I received a small envelope of Adagio White Cucumber with an order, and my initial impression was rather negative. The dried tea smells like vinegar!
Fortunately, that unpleasant scent dissipates quickly as soon as hot water is poured over the leaves. The brewed tea is light and refreshing. The cucumber flavoring is unmistakable, and the base appears to be the standard white tea used by Adagio in most (all?) of its flavored white tea blends, from Fujian province in China.
Is white tea the new green? For a couple of years I was not really paying attention to the tea scene—just drinking sencha and sencha-style blends or else coffee—and there were some big changes during that period. One is the dominance of the silken sachet method of brewing; the other is the surprising emergence of a wide variety of white teas. I suppose that I could say Keurig, too, but I cannot imagine that very many tea connoisseurs are using that machine. (Why?)
I like this tea, but since I used it as a predominant component of one of my custom blends (hrh emperor oliver #2), I probably will not buy it separately. I am needless to say relieved that the strong vinegar scent of the dried tea does not affect my enjoyment of the brewed tea.