Coconut Grove Pouchong

Coconut Grove Pouchong. Adagio.
Lot No. 81375. FB: n/a.

One “portions pouch” of leaf, steeped Western, as directed: 3.6 g leaf in 8 oz 190°F alpine spring water, using a stainless infusion basket, for 3 min. Re-steeped 4.5 min and 6 min.

I’ve never sipped a pouchong before, let alone a flavored blend of pouchong, so I studied the reviews of Adagio’s straight pouchong (a type of oolong from Taiwan) in order to help parse out the flavors and know what to expect. I do like coconut (esp. in piña coladas), so I was optimistic. And the fragrance of the dry leaf was nothing if not potently coconutty! Whilst steeping, I noticed the leaf was a bright olive green in shade, and was pretty finely chopped, with only a few small intact leaves, but quite a lot of stems. Not sure how folks can enjoy watching the leaf expand, but since those notes were 15 yr old, perhaps the quality of the base tea has been changed.

Sipping on the first infusion blasted me with delicious aromas and flavors of coconut, to the extent that I did not really taste the base tea except for a flowery note. Well, prior reviewers did say the pouchong was delicate! But as the tea cooled, the coconut potency declined, and by the end of the cup I was noting some floral and green tea flavors that were quite pleasant.

While steeping the second infusion, I pulled out a strip of white coconut flesh and popped it in my mouth. What a surprise to get hit with the flavor of a mouthful of flowers! I wonder if Adagio hasn’t dosed the coconut with floral flavoring. In any case, as I began sipping this 2nd infusion, the coconut was now sharing the stage with the flavors of the base tea and floral flavoring. I could discern some bitterness and vegetal notes, and appreciated the golden yellow color of the clear liquor. There even seemed to be a note of fruitiness as the tea cooled in my cup. I tossed in a half lump of sugar to the quarter cup or so remaining, and enjoyed a nicely tropical two mouthfuls, and noted the coconut humming away at the back of my tongue.

The third steeping retained a golden yellow hue, and a soft coconut aroma. Flavors of both the pouchong and the coconut were very gentle here, but passably pleasant. I never really got the burst of sweet pouchong flavors that others reported long ago for the base tea. I won’t push for another re-steep of the largely exhausted leaf. If I were to have another session with this tea, I would combine all three steepings and sweeten slightly, possibly icing the tea. Recommended, with a rating of 68, but only if you like coconut!

TTB 2025 – I am usually a fan of coconut teas, but not this one. I brewed my first cup at 195° per the instructions. I agree with Kaylee that the base is too coarse. It overpowered the coconut and was astringent. I ended up dumping half of my first cup. I decided to give it a second chance and brewed at 155° on the second steep. The base tea was less harsh but still astringent. I got more coconut flavor in the taste, at least.

Day 9 of DIY mostly Adagio advent. The coconut flavor in this is fine – not too oily, decently creamy – but the base tea is extremely meh. It just has this coarse edge to it that doesn’t complement the flavoring and makes it impossible for me to enjoy the cup. I tried adding honey in an effort to soften the edge, but it didn’t help at all.

This sample had been sitting forever in my cupboard. I had an unpleasant experience a while back with another Adagio coconut baozhong which made me a little reluctant to try this version. That and coconut being one of my least favorite ingredients in blends. But in the spirit of sipdowns, I finally gave it a go today.

I ambient brewed the tea for 3 hours and then poured over ice. The flavor reminded me of coconut cream pie. Rich, buttery and very coconut forward. You really have to love coconut to appreciate this tea. I couldn’t taste the pouchong base as the coconut flavoring overwhelms everything. Would like to blend this with a straight tea next time to mellow it out a bit.

2021 Sipdown: 27
(First sip down of February!)
Another tiny sample from Adagio
The dry leaf of this one smells good
This one definitely has that sort of artificial coconut flavor. It’s making me think of DavidsTea’s CocoMint Tea. So if you like that tea you’d probably like this one as well. I’m not loving this one I just don’t love the flavor profile of the DavidsTea and this one is very similar tasting to me. I am a huge fan of non-flavored Coconut Pouchong teas. Which is why I ordered this one I don’t think I realized it was flavored. So that’s totally on me but I’m still glad I got to try it.

Cold Brew Sipdown (1421)!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Pouchong/Bao Zhong and coconut are just such a spectacular combination! As a cold brew, this was soft and delicate with silky notes of buttery floral oolong and creamy coconut. It’s light but doesn’t lack richness, and honestly it’s just a very hydrating and soothing thing to sip on.

I have DT’s Coconut Oolong, which is similar (but a bit stronger coconut) so I’m not upset to be finishing this one off – but if I didn’t have a more convenient/accessible tea in the same vein then I would probably consider repurchasing this tea a lot more heavily.