★★★★☆
Extra grassy green but still really good it’s a really great base for spearmint.
One of China's most famous teas, from Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. Distinctive flattened leaf shape gives the tea an inviting, toasty aroma. Sweet rounded flavor, like freshly roasted white corn. Nutty, buttery texture, pleasantly dry finish.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Dragonwell, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Extra grassy green but still really good it’s a really great base for spearmint.
As someone who grew up drinking dragonwell I'm quite satisfied with the price/quality.
Delicious and smooth green tea. Very flavorful. Don't steep too long (as with any green tea) or it will get bitter.
This is a great tea with or without honey or sugar.
One of my favorite greens. Light, delicate, flowery.
It's pretty good. I mix half and half with genmai cha
My absolute favorite green, I love the vegetal notes and the slight sweetness.
It smells and tastes like it was stored next to an artificial Teavana fruit tea. Pale, none of the classic roasted flavor you expect in a long jing.
I am not a huge fan of Green Tea. But I always try it when it comes up in the CommuniTEA. My bag had very long leaves. But it was too earthy for me.
Pleasant green tea, whose Adagio description is pretty on point! Nutty and roasted corn notes along with usual green notes, with slight butteriness and a nice level of astringency. This isn't making my favorite green teas list, but I can see how it could be someone else's favorite! Tried through CommuniTEA.
The CommuniTEA packet of Dragonwell tea had a generous amount of leaves. I steeped at a lower temperature (175F) for 2 minutes for a light greenish-yellow tea. The first steep tasted savory, almost reminiscent of a mild vegetable broth. There was no grassiness or bitterness. I didn't notice any taste of freshly roasted white corn, but the second and third steeps had a sweet note to them that made a pleasant sip without added sweeteners.
I noticed the “butteriness” at first with this tea but unfortunately it became bitter too quick as it cooled. My first cup wasn’t good because of the bitter taste and a bit of sugar couldn’t fix it. My second cup was nice but still had a tad bitter of an aftertaste. This was an “earthy” green tea. This flavor wasn’t bad as a part of CommuniTEA but I won’t be buying a bag for myself since there are other green teas I liked more.
I have to agree with everyone who says this is buttery, that's spot on. It's also toasty and a bit nutty or even corny. Green tea isn't my go-to, but I would still recommend this one.
Another CommuniTEA green tea. This one was tolerable, and not as fishy as most green teas tend to be. I’m sure if green tea is your thing, this is probably a great tea!
Sweet and buttery toward the bottom of the cup but tasted, to me, very much like sweetened tap water on the first few sips. I’m not going to toss the portion because I definitely need more time to understand the flavors of this oe.
I love green tea but I was so offended when I saw today was dragonwell. It's very vegetal with almost a slight nut of an aftertaste that turns my face
A well-rounded, vegetal green tea with a savory hint and butteriness to it. The first steep tasted like a light broth to me, a hint of salt accentuated the deep green & vegetable-esque flavor, which has bitterness on the front and end notes but (as a bitter-hating person myself) not unbearable. The bitterness did become more pronounced as the tea cooled. The buttery flavor is more present when it is hot.
I notice the corn in the scent, but not so much the taste. The second steep was smoother and nuttier.
Made at 160F for 1 minute on the first steep, 2 mins for the second steep. This is a tea whose flavors can turn VERY easily, so I suggest lower temperatures for steeping it than what's on the instructions.
This makes for a well rounded green tea. Some nutty flavors and a buttery mouthfeel and slight astringency as it cooled. Brewed for 2 mins at 175, I was able to get several steps.
nutty flavor reminiscent of Genmai cha, another of my favorites. Toasty aroma solid, delicate green tea.
I sampled this Tea as part of the CommuniTEA January Box.solid, delicate green tea
Got 3 good strong steeps out of this. It's a satisfying, buttery taste.
The sweetness of this green needs very little sugar. It is smooth and gives off a faint nuttiness.
The abundance of leaves in my CommuniTea packet had a light grassy scent, not as strong as some other green teas. Once steeped I immediately noticed the butter flavor, only a hint of the grassy scent was left. Works well hot or cold.
Steeped (1) 180F 2.5min, (2) 180F 3min, (3) 185F 4min
This was not a tea for me. No real flavor. Bland. Tasted like corn.
Today's CommuniTEA packet was one of the original Chinese green teas that I tried, Dragonwell. The flattened dry leaves smelled sweet and light. Steeping for 3 minutes at 180°F produced a pale yellow-green liquor.
Tasting the first cup was sweet, light and airy, with vegetal notes from the pan-roasted tea leaves. The bright, buttery green bean and toasty flavors give way into mildly astringent tannins. This tea is a full bodied green tea, with an initially smooth and buttery mouthfeel and an astringent lingering finish. There is a detectable hint of carbon steel 'wok hei' in the scent and initial flavor from the pan roasting. The tea is mild and subdued yet also paradoxically bold near the finish. The second steeping still keeps it's overall flavor well, and the astringency near the end mellows out. Trying for a third steeping with 16oz water at 195°F for 4 minutes still yielded too light of a brew. Dumping the leaves into my cup and steeping for 4 minutes longer, 'grandpa style', helped extract the last bits out of the already spent leaves. If you have more tea available than just a sample and want a third steeping, I'd suggest adding a pinch of fresh leaves to spruce up the flavor again.
This is a very approachable green tea, with a light and airy yet nutty taste without much bitterness. It makes sense that this tea is one of China's most famous green teas. This one doesn't seem too strong on the caffeine either, so it works well for an afternoon tea.
This is a really good basic green tea. I can see how people are saying it's 'buttery.' There's a whole world of green tea terms that I'm just starting to learn. I guess this one is also considered 'vegetal.' I'm sort of undecided as to whether I really like it. This doesn't taste spinachy like a few of the other greens I have had lately (HUGE plus). I did over-steep this accidentally, so it was a little more bitter than it should have been. It's not bad, though I prefer flavored greens better. I probably wouldn't choose this again, though I do like it a lot more than the genmai cha. The leaves are pretty/unique!
As far as green teas go, this one isn't too bad. I'll never be a fan but whenever I get a CommuniTEA packet of green tea, I still always try it. This one isn't as great as some, which is normally my complaint.
Good, grassy green tea. I was able to steep it 3 times.
I love this tea. Very fresh, green, grassy, spinach e taste with a hint of nuttiness. I was able to get three infusions in my Gaiwan. My parents hated this tea. They said it tasted like the water leftover in the pot after cooking Frozen spinach. This is why there are many types of tea. Something for everyone!
Not my favorite green tea. Nice, mellow and grassy. Savory comes to mind. Pale yellow in color. No sweetner used.
This definitely reminds me of the stereotypical green tea, if that makes any sense. I found it slightly bitter after steeping it at 180 degrees F for 3 minutes. It's a very clean taste though, and I much prefer this to the floral traits of traditional jasmine green tea.
The scent of the tea in my CommuniTea packet was grassy and faintly musty, and the scent once brewed was the same, though a little bit stronger.
I don't get the corn taste at all, it's a bit more nutty overall, but primarily grassy - but like, old, slightly musty grass. I managed to finish the cup, and it got sweeter as it cooled, but I won't be brewing a second steep of it.
Part of the January 2021 CommuniTEA box. 3 minutes at 180F left me with a weak tea, though I could taste some of the “green”.
I'm not a big fan of green teas but this one was very pleasant. Very enjoyable
I tend to like green teas that lean towards floral or even a little grassy, as opposed to toasty, nutty, or fishy greens. This tea is right on the brink of being too much for me, though I like it a little more with every sip. It's a beautiful light color and the flavor is mild and earthy, with an almost savory toastiness. It's smooth to sip and I love looking at the large flat leaves. Overall it's somewhat enjoyable to drink, but not something I would buy more of.
Maybe not the tea for me since I'm already set in my flavor preferences, but it'd be good for someone new to green teas as its relatively mild and good for many steeps.
I'm giving this 3 stars from the perspective that I don't like green tea and would never have purchased this for myself, but I did drink most of the cup; however, I had a grimace with most sips and my personal tastes would give it 1 star. I did find the mouthfeel to be smooth, and I did pick up the toasty, nutty flavors, which were not bad. I did not enjoy the vegetal qualities, while not grassy were too strong. I think it smelled worse than it tasted, and that was hard to get past. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 2 min @ 180F)
Pleasant, mellow, earthy. Yep, good green tea here!
Dragonwell is one of my favorite green tea. It has a slight grassiness that I really enjoy. It’s slightly tannic and very slightly bitter, which adds complexity. I added a few rock sugar crystals.
I got this in the communiTEA box. It smelled grassy (for lack of a better description) upon opening. After brewing, I can confirm this is the traditional taste of green tea found at many Chinese restaurants, which I don’t like and why I thought I don’t like green tea. The communiTEA box has shown me there are some good ones for my palette, but this isn’t one.
Dragonwell, with its nutty-vegetal nuances and taste that is almost as smooth as white tea, is a tea that I never want to be without. Compared to another vendor’s extra-special grade Longjing that has been my go-to in recent years, the Adagio leaves contain more vibrant green pigment with equivalent leaf size but more stem and leaf fragments, as well as less overall aroma.
Adagio’s Dragonwell has a paler liquor and a lighter taste comparatively. It has very minimal vegetal or nutty taste, with an emerging butter taste that is a new and unexpected find for me in a Dragonwell. (Subsequent Google search shows many American vendors selling a buttery Dragonwell. Guess I was behind the curve here.) The second brew of these leaves increases the smooth taste, leaving any grassy notes far behind. The third brew retains its color but provides barely any flavor. In comparison, the fourth and fifth brew of leaves from the other vendor taste like the first and second steeps of Adagio’s tea, while costing 30% less.
In my opinion, these loose leaves are slightly superior to Adagio’s Dragonwell full leaf pyramid bags (which I found to be grassy and astringent, perhaps due to quicker steeping of small leaf and stem pieces), and vastly superior to supermarket Dragonwell teabags made with fannings. For me personally, however, the price is high considering the weaker strength of this tea, and it misses the taste profile I am looking for in a Dragonwell (which, admittedly, is biased by trying to relive an epic day trip to Hangzhou with each sip).
Overall, this tea provides a unique and pleasant tasting experience, reminiscent of a weak milk oolong or a strong white tea. It would be a fun for someone wanting to different teas, but probably not a great value for someone looking for a classic or affordable Dragonwell tea.
Brewed 175F for 2 mins with rock sugar added
The flavor is not bad with this tea. I'm picking up notes of nuttiness. I detected no bitterness.
Good basic green tea with soft buttery taste. Nice tea to introduce someone to the world of green teas!
When I open the bag, I smell a sweet but also herbaceous and roasted. After 2 minutes of infusion, the sweet aromas have disappeared, giving way to the more vegetal side. The liquor is pale yellow. At taste, it's roasted, herbaceous and vegetal with a passion fruit aftertaste. Sometimes I also taste nuts. I try a 2nd brew but it's similar. Ultimately, it's a tea that is correct for me. (gong fu cha style: 2 minutes at 85°C; 1 minutes 30 secondes for the 2nd infusion; CommuniTEA Jan. 2021)
Wow! Finally a green tea that is not grassy! It has a nutty flavor reminiscent of Genmai cha. It is very light both in color and taste, very subtle. There is a distinct dry finish that lingers. First steep at 165 degrees for 2 min I found I did not need sweetener. Second steep same time and temp but 1/4 tsp of Monk fruit sweetener added. I did not find that made a significant difference.
This is the 'zen' of green tea if you remember to steep at a lower temperature and for no longer than 2 or 3 minutes. It keeps the bitterness of green tea at bay and lets you just enjoy the smooth toasted grassy flavor.
Definitely an enjoyable cup of mild green tea! Could drink this anytime, don’t need to add anything. Steeped 2 16 oz cups from the packet and both were flavorful. Steeped a bit higher temperature than suggested (boiled water cooled for a few minutes) and did not note bitterness. First steep 2 minutes, second steep 3 minutes.
I really struggled with this review. I found this tea hard to describe and it had a very elusive quality to me. I am not a huge fan of green teas but the Communitea has taught me to keep an open mind and try everything as I have been very pleasantly surprised before. I had to have 2 cups to be able to properly review. Upon opening the packet the aroma was light with a toastiness. I brewed it up at 175 for 3 minutes to get a very light coloured cup. I expected this to have a grassy or vegetal quality and was surprised to find none. There was a very very light taste that ended on a sweet almost honeyed note. I could not figure out how to describe it until I realized that this was probably the sweet corn flavour I was getting. This was a very light but nicely balanced tea, that I can see enjoying after a very satisfying meal. Super mild but very enjoyable to sip, simple yet a little bit elegant. This was a nice surprise, way to go Adagio, you continue to impress me by expanding my horizons!
Love this tea. The color and flavor are reminiscent of other fine green teas. Its unique grassy flavor sets it apart from other green teas.
Theres’s nothing extra special about this green tea, but I would caution to stay just under the 3 minute mark when steeping. Like most green teas it will get bitter if you overcook it. I have no complaints about this tea, but when given the choice I would easily choose 5 other green teas with stronger flavor. This tea is great iced if you just want to cool down or comfortable if you want to warm up, but best when paired with a treat or meal.
Classic green tea. It smells a bit grassy like most green teas do. A quick brew on a low temp yielded a pale yellow color. To me it tasted like grassy, slightly toasted and left a dry finish on the palette
I enjoyed this green tea although I can’t say I discern how it’s different from other green teas.