This is the last of the Adagio herbal sampler. I see that I was also possessed to buy the honeybush sampler, so I’m not quite tisaned out. At least I skipped the rooibos. I must have been past the rooibos infatuation but didn’t yet know what to make of honeybush when I ordered it.
In any case, this is straight lemongrass, which I don’t think I have had before. It looks like fine, greenish straw, and it smells lemony, planty and vaguely spicy.
It has a pretty, light, lemon smell, and though it’s surprising to me, I’m finding I like it more than the Luscious Lemon from Simpson & Vail, which was an attempt at blending about a gazillion lemon things and which sounded terrific on paper, but which had a bitterness to it that I didn’t find pleasing.
Though this is definitely a single note, it has a mild, almost sweet endpoint to the sip rather than turning bitter. Inexplicably, it is lemonier to me than the Luscious Lemon was, probably because I don’t associate lemon with bitter (tart yes, bitter no).
It’s really not bad by itself. Way better than I’d expected. I should mention that I used quite a bit of “leaf” which may have helped. Fortunately, even if I overdid the leaf this didn’t turn soapy on me like the lemon myrtle did. In fact, overdoing is the way to go, I’m convinced.
It’s not the perfect lemon, but it’s surprisingly within striking distance.
I love lemongrass in my food and tea!