White Monkey

Experience buying from Adagio: < More later, but overall positive >

Age of leaf: I was not able to find this information on their website. : (

Packaging: This was a decent sized sample that came in an opaque plastic package nicely decorated with their colors, the weight and the name of the tea on it, and information on the back about Adagio.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: vegetal and spicy; looks similar to Pi Lo Chun: light and dark green curly leaves; some broken pieces.

Brewing guidelines: _{Standard parameters for my green teas} Labeled as 0.4 oz tea = 6 cups of water. Glass Bodum pot where leaves are free to roam. Stevia added.
……….1st: 177; 1’
……….2nd: 178; 1.5
……….3rd: 187; 2’
……….4th: 187; 3’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: standard green tea aroma: vegetal, mildly sweet; yellow green color.

Flavor of tea liquor: very good: vegetal and spicy; mild flavor on the forth steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: a number of fragments were floating in the water when steeping, but all the leaves were floating on top for each steeping. Overall OK quality leaf: a number of broken pieces with many full longish leaves and small buds, with a few stems.

Value: reasonable for the flavor you get from the leaf: $24 / 8oz.

Overall: I recently bought four samples from Adagio (all green teas). It’s still early (I have two more samples to try) yet to form any kind of solid opinion about Adagio’s unflavored green teas, but after being disappointed with their melon seeds, I have more hope for them after trying this tea. Although I am not impressed with the quality of the leaf (The Puritea’s White Monkey looked better), until I tried this tea I have never had a green tea that smelled and tasted spicy, so I am impressed with the flavor. I may buy this one if I can get it for a good price; who knew, a spicy green tea?!

Light. Sweet. A delicate green that isn’t as vegetal as some I’ve had and liked. Its a refreshing change of pace. Also, the dry leaves are lovely, all curled and twisted in their little sample tin. This would be a good after-dinner drink, when you are winding down in the evening. Less optimal as a morning tea. I need something that beats me over the head with flavor in the morning.

In the package: I’m going to assume that this “vegetal” thing that everyone is referring to is that spinach aroma I’m getting. There’s a sharp, mid-palate sweetness in the dry tea as well.

Steeped: I know I should ask forgiveness for saying this, but it smells an awful lot like cooked spinach. It could be worse, at least it does not smell like canned spinach.

Taste: My southern palate is referencing spinach with a little bit of bacon, of all things. Not as bitter as turnip greens, but spinach-like with smoke undertone. Completely drinkable without sweetening as long as one keeps in mind that it’s really, uhhh, vegetal. Honey brings out the smoke but doesn’t make it taste better, really.

This brew was just on the edge of being bitter, I really need to buy a thermometer for the water! The smell is wonderful, very sweet. I find the flavour a bit fruity, mostly due to hints of melon. Otherwise it is quite vegetal, with a dry aftertaste.

I’ll drink the rest of the sample can I got, but I won’t be reordering.

A great tea. Pretty subtle, but definitely sweet.

Not bad, but really mild and kind of boring. Nice light vegetal grassiness to it, but nothing exciting enough that I feel like I need to buy it again after I run out of this sample.

My first taste of this I totally didn’t like, but then the flavors settled down a bit and I enjoyed the subtile, warming flavors. But by the end of the cup I was back to just not enjoying the flavor again. I got smokey and vegetal flavors. I think the best I can really say is I didn’t dislike this tea, but I don’t think I’ll be buying it again.

Unbrewed leaves smell sweet, and almost floral.
Brewed, it’s a yellow liquor. Not too veggy, not too astringent. Not too anything really. Very basic, not unpleasant, but not that really impresses.

I’ll drink the rest of the sample, but I probably won’t reorder – it just doesn’t make an impression.

My second brew of the day and the first of my green tea sample from Adagio. As a newb still trying to find his way – I enjoy the sweetness and light freshness about the tea. Will have to have more before I can make a final judgement of whether I’d buy more.

One of my favorites in the green tea sampler I ordered. I don’t like strong, grassy greens, so this one fits me very well, especially with a dash of honey.

This is a very refreshing,very light white tea. I relly can’t believe that it was so cheap! The directions on the package say to let it steep for two minutes, but because I like my tea strong I tend to let it go for three.

I often use this as my middle of the day or evening tea.

I’ve found that when White Monkey is served to geusts (even non-tea snobs) they enjoy it and often ask me what it is, and where I got it.

Overall: I find that this is a geat whtie tea for a unbeatable price, and I highly recommend it.

When I use the lose tea I find that I can steep the same leafs three times, however they lose their ability to really get the job done after that.

Mellow, mild and barely green.

Kinda bland. Not a bad tea at all, but there are better plain green teas.

This tea is very light and refreshing, slightly sweat. Very nice afternoon tea.

Very light green tea with a sweet flavor that reminds me of honey. Not at all grassy like some green teas can be but not as flavorful as I would’ve liked.

Tasteless. Not worth it.

White Monkey + thick bacon + sunny side up eggs + 12 grain buttered toast = WIN

Great light tea for evenings with good music in background. Plus nice feeling to watch leaves to dissolve in glass bowl. Tea meditation.

Green tea for those who don’t like green! Delicate, sweet, and not powerfully vegetal.