Autumn Plunkett
User's reviews
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Earl Grey Supreme
French press steeped at 100 C, sweetened, lemon juice. A very perfumey smelling earl grey. The bergamot flavor is very strong. I don't really notice any flavor from the other teas as they're overpowered. The white cornflowers and silver needle tea certainly makes it look pretty, though.
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Darjeeling Sungma Summer
French press brewed at 100 C, sweetened. Drinks like water, very light mouthfeel. Slight floral aroma and fruity taste. It's not bad, but I think I prefer bolder black teas.
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Ceylon Sonata
French press steeped, sweetened. Probably the most 'generic'-tasting loose leaf black tea I've had. Tastes like what you'd expect when buying Red Rose or store brand bags of unflavored black tea. It's not low-quality by any means, it just lacks any malt, floral flavor, fruitiness, astringency, or dryness to make it stand out. Would likely make a great tea blend base, but doesn't feel like a unique experience on its own.
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Black Dragon Pearls
Smells musty and somewhat like wine before brewing. Unsweetened, the flavor is dark, but not bitter, almost reminiscent of cocoa powder. Very smooth mouthfeel like drinking water, but also a bit dry. Sweetened the flavor is more malty with notes of chocolate. I paired it with a homemade vanilla chai pecan oatmeal cookie. The flavors of the tea really made the nuttiness of the cookie more noticeable while the chai spices made the tea's cocoa flavor more pronounced.
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Spring Darjeeling
Brewed at 100 C. Sweetened and paired with matcha choco roll, lemon cream almonds, and mandarin oranges. Smell is slightly floral. Flavor isn't distinctly floral, but still reminiscent of it while tasting somewhat like really good green tea. Compared to the Oliver & Pluff Co Autumn Flush Darjeeling I previously tried, this one is way more delicious. Still have yet to try any other Darjeelings to compare it to.
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Milk Oolong
Brewed at 91 C. Light herbal scent unbrewed. Smells more like buttery spinach brewed. Initial unsweetened flavor is strong and tastes closer to bittter collard greens. Only requires a minimal amount of sweetener. Much more tolerable sweetened as it balances the bitterness. Flavor is a little closer to the Wei-Chuan Oolong I'm used to after sweetening, but a bit more complex.
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Blood Orange
Brewed at 100 C 2 infusions. Smells of stale, dried fruit unbrewed. Smells faintly like tazo passion brewed. Initial unsweetened flavor doesn't taste like much of anything. Better sweetened, but not as much tartness as expected and missing the spices and lemongrass I'm used to from things like Tazo wild orange and passion teas. Much better after adding lime juice, but also really easy to overdo the sweetness and citrus add-ins.
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English Breakfast
Brewed at 100, C 2 infusions. Smells dusty like an old incense stand minus the perfume unbrewed. Smells perfumey when brewed, but also like black tea. Has a strong, slightly sweet, floral flavor black. Tastes closer to a rose black tea with a milder floral flavor once sweetened. Second cup has less floral flavor and weaker flavor overall, but is still palatable.
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Dragon Fruit Dream
Brewed at 100 C. Smells very fruity unbrewed to an almost unnatural extent, but not quite artificial. Brewed the scent remains the same, but less potent. Unsweetened the flavor is almost sweet, but not quite right. Sweetened and with lime juice tastes the best, but it's close to the same experience as lemonade with fruit syrup added.
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Kukicha
Brewed at 80 C, 2 infusions. Brewed at lower temperature than listed. Unbrewed smells faintly vegetal. Taste is a bit like the milky oolong, but more spinach, less buttery. Did not try with sweetener due to history of it being disagreeable with my stomach when it comes to green teas. Flavor remains notable into second cup.
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Lemongrass Ginger
Brewed at 100 C, 3 infusions. Smells very herbal both before and after brewing. Added lemon juice, honey, and sweetener. Tastes quite good. Like an upgraded version of the chamomile peppermint and similar teas I have when sick. Flavor is still good for multiple infusions with lemongrass and ginger lingering the longest.
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White Blueberry
Cold brewed, sweetened. Dry scent was faintly fruity, but very muted. Brewed scent and flavor very muted, whether sweetened or not. I can tell it's not water and the tannins upset my stomach like green tea, but the flavor is too delicate. Second day the flavor was stronger, sweetened it again. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, but didn't really taste like anything I'd recognize as blueberry. The white tea flavor itself is hard to describe. More mellow and delicate than green tea, but not really comparable to any flavors I can easily pinpoint.
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Mocha Nut Mate
Brewed at 85 C. Higher temp than instructed due to that being lowest temperature kettle goes to. Before brewing, scent is reminiscent of coffee with an artificial scent like coffee syrups, likely from the chocolate and nut flavoring added. After brewing, the scent is more subdued. Unsweetened the flavor is mostly neutral with some light bitterness and nutty flavor. Reminds me a bit of the loose leaf Thai tea from the Asian market without all the stomach irritation and orange coloring. Sweetened the more complex flavors are more noticeable, but it still tastes like it's artificially flavored.
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Cha Cha
Brewed 100 C, 2 infusions. Scent is very strong chamomile and peppermint. Flavor of the peppermint comes through strongest with the lemongrass barely being noticeable. Attempted sweetening with honey and lemon juice. Not sure it goes that well with it due to how strong the peppermint is, but it's still drinkable. I just don't think I'm a huge fan of the mint. It serves a purpose, but isn't my preference taste-wise. Certainly better flavor than bagged, though.
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Chocolate Truffle
Brewed 100 C. Sweetened. The smell is incredibly artificial. The taste is rather bitter and off-putting. Doesn't really taste like chocolate to me at all. Couldn't stomach more than a few sips. Based on other experiences with this brand, it seems like the chocolate flavor might be a big part of the problem.
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Vanilla Chai Black Tea
The vanilla is a bit artificial tasting, so I have to add vanilla coffee syrup to balance it out. The chai spices are fine for something quick, but not as good as something like loose leaf where it's fresher.
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CONSTANT COMMENT BLACK TEA BAGS
One of my favorite teas of all time. I have yet to find a loose leaf blend that comes anywhere close to this tea. Although, I admit it can be a bit hit or miss depending on how old the tea is and whether the ratios are done just right as I prefer the flavor strong. I just love the orange and spiced notes.
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Benner Peppermint
The peppermint flavor isn't as good as you find in loose leaf tea, but it's tolerable and cheap. I often add eucalyptus to it when my sinuses are bothering me for a natural remedy.
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Benner Chamomile blend herbal tea
I don't think I dislike chamomile, but I only ever seem to enjoy this one when my husband makes it for me. He often adds honey and mixes it with another tea such as Benner lemon ginseng green tea. I'm still searching for a good loose leaf blend involving chamomile to drink regularly, but this works for now since it's cheap.
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Wild Sweet Orange
This used to be one of my absolute favorite teas. However, the paper bags are very sensitive to humidity and don't keep very long. It's also no longer carried at any of the stores near me. The flavor doesn't really compare to similar loose leaf options like Adagio's blood orange either.
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Passion
This used to be one of my absolute favorite teas. However, the paper bags are very sensitive to humidity and don't keep very long. The flavor also doesn't really compare to similar loose leaf options.
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Scottish Breakfast
Brewed 100 C. Scent was very much so black tea, but a bit sour, musty? No mold visible, so likely just the natural scent. Sweetened. Flavor is complex. Takes to sweetening well, but has a dry, strong flavor as well. Solid cup of tea. I'd happily drink it again, but I'm not obsessed with it either.
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Yunnan Noir
Brewed 100 C, 2 infusions. Smells malty and chocolatey, but also a bit musty. Unsweetened tastes slightly soured and malty while sweetening it intensifies that flavor. Very dry. Most of the tea's elements are enjoyable, but it's hard to look past the strange sour, dryness. Second cup is better, but it's a waste if the first cup isn't equally pleasant or better than the second.
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Earl Grey Bravo
Brewed 100 C. Sweetened. Lightly steeped. Smells very floral from the bergamot. It's not overpowering while drinking. Don't really taste the orange peel. The black tea complements the bergamot well as you don't really notice flavor from it, but you still get the caffeine. Some of the best earl gray tea I've ever had. Perfectly balanced. Lemon juice really makes it delicious!
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Dragonwell
Brewed 80 C, 2 infusions. Light vegetal scent and flavor. Sweetened, lemon juice. Very classic, strong green tea. If I wanted a green tea to drink regularly, something like this would be my preference.
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Citrus Mint Green
Brewed 80 C, 2 infusions. Sweetened, honey, lemon juice. Smells mostly of mint. The flavor isn't very sweet, but is well balanced. Second batch is still fragrant smelling. Tastes good, but mostly just getting a bit of lemongrass flavor and the add-ins, not much else.
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Jade Oolong
Cold brewed for 2 days. Not much flavor, a bit like water with a slight oolong flavor. Added sweetener and the oolong flavor intensified. Added lemon juice, which made the flavor a bit strange, but not terrible. A bit like lemon green tea and oolong coexisting without mixing.
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Berry Blast
Brewed 100 C, 2 infusions. Smells very fruity, almost artificial, likely from the forest berry flavoring. Requires heavy sweetener and lemon juice. Pretty tasty, almost like juice, but not quite. Same brew, fridged overnight. Heavy sweetening, lemon juice, and strawberry syrup. Barely any flavor once cold, even despite being steeped overnight.
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Hojicha
French press cold brewed. Sweetened. Smells lightly vegetal. Tastes very much like green tea, moderately vegetal. Very little change in taste after sweetening. Smooth mouthfeel, but still irritates stomach a bit.
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Sencha Overture
Brewed 80 C, 2 infusions. My kettle doesn't go as low as this tea calls for. It smells faintly vegetal, but not much else before brewing. After brewing there's barely any scent at all. The flavor is almost soured and a bit bitter. Sweetening and lemon juice barely helps and almost clashes with the flavor. Probably my least favorite of the loose leaf green teas I've tried to date.
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Wild Strawberry
Brewed 100 C, 2 infusions. Barely smells fruity at all. Flavor doesn't taste of much either before additions. Heavy sweetening, lemon juice, and strawberry syrup was required before it tasted right.
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Golden Monkey
Brewed 100 C, 2 infusions. Smells sour like the Yunnan Noir. Flavor unsweetened is just black tea, but sweetened is a bit more complex. Reminds me a bit of breakfast tea, but with a lighter mouthfeel almost like drinking water. Has some really lovely honeyed notes.
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Sweet Cinnamon Spice
Brewed 100 C. Sweetened. Very strong cinnamon flavor and aroma. Not getting a whole lot of orange or tea flavor. Second, unsweetened, mini steep made for husband has more orange flavor, so I suspect it's due to the ground cinnamon used in the recipe. Might have better results long steeping in a french press instead of a cup. Drank about a third, refilled the water, added more sweetener, and put the tea leaves back in. Much better, more balanced flavor after that.
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Campfire S'Mores
Brewed 100 C. Sweetened, English toffee syrup. Steeped until lukewarm. Better than most of the chocolate flavored teas, but still pretty bad. I don't taste any marshmallow or smoke flavor. Mostly bad chocolate with a bitter aftertaste. Adagio's chocolate flavoring upsets my stomach.
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Irish Breakfast
Brewed 100 C. Scent is hard to place. A bit perfumey and malty. Flavor is better than the other brands of Irish Breakfast I've tried, much closer to the Tetley bagged ones I like while still being complex. Takes well to sweetening. One of the better loose leaf Irish Breakfast teas I've tried. Not quite as bold and malty as the Adagio Scottish Breakfast, nor as floral as the English Breakfast.
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Assam Melody
Brewed 100 C. Sweetened. Smells musty and fruity. Flavor is also a bit strange. It got a good steep without going bitter, but it has a strange bitter sourness to it like wine, which I do not enjoy.
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Yunnan Jig
Brewed at 100 C 2 infusions. Smells musty with an almost chocolatey note before brewing. Flavor isn't that far off from Yunnan Noir, but is less reminiscent of wine. Tastes strong without being bitter, light mouthfeel like drinking water, and takes well to sweetening.
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Sleeping Dragon
Brewed at 82 C. Lightly vegetal, almost sweet scent before brewing. Flavor without add-ins is actually quite pleasant. Lemon juice, sweetener. The flavor almost doesn't go with the lemon juice, but it's still pretty good.
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Genmai Cha
Brewed at 82 C. Smell is very faint until after brewing when it becomes much more rich like toasted grain. Drank unsweetened paired with rainbow Amish popcorn and mandarin oranges. Very mild and tolerable unsweetened.
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Golden Flower
Cold brewed, steeped multiple days. Sweetened. Flavor isn't bad. It doesn't have the aftertaste I'm most familiar with for oolong teas and it doesn't upset my stomach. It has a strong flavor without being bitter.
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Lapsang Souchong
Brewed at 100 F. Sweetened. Paired with chestnuts, dark chocolate, and sesame cookies. Reminds me of Oliver & Pluff Co's tea, but the smoke flavor is sweeter and it isn't mixed with another black tea. Takes well to sweetening. Quite good and would happily drink another cup.