Review of Mambo by Adagio

Name: Mambo

Brand: Adagio Teas

Type: Black tea

Form: Loose leaf

Cost: $2 for a 10 cup sampler, 3 ounces for $12. Quantity discounts available.

Review: Well, this is nifty. Mambo is an inexpensive black tea blend (WuYi and Yunnan leaves) that is remarkably versatile. Great as a breakfast tea, very nice on its own, and delicious on ice.

The dry leaf is positively scary looking, with long, twisted dark leaves and some golden tips. Its nose is of tobacco with a strange, herbal backnote of steamed bell pepper. The tea infuses to a dark honey-amber, and the tobacco nose becomes richer and deeper.

On the palate, the tea is sweet (which is common in Yunnan teas) but it also has a robust, tobacco/honey backnote. Not a huge amount of astringency, and it works remarkably well with breakfast food. Still, the tea is quite smooth, and makes for a lovely cuppa any time of the day. (It also works really well as an iced tea.)

Incidentally, the leaves on this tea are surprisingly large and quite intact. This makes them good for multiple steepings, which is unusual in a black tea and makes Adagio’s Mambo a particularly good value.

Sample Provided by Manufacturer?: No

Affiliate Links in this Post?: Yes