Enjoyment

10 Teas to Sample and Expand Your Palate

Green tea from Japan that is rendered brown by roasting Bancha (a summer crop tea, harvested after Sencha) tea leaves. An Adagio customer favorite, with a toasty nutty flavor and slightly mesquite note. Earthy and warm quality, soothing, clean finish.
Green tea from Japan that is rendered brown by roasting Bancha (a summer crop tea, harvested after Sencha) tea leaves. An Adagio customer favorite, with a toasty nutty flavor and slightly mesquite note. Earthy and warm quality, soothing, clean finish.
Ooooh Darjeeling is a rare oolong tea from Darjeeling, India, where it is fairly uncommon to produce anything other than black tea. However, the growers of Singbulli Estate have produced this exquisite exception. Complex muscat grape and apricot pit aroma (also a characteristic of fine Darjeeling black teas, interestingly), tangy dried fruit flavor and deep floral notes that linger like any great oolong should are reminiscent of Oriental Beauty oolong. This Darjeeling oolong is a must-try for anyone seeking to learn more about tea on a deeper level: this is an exercise in the taste of 'terroir', the place where the tea is grown.
Ooooh Darjeeling is a rare oolong tea from Darjeeling, India, where it is fairly uncommon to produce anything other than black tea. However, the growers of Singbulli Estate have produced this exquisite exception. Complex muscat grape and apricot pit aroma (also a characteristic of fine Darjeeling black teas, interestingly), tangy dried fruit flavor and deep floral notes that linger like any great oolong should are reminiscent of Oriental Beauty oolong. This Darjeeling oolong is a must-try for anyone seeking to learn more about tea on a deeper level: this is an exercise in the taste of 'terroir', the place where the tea is grown.

We’ve all been there: every day, we brew the same types of tea over and over again. While we all have our favorite teas, it’s also good to expand our palates and try something new in our teapots. If you find yourself yearning for a new tea adventure, sample some of these teas the next time you turn on the kettle. Who knows? You could find your next favorite tea!

1. If you like Earl Grey, try Golden Monkey!

Earl Grey is a tea that doesn’t need a lot of extra ingredients, with the blend of bergamot and black tea blending pleasantly together. Naturally, you want to expand into other black teas, maybe for that caffeine boost, but sometimes black teas can be strong. No, you’re craving a milder tea, a gentle tea. Golden Monkey, a black tea from the Fujian region of China, is a pleasantly mild black tea. With a natural cocoa aroma, it's one you should definitely grace your mug with next.

2. If you like Masala Chai, try Lapsang Souchong!

Masala Chai is a bold tea, with its spices mixing together with milk to create a strong beverage that many enjoy. While Lapsang Souchong has a smokey flavor instead of a spicy flavor, it features that same type of boldness that many love in a good Masala Chai mix. And like Masala Chai, Lapsang Souchong takes milk very nicely, mellowing out its bold flavor in a similar way that milk does to Chai. Boldly go with Lapsang Souchong in your mug.

3. If you like Irish Breakfast, try Scottish Breakfast!

The breakfast teas: strong, robust, and the perfect way to get you going in the morning. Many know about English Breakfast, some prefer the stronger Irish Breakfast, but what if I told you there was an even stronger breakfast blend? If you love a strong black tea blend, be sure to give Scottish Breakfast a try! Of the breakfast teas, Scottish Breakfast is the strongest, with a very robust and hearty brew. Next time you wake up, try the breakfast blend of the Scottish Highlands.

4. If you like Spring Darjeeling, try Ooooh Darjeeling!

If you’ve only tried one type of Darjeeling and loved it, I have great news: there’s a whole world of Darjeelings out there to try! While Darjeeling is traditionally a black tea, it can come in different varieties, including oolong. Ooooh Darjeeling is an oolong Darjeeling with the subtle fruity flavors of a second flush Darjeeling harvested during the summertime with the mildness of an oolong. Step up your Darjeeling game with Ooooh Darjeeling!

5. If you like Matcha, try Gyokuro!

Matcha and Gyokuro are very closely linked. After the tea leaves have been shaded for a few weeks and harvested, they are steamed and dried: some of those leaves are left flat (called Tencha) are eventually ground into the familiar powder known as matcha; the other leaves from that same harvest are rolled into what is called Gyokuro. Gyokuro is what Matcha would be if it wasn’t ground: a sweet, grassy tea that is steeped in water and removed like a traditional tea. If you love matcha and want a similar experience with a more traditional brewing method, enjoy a contemplative cup of Gyokuro.

6. If you like Genmai Cha, try Sencha!

Genmaicha is a great beginner’s tea for those entering the world of Japanese green teas: it has a roasty, toasty flavor from the popped rice with a slight grassy flavor of Japanese green tea. Now that you’ve tried Genmaicha, it’s time to move to the next level: Sencha. One of Japan’s most popular green teas, Sencha is known for its grassy, slightly astringent flavor. Since your tastebuds are already familiar with the grassy flavor of Genmaicha, a rich cup of Sencha is the next step to broadening your tea palate.

7. If you like Gunpowder, try Hojicha!

Gunpowder is a classic green tea, its mild, smoky flavor enjoyed both in its straight form and in its Moroccan Mint Tea form with the addition of spearmint. If you love a cup of Gunpowder at the end of a long day, you’re going to love a cup of Hojicha. Though both the leaves and the brewed beverage appear brown, Hojicha is a green tea since it has not gone through oxidation. Its color comes from being roasted, which also gives its distinct roasted, nutty flavor. And like Gunpowder, it’s low in caffeine, making it a great way to explore tea even in the late hours of the evening.

8. If you like Yerba Mate, try White Monkey!

Even though Yerba Mate comes from a completely different plant from across the globe, its flavor bears a strong resemblance to green tea. It can even be blended in similar ways as green tea, with both kinds of blends featuring citrus, spices, and various fruit. In making that jump from Mate to green tea, White Monkey (which is a green tea contrary to what its name implies) is a mild green tea to get your foot in the green tea door. White Monkey is also lower in caffeine that Mate, meaning you can enjoy this tea right before bed.

9. If you like Rooibos, try Formosa Oolong!

Rooibos is very similar in color and flavor to a black tea without the caffeine, but for those looking to try something new might still have concerns about the high level of caffeine that all black teas contain. With only a moderate amount of caffeine, Formosa Oolong is a great stepping stone into the world of true teas. Formosa oolong is close in color and flavor to a mild black tea, but only has a moderate level of caffeine. A great way to experience true tea with only a fraction of the caffeine.

10. If you like White Peony, try Jasmine Silver Needle!

White teas are subtle, delicate, gentle. Going from a white tea to something stronger can be a shock to any palate. Ease into a wider world of tea with a cup of Jasmine Silver Needle. While Silver Needle is another white tea, jasmine is a common ingredient in many tea blends, the floral scent gracing white, green, and even rooibos blends. Once you have the taste of jasmine, the doors to even more kinds of tea will open.