Teaview: I’m not nuts about Almond Tea

On occasion, I get a hankering for the flavor of amaretto or raw almonds. I blame it on my sister-in-law, who fixed me my first amaretto sour, when I went to visit she and my brother in the very flat lands of North Dakota (to this day, one of my favorite vacations…EVER). I’ve been obsessed with the flavor ever since; gobbling down raw almonds is a luxury I rarely afford myself, but I do appreciate adding amaretto-flavored creamer to my weekend coffee. Naturally my interest was piqued when I discovered Adagio sold an Almond Black Tea. Finally! An opportunity to marry two of my foodie obsessions.

But, this is where the excitement ends with Adagio’s Almond Tea.

My experience with Adagio’s flavored black teas have been for the most part positive. I could practically bury my face in a pouch of Adagio’s Chestnut tea, remember? The same could not be said for the Almond Black tea. First sniff was alright, and I definitely smelled the sweet, raw almond scent I hoped for. But, with each intake of breath after, it got worse. After a while, the Almond Tea started to have the bitter or sour scent, which was obviously unpleasant. It was so off-putting that I almost ditched the bag because I was certain this would affect the taste.

Flavor-wise, the Almond Tea wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. When sipped at a temperature slightly less than piping hot, all I picked up was the flavor of the black tea. Not until the tea cooled down did the almond flavor seem to stand out. Then, instead of tasting the sweet, cherry-like flavor of raw almonds, I tasted the nutty flavor of roasted almonds– a flavor I can tolerate, but ultimately don’t enjoy.

Bottom Line, I’m a big fan of Adagio tea (and their prices), but I did not enjoy their Almond tea. Honestly, the tea did not taste bad; if you’re a fan of roasted almonds, then you may enjoy this tea. However, I don’t like that flavor and don’t really want to sip on a tea with a flavor I consider merely “tolerable”. I’ll probably put off drinking the rest of the Almond Tea until I’m desperate for a caffeine fix. Luckily, I only purchased their sample (makes ten cups) for a whopping $2.

4 responses to “Teaview: I’m not nuts about Almond Tea”

barefootmedstudent

December 27, 2013 at 11:06 am

I love that you review tea! I adore tea. My favourite deli is one where they have all sorts of different teas for cheap.
When I visited China I drank a different tea each day. And in Morocco it was mint tea all day, obviously.
I can’t imagine that I’d like almond tea very much… but I don’t really like almonds, anyway.

I went through your blog and did not see anything about Rooibos. Wondering if you’ve ever had it? It’s really really good (in my opinion, but I’m pretty biased, being South African). If you haven’t tried it yet, I’d love to see what you think of it. If you don’t like it, I’m just going to blame the exporting industry for breaking it somehow 😛 And I’ll still like your blog!

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1. Jackie G.
  
  December 27, 2013 at 9:30 pm
  
  I have had Rooibos, but my experience with it has not been positive. I think part of it may be the vendor I purchased the Rooibos from. The company I purchased from makes tea accessible, but they are very commercial. I question the quality of the tea. Also, part of it is I’m not brewing it right. I just know I’m not.
  
  What kind of Rooibos do you like? Any preferred brand or vendor?
  
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  1. barefootmedstudent
    
    December 28, 2013 at 12:48 pm
    
    Ah, I’m sorry. I once bought Rooibos from a seriously expensive shop in NYC and it tasted awful.
    My favorite brand is Freshpak – they’re also one of the cheapest in South Africa. I don’t think they export though 😦
    Another good brand is Vital, they might export. Or Five Roses. I haven’t really bough any other brand of Rooibos. Did you use teabags or tea leaves?
    In my experience the best is to brew it for at least three minutes (unlike black tea it does not get that awful taste if you brew it for too long). I also prefer it without any milk or sugar, although I usually recommend that people start with both and then wean it down.
    It is quite good when mixed with chamomile or honeybush, and if you make it as an ice tea with loads of crushed ice and mint it is quite good too.
    I hope you might have a more positive experience with it one day soon!
    
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    1. Jackie G.
      
      December 28, 2013 at 8:40 pm
      
      I do prefer loose leaf tea, but I’m not against using tea bags. Sometimes they’re more convenient.
      
      Thanks for the suggestions! Apparently there is a vendor in California that has the “largest selection of South African foods, groceries, and wines in the U.S.”. And the prices are incredibly reasonable. And they ship! They offer both Freshpak and Five Roses, so I think I’ll definitely check them out.
      
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