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I’d gotten this as a free sample with another tea I’d ordered, because it was one of the only teas Adagio offered as a sample that wasn’t a flavored or herbal tea. The first time I tried it, I was unimpressed. However, this afternoon I was helping my dad fix dinner and I wanted to fix some tea, so I decided to give this another go.

During round 1, I was puzzled by all the reviews on Adagio.com that raved about its “nutty” flavor; I just tasted burnt grass. I would have feared I’d oversteeped it had the dry leaves not smelled exactly the same. I erred on the side of caution anyway. Adagio recommends steeping it at 180 for 2-3 minutes. This time, I veered closer to Teavana instructions with 175-180 for ~45 seconds.

I still taste burnt grass. Or toasty lawnmower clippings. But it doesn’t bug me quite as much as my first try. I can see it being an acquired taste. Or working well when blended with something else. Don’t know what. Maybe this time, I just knew what to expect.

Had to be up at 5 AM to take my mom to the airport, so made a couple of cups from this with second-infusion leaves. This time (and I normally don’t do this but I know this tea doesn’t really oversteep) it steeped for an hour and a half. Then I took a three and a half hour nap, then reheated the tea (whoops!) So I wound up having this tea about five and a half hours after I originally made it. This time around, I get a little bit of malty and a lot bit of peppery, and normally it’s the reverse with this one. Still a good wake-up tea, though.

I’d already had four cups of tea today (which is a lot for me), two of which were another jasmine tea, but I figured my pre-bedtime tea tonight would be this one. I’d worked myself up and gotten upset over something (as I tend to do when I’m tired), so I figured my best bet would be to go with my stand-by “Calm the F*** Down” tea. Nice, robust jasmine flavor that I love, wrapped into pretty little pearls that are easy to handle and easy to clean out when unfurled. This tea also doesn’t seem to oversteep quite as easily as the other green teas I’ve attempted… which, since I am a time klutz, is a very good thing! Hit the spot.

I’ve had this tea a few times and liked it, so I decided I would make a few cups for my after-work tea. I heated the water, put the leaves in, and steeped it for three-ish minutes, maybe a tad too long. Went to smell it… and there was the faint, familiar, turkey-like aroma of Yet Another Oversteeped Dud. Damn. Let it cool for several minutes, then went for a sip… it’s just on the inside edge of being oversteeped!

It’s a good jasmine fix, if you like jasmine (which I do!) The only other thing I have to compare it to is the Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls from Teavana, which is my hands-down “Calm the F*** Down” tea. It’s a lighter flavor of jasmine without being too light for my tastes. Floral, soft, jasmine, yadda yadda. Bit cheaper alternative to my beloved Pearls. Will probably become a standard.

This is probably in my top three teas so far! The item description talks about the “peppery” taste in this tea. I only notice it when I’m looking for it. Most of what I get is a smooth, “malty?” taste. It’s not as “earthy”/dirt-like as some other Chinese teas; just warm and comforting. The leaves are golden-brown and smell sweet, and they don’t oversteep, which is perfect for people like me who don’t always fancy standing around with a stopwatch. Just all-around good!

I got this tea for (apparently) 60% off – and so far it’s been a good investment! It’s exactly what I think of when I think of green tea: like you’re drinking some kind of plant without it being “grassy.” Fairly simple, clean flavor. Some people have talked about it having a nutty taste. Perhaps my tastebuds aren’t terribly complex, but I just taste green. Gotta watch, though – I have oversteeped this thing at least once!