now. I’m sipping this tea from my travel mug as I type, having made a fresh cup here at the office this afternoon for a break.

I like pouchong teas as a rule. The floral sweetness on a smooth, silky base is just very relaxing and decadent for me. This one is the third I’ve tasted, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed in it.

The dry leaves are a mixture of regular “thick” tea leaves dried and twisted, and broken bits of leaves, as if someone didn’t handle the tea carefully enough. That’s pretty odd for Adagio, since they go to the lengths of packaging their teas in tins and all. I can only surmise then that this is a lower grade of pouchong than I’ve been drinking.

The scent is very light – much lighter than either of the two I have at home. It’s almost imperceptible, and I find myself having a hard time even coming up with much of a description. What I can sniff out smells good, it’s just not really as fragrant as I’d like it to be. The scent of the brewed tea is stronger, and there I can easily make out notes of vanilla among the floral, and the fragrance really is quite lovely to the nose wafting from the cup.

It’s kind of an odd tea in terms of taste. Brewed at a lower steaming temperature, it’s quite light, and though the brew is bright yellow, the taste is just sort of flat, with a hint of floral on the palate. When brewed at a higher steaming temperature, there’s more flavor, but it’s also much harsher on the tongue, with notes of cinnamon actually standing out amongst the vanilla. I’d like to say it’s interesting, but honestly, to my palate it’s just odd.

Regardless of brewing methods, both times the one thing that has stuck out wildly about this tea is the overall “flatness” of taste. It has a thin viscosity, and the flavors come one after the other, not really blending well together and not really playing well together either. There is no real discernable aftertaste, and I find myself unsatisfied after a sip, with the feeling that something is missing.

I guess this tea is okay – if I had to choose, the lower temperature water brings out the best flavor for my personal tastes. Then again, I would probably pick a different pouchong – this one just isn’t really “robust” enough for me, I guess.