Enjoyment Enjoy the flavors of the season during the holidays or year-round with this sample set of loose teas.

Best Tea Gifts for 2025: Matcha, Chai, and more!

Adagio Teas

Discover tea gifts steeped in comfort and joy. This 2025 sampler guide spotlights customizable Curated Crates, wintry hugs-in-a-mug, bright mint blends, nostalgic Christmas cups, spice-laden chai journeys, and vibrant matcha moments—each crafted to warm gatherings, brighten solo sips, and wrap every season in aromatic, shareable delight.

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Enjoyment Image Caption (plain text only)

Best Home Tea Station Ideas for Tea Lovers

Adagio Teas

Nothing says comfort like tea, and a dedicated home station turns every cup into ritual. Choose a cozy spot, gather essentials—kettle, teapot, favorite teas, timer—then organize with tins and trays. Add plants, art, or cherished mugs. Expand with specialty teaware over time. Start simple, stay personal, savor every brew.

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Enjoyment Dating back to the Ming Dynasty, the gaiwan is a traditional brewing vessel that literally translates to "lid and bowl". Our Classic Gaiwan is made of white glazed porcelain and consists of three parts: a saucer, bowl, and lid. The gaiwan is a preferred brewing vessel for loose teas as it allows for the appreciation of delicate aromas emanating from the fragrant leaves.

Best Teas to Re-Steep for Extra Cups and Taste

Adagio Teas

Re-steeping reveals untapped flavor, value, and nuance in quality loose leaf tea. Oolong, pu-erh, fine green, white, and some black or herbal teas shine across multiple infusions. Adjust time and temperature, experiment gongfu or Western style, stop when aroma and color fade, and enjoy economical, mindful, sustainable cups evolving steep by steep.

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Enjoyment First things first: not all teas are actually tea. Camellia sinensis is the plant behind green, black, herbal infusion. It may be labeled “tea,” but it doesn’t come from the tea plant.

Tea Label Guide: Ingredients, Origins, and More

Adagio Teas

Not all “teas” are true tea; Camellia sinensis yields caffeinated green, black, oolong, and white, while rooibos and chamomile are tisanes. Learn labels: origins, leaf type, natural flavors, certifications, functional herbs, allergens, and brewing guidelines. Match blends to energy, relaxation, digestion, or pure pleasure—and start steeping with intention.

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Enjoyment Whether you're settling in for the night or just looking to relax, our caffeine-free collection is sure to add comfort to your cup. Cozy up with some of our soothing favorites, guaranteed to lull you into a sense of serenity.

Tea Sampler Gifts to Warm Every Holiday Season

Natasha Nesic

One gift is good; many are merrier. Enter Adagio’s tea samplers: sleepytime cozies, fiery chais, party-ready mocktails, power-up energy blends, and candy-shop sweet sips. Each curated quartet fits Secret Santas, families, or “just in case” lists, wrapping variety, comfort, and clever steeping into one endlessly giftable package.

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Enjoyment Rich pu erh are grounding and smooth. Reminiscent of a favorite treat.

Thanksgiving Teas: Blends to Share and Enjoy

Natasha Nesic

Thanksgiving gratitude steeped in tea: butterfly pea flower for color-shifting friendship, chamomile for steady family comfort, chocolate-kissed blends for indulgent special someones, mint for freshly-bathed pet joy, and a wild-card—your own signature Adagio blend—celebrating the unique magic you bring. Sip, savor, and be thankful, all season long.

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Enjoyment Dating back to the Ming Dynasty, the gaiwan is a traditional brewing vessel that literally translates to “lid and bowl”. Our Classic Gaiwan is made of white glazed porcelain and consists of three parts: a saucer, bowl, and lid. The gaiwan is a preferred brewing vessel for loose teas as it allows for the appreciation of delicate aromas emanating from the fragrant leaves.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Tea Tasting Notes

Kimberley K

Tea tasting is an intimate, detailed practice: trust your senses, lower your guard, and seek flavor with focused attention. Observe aroma, appearance, taste, and feel through every steep. Describe changes, memories, textures, and aftertastes richly. Thoughtful notes preserve experiences, guide purchases, and deepen connection with fellow tea lovers.

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Enjoyment This Japanese classic blend of matcha for those who are hesitant, and a welcome addition to our Japanese tea collection.

Best Teas for Your Halloween Party Playlist

Natasha Nesic

Five Halloween classics meet their perfect cups: Monster Mash with popcorn-nutty Matcha Genmaicha, nostalgic Danse Macabre with haunted Oooh Darjeeling, comfort-food Thriller with chocolatey chai pu-erh, Werewolves of London with sleepy Rooibos Pecan Turtle, and Time Warp with reviving Jump Start. Steep, sip, dance, and recover—spooky-season satisfaction served.

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Enjoyment Even when the strawberry harvest is waning for the year, our Wild Strawberry herbal blend will have you smiling like the first pick of the season. Fresh strawberries, apple pieces, hibiscus flowers, and rose hips create a mellow, almost dessert-like tea. Sweet strawberry and sugared rhubarb aroma, beautiful warm berry color, pleasantly aromatic and not super sweet. A caffeine-free cup of pure delight.

Refreshing Teas for the Ultimate Summer Vibes

Natasha Nesic

Summer sings in every sip: wild strawberries echo Demi’s confidence, Tiger Eye broods with emo chords, Turmeric Bliss beams like Olaf’s sunlit dreams. Passionfruit Tango swirls with steadfast Broadway devotion, while Kentucky Bourbon hums “Summertime” ease—hot or iced, caffeine-free or bold, a tea-tuned playlist for heat, honey, birds, and bees.

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Enjoyment Tangy-sweet spring berry blend with a hint of creme. Blackberry, blueberry and strawberry flavors party playfully in your cup like a rich berry compote with a dollop of cream. Party on!

Spring Tea Guide: Berry, Floral, and Fruity Brews

Natasha Nesic

May Day marks spring’s magic: rebirth, renewal, and new beginnings in your cup. From Berry Creme Compote’s dessert-sweet berries to White Eternal Spring’s delicate peony, Pomegranate Green’s mythic tartness, Blackberry Sage Oolong’s wise herbality, and Elderberry Wine’s immune-boosting berries, these enchanting blends celebrate playful, rejuvenating, forever-young May.

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Enjoyment Revel in the luxury of our Lavender Lemon. This bright caffeine-free herbal blend is a delight to the senses with an intoxicating aroma, smooth citrusy flavor, and soft whispers of lavender. Calming and soothing so you can unwind from a busy day.

Relax With Lavender, Basil, and Citrus Teas

Natasha Nesic

Spring is springing, so ask yourself “Why so serious?” and lighten up with playful cups: floral Ti Kuan Yin, tender White Strawberry Basil, soothing Lavender Lemon, nutty Genmai Cha, and sunny Green Rooibos Citron. Gentle temperatures, forgiving steeps, and fragrant flavors invite joyful pauses from life’s everyday drama.

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Enjoyment Adagio's Stocking Stuffers are adorable and perfect for transforming into something new.

How to Repurpose Your Old Tea Tins

Heather Edwards

Adagio’s charming tea tins don’t retire; they reinvent. Wrap, paint, or chalk them into décor, ornaments, or rustic holders. Tuck in twine, tech trinkets, sewing notions, craft bits, coins, grooming gear, herbs, floral favors, desk must‑haves, spices, condiments, and baking essentials. Tiny tins, endless tidiness—and delight.

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Enjoyment Our Moringa tea is pure leaves from the Moringa oleifera plant, which is popularly enjoyed for its reputed health benefits due to antioxidant and nutritional content. In the cup, it has a pleasantly tangy herbaceous character, with earthy-grassy notes, and a smooth finish. We recommend trying it in combination with our herbal honey.

Teas for Detox, Calm, and Daily Wellness

Natasha Nesic

Skip “New year, new me.” Choose daily, realistic rituals instead—starting with the cup. From eucalyptus-bright Breathe Well to minty-sweet Tea-Tox, veggie-fresh Moringa, tranquil Daydream, and balanced Happy Belly, Adagio’s Wellness teas offer gentle, flavorful companions for breathing easier, digesting better, unwinding, and sustaining rejuvenation all year.

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Enjoyment Popular for their many health benefits, Chaga mushrooms grow in birch forests of northern latitudes and have long been enjoyed by indigenous peoples. Added to tea, they make a perfect partner to add even more antioxidants and soothe the soul. Enjoy our Chaga chai spices, and a touch of coconut to make a warming, soothing cup.

5 Best Teas for Energy and Post-Gym Recovery

Natasha Nesic

December’s the calm before the fitness storm, perfect for a winter workout playlist and post-gym teas. From remix-ready Chaga Chai to bonfire-bright Fiery Cinnamon Spice, tender White Darjeeling, layered Blackberry Sage Oolong, and cozy Honeybush Blueberry Pancake, each cup pairs a song with season, recovery, reflection, and well-earned warmth.

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Enjoyment Crisp autumn nights call for warmth and comfort and little can better provide them than an autumn bonfire. Behold our bonfire blend: Lapsang Souchong black tea and red peppercorn offer hints of smoke and the flickering spark of heat. A perfect cup for fireside enjoyment or downtime dreaming.

Spiced Teas Perfect for Autumn Bonfires

Natasha Nesic

Crisp November nights, bonfires blazing, and mugs brimming with spice-fire teas. From smoky Bonfire and classic Gunpowder to tart Blood Orange, punchy Double Ginger, energizing Jump Start, bright Raja Oolong Chai, and cuddly Rooibos Cinnamon Apple, each blend fans autumn’s flames while wrapping you in comforting, cozy, revolutionary warmth.

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Enjoyment Master's high fragrance, light roast Zhang Ping Shui Xian is a rare and unique Fujian Oolong that is hand compressed into individually wrapped, aromatic briquettes of tea. The large green leaves produce a flavorful cup of light honey notes, that are floral, layered, and lingering.

Beginner’s Guide to Grandpa Style Brewing

Janelle Wazorick

Grandpa Style Brewing celebrates casual, Chinese-inspired tea enjoyment: leaves go straight into your mug, stay in the water, and yield gentle, evolving infusions. Best with forgiving white, yellow, and Chinese green teas like Hou Kui; avoid strong or fine-particle teas. Just add hot water, sip slowly, refill often, and follow your palate.

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Enjoyment Pleasantly perky spices add warmth and sweetness to the mellow mineral notes of Pu-Erh. Sweet cinnamon and anise with tingly ginger liven up the palate while soothing the soul. A great companion for a chilly day.

Pu-Erh Tea: Bold, Earthy, and Full of Flavor

Natasha Nesic

Pu-Erh, a fermented “dark tea,” anchors Adagio’s playful, nerdy tour of autumn-ready blends. Natasha touts Dante’s re-steepable depth, sundae-like Hazelberry, bold pumpkin-spice-busting Spice, chocolate-orange Chorange, and demi-tropical Tahiti, urging adventurous tea drinkers to conquer FOMO, embrace fermentation, and savor endlessly customizable, season-spanning cups.

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Enjoyment Sencha) tea leaves. An Adagio customer favorite, with a toasty nutty flavor and slightly mesquite note. Earthy and warm quality, soothing, clean finish.

If You Love Chai, These Teas Are for You

Janelle Wazorick

Tired of the same brew? Use your favorites as a compass and explore nearby flavors: gentler blacks, smokier cousins, stronger breakfast blends, nuanced Darjeelings, shaded Japanese greens, roasted and grassy styles, mate-like greens, low-caffeine oolongs, and fragrant white teas. Each suggestion nudges your palate further without leaving comfort behind.

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Enjoyment Discover Master's Teas array of authentic yixing teapots. Each is handcrafted and designed for gong fu brewing inside or out.

Gongfu Tea Outdoors: What to Pack & Brew

Kimberley K

Savor tea outdoors with gongfu grace: secure a flat surface, sit comfortably, cushion fragile teaware, and carry towels and leaf containers. Choose forgiving oolongs or hardy greens, pre‑measure leaves, and pack boiling water in a preheated thermos. Match teas to landscape and season for a fully immersive, memorable session.

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Enjoyment oolong tea from the Fujian province in China. It is one of China's most beloved oolongs and is extremely time-consuming to produce (well over a dozen distinct steps in the processing are observed).

May the Fourth Teas for Jedi and Rebels

Natasha Nesic

May explodes with Beltane blooms, lingering hangovers, and a hyperspace jump to Star Wars Day. This playful ode to fandom pairs May the Fourth with tea: smoky rebels, blaster-bright greens, goddess oolongs, and meditative whites. Understeep, re-steep, sip through the saga, and go forth—steamy mug in hand—to conquer the galaxy.

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Enjoyment Jasmine Phoenix Pearls are perfumy, hand-rolled jewels of tea from Fuding, in Fujian province, China. Any fan of jasmine tea should try this specially crafted wonder.

From Matcha to Oolong: Teas for Mindfulness

Stephen Simmons

Mindfulness, once rooted in Zen monasteries, now blends ancient ritual with modern science. Tea’s unique mix of L-theanine, polyphenols and xanthines fosters relaxed alertness, supporting meditation and even group mindfulness. From Matcha Genmaicha to Jasmine Phoenix Pearls, carefully brewed, high-quality teas become both contemplative practice and biochemical ally.

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Enjoyment oolong is warming and satisfying. Being a good digestive tea it goes well with food or sweets. It is perfect for multiple infusions so you can tease out many layers of intriguing flavor.

Strong and Soothing Teas for Early Spring

Natasha Nesic

March roars in with lion teas—Pu-Erh Dante, Wuyi Ensemble, Yunnan Jig—bold, earthy, roaring in the cup, warming winter’s last bite. It drifts out with lamb teas—White Peony, Chamomile, Lemongrass—soft, soothing, floral-green whispers, perfect for gentle beginnings, quiet evenings, and spring’s first, slightly wobbly, sunlit steps.

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Enjoyment The most fascinating tea to suggest is our Shou Pu-Erh with their exceptionally soft, earthy flavor and woodsy complexity, flavors that linger through several steepings.

Matcha, Pu-Erh, and Mate: Coffee Alternatives

Heather Edwards

Convert coffee loyalists by meeting them where they are: rich, re-steepable Shou Pu-Erh, caffeine-kicking yerba mate blends, antioxidant-packed coffee leaf “kuti,” and espresso-like Japanese matcha. Brewed with care, proper accessories, and shared ritual, these options deliver depth, energy, and history—plus a back-up plan: Ladera Coffee.

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Enjoyment Because no one wants a sad belly when there’s a snap of warm, happy weather.

5 Wellness Teas for Sleep, Stomach, and more

Natasha Nesic

March misbehaves in New York, cycling from baby lion to hedgehog to sea lion, yet always remains tea weather. Swapping shamrocks for Caesars, the author channels Roman history and pop culture into wellness. Fennel, valerian, and herbal Adagio blends become our modern legion’s fuel for digestion, energy, calm, and conquest.

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Enjoyment Cast iron and glazed teapots are a joy to use. They last for generations, especially when good care is applied regularly!

Cast Iron Teapot Care Made Simple

Heather Edwards

Cast iron and glazed teapots, cherished for their heat retention and longevity, demand mindful, soap-free care after every use: thorough rinsing, meticulous drying, and occasional air-drying inverted. Rust and lime scale are manageable with vinegar, baking soda, citric acid, or gentle abrasives. Spent tea leaves and boiling water restore, protect, and season gracefully.

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Enjoyment In choosing any iron teapot, it’s important to lift it up and down several times, to match your comfort level with the movement, reminding yourself that the pot will be considerably heavier when filled with water. A perfect reason to choose several smaller pots!

Glazed Iron Teapots: Pros and Cons

Heather Edwards

Cast iron teapots, glazed or unglazed, excel at retaining heat, serving solo sippers or gatherings for decades—sometimes centuries. Glazed interiors welcome any tea; unglazed demand lifelong devotion to one style. Preheat, infuse mindfully, and remove leaves promptly. Heft matters: smaller pots often pour more comfortably, encouraging multiple intimate infusions.

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Enjoyment Pep up your party with some stylish and fun delights!

Punch Up Your Holidays!

Heather Edwards

From Halloween to New Year’s, celebrate with vibrant tea punches. Brew quality black or green teas, freeze juice or tea cubes to avoid dilution, then layer citrus, herbs, honey, and spirits. Serve hot or iced in glass or ceramic, offer alcohol separately, and garnish generously for festive flavor and flair.

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Enjoyment AAaahhhh

Solo Serenity with Tea

Heather Edwards

Solo Serenity with Tea means claiming 10–15 sacred minutes for yourself. Step away, silence electronics, choose your favorite cup and best tea, brew mindfully, then simply sip—no multitasking. Breathe, savor warmth and fragrance, thank the growers, gently reenter life. Repeat daily, because restoring yourself isn’t selfish—you deserve it.

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Enjoyment Autumn, Tea, and Poetry!

HAIKU for An Autumn Afternoon Tea

Diana Rosen

Autumn steam rises, haiku, tea, and moonlit rooms invite quiet joy. Bashō, Buson, Issa teach seasons, river light, white chrysanthemums and rice cakes. Friends gather, cups warm, green gyokuro in glass clarity, pens poised above small pages. Renga circles outward— ink, laughter, and falling leaves stitch brief eternities.

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Enjoyment Preparing Ti Kyan Yin

Gra-tea-tude

Natasha Nesic

Gratitude, like tea, is best when blended personally: steep your memories, sensations, and small fortunes into a cup. My Giving Tea marries compassionate Ti Kuan Yin, health-bright lemongrass ginger, and adventurous dragonfruit—honoring body, risk, fandom, and growth. Sip, re-steep, and let thankful stories unfurl with every fragrant pour.

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Enjoyment Tea while cooking is good, but tea IN the cooking is better!

'Tea'chniques: Methods for Cooking with Tea

Heather Edwards

Tea moves from cup to kitchen, scenting savory and sweet. Ground into rubs, steeped into juices and cream, it braises vegetables, smokes meats, brightens grains, pasta, chocolate, and fruit. Bold blacks, delicate greens, fragrant oolongs each guide technique—always high-quality leaves, lightly handled, for dishes that truly sparkle.

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Enjoyment Find the perfect gift for the Men in your life this Father's Day

Gifts for the Guys

Heather Edwards

Forget tired ties and gadgets. Celebrate dads and grads with vintage treasures, fountain pens, vinyl and smoky Lapsang, or herbal dance teas. Gift experiences: dance classes, hikes, quirky museums, intimate gatherings. Capture graduations with memories, photos, practical career tools, connoisseur teas, and on-the-go ToasTEA—personal, thoughtful, and steeped in love.

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Enjoyment Finding a Perfect Label

Signature Blends Series: A Study in Labels

Natasha Nesic

Labels matter for tea: they hint at flavor, origin, and personality before the first sip. A perfect Signature Blend label balances originality, pizzazz, and cohesion, using art, photography, or simple text while respecting copyright. Thoughtful design showcases depth, attracts fandom drinkers, and makes even simple blends irresistibly, delightfully drinkable.

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Enjoyment Noting flavors to include in custom blend

How to Create a Fandom Blend

Natasha Nesic

Designing a signature or fandom tea is character alchemy in a cup: start with a concept, map colors and personality to ingredients, then ask the ruthless question—will this taste good? Rarity’s elegant Earl Grey, soft vanilla, and hygienic peppermint prove that careful ratios turn fictional traits into drinkable couture.

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Enjoyment

D.I.Y. Tea Tasting Journal

Heather Edwards

Tea lovers, chronicle your cups. Choose tactile journals—cards, ledgers, notebooks—over spreadsheets to honor tea’s intimacy. Measure leaf and water precisely; adjust steeping, temperature, and quantity. Record dry and wet leaf, liquor color, fragrance, flavor, aftertaste, and multiple infusions. Prefer loose leaf; expand vocabulary; let observations deepen everyday tea rituals.

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Enjoyment

Energize with Tea!

Heather Edwards

Tea, precious leaf of Camellia sinensis, both relaxes and enlivens: clarifying meditation, brightening commutes, energizing work and play. Its subtle xanthine orchestra—L-theanine, theobromine, theophylline, gentle caffeine—sharpens focus, deepens breath, lifts mood. Brewing strength, cup size, and body wisdom govern this graceful chemistry of calm vitality in every contemplative sip.

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Enjoyment

Tea for Two (or More!)

Samantha Albala

Celebrate a personal Tea Day as spring awakens: invite friends from work breaks to evening dates, dress tables with flowers or candles, pair pots with cookies, cheese, or chocolates, swap teas and strainers, screen “Tea for Two,” and soundtrack it all with tea‑themed songs thoughtfully matched to distinctive, mood‑setting blends.

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Enjoyment Take a walk through some flowers

How to Get Out of Your Winter Slump

Luke Pabst

February’s over; collective misery can stand down. March tiptoes in with longer light, thawing air, and the promise of green. Shake off the winter slump with hammocks, brackets, grills, long walks, and, above all, absurd amounts of tea—rooibos, herbal, black, green—each cup nudging you closer to spring.

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Enjoyment Boat Pose

Yoga Break 6: Boat Pose & Silver Needle

Natasha Nesic

Boat Pose, Plank’s determined cousin, tests core-earned stability while your abs protest and you calmly prescribe “medicine.” That medicine: delicately steeped Silver Needle, or forgiving Green Rooibos Blueberry for beginners. Prepare your space, steep with respect, then breathe, lift, shake, and hold—matching pose duration to steep time—before savoring abdominal-warming sips.

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Enjoyment Cozy up with your favorite tea and listen to some soothing tunes

Sleepaway Sip-Track 2017

Natasha Nesic

January’s chill begs you stay in bed, flannel-wrapped and blissfully drowsy. This playful sleephacking guide pairs caffeine-free teas with dream-drenched songs, promising spa-level REM: chamomile and Passion Pit, spearmint and Tolkien, rooibos and Lana, Gaga-fueled warrior naps. Sip, listen, surrender—let TeaJay Gyoku-Roshi DJ you gently into night.

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Enjoyment Gather your friends, sip some tea, and reconnect.

Connecting Through Tea

Tiffany Picard

Resolve to reconnect—and let tea be your gentle ally. Schedule regular teatimes near or far, send thoughtful tea care packages, and share health goals steeped in green goodness. Across months and miles, simple cups become rituals of presence, accountability, and joy—making time for what, and whom, you cherish most.

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Enjoyment Festive Holiday Tea to Sooth Your Anxiety

Teas and Herbs for Holiday Anxiety

Natasha Nesic

Holiday chaos looms—office parties, bargain stampedes, mothers judging casseroles across generations. Instead of Craigslist therapy, raid the spice cabinet: cloves to calm and aid digestion, lemon balm as fragrant anti-anxiety balm, cocoa nibs for magnesium-rich comfort. Steep like herbal tea, blend with oolong’s L-theanine, experiment until stress gently evaporates.

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Enjoyment Upcycled Tea Tins

Upcycle Your Tea Tins!

Samantha Albala

Save those charming sample tea tins and turn them into portable pleasures: a pocket paint set with glued-in wells and mini brush, a custom compact stocked with mirror, mini makeup, and tools, or richly scented chai tea candles infused with warm spices. Craft, personalize, gift, and enjoy.

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Enjoyment A cup of tea and cookies, a perfect combination!

Baking with Tea: Roast Nuts and Shortbread Cookies

Diana Rosen

Baking with tea invites delightful detours: matcha dusting shortbreads, Darjeeling brightening fruit, Assam deepening chocolate, masala chai enriching scones and roasted nuts. Treat tea as spice and umami, infusing creams, grains, salads, and desserts. Endless combinations transform simple ingredients into vibrant, aromatic indulgences for table, teatime, and gifting.

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Enjoyment Candy Cane Tea Cocktails

Holiday Tea Cocktails

Sara Shacket

Holiday season, shaker ready, tea takes center stage in spirited sips and a family‑friendly mocktail. Chocolate candy cane creaminess, cranberry sparkle with bubbly brightness, and gingerbread sweetness with a warming kick turn classic flavors into festive glasses. Brew, chill, shake, garnish, and let tea anchor every cheerful holiday toast.

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Enjoyment A gentle backbend stretch

Yoga Break 5: Bridge Pose & English Breakfast

Natasha Nesic

Bridge looks ridiculous—flat on your back, belly to the sky, vulnerable to moms and metaphorical wolves—but it’s the heroic antidote to desk-jockey slouching. Two minutes of glute-fired sacrum-to-ceiling, then vertebrae down, tea up: English Breakfast if you need battle-ready focus, Honeybush Chocolate if you’re moonlit, mellow, and caffeine-shy.

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Enjoyment Halloween parties: not just for kids!

Halloween Party Ideas for Adults

Heather Edwards

Adult Halloween revelry is all about delicious, decadent choice: goth or goofy closets, horror marathons with bright pumpkin popcorn, a glamour-goth buffet in black and blood-red, childhood-comfort mac and cheese and pies, mini-pumpkin cauldrons, “medicinal” syringes and test tubes, and a chilling, blood-red vodka Berry Blast Ghoul’s Punch.

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Enjoyment Books and tea are a natural pair.

Books And Tea

Kristen McQuinn

Books and tea twine together in blissful symbiosis. Discovering Adagio’s fandom blends—Harry Potter potions, Narnian comforts, Middle-earth shieldmaiden brews—turned characters into cups. I now craft teas for beloved, diverse literary heroes like Maddy and Zahrah: sweet, spicy, green, earthy, surprising. Even villains deserve their own restorative, story-steeped sip.

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Enjoyment Water temperature dramatically affects the flavors of tea.

August is Water Quality Month: How's Yours?

Heather Edwards

Lu Yu knew: water is destiny in the cup. Choose living, clean water—ideally filtered tap—over stagnant sources and wasteful bottles. Shun microwaves; cherish flame and kettle. Mind vessel, temperature, and time: watch birds’ eyes, pearls, and miniature waves. Let bubbles, not haste, decide when tea and water sing.

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Enjoyment Summertime is the perfect time to get kids excited about tea.

Summer Tea Fun for Kids

Heather Edwards

Summertime spills over with tea-fueled imagination: Alice-in-Wonderland theatrics with no-stove tea parties; kid-run iced tea stands teaching math, marketing, and responsibility; crafty collages and place cards textured with crushed, spent leaves; and tiny gardeners feeding worms, enriching soil, and watering houseplants with leftover brews—all simple, safe, and enchantingly educational.

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Enjoyment Delicate blossoms make lovely teas.

A New Look At Florals For Spring

Natasha Nesic

Florals for spring, Ms. Priestly—this time in your teacup. Chrysanthemum soothes inflammation and stress with buttery, meadow sweetness. Rosehips flood you with vitamin C; petals calm and perfume like gentle sedatives. Jasmine, symbol of love and purity, relaxes, mildly euphoric and vegetal-floral, adorning greens, whites, and dramatic flowering brews. Cheers.

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Enjoyment Measure your tea water.

Weigh & Measure: Keys to a Perfect Cup of Tea

Diana Rosen

Perfect tea begins with precision. Know your cup’s capacity, weigh leaves, and measure water. Adjust grams of tea to 6, 8, or 10–12 ounce vessels, compensating for leaf size. Then fine‑tune water temperature and steeping time to taste. Follow vendor guidelines, trust your palate, and enjoy liquid perfection.

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Enjoyment Rejuvenate

January Playlist Pairup: Beats to Beat The Blues

Natasha Nesic

Winter’s gray slump meets its match in TeaJay Master Gyoku-Roshi’s tongue‑in‑cheek cure: a sun-soaked playlist paired with mood-brightening teas. From Beatles and Raffi to Ellie Goulding and Sam Tsui, each track links to a specific brew, inviting you to sip, dance, thaw out, and tell the absent sun, “We’ll party without you.”

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Enjoyment Tea needs bundling up too!

The Taming of the Tea Cozy

Natasha Nesic

Inviting a tea cozy home is solemn, whimsical business. Court its refined sensibilities, request touch with due ceremony, and present spotless quarters and courteous teaware. Expect nerves and imperfect early brews; cozies shun vulgar haste. With patience, you’ll gain a lifelong, insulating confidant—and your teapot’s truest, steaming mate.

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Enjoyment Jars, bottles, tins - whatever you like!

Holiday Challenge! 20 for $20

Natasha Nesic

Twenty dollars, twenty gifts: bulk tea magic on a winter-tight budget. One pound, twenty jars, each filled—never crammed—with leaves that breathe. Scavenge fabric, paper, bottles, ribbons; sanitize, personalize, improvise. Handwrite notes, doodle Hobbit besties, wrap with intention. The real gift isn’t tea; it’s the tenderness in presentation.

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Enjoyment It's a nice day for a zombie wedding.

Tea for a Quick 'n Easy DIY Zombie Getup

Natasha Nesic

Wake groggy, craving brains and caffeine, perfecting your inner Waking Dead. Sacrifice old clothes to cheese graters, fire, and oceans of tea for grime, rust, and smoky gore. Dry till stiff, add undead makeup, then lurk by the candy bowl—silent, patient—until one lurch turns screams into your sweetest treat.

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Enjoyment Just a few friendly flavors

BLENDED TEA: DIY for Gifts and Just for Fun

Diana Rosen

Blend boldly but simply: two or three teas, a whisper of spice, fruit, flower or herb. Start small, adjust by taste, balance sharp with soft, nose with flavor. Use kitchen tools, natural flavorings, and light hands. Create signature blacks, greens, oolongs, rooibos, tisanes—perfect for gifting, fundraising, everyday pleasure.

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Enjoyment Take pumpkin carving to a new level this year.

All Hallow's TEAve

Lindsay Jawor

Stir some spooky spirit into teatime with skull-shaped sugar cubes, sinisterly snug knitted cozies, and a delightfully macabre DIY pumpkin teapot. Mix, mold, and dry sandy-sweet skulls, stitch poison-chic warmth for your kettle, then carve, spout, and steep pumpkin spice potions for a hauntingly cozy Halloween parTEA.

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Enjoyment Werewolf-approved tunes and matching brews

Fright Night Freestyle-Tea Style

Natasha Nesic

Hermits, brewmasters, monsters: your Halloween hole just became a dance floor. Spin TeaJay Gyoku-Roshi’s fright-night freestyle—thirteen spooky tracks, each wickedly paired with a matching tea. From serial-killer Blood Orange to werewolf Jasmine Pearls, caffeine jolts to zombie brain fuel, this devilishly good playlist haunts, hustles, and howls. Cheers.

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Enjoyment "I think I'll organize these books by color."

How to Win at Procrastinating

Natasha Nesic

Procrastination devours brains, grades, and souls via endless cat videos and color-coded bookshelves. Salvation? Tea. Luxuriate in choosing leaves, mug, infuser, temperature, and strength; stretch your fingers, steep, sip, and steep again. Serenity sneaks up, homework quivers, productivity returns. You win. Then celebrate victory… with more tea-fueled winning. Cheers.

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Enjoyment You've Got a Bird in your Mustache, Sir.

Men Embrace Tea for Health and for Pleasure

Diana Rosen

Men are trading soda for tea, gaining heart and prostate benefits from catechin-rich greens. They’re embracing Yixing pots, Taiwanese fragrance sets, and self-brewing gadgets that celebrate ritual, precision, and spectacle. Scales, kettles, thermometers, timers, and ironware sustain perfectly tempered infusions—a quietly exacting man-cave evolution, one contemplative cup at a time.

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Enjoyment Morning on the Mediterranean

Beach Brews: A Guide to Mediterranean Tea

Natasha Nesic

Morning on the Mediterranean means low-budget dinars, fresco-bright beaches, and English-splashed chatter over cups of pre-Camellia tradition. Hibiscus zings, peppermint kicks, chamomile hushes, linden murmurs you calm. Skip the all-night kafana; save the herbs for sunsets, slow guitars, and that cup waiting under the olive trees before summer slips away.

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Enjoyment Sweet Tea

June is Iced Tea Month: Celebrate with Classics

Heather Edwards

Born of a sweltering 1904 fair, iced tea now refreshes America year‑round. Freeze leftover tea or fruit‑studded cubes, pour impossibly sweet Southern gallons, or let desert sun coax flavor into porch‑brewed jars. Sip rooibos, watermelon, chamomile, or gently cooled greens; black, green, white, even puerh become endlessly chill, thirst‑quenching delights.

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Enjoyment Achieving the Perfect Glass

Troubleshooting Iced Tea

Natasha Nesic

Summer ushers in iced tea, but RTD convenience soon tastes synthetic. Brew your own: use a 4:1 ratio, hot or cold. Fix weak tea by adding leaves, bitterness by diluting and resteeping, blandness with fruit, herbs, and sugar. Experiment boldly, compost disasters, and toast your hard-won, perfect glass.

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Enjoyment

Celebrating Mom with Tea-licious Traditions

Heather Edwards

Mother’s Day needn’t be just a single bouquet-and-brunch moment. Honor the nurturing women in your life with ongoing rituals: monthly Tea-with-Me dates, charitable Tea-for-Others gatherings, adventurous “Tea-With” pairing classes, and joyful tea cup thrifting—creating shared memories, extending gratitude, and steeping everyday life in warmth, conversation, and connection.

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Enjoyment A Tea Journey

I don't like tea.

Epiphany Acevedo

I grew from eucalyptus-leaf medicine and pilfered dining-hall bags to mall-bought cinnamon epiphanies and jasmine pearls. Spain’s Spicy Choc deepened the obsession; Chicago shops broadened it. Along the way, I converted my dad, courted students, coworkers, and classmates. Now tea is warmth, exploration, and friendship—always best when shared.

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Enjoyment Plenty of options...

Take Your Tea Sweet: Sweeteners of the World

Heather Edwards

Once costly as gold, sugar now sweetens tea in myriad forms: white, brown, jaggery, coconut, honey, syrups, and milks. From Southern sweet tea to Russian jam, Turkish kitlama, Moroccan mint, and Southeast Asian milk teas, cultures celebrate richly sweet traditions—tempered only by calorie cautions and respect for delicate leaves.

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Enjoyment Milk Oolong

Give Milk a Chance

Epiphany Acevedo

I once dismissed milk oolong as milky weirdness, but careful brewing revealed a silky, buttery, dairy-free delight born of temperature shifts and moonlit legend. Best chilled, it shines in creamy iced tea with rooibos ice cubes, cold- or hot-brew methods, and inspires playful recipes from donuts to tapioca and tea-braised dishes.

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Enjoyment Use food coloring for spring pastels

The Perfect Sweet for Passover or Easter

Diana Rosen

Macaroons answer Passover and Easter dessert dilemmas, relying on whipped egg whites, sugar, and almonds to create delicate, gluten-free shells for jam, curd, cream, Nutella, or matcha buttercream. Paired with spring green teas like Dragonwell and Kukicha, they form an elegant, hopeful celebration of the season’s sweetness and subtlety.

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Enjoyment Gifts from scratch mean the most.

Give the Unexpected This Holiday Season

Diana Rosen

Holiday giving becomes more heartfelt with thoughtful tea-centered touches: upcycled jars and boxes wrapped furoshiki-style, handmade tags from washi tape and tea ephemera, scrolls of tea-inspired verse, and serene accoutrements like scoops, tins, matcha bowls and filtered water—plus Adagio gift cards when imagination needs a gentle, fragrant nudge.

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Enjoyment FIFA World Cup Soccer Ball

Adagio World Cup Contest

David Schloss

Adagio Teas kicks off a FIFA World Cup contest: predict the champion with hashtag #teamadagio on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Weekly random winners earn $20 gift certificates; one final winner scores $100. Celebrate with their bold World Cup blend—Lapsang Souchong, Assam Melody, Earl Grey Green, orange peel—or craft your own.

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Enjoyment A festive table setting sets the mood.

This Year, Let's Be Thankful for Tea!

Heather Edwards

Thank God for tea, and for you. Celebrate Thanksgiving by weaving fragrant leaves into every gesture: Pumpkin Spice favors at each place, tea‑steeped cranberry sauce sparkling with spice, thoughtful gifts and handwritten notes, and a shared circle of spoken—or secret—gratitudes. May warmth, kindness, and steaming cups bless your table.

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Enjoyment A Perfect Lady at Teatime

Kid-Friendly Tea Options

Lindsay Jawor

Tea needn’t be just for grown‑ups. Naturally caffeine‑free tisanes—fruit blends, rooibos, honeybush, chamomile, mint, and more—offer sweet, soothing, antioxidant‑rich cups without sugar rushes or jitters. These healthful brews ease tummy troubles, calm anxiety, comfort colds, and provide a charming, flavorful alternative to juice, soda, milk, or water for children and adults alike.

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Enjoyment Hope and Anthony

Once Upon a Tea: One Adagio Fan's Story

Anthony Sementilli

Missing ComicCon leads a Once Upon a Time fan to Adagio, where fandom-inspired tea blends blossom from casual experiment to thriving venture. Online requests, Hope’s reviews, and convention encounters with cast members transform hobby into community, friendship, and professional opportunity—proof that tea, fandom, and serendipity still work a little magic.

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Enjoyment Yunnan Red Tea

RED TEA: Common Term Can Be Uncommonly Confusing

Heather Edwards

Red tea once meant only China’s bold, mahogany-hued Camellia sinensis, spanning tannic to chocolate-edged, its craft preserved through legend and skill. Today it also names rooibos, a caffeine-free South African tisane rich in antioxidants. China’s true black, hei cha, dark-leaf, humid-fermented and often aged, remains rarer, woodsy, softly earthy.

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Enjoyment #CommuniTEA

What's Your Narra-tea-ve?

Natasha Nesic

Manhattan Monday shimmered, but real warmth brewed inside Midtown Comics, where a sniffly clerk, an Apple Cinnamon mug, and rampant tea puns sparked a steeped-in-stories connection. The #CommuniTEA Project invites everyone to pour their tea memories—first sip, worst cup, best brew—into a shared narra-tea-ve across hashtags and Facebook.

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Enjoyment Outside the Connemara Tea Factory

Diary of a Tea Snob

Epiphany Acevedo

Tea-obsessed and armed with a journalism degree, I follow a Travel and Leisure essay’s inspiration to India, where chai calls echo through stations and sugar drowns subtle leaves. From Delhi’s loose-leaf sanctuaries to Thekkady’s rolling plantations and Connemara’s factory floors, every cup confirms it: I must keep traveling for tea.

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Enjoyment Make room for new tea ware

Spring Cleaning: Sort Through the Tea Cupboard

Heather Edwards

Spring cleaning belongs in the tea cupboard as much as the closet. Retire stale leaves to garden or compost; store treasures cool, dark, airtight. Retire chipped cups, bent scoops, scaled kettles; refresh strainers and descale with lemon or vinegar. Then welcome spring’s fresh harvests: golden buds, white buds, blossoming blends.

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Enjoyment Tea leaves make great compost

Plan Ahead for Earth Day, April 1

Diana Rosen

Earth Day joy begins in your cup and ends in your compost. Worm-adored spent tea leaves enrich gardens, especially when brewed in the ingeniously tidy ingenuiTEA. Adagio nurtures global tea fields in Fujian, Assam, and Nantou while pouring robust Irish Breakfast blends that turn everyday sipping into planet-friendly celebration.

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Enjoyment Black is the new green March 17th

Luck o' the Irish Breakfast

Cynthia Gold

Skip the green gimmicks this Saint Patrick’s Day and revel in comforting Irish Breakfast tea. Sip it straight or transform it into tender tea‑plumped fruit scones, fragrant Chantilly cream, and a lush “Irish Cream Tea” cocktail built on Irish Breakfast–infused vodka, marrying black tea’s richness with celebratory indulgence.

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Enjoyment Fill your cup with love from Adagio

Valentine's Day Teas Bloomin' with Flavor

Diana Rosen

Adagio’s Love Petals is the ultimate Valentine’s indulgence: three sensuous teas—Sweet Nothings, Hugs and Kisses, Ripe for Romance—packed in gorgeous reusable tins, rich with blossoms, fruits, caramel, chocolate and spice. Modestly priced, perfect hot or iced, loose or in pyramids, they’re effortless, elegant gifts that steep love, cup after cup.

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Enjoyment Tea gardens wish for early spring

Groundhog's Day Brings Hope of Warm Weather

Barbara Gulley

February’s chill hides my northern Michigan tea garden beneath snow and memory. Containers of chamomile, lavender, mint and camellia sinensis circle a simple deck, sundial, and teapot fountain—my private ritual ground. Until snowshoes reach it again, I sip floral teas by the fire, dreaming oaks, pines, and early blossoms.

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Enjoyment Tea and treats

Sue and Esther's Serves Tea in Frankenmuth

Barbara Gulley

In glitter-drenched Frankenmuth, “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” Sue and Esther’s Tea Room offers a warm, autumn-hued refuge from perpetual Christmas. Owner Lisa MacDonald crafts a welcoming, unfussy space where fresh, seasonal food complements—never eclipses—tea. From bubble tea to Sunroasted Chestnut, guests discover year-round comfort that quietly completes the holiday wonderland.

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Enjoyment Storytime is a gift for all ages

Remember the Kids (& Kids at Heart) this Season

Diana Rosen

Storytime’s magic lives in every cup: timeless tales, crackling creativity, and cuddly chairs meet caffeine‑free Adagio blends. Rocket Fuel, Tea‑Rex, Monster Brew ignite adventure; Alice, Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs defend brave hearts; Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella bring dreamy, pumpkin‑spiced happily‑ever‑afters—delicious gifts for every child at heart.

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Enjoyment Take some time to talk over tea

New Year's Resolutions? Let's Take Another Look

Diana Rosen

Resolve month by month to live more gratefully, kindly, playfully. Call instead of posting, be present, generous, and brave enough to try dreams and daily novelties. Share burdens, right wrongs, register and vote. Above all, invite, savor, and gift tea—simple cups that connect hearts and quietly change the year.

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Enjoyment Pumpkin Latte

Autumn Crazy

Kristina Cucci

Fall’s chill needn’t mean sugary pumpkin lattes. Adagio’s pumpkin, chai, rooibos, honeybush and flavored black teas deliver cozy apple‑and‑pumpkin‑pie comfort with far fewer calories, vegan ingredients, and endless blending possibilities. Sip them straight or creamy, day or bedtime, and savor autumn’s spices beside a fire, book, and good company.

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Enjoyment Trick-or-treater's bounty

Tricks and Teas for Halloween

Diana Rosen

Celebrate Halloween with eerie Scary Fingers and soft Ghostly Cookies, both delightfully paired with fragrant green teas. Enhance treats by infusing matcha or vanilla green tea into chocolate or frosting. For healthier trick‑or‑treat bags, tuck in Adagio’s caffeine‑free teabags and autumnal chai or Pumpkin Spice blends, extending festivities beyond Halloween.

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Enjoyment Brewing a ghastly favorite

Caldron Favorites

Diana Rosen

Conjure cozy chills with two pumpkin potions: a vegan, tea-less honeybush pumpkin chai rich with gingered spice and coconut milk, and a customizable pumpkin “lat-tea” brewed with black tea, warm aromatics, and silky dairy or nondairy milk. Brew ahead, reheat gently, and share steaming cauldrons with midnight visitors.

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Enjoyment Tea accessories to match any decor

Stay Sharp in the Office and Classroom

Diana Rosen

Send-off season calls for steaming mugs and thoughtful prep. Energize studies with bold blacks, calm nerves with soothing herbals, or supercharge with yerba mate. Blend, experiment, and sip from cups that shout “you.” With trusty kettles, clever brewers, smart storage, and Adagio’s blends, tea turns desks and dorms into cozy retreats.

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Enjoyment The iconic lemonade stand

Summer Tea Stand: Nostalgia & Great Teaching Tool!

Diana Rosen

Transform the nostalgic lemonade stand into a summer tea stand—offering lemonades, herbal and black iced teas, popsicles, even Arnold Palmers—while kids learn entrepreneurship. Plan recipes, sun-brew tea, make colorful signs, price for profit, stock supplies, manage change, clean up, then donate or save earnings. A simple, repeatable micro-business.

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Enjoyment Masala Chai Tea

Fall Into Chai

Christine Banks

Cool nights whisper that autumn nears, calling for sweaters and steaming mugs of masala chai. Born from Indian street stalls blending tea, milk, sugar, and Ayurvedic spices, chai today spans concentrates, lattes, and inventive loose blends. Simmered at home, it becomes autumn’s perfect, customizable, deeply fragrant companion indoors or out.

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Enjoyment Celebrate Your #1 Dad

Gadgets, Gifts and Grilling with Dad

Diana Rosen

Celebrate tea-loving dads with manly brews, books, collectibles, and irresistible gadgets—from precision kettles and thermometers to strainers, infusers, and Yixing pots. Then fire up the grill: infuse marinades and spice rubs with bold black or delicate green teas, transforming chicken, pork, seafood, tofu, and veggies into smoky, tea-kissed feasts.

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Enjoyment Congrats to the Grads!

Graduation Day: Celebrating the Grad in Your Life

Diana Rosen

Graduation deserves celebration: honor hard work, late-night practices, and bright new beginnings with imaginative, affordable gifts. Send care packages of treats, tea, and loving notes; support health with gym passes and bottled Anteadote; equip tea lovers with varieTEA kettles and TeaMap app; encourage smart finances, private family connections, and handwritten letters that say “we’re proud.”

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Enjoyment Wedding Bells Are Ringing...

Weddings and Tea

Christine Banks

Wedding season brings joy, pressure and endless questions about your own aisle plans. Across Asia, tea symbolizes gratitude and family unity in traditional ceremonies. Modern couples embrace tea as customizable favors and practical gifts—think tins, mugs, kettles and chests of teabags—creating lasting, useful mementos. Enjoy the celebrations; share your love of tea.

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Enjoyment Mother's Day is May 13th

Honor Mom With A Delicious Gift

Diana Rosen

Mother’s Day, the year’s busiest phone day, is a time to honor mothers and mother figures with personal calls, shared tea, and memories. Adagio Teas suggests celebratory tea parties, featuring Sunlit Blooms blends and Pocketful of Posies bags, plus homemade scones with bright, silky lemon curd for heartfelt, lingering delight.

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Enjoyment A delicate tea bud

A Season for Tea

Christine Banks

Spring awakens the year’s first flush: tender, floral leaves after winter’s rest. As months glide by, Darjeelings deepen, oolongs unfurl, Ceylons brighten, Assams ripen, jasmines await summer bloom. Autumn muscatel, winter frost, creamy cold-season oolongs—each harvest whispers its own fleeting story in the cup, inviting discovery, sip by sip.

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Enjoyment Tea marbled eggs

Celebrate Passover and Easter With Tea

Diana Rosen

Spring’s twin holidays meet in the kitchen: tea-marbled eggs, shimmering with delicate veins; dark chocolate and matcha truffles rescuing Passover from leavening’s absence; and an orange-marmalade, black-tea–glazed ham anchoring Easter. Tea weaves through every recipe, infusing seasonal symbols—egg, chocolate, bread, lamb or ham—with fragrant depth, ritual, and renewed celebration.

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Enjoyment Perhaps you need more caffeine in your life...

Would You Like Caffeine With That?

Lainie Petersen

Customers crave either buzz or snooze, often ignoring flavor. Caffeine content depends on leaf, bud “tips,” and preparation more than color: Gyokuro, Assam, tippy teas can kick. True rest requires understanding decaf versus naturally caffeine‑free herbals like rooibos, chamomile blends, and fruit tisanes—and abandoning the misleading “short‑steep” decaffeination myth.

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Enjoyment Tea & teaware are great gifts for many occasions

Thoughtful Tea Gifts - Valentine's & Beyond

Lainie Petersen

Thoughtful tea gifting begins with observation: caffeine habits, bagged versus loose leaf, flavor preferences, and teaware gaps. Match white, green, black, oolong or herbals—and accessories—to lifestyle and occasion: romantic, get-well, healthy change, new job, housewarming, or tea geek. Aim for beauty, practicality, and immediate, soothing enjoyment.

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Enjoyment Happy New Year!

New Year's Resolutions: More Tea!

Christine Banks

New Year needn’t mean scolding resolutions or joyless self-improvement. Instead, let tea lead the way: swap sugary drinks for antioxidant-rich cups, escape your “tea rut” by trying at least one new variety monthly, dive deeply into a single style, experiment with brewing—or even bake matcha cupcakes. Make tea your playful resolution.

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Enjoyment New Year's Teas

New Year's Teas

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Holiday flutes can rest; I’ll take my New Year from a teapot. From Japan’s gold-flecked matcha and Ofukucha’s lucky plums and kelp, to China’s festive red teaware and dragon-named leaves, tea toasts health and fortune. This year, Champagne Oolong replaces champagne—proof any midnight wish steams just as brightly from a cup.

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Enjoyment Personalized gift baskets

DIY Tea Gift Baskets for the Holidays

Diana Rosen

Create charming, budget-wise tea gift baskets that feel lavish, not costly. Splurge on fresh, high-quality teas, then thrift baskets, tins, and jars. Upcycle containers, tuck in infusers, mugs, sugars, jams, fruits, and homemade treats. Mix textures, colors, and personal touches so every cup—and basket—feels uniquely, thoughtfully festive.

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Enjoyment Infuse tea with your alcohol

Spice Up Your Holiday Tea Drinks!

Diana Rosen

Reimagine holiday libations by marrying tea and spirits: vodka-kissed fruit tisanes, delicate oolongs sipped between Irish whiskey, cranberry punches bright with citrus, and Southern-style sweet-tea martinis. Balance strong liqueurs with quality leaves, play with hot or iced preparations, watch the calories, chill your glassware, shake hard, garnish generously, entertain effortlessly.

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Enjoyment It looks boring, but this is the stuff that makes tea so perfect

The Chemistry Of Tea

Diana Rosen

Tea’s quiet alchemy marries stimulation and calm. Polyphenols, quinones, thearubigens and volatile oils shape color, aroma, flavor and health. Oxidation distinguishes green, oolong and black, transforming catechins, vitamins and body “feel.” Additives like lemon and milk subtly redirect mineral absorption and polyphenol activity, refining tea’s chemistry without dispelling its mystery.

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Enjoyment Be prepared if you're jetting off somewhere for the holidays

Have Tea, Will Travel

Tiffany Picard

Holiday travel needn’t mean bad tea. Arm yourself with a sturdy or glass infuser mug, pre-loaded filters or pyramids, and versatile oolongs or blacks. Post-security, ask cafés for hot water, or carry matcha for instant cups. When visiting family, share your stash as gifts—and quietly convert your hosts.

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Enjoyment The leaves are changing, the weather cooling...

Flavors of Fall

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Autumn’s arrival shifts my cup from light, summery sips to bold, comforting brews. Pumpkin spice tea trumps syrupy lattes; cinnamon, hazelnut, chocolate, and cranberry bridge seasons. Masala chai powers crisp mornings, Rooibos Cinnamon Apple soothes evenings, holiday samplers tease winter, while Earl Grey Moonlight and Mocha Nut Mate add rich, unexpected twists.

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Enjoyment Many parents buy tea sets for little girls

Showing Children the Way to Tea

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Tea parties teach children that tea is hot, shared, special, and prepared with care. Bridging imaginative play and real brewing—using teapots, varied teas, minimal caffeine, and child-friendly blends—can preserve tea’s magic. Involving kids in preparation nurtures lifelong appreciation for tea’s ritual, flavor, and community, for girls and boys alike.

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Enjoyment Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning Your Tea Stash

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Spring tip: forget dust bunnies, purge that wild tea cupboard. Tea isn’t immortal; most shines under a year, especially delicate greens. Guard leaves from air, light, humidity with airtight, opaque containers. Date everything, buy only what you’ll drink, compost the ancients, and free space for glorious, guilt‑free new teas.

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Enjoyment Valentine's Day

Sweets for Your Tea

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Valentine’s Day invites sweetness not just for sweethearts but for tea. From refined and raw sugars to honey, agave, and syrups, each brings calories, character, and intensity. Zero-calorie packets—pink, blue, yellow, green—offer potent artificial or plant-based alternatives. Whatever your taste, sweeten your liquid valentine with informed confidence.

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Enjoyment Secret Lover

Tea, My Valentine

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

From stolen childhood sips to sugar-drowned adolescence, from experimental college infatuations to loose‑leaf devotion at work and at my own wedding, our decades-long affair has only deepened. Across continents, exams, and midnights, your steam has carried my secrets and steadied my heart. Dear Tea, my constant Valentine, you complete me.

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Enjoyment Tasty weight loss

Tea Year's Resolutions: 2011

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Start 2011 by shrinking vague resolutions into sippable goals: lose five pounds through tea-fueled hydration, pause daily for a restorative tea break, share pots with family, swap pricey lattes for homebrewed savings, bolster local tea merchants, and compost spent leaves. With every cup, become slimmer, calmer, closer, thriftier, greener.

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Enjoyment Adagio Teas' retail store

2010: A Year in Tea

William I. Lengeman III

Tea in 2010 surged yet again: online purveyors opened brick-and-mortar shops, matcha went mainstream, and tea geeks flocked to Steepster and blogs. “Almost teas” like guayusa and kombucha gained buzz; American tea farms sprouted; history and politics revisited Boston Harbor; and luxury, novelty, even “manly” teas stretched credulity.

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Enjoyment Holiday Stocking Stuffers

Feeling' GifTEA

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Holiday shopping for tea lovers needn’t be stressful. Replenish favorite blends, introduce new varieties, or gift samplers instead of wine. Pair teas with clever mugs, travel infusers, tins, teapots, books, calendars, stationery, blankets, pajamas, or tea-infused spa treats. With endless online options, thoughtful, cozy, affordable stocking stuffers abound.

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Enjoyment What's in his cup?

Coffee or tea, Santa?

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

Thanksgiving’s done; Christmas chaos begins as I unwrap our old Santa mug and realize: mugs mean hot drinks, not cold milk—no wonder the pony never came. Now I’m obsessing: does Santa want tea’s calm Earl Grey comfort or coffee’s jittery turbocharge? Maybe both. Maybe neither. Maybe…he slams a Red Bull.

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Enjoyment Tea Chemistry

Training in Tea

Robert Schmelter

Tea studies steep into academia worldwide. India and Bangladesh cultivate programs in tea technology and management, while Canada brews tea sommelier certifications pairing flavor, food, and service. American colleges infuse history, culture, and cutting‑edge green tea cancer research, proving tea’s rich potential from plantation to laboratory and dining table.

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Enjoyment An ancient past time

On Pu Erh, The Other Tea

LaRoi Zavier

Pu erh, the living tea of Yunnan, marries green tea’s healing virtue with deeper, smoother pleasures than coffee. Properly rinsed, it yields rich, earthy, aristocratic focus without jitters, lowering cholesterol as it delights. From Poe’s dark fullness to Dante’s bright lift and Yunnan Gold’s refined woodsiness, exploration becomes devotion.

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Enjoyment Tea buds growing in Moonrise's field in Hawaii

Developments within the world of Oolong

Mikael Zaurov

Oolong, long China’s treasured child, is suddenly finding new homes beneath distant skies. On Mauna Kea’s volcanic slopes and New Zealand’s green pastures, Moonrise and Zealong coax Camellia sinensis into bold, clean, uniquely local expressions—costlier, rarer, but whispering that tea’s next revolution may rise far from Fujian’s mist.

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Enjoyment Adagio's new packaging

Better Packaging Methods For Everyone

Mikael Zaurov

Adagio is retiring its heavy imported tins in favor of thin, multi-layer stand‑up pouches that protect tea while sharply reducing shipping weight, CO₂ emissions, and landfill volume. Biodegradable options lack needed barrier strength. Tins remain in the Pantry, as new pouches debut stylish, tea-specific artwork. Your feedback is warmly invited.

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Enjoyment Mother's Day Tea Gift

Monthly Musings May 2010

Christine Rillo

May honors mothers: new and veteran, near and far. Offer them peace and serenity with blooming teas, honey, and curated Masters oolongs and Chinese blacks. Enjoy organic anTEAdote iced teas for summer. Earth Day saplings grow on, while Roots Campaign purchases directly support farmers nurturing your favorite cup.

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Enjoyment

Monthly Musings: April 2010

Christine Rillo

Spring showers usher in fresh 2010 harvest teas and the joy of tasting new crops for our devoted customers. Rainy days pair perfectly with a pot of tea and two new books: Sarah Rose’s thrilling tea history and the Heisses’ pocket guide for buying, storing, and brewing the world’s best teas.

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Enjoyment Growing Chamomile

7 Plants To Grow For Your Herbal Tea Garden

Christine Rillo

Spring invites you to plant an instant tisane garden alongside vegetables: chamomile, lavender, mint, lemongrass, lemon verbena, rosemary, lemon balm. Start seeds in containers, tend, water, prune, harvest after dew, before noon. Steep fresh herbs generously, experiment with rooibos, honeybush, traditional teas, spices, fruits—endless, economical, delicious herbal possibilities.

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Enjoyment Irish Corned Beef

St. Patrick's Day Tea and Dinner Recipes

Christine Rillo

March brings St. Patrick’s Day, a global celebration of Irish fare, tradition, and, above all, tea. Ireland’s love of brisk black blends meets a playful “going green” twist: pairing green teas with corned beef, stews, breads, and even Irish whiskey cocktails—plus Adagio’s lucky green-tea sale and soothing post-celebration remedies.

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Enjoyment Adagio Teas on the iPhone

Monthly Musings February 2010

Christine Rillo

February invites tea lovers to renew resolutions by tasting a new tea daily and logging notes. Explore Adagio’s new iPhone-friendly mobile site, support farmer Masuda Yoshio via Genmai Cha, and discover effortless Valentine’s gifting—especially the chocolate-strawberry Valentines tea, a bright Ceylon blend sure to charm any cherished sweetheart.

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Enjoyment Charles Cain

Monthly Musings: January 2010

Christine Rillo

Happy New Year, tea lovers! As we sip into 2010, Adagio celebrates a decade’s growth, unveils fresh packaging, revives tea cookies and chocolates, and prepares its first Chicago retail shop. Enjoy TeaV highlights, tea-fueled resolutions, and support farmers through our Roots Campaign. Here’s to a healthy, tea-filled year ahead!

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Enjoyment Lose Weight!

Tea Year's Resolutions

Tiffany Picard

Forget vague resolutions; let tea turn goals into daily rituals. Sip dessert blends instead of cake, pause for ten quiet minutes, invite friends to share a pot, brew at home to save money, support farmers through Roots, and choose loose-leaf to lighten your footprint—one thoughtful, fragrant cup at a time.

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Enjoyment Tea Honey

Monthly Musings: December 2009

Christine Rillo

Hello, tea lovers! Thanksgiving kicks off our holiday and shopping season, with new Adagio website features for gift givers. Discover Savannah Bee’s delicate Tea Honey, perfect with any cup. Enjoy AC Cargill’s Traveling Teacup escape, then stock up on Gingerbread, Candy Cane, Chestnut, and timeless Christmas tea.

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Enjoyment Holiday Quick Order page

Adagio Teas' Online Shopping Guide Holidays 2009

Christine Rillo

Holiday tea shopping is now effortless with Adagio’s revamped site. Prepare addresses, preferences, and payment, then use Holiday Quick Order to ship gifts, add notes, wrap, and delay delivery. Manage orders, track, review teas, and send certificates via your account. Explore stocking stuffers, teaware, new tins, and fast shipping.

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Enjoyment Dongshan Dolce

Monthly Musings November 2009

Christine Rillo

Holiday hustle meets fresh harvest at Adagio: new Chinese greens like sweet-bun Dongshan Dolce and floral Anji Duet, Phoenix Mountain’s Dancong Aria, graceful Huang Jin Bolero, and fragrant Jasmine Needle. Adventurous savory teas debut, while Roots highlights Sri Lankan grower Archiemuthu; Ceylon and rooibos purchases directly support dedicated tea farmers.

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Enjoyment Ku Cha Tea

Monthly Musings October 2009

Christine Rillo

Adagio Teas readies for the holidays with new packaging, web specials, Twitter promotions, and a fragrant holiday sampler of festive blends. Christine recounts tea adventures in Boulder—Ku Cha House of Tea, Celestial Seasonings’ factory—and highlights October’s Roots Campaign rooibos farmer, Niklaas Jakobus Slinger, inviting support for his South African farm.

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Enjoyment Exterior of Imperial Tea Court

A Journey Through Chinese Food and Tea Pairings

Tiffany Picard

Imperial Tea Court recreates a traditional Chinese teahouse in the Bay Area, pairing organic dim sum–style dishes with regionally inspired teas. Jasmine pearls with Dragonwell pork dumplings, roasty Wuyi oolong with spring rolls, and aged puerh with spicy pork noodles reveal tea’s versatility, proving there’s a tea for every food and mood.

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Enjoyment Summer photo contest winner

Monthly Musings September 2009

Christine rillo

As summer gently fades, Adagio welcomes tea lovers with new Chinese greens and Black Dragon Pearls, a fresher Gunpowder, and soon-arriving 2009 Japanese harvests. Our Roots Campaign highlights dedicated farmers and shares profits from their teas. We also celebrate Anastasia K., studious winner of our summer Tea Pictures contest.

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Enjoyment TeaChat website

Monthly Musings August 2009

Christine Rillo

TeaChat.com, Adagio’s bustling tea message board, invites enthusiasts to explore discussions on pu erh, teaware, vendors, brewing, and more on its newly redesigned site. Flavored green teas should return by mid‑August. Read about connoisseur Jason Walker’s online tastings, and email your summer photos for a chance to win iced tea gift sets.

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Enjoyment TeaMap Website

Online Tea Directory: A Guide to Good Tea

Michael Cramer

Coffee chains overlook tea, yet independent tea rooms flourish nationwide, from British-style parlors to hip urban and Asian-inspired bars. To navigate this blooming landscape, TeaMap offers a growing, photo-rich, map-based directory with unbiased user reviews and special offers, inviting tea lovers and proprietors alike to expand and refine the guide together.

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Enjoyment anTEAdote iced teas

Monthly Musings July 2009

Christine Rillo

Steamy summer calls for cool sips: stock up on zero-calorie organic anTEAdote iced teas with sizzling discounts and free shipping, or brew your own Ginger Peach, Apricot Green, or White Blueberry bliss. Share sun-drenched iced tea photos for a chance at favorite tins, TeaMuse features, and Adagio’s ongoing online tea fun.

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Enjoyment Adagio Teas' new design

Monthly Musings June 2009

Christine Rillo

Hi Tea Lovers! We’ve tidied up adagio.com with a fresh layout, expanded menus, blooming teas upfront, and favorites streamlined. Explore the new Pantry for sugar crystals and upcoming tea treats, plus fresh Spring Darjeeling, Nepal First Flush, and returning flavored greens. anTEAdote continues—more giveaways and goodies await.

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Enjoyment Father's Day is around the corner

Father's Day Tea

Christine Rillo

Father’s Day doesn’t need ties or gadgets; celebrate Dad with tea. Go beyond Ceylon and Earl Grey to smoky Lapsang, bold Assam, luxurious Ali Shan, wine-like Keemun, chocolatey Yunnan, and soothing rooibos. Pair thoughtful teaware, brew together, talk long, and share tea’s rich, comforting ritual as a universal gift.

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Enjoyment Masala Chai

Monthly Musings May 2009

Christine Rillo

Spring brings fresh Adagio delights: six inspired chai blends, from classic Masala and chocolate-kissed to Thai, Spiced Apple, and caffeine-free Rooibos Vanilla. Brew them traditionally with milk, water, sugar, and strong leaf. Email “I WANT CHAI” to win a sampler, or chill with discounted organic anTEAdote iced teas.

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Enjoyment Yunnan Gold Tea

Monthly Musings March 2009

Christine Rillo

March tiptoes between frost and thaw, promising fresh buds, new harvests, and incoming parcels of tea to taste and select. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Yunnan Gold giveaway, sip along with Zack’s weekly AdagioTeaV and Signature Blend samplers, and dream of tea-infused treats like Chocolate Earl Grey ice cream.

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Enjoyment Pour Some Honey on Tea

The Buzz On Honey

Christine Rillo

Honey, ancient sweetener and medicine, shines in tea, offering floral nuances shaped by local blooms. Tropical Blossom’s orange blossom, palmetto, galberry, and rare tupelo honeys pair beautifully with Green Anji, honeybush, jasmine pearls, and White Peony. Naturally antibacterial, virtually eternal, and richly varied, honey invites gentle, exploratory sweetening.

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Enjoyment Irish Breakfast Tea

Top O' The Morning

Cynthia Fazekas

Irish Breakfast is a bold, malty Assam-based blend, perfect with cream, sugar, and hearty fare. Ideal for St Patrick’s Day tearooms, it shines as loose leaf, converting teabag drinkers with fuller flavor and less sharpness. Serve with Irish treats—or spike with Irish Cream or whiskey, brewing responsibly.

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Enjoyment Blind Tea Taste Test

Monthly Musings January 2009

Christine Rillo

Happy New Year, tea lovers! As festivities fade, sip rooibos, relax, and tame overflowing stashes with simple organization. Adagio readies TeaCritic.com for blind tastings and dreams up new savory, floral, and chai delights. Signature Blends top three thousand creations. For 2009, embrace one resolution: even more tea.

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Enjoyment Tea Cupboard

Organizing Your Teas

Christine Rillo

Collections swell, then stagnate. Tea is no different: forgotten tins, stray bags, shoebox treasures. Drag everything out, sort by type, confront what you truly drink. Dump the stale, gift the excess, store favorites airtight and accessible. Curate teaware, keep a journal, and begin a leaner, brighter tea year.

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Enjoyment Twitter

Monthly Musings December 2008

Christine Rillo

Cyber Monday buzz fills Adagio HQ as orders fly and holiday cheer steeps. Follow our Twitter for insider sips and surprise treats. Discover the swift GraviTEA pitcher, cozy Gingerbread Tea, and elegant glass teapot—perfect gifts. Take a reflective pause, savor your cup, and enjoy a beauTEAful holiday season.

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Enjoyment Fresh Arrivals Sampler

Monthly Musings November 2008

Christine Rillo

A sudden Halloween cold snap sends us tea lovers indoors, where Adagio’s newest Chinese treasures await: Golden Spring, Fujian Baroque, Keemun Rhapsody, Yunnan Noir, Emerald Needle, and White Symphony. Pair these premium sips with our wooden Tea Chest—stocked in Gourmet or Premium selections—for gifting, sharing, or savoring solo.

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Enjoyment Water: Just as Important

Water: The Other Ingredient

Diana Rosen

Fine tea demands fine water. Ancient springs once reigned; today, tightly regulated sources range from true springs and artesian wells to purified tap. Minerals enliven tea, while ultra-pure or distilled waters taste flat. Taste and compare still waters, filter tap if desired, then, as Confucius counseled, let your own palate decide.

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Enjoyment graviTEA Water Pitcher

Monthly Musings October 2008

Christine Rillo

Fall is here, blankets are calling, and Adagio is brimming with new comforts: pie‑evoking Rhubarb Green, zen White Cucumber, cozy hazelnut black and honeybush, and sun-chasing Guanabana and Coconut Pouchong. Holiday prep brings restocked classics plus graviTEA pitchers, Concert Teapots, and handsome wooden tea chests for proudly displayed teabags.

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Enjoyment Hittin' the Road

Between the Leaves September 2008

Mary R.

Facing a cross-country move, the author abandons contemplative tea and jittery, caloric coffee in favor of yerba mate. Its robust caffeine, nutrients, and happiness-leaning selenium—plus flavors ranging from green-citrusy to roasty-maple—make it the “just right” fuel for hauling boxes and launching a newly bi‑monthly TeaMuse column.

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Enjoyment Apples!

Monthly Musings September 2008

Christine Rillo

September tastes like apples, even for one who can’t bite them fresh. I envy that crisp, juicy crunch, settling instead for pies and crumbles. Tea rescues me: Rooibos Cinnamon Apple becomes instant apple pie in a cup, perfect hot or iced, tucked into lunchboxes or gifted to beloved teachers.

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Enjoyment A little lemon goes a long way

Between the Leaves August 2008

Mary R.

Tales of tea-tanned stomachs are nautical nonsense: tea doesn’t contain commercial tannic acid, nor does it leatherize your gut or rank as a major carcinogen. Its tannins—like EGCG—tend to inhibit, not cause, cancer. They can hinder nonheme iron absorption, but meat, lemon, milk, or leafy greens neatly offset that.

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Enjoyment Picture by Cynthia Fazekas

Monthly Musings, August 2008

Christine Rillo

Dear Tea Drinkers, August turns up the heat, sending many of you searching for the perfect iced tea—recipe linked, of course. While summer slows sales, we’re busy sampling, dreaming up new blends, and celebrating your love of our fiercer Masala Chai. Meanwhile, enjoy these sips of quirky tea news.

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Enjoyment Keeping Cool!

Monthly Musings July 2008

Christine Rillo

Summer’s heat calls for creative cool-downs: pitchers of loose-leaf iced tea, Arnold Palmers with bright citrus, and grab-and-go bottles like Adagio’s organic, unsweetened anTEAdote. Explore kombucha, yerba mate, and sweet, caffeine-free honeybush for icy refreshment. Finish with jasmine anTEAdote “ice cream,” drizzled with honey, crowned with mint.

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Enjoyment Matcha

Between the Leaves July 2008

Mary R.

Each spring, TeaChat erupts over shincha: first-harvest sencha rushed from field to cup, vivid with “new tea” freshness and springlike intensity. The article then tours Japan’s wider tea world—from everyday bancha, genmaicha, hojicha, and kukicha to shaded gyokuro and sweet-tart tamaryokucha—inviting exploration far beyond shincha’s brief, thrilling season.

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Enjoyment Stop and Smell the Tea

Monthly Musings June 2008

Christine Rillo

TeaMuse returns from a whirlwind World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, brimming with community, familiar faces, and inspired sips. From Smile Chocolatiers’ watercolor-wrapped, tea-infused chocolates to Golden Star’s elegant Sparkling White Jasmine “champagne,” plus a contemplative film and Vancouver tearoom tales, this belated issue toasts tea’s joyful, shared ritual.

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Enjoyment Til' Tea Do Us Part

Between the Leaves May 2008

Mary R.

Wedding favors began as lucky Roman nuts, evolved into Italian nobles’ sugared treasures, then practical trinkets and candies for the middle class. Today, favors balance permanence, luxury, and usefulness. Tea fits perfectly—seen as decadent yet adaptable, from humble Lipton bags to personalized tins—ensuring nearly any budget can steep guests in symbolic generosity.

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Enjoyment Spring Tea

Monthly Musings May 2008

Christine Rillo

Spring has sprung, tea lovers! Office cups brim with fresh first flush Darjeeling and playful Tea Gummie Bears—Blueberry Acai, White Tea Pomegranate, Green Tea Spiced Peach—delighting grownups and kids. After April’s festival fun, May’s World Tea Expo in Las Vegas beckons. Expect a full recap, new products, and endless sipping.

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Enjoyment Keeping Tea Crystal Clear

Between the Leaves April 2008

Mary R.

Hard water ruins your tea, not your technique. Boiling drives off carbon dioxide, reforming dissolved limestone; calcium carbonate particles then link with oxidized tea polyphenols into nasty surface scum. Fix it by acidifying (lemon, strong brew, milk), or by changing the water itself: bottled, softened, or reverse osmosis—each with tradeoffs.

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Enjoyment Picture Courtesy of Lindsey Wilson College

Monthly Musings March 2008

Christine Rillo

March marks my first anniversary with Adagio Teas, shared with colleague Cynthia. A year of learning, hard work, and discovering tea’s tasty complexity, plus the vibrant TeaChat community. Highlights include events like World Tea Expo and Dustin’s “Cup of Humanity” campus program. I’m eager for more collaborations—happy sipping!

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Enjoyment Several Infusions

Between the Leaves March 2008

Mary R.

Scooby jokes aside, the “quick rinse” decaf myth doesn’t hold up. Celebrity doctors claim a 30–45 second first infusion removes nearly all caffeine while sparing flavor and polyphenols. Actual research shows only about 69% leaves after five minutes; true decaffeination would require roughly fifteen, wrecking taste and benefits.

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Enjoyment Chocolates

Love, Tea is in the Air

Christine Rillo

Whether you’re swooning, sulking, or stuck in the mushy middle, skip cliché candy boxes and let tea rescue Valentine’s Day. Pair dark chocolates with nuanced Assams, Darjeelings, and oolongs, host irreverent tea parties, gift discerning blends and luxe truffles—or lovingly brew a solitary pot and toast everyone else’s overcrowded dinner reservations.

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Enjoyment Valentine's Tea

Monthly Musings February 2008

Christine Rillo

February’s chill calls for cozy indoor rituals: steaming mugs, books, baking, and a dash of creativity. Adagio’s Signature Blends let you design personal teas—name, story, art and all—perfect for gifting. For Valentine’s Day bliss or brooding, sip chocolate‑strawberry Valentines Tea, sweetened with Sugar Crystals. Sip passionately, lovelies.

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Enjoyment The Kiss

Between the Leaves February 2008

Mary R

Aphrodisiac tea, eh? The real magic isn’t in rare roots or illicit leaves, but in psychology, anthropology, and a dash of theater. Tea’s exotic origins, sensual stories, and playful presentation kindle excitement better than dubious tisanes. Choose romance, imagination, and shared adventure over risky shortcuts—nothing kills the mood like catastrophe.

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Enjoyment Some monkfish at Pike Place Market

Happy New Year, Tea Drinkers!

Christine Rillo

As the year slips away, I savor how tea has shaped it and eagerly await new projects—teachef videos, teacritic, fresh blends. My tea-resolutions: master my gaiwan, delve into Chinese tea history, explore Darjeeling flushes, embrace pu-erh, craft a signature tisane, drink more oolong. Happy, tea-filled New Year!

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Enjoyment Caffeine's molecular structure

Between the Leaves January 2008

Mary R.

Detox demands decaf, but not all methods are created equal. Benzene is history; methylene chloride lingers mostly overseas. In the U.S., ethyl acetate gives “natural” yet lackluster tea, stripping flavor and benefits. Carbon dioxide, though, deftly lifts caffeine, preserves polyphenols, leaves no residue—your tastiest, safest New Year’s purification in a cup.

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Enjoyment Kosher Symbols

Between the Leaves: December 2008

Mary R.

Kosher tea is not inherently healthier than non-kosher tea. Kashrut is a religious system defining what is “correct,” focused mainly on animal products, not plants. Tea leaves are naturally kosher; only processing, flavorings, and equipment contact can render them treif. Kosher labels overlook pesticides, the primary health concern.

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Enjoyment Christmas Tea at the Drake Hotel

Monthly Musings December 2007

Christine Rillo

Ho, ho, ho, tea lovers! The holidays are brewing at Adagio with a festive Gift Gallery for every tea drinker, from TriniTEA to IngenuiTEA. Amid shopping stress, cherish traditions, give back, and savor quiet, soothing cups. Treat loved ones—and yourself. Warmest wishes for a joyful, tea-filled season.

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Enjoyment Electric Appliance for Matcha Tea

The Best and Worst in Tea 2007

Christine Rillo

Year’s end in tea: gimmicky “Be Well” rooibos and an absurd electric matcha whisk; serious China safety worries and tragic, ignored deaths in Darjeeling gardens. Brighter notes: playful yet tasty TNT discs, vivid Green Kiss chocolates, kid‑friendly sweet matcha powders, and anTEAdote’s organic iced teas. Debate welcome, holidays steeped happily.

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Enjoyment Stevia Rebaudiana

Between the Leaves: Stevia Rebaudiana

Mary R

Holiday sweets loom, but daily sugary drinks are easier sacrifices. Tea can taste naturally sweet, yet syrupy cravings persist. Most “natural” alternatives still pack calories. Stevia, a centuries‑used South American plant, offers sugar‑like sweetness without pounds, despite lingering regulatory controversy. Widely available, sometimes liquorice‑tinged, it’s a guilt-light gift for devoted tea drinkers.

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Enjoyment Amai Tea and Bake House

Hello Tea Connoisseurs!

Christine Rillo

Holiday season means armfuls of cooking magazines, bursting menus, and pots of rooibos and Silver Needle to soothe post-feast comas. I’m tempting guests with tea-and-cheese pairings, dreaming of tea-brined turkey, gifting the luminous Story of Tea, and savoring Amai Tea and Bake House’s sweets—scones-as-supper, youthful entrepreneurship, and online-ready stocking stuffers.

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Enjoyment Pumpkin Spice

Monthly Musings, October 2007

Christine Rillo

Cool air approaches; kettles call. I trade summer’s scorch for stews, soups, and steaming mugs. Our revamped TeaChef.com brims with your recipes, Green Anji inspires new creations, and a cooking-with-tea short debuts abroad. Holiday blends return soon—serve Pumpkin Spice beside hot cider and savor autumn’s comforting, fragrant, tea-kissed embrace.

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Enjoyment Silver Needle

Between the Leaves, October 2007

Mary R.

Those “hairs” in your Silver Needle aren’t filthy, dead mammal strands but living plant trichomes—protective leaf outgrowths that guard young tea buds against UV, drying, herbivores and pathogens. White tea preserves them, lending softer mouthfeel. If appearance overwhelms you, use paper filters—but better, trust them and drink.

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Enjoyment New Green Teas from Adagio

Monthly Musings, September 2007

Christine Rillo

Dear tea lovers, savor our freshly brewed newsletter makeover: revamped layout, “Between the Leaves” FAQ, returning TeaCasts, Monthly Musings, photos on Flickr, and more. Discover our new flavored greens, the updated utiliTEA kettle, and TNT teas from The Art of Tea. Sip, share, and send us your tea tales.

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Enjoyment Christine Rillo

Between the Leaves, September 2007

Mary R.

Loose tea leaves can yield multiple infusions, depending on how heavily they’re processed. Bagged CTC blacks give one, whole-leaf blacks and chopped greens about two, greens and whites two to four, oolongs four to six or more. Keep leaves warm, damp, covered, and never longer than twelve hours.

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Enjoyment Tea and Sweets

Tea and Sweets

Christine Rillo

Tea time begs for a sweet companion, and today’s darlings are tea themselves: BISCOTTEA’s subtly scented shortbreads, Amai’s tender, hand-cut Tea Sweets, and Keiko-Tea’s matcha-rich chocolate bars. Each folds leaf and liquor into buttery crumbs or creamy cocoa, turning a simple cup into a small, fragrant celebration.

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Enjoyment image by Charles Schiller

Hosting a Tea Tasting

Dina Cheney

Begin with varied teas to explore basic styles, then narrow to one category—black, green, or oolong—for deeper comparison. Choose six teas differing in color, flavor, strength, and origin. Organize brewing with a detailed cheat sheet. During tasting, analyze leaves, liquor, aroma, flavor, finish, and personal preference.

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Enjoyment Urban Tea Party

Pay Tea Forward

Amanda Schwarz

Inspired by “pay it forward,” Atlanta news anchor and tea lover Lisa Campbell gives away her thriving Urban Tea Party teashop instead of selling it. After 457 applications, meticulous finalist interviews, and a standout proposal, e‑commerce specialist Sharolyn Sellers becomes owner, pledging community empowerment and future generosity through PossibiliTea.

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Enjoyment Enviga

The Best and Worst of 2006

Amanda Schwarz

Reflecting on 2006’s tea landscape, the author skewers Enviga, Snapple White Tea, snobby Teavana, Lipton’s pyramid bags, and mourns Jenaer Glas. Then, with equal vigor, they praise Snapple’s white tea buzz, Bodum’s Bora Bora press, Adagio’s pyramid bags, and Steve Smith’s post-Starbucks freedom—finally inviting readers’ own best-and-worst nominations.

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Enjoyment Does all tea get better with age?

Does all tea get better with age?

Mr. Tea

In the ring of tea debate, Deanna and Willamina grapple over freshness: Deanna champions lively leaves, richer aroma and flavor; Willamina claims age is irrelevant, even superior. Mr. Tea referees: most teas fade after a year, though Pu Erh uniquely improves through estate fermentation. Verdict: Deanna wins—freshness matters.

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Enjoyment

How much tea leaves to use

Mr. Tea

Poor college student Seth loves Silver Needle but fears wasting pricey leaves because their odd shape defeats teaspoons. Mr. Tea mock-scolds his “shapping” and “measurment,” then prescribes 2.5 grams per 8 ounces, jokingly weighed against a pre‑1965 dime and Monty Python–style witches, ducks, and scales.

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Enjoyment Will the plants like it?

Tea Leaf Experiments

Amanda Schwarz

Used tea leaves get a second act as fertilizer, cleaner, beauty aid, bath, deodorizer, mouthwash, and art supply. Results range from perkier plants and refreshed eyes to moldy rugs, endless tub scrubbing, and “minty swamp” breath. In the end, the noblest destiny of the leaf remains the liquor in the cup.

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Enjoyment Chris Cason

10 Discoveries in 10 Days

Amanda Schwarz

New to Adagio, I’m drowning—in tea, not paperwork. Orange Pekoe isn’t orange, Darjeeling is a place, green tea shouldn’t be boiled, and year-old leaves taste uniformly of “stale.” Trade supermarket bags for loose leaves, discover TeaChat, meet old coworkers in new guises, and accept frequent, tea-fueled bathroom breaks.

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Enjoyment Night Blooming Jasmine

The Basics of Brewing Oolong

Richard Goodness

Wu long, better known as oolong, is a widely available tea, not a rare miracle slimming cure. All tea comes from Camellia sinensis and offers similar modest metabolic benefits. Enjoy oolong—jasmine-scented, dark Wuyi, grassy Ti Kuan Yin, rich Formosa—for flavor, multiple infusions, and as a sensible complement to real diet and exercise.

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Enjoyment Picking the best iced teas

Picking the best iced teas

Mr. Tea

Any tea can be delicious iced, even if white isn’t your favorite chilled companion. Experiment with fruity blends, mango rooibos, bright green gunpowder, or robust Assam Harmony. Brew double-strength, dilute with cold water, ignore harmless cloudiness—or tame it with vitamin C. Or simply grab a ready-to-sip anTEAdote white.

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Enjoyment Camellia Sinensis

The Basics of Brewing Black Tea

Richard Goodness

Black tea, the coffee-lover’s tea, comes from camellia sinensis leaves fully oxidized through withering, rolling, oxidation, and firing. CTC makes quick, cheap teabags; hand-rolled leaves give richer cups. Brew a teaspoon per eight ounces, five minutes, with optional milk and sugar. Explore Yunnan Gold, Earl Grey, English and Irish Breakfast.

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Enjoyment Richard's First Love

A Different Aesthetic, or, Four Weeks With Tea

Richard Goodness

The scent hits first: 150 teas at once, fruit and spice and chocolate and leaf. A casual teabag drinker, fluent only in videogames and bad diner coffee, is thrown into camellia sinensis’s labyrinth—pu erh and genmai cha, whites and oolongs—learning water, time, tannins, aesthetics. Tea becomes complexity, not caffeine.

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Enjoyment I'm not the one with the tea problem!

I'm not the one with the tea problem!

Mr. Tea

College is for glorious oddities: chatroom role‑players, pet bears named Gringolet, and yes, freshmen hauling ten pounds of oolong and illicit kettles. Your tea obsession isn’t a pathology, it’s your charming eccentricity. Embrace historical spectacle, dodge campus fire codes with microwave teaware, and steep proudly amid the coffee‑soaked masses.

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Enjoyment Valentine's gift for my love

Valentine's gift for my love

Mr. Tea

Tea needn’t serenade from a saxophone; romance steeps in story. Tell her of Huang Shan’s lovers: his murder, her endless tears becoming mist, his body a tea bush birthing cloud-kissed gardens. Brew that legend with blooming tea flowers, and let sentiment, not expense, infuse your Valentine’s Day.

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Enjoyment Reading Tea Leaves

A History of Reading Tea Leaves

Chris Cason

Tasseomancy—reading tea leaves—turns a humble white cup into a tiny oracle. Swirl, drain, then scan the scattered leaves: past to the left, future to the right, near-future at the rim, symbols whispering subconscious shorthand. Supermarket teabags need not apply. As tea’s popularity surges, the future in every cup looks brighter.

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Enjoyment I got that feeling my sweet Darjeeling

I got that feeling my sweet Darjeeling

Mr. Tea

Dear tea-loving songstress, tea and tunes have twirled together since 19th‑century English tea dances—“the dansant”—through America’s Tea Tangoes, where working women met partners to latin-tinged music. Today, tea songs abound, including Mr. Tea’s concept CD, The White (Tea) Album. Discover more steeped-in-song delights in his recommended favorite.

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Enjoyment Numi's Flowering Tea

Tea Trends of 2005, pt. 2

Chris Cason

TeaMuse closes 2005 by crowning Numi’s dazzling flowering teas, Adagio’s swift, programmable triniTEA, Rishi’s organic, fully biodegradable iced teabags, and the redesigned, easier-cleaning ingenuiTEA teapot. With rooibos liberated, Harney honored, and a cheeky new tea guide in print, the year steeps to a warmly satisfied finale.

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Enjoyment Past Relationships

Past Relationships

Mr. Tea

There was a Mrs. Tea once—an unfortunate teabag-wielding mistake I eventually tossed when she wore out early. I later saw her haunting sketchy classifieds and the internet. Experience taught me better: abandon sad electric contraptions and “Mr. Coffee” nonsense. With triniTEA and loose leaves, my life—and teacup—finally feel complete.

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Enjoyment ReadyWhenUR Tea Kettle

Tea Trends of 2005, pt. 1

Chris Cason

As 2005 winds down, TeaMuse surveys the year’s tea missteps: gimmicky £100 text-controlled kettles, overpriced metal tea sticks, cloyingly sugary “healthy” green tea Frappuccinos, awkward health wands that oversteep, and Adagio’s award-winning yet delayed anTEAdote—inviting readers’ own judgments before next month’s celebration of 2005’s finest innovations.

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Enjoyment Guarani Shaman

Tea Trends: Yerba Mate

Chris Cason

Yerba Mate, ancient Guarani herbal infusion and household cure, arrives as tea’s latest “new” craze. Born of myths—gods, shamans, revived strength—it’s caffeinated mateine in a gourd, sipped through bombillas, chemically cousin to Camellia sinensis. Adagio admires its culture, questions its hay‑smoke flavor, and declines to sell what they won’t drink.

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Enjoyment Microsoft Kava

Microsoft Kava

Mr. Tea

A Microsoft tech inspires Delaware Bob’s quest for “Kava.” Mr. Tea salutes Redmond’s tea-savvy patriots, then clarifies: she likely meant Kashmiri green-tea “Kahva,” fragrant with almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, and sugar, not the sedative South Pacific herb kava, whose euphoric tea demands caution—and no DIY computer repairs.

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Enjoyment Storing Tea

Storing Tea

Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea, no mohawk, no Stallone scuffles, only Golden Monkey gold. Store tea in dark, dry, airtight refuge—cupboards, not iceboxes. Freezers curse leaves with moisture, leaching flavor, shortening their sweet, steepable lives. Blacks last about a year; delicate greens and whites fade sooner. Keep it fresh, cupboard-bound, swagger intact.

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Enjoyment Wedding invites

Tea Recommendations for Weddings

Chris Cason

Boy meets girl, persistence prevails, and tea steals the scene. From Charles II and Catherine igniting Britain’s tea craze, to Chinese wedding tea ceremonies blessing respect, family, and fertility, tea unites hearts. Today, Adagio’s customizable tea wedding favors continue the tradition, letting couples share love’s story, one cup at a time.

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Enjoyment Woman enjoying tea

Tea Gift Guide for Mother's Day

Chris Cason

Pregnant? Skip Camellia sinensis and its sneaky caffeine, even in decaf. Embrace familiar, food-safe herbal infusions instead—especially rooibos, peppermint, and raspberry leaf, while shunning ephedra, cohosh, pennyroyal, and mugwort. Read labels, question “pregnancy teas,” consult your doctor, ignore wind folklore, and savor safe, soothing cups all nine months.

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Enjoyment White Tea

White Tea

Mr. Tea

All teas spring from stalwart Camellia Sinensis, sharing a core chemistry of antioxidants and vigor. Though processing tints leaves white, green, oolong, or black, health differences prove surprisingly slim. So sip what suits your palate and pleasure; physicians propose three to four cups daily, steeped as part of a balanced, svelte life.

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Enjoyment Darjeeling

Introduction to First Flush Teas

Chris Cason

April crowns tea’s true new year. In Himalayan Darjeeling, mist and crystalline cold awaken bushes into first flush: pale, puckery, intensely aromatic leaves, handled like green tea, oversteeped at peril. Like Beaujolais Nouveau, these fleeting jewels fetch dear prices—and in our office, their arrival is nothing less than Tea Christmas.

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Enjoyment Being and Time

Being and Time

Mr. Tea

TIME noticed my ingenuiTEA, but I’m still holding out for TeaMuse glory. Long ago, Adagio’s founders recruited the dazzling genius Mr. Tea. Meditating beneath the Assam Tea Tree, I realized gravity could replace fussy presses and teaballs. Thus bottom-filter brewing was born, perfected in Taiwan, homeland of master teapots.

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Enjoyment Chamomile Tea

A Brief Introduction to Chamomile

Chris Cason

From Egyptian papyri to Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, chamomile has soothed bodies and spirits. Roman and German varieties share a sweet, applelike charm and “plant physician” lore. Modern research now confirms its anti-inflammatory, sedative, antimicrobial powers, making this gentle, caffeine-free tisane a delicious ally for health. Tea drinkers, rejoice.

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Enjoyment Quick Guide to Brew English Breakfast Tea

Quick Guide to Brew English Breakfast Tea

Mr. Tea

Tiny Thea, survivor of Scrooge-strength brews, you’re right to rebel. Proper English Breakfast demands the holy trinity: one teaspoon leaves per cup, boiling water at 212°F, and a strict five‑minute steep. Too weak is tragic, too long is bitter—follow the golden ratio and rescue both palate and family.

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Enjoyment Boiling Kettle

An Introduction to Brewing Green Tea

Chris Cason

Brewing green tea once meant superstition, scorched fingers, fickle bubbles and temperamental thermometers. From rumbling kettles to seven-cup fried-rice rituals, imprecision reigned. Enter utiliTEA: a reasonably priced, variable-temperature electric kettle spanning 140 degrees to boiling, marrying modern convenience with ancient leaves. Resolution fulfilled: greener, gentler, reliably delicious tea.

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Enjoyment Should You Put in Milk In Tea First?

Should You Put in Milk In Tea First?

Mr. Tea

Most experts—and this Sultan of Steep—insist tea belongs in the cup alone, milk exiled to cereal bowls. Properly brewed leaves need no adulteration. Historically, milk signaled thrift and class, stretching costly tea, not enhancing it. If you must add milk, never to green or white, lest you incur Mr. Tea’s wrath.

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Enjoyment Shen Nung

A History of Teabags

Chris Cason

From Shen Nung’s loose leaves to Sullivan’s accidental silk sacks, tea’s story derailed into dusty, flavorless paper bags ruling Western cups. Cramped leaves, cheap fannings, and blocked water flow birthed mediocrity. Salvation now steeps in full-leaf sachets and clever loose-tea strainers, promising tea its long-overdue Starbucks-style renaissance.

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Enjoyment Iced Tea

4 Memorial Day Iced Tea Options

Chris Cason

Memorial Day launches iced tea season and a cavalcade of chilled concoctions. From classic pitchers, Sweet tea and green-tea margaritas to boba, Thai Cha Yen, and iced Masala Chai, summer brims with flavor. Better bottled teas, tea sodas, and herbal tisanes expand possibilities—always anchored by uncompromisingly good leaf.

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Enjoyment White Darjeeling

4 Tips To Improve Your Tea

Chris Cason

Resolve to make 2004 the Year of the Leaf: wake up bored infusers with new, neglected teas; share tea’s pleasures and throw parties; demand better than stale tea-dust in restaurants; and loyally support local tearooms. Keep resolutions specific, shared, and heartfelt—and stay happy, healthy, and perpetually, deliciously thirsty.

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Enjoyment Anteadote Bottled Tea

2002 Tea Trends

Diana Rosen

Tea in the 21st century is exuberantly diverse: playful bubble teas, cleaner bottled brews, ascendant rooibos, blossoming glass-display teas, revered whites, high-tech pyramid bags, vibrant matcha culture, and tea-sipping screen characters. Health studies applaud flavonoids and polyphenols, while inventive vendors keep pushing boundaries. Raise a glass-tea to continual evolution.

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Enjoyment Adagio Teas: What's in a Name?

Adagio Teas: What's in a Name?

Michael Cramer

Adagio, Italian for slow, became our tea company’s name and muse: a tranquil counterpoint to a hurried world, advantageously alphabetic in early Yahoo days. From Assam Harmony to Keemun Concerto, music infuses our teas, labels, and forthcoming adagio CD catalog—inviting anyone, no training required, to savor calm, like music, in a cup.

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Enjoyment Blooming Display Tea

6 Resolutions to Explore Tea More

Diana Rosen

Resolve to make 2003 a more “tea-full” year: taste a new tea each season, travel to tea-growing lands or local enclaves, experiment with brewing rituals, read adventurous tea histories, entertain thoughtfully over the teapot, and give teas and accoutrements that deepen friends’ appreciation of this endlessly unfolding beverage.

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Enjoyment Bubble Tea

Boba: Everything You Need to Know about Bubble Tea

Diana Rosen

From humble iced tea to Thai blends and masala chai, our glasses evolved toward dessert. Then came Taiwan’s playful boba: tapioca “pudding in a cup,” slurped through fat straws, jeweled with fruits, teas, and textures. Shocking to purists, adored by teens, bubble tea makes tea delightfully, deliciously unserious.

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Enjoyment Pearl Blossom Green Display Tea

Specialty Teas: Bird Nests and Dragon Balls

Diana Rosen

Tea leaves become performance art: rolled into pearls, jade rings and gunpowder balls; drawn into tumbling silver needles and spider legs; pressed as ancient bricks once used as currency; or bound as blooming mudans and nests. Brewed in glass, they unfurl slowly, offering spectacle, history, and delicate changing flavors.

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Enjoyment Kettle or Microwave: Water for Tea

Kettle or Microwave: Water for Tea

Diana Rosen

Microwave ovens, with their erratic superheating and lack of audible, visible cues, produce dangerously hot, nucleation‑prone, air‑stripped water that flattens tea into lifeless tinted liquid. A kettle, by contrast, boils safely, predictably, sensually—restoring dissolved air, flavor complexity, and the contemplative, timeless ceremony that true tea preparation deserves.

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Enjoyment Bird Sutra Yixing Teapot

Chinese Teaware: The Artistry of Yixing

Diana Rosen

Yixing teapots, fashioned from porous purple clay, marry austere function with lyrical beauty. Seasoned by decades of dedicated use, they deepen tea’s aroma, becoming treasured companions. From Sung nobles to ragged connoisseurs, true wealth lies not in gold, but in shared cups, worn handles, and clay steeped with memory.

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Enjoyment The Best Water for Brewing Tea

The Best Water for Brewing Tea

Diana Rosen

Tea’s delicate soul depends on water’s character. Ancient springs are now echoed by regulated modern sources: spring, artesian, glacial, and purified municipal waters. Minerals enliven tea; ultra-pure or distilled often flatten it. Taste, compare, then brew. Bottled or filtered, choose fresh, clean, lively water—and let your palate, like Confucius, guide you.

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Enjoyment Recipe: How to Make Calicut Chai

Recipe: How to Make Calicut Chai

Diana Rosen

Calicut’s storied shore, once alive with Arab, Portuguese, and Dutch traders bargaining over teak, spices, and tea, now hosts a fading yet fragrant trading house. As it evolves into a modern tower, its blue shutters, masala chai, and echoes of multilingual commerce will continue perfuming Kerala’s Arabian Sea horizon.

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Enjoyment

Great Tea Shortage: An Endangered Species

Wendy Rasmussen

Truly great tea is quietly vanishing. As demand rises, traditional gardens abandon laborious orthodox manufacture for high‑yield CTC, doubling cups per kilo but erasing leaf style, nuance, and heritage. Only consumers, valuing hand‑crafted teas and accepting fair prices per cup, can sustain orthodox production and preserve tea’s thousands‑year-old spectrum of flavor.

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