If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times – tea isn’t just a drink, tea is an experience. Whatever the reason(s), tea isn’t just something we enjoy while making memories, it becomes part OF the memory:
- A hot chai tea latte while watching the first snowfall
- A tall class of iced raspberry tea as you admire your bed of zinnias
- Hot green tea with honey and a slice of orange while wrapping Christmas presents
- An especially good glass of iced tea on date night with the love of your life
Tea is that special – and every true tea lover knows it.
That’s why we never hesitate to buy specialty teas, gorgeous tea mugs, infusers, tea-related products, etc. And that’s why we get downright excited when we come across a new source for excellent tea. As you can tell from my tea reviews, I love ordering loose tea online. While I buy my everyday tea bags at Kroger, I’ve found that the best loose tea is only online.
Over the years, one of my favorite sources has been Adagio tea. They’re just excellent – every single step of the buying, brewing, and drinking process is flawless. How many things can you say that about?!
That’s why I was so excited to learn that they’d launched a new division, Master Teas, and why I jumped at the chance to review a few teas on my tea blog.
Master Teas Mission Statement:
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. Each offering is a limited edition, small-lot production.
I love green tea with a passion, so each of the loose teas I chose to review were green teas:
I’ve tried each of these three BEAUTIFUL teas hot and cold and they are simply breathtaking. If you’ve ever enjoyed top of the line loose tea, you’ll know what I mean when I say there’s simply nothing quite like it. I cannot possibly say which of these exquisite teas is my favorite. While there is a similarity between the first two, there is also noticeable difference. Meng Ding Mao Feng has a sweeter taste – especially (for me, anyway) when iced. It tastes like an amazing cup of lightly sweetened green tea and it is a beautiful, beautiful thing!
It is just as wonderful when served hot.
The Meng Ding Huang Ya tea is also perfection in a cup… literally. While less sweet, it is easily as delicious as the Meng Ding Mao Feng. It, too, is just as excellent iced as it is hot.
The third tea, Yu Qian Anji Bai Cha might just be the most unique loose green tea (or any loose tea!) I’ve ever tasted. You take a sip and try to identify the wonderful underlying flavor… but you can’t quite come up with it, so you take another sip. Then another. Before you know it, the wonderful (perfectly, perfectly wonderful) cup is completely gone and you’re still left wondering, “What was that delicious flavor in the background?!” After drinking this particular tea for the first time – as well as each subsequent time – the first word to come to mind was, “Intriguing.”
Not, that’s a very special tea!
Truth be told, however, they are all three exceptional teas. When I was thinking through this review, I kept asking myself, “If you were to recommend only ONE for your reader friends to try first, which would it be?” My answer each time I quizzed myself was the same, “I can’t pick just one!”
Gorgeous, HIGH Quality Teaware
I also ordered a gorgeous tea cup that caught my eye (you can see the beauty in the pictures above and below). It’s the Nami Cup (color: Ash) and no photo does it justice. The size and texture are unlike any tea cup I’ve seen and I’m absolutely in love with it. It was larger than I was expecting, which is always a wonderful surprise. I hope you’ll click through and see all of the gorgeous Teaware (cups, mugs, teapots, infuser sets…). There are beautiful, serene, colors available and these would make EXCELLENT Christmas gifts for the tea lovers on your list. Unique, gorgeous gifts they’ll absolutely love. Be warned, though, when you see these, you’ll want to keep them for yourself.
I’ll never tell!
I hope you’ll visit Masters Teas by Adagio today. You will become obsessed, I guarantee it! ~ Joi
