Ta przyprawa jest zbyt ostra, ale kasza z ziołami smakuje bardzo dobrze.

Because przyprawa is a feminine noun in Polish, so the demonstrative this must also be feminine.

• ten = this (masculine)
• ta = this (feminine)
• to = this (neuter)

So:

• ta przyprawa = this spice / this seasoning

The adjective and other words connected to the noun also have to match its gender.

Przyprawa usually means spice, seasoning, or condiment, depending on context.

In this sentence, Ta przyprawa jest zbyt ostra most naturally means:

• This spice is too spicy
• or This seasoning is too hot

It is singular. The plural is przyprawy.

Ostra is the feminine singular form of the adjective ostry.

The adjective must agree with przyprawa, which is feminine singular:

• ostry = masculine
• ostra = feminine
• ostre = neuter

So:

• Ta przyprawa jest ostra = This spice is spicy

A useful thing to know is that ostry/ostra/ostre can mean several things depending on context, such as:

• sharp
• severe
• spicy / hot

Here it clearly means spicy / hot.

Zbyt means too or overly.

So:

• zbyt ostra = too spicy
• bardzo ostra = very spicy

That is an important difference:

• bardzo just increases the degree: very
• zbyt suggests more than is good or acceptable

So the first half of the sentence expresses a negative judgment:

• Ta przyprawa jest zbyt ostra = This spice is too spicy

Jest is the 3rd person singular of być (to be).

So:

• Ta przyprawa jest zbyt ostra literally = This spice is too spicy

Unlike in some short, casual expressions, here Polish normally uses jest because the sentence is a full statement with a predicate adjective.

Kasza is a very common Polish food word, but it does not map perfectly onto one single English word.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• groats
• buckwheat
• millet
• a grain dish
• sometimes a kind of porridge

In this sentence, kasza z ziołami is best understood as something like:

• groats with herbs
• or a grain dish with herbs

A learner should know that kasza is culturally common in Polish food vocabulary.

Because the preposition z meaning with requires the instrumental case.

The base form is:

• zioła = herbs (nominative plural)

After z meaning with, it changes to the instrumental plural:

• z ziołami = with herbs

This -ami ending is very common for instrumental plural nouns.

Compare:

• z warzywami = with vegetables
• z owocami = with fruit
• z przyprawami = with spices

That is a very common question. Z can mean different things depending on context and the case that follows it.

Two important uses are:

• z + instrumental = with
• z/ze + genitive = from, off, out of

Here we have z ziołami, and ziołami is instrumental plural, so the meaning is:

• with herbs

So although the word is the same, the grammar tells you which meaning is intended.

Both are possible in Polish, but they mean slightly different things.

• jest bardzo dobra = is very good
• smakuje bardzo dobrze = tastes very good / tastes very good indeed

The verb smakować focuses specifically on taste.

So:

• kasza z ziołami smakuje bardzo dobrze = the groats with herbs taste very good

It is a more natural choice if you want to comment on flavor rather than on general quality.

Because dobrze is an adverb, while dobra is an adjective.

With the verb smakować (to taste), Polish usually uses an adverb:

• smakuje dobrze = tastes good
• smakuje bardzo dobrze = tastes very good

By contrast, dobra would describe a feminine noun directly:

• kasza jest dobra = the groats are good

So:

• after jest
  • noun description, you often use an adjective
• after smakuje, you use an adverb

The subject is kasza z ziołami.

So literally:

• kasza z ziołami smakuje bardzo dobrze
• the groats with herbs taste very good

The verb smakuje is 3rd person singular because kasza is singular.

Even though ziołami is plural, it is only part of the phrase with herbs. It is not the subject.

Yes, absolutely.

That would mean:

• The groats with herbs taste very good to me
• or more naturally, I really like the taste of the groats with herbs

The verb smakować often appears with a person in the dative case:

• smakuje mi = tastes good to me
• smakuje mu = tastes good to him
• smakują nam = taste good to us

In your sentence, that person is simply omitted because the statement is more general.

Ale means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Ta przyprawa jest zbyt ostra = negative comment
• ale kasza z ziołami smakuje bardzo dobrze = positive comment

So the sentence has this structure:

• This spice is too spicy, but the groats with herbs taste very good.

It marks a clear contrast between the two parts.

A few parts are especially tricky for English speakers:

• przyprawa
• ostra
• ziołami
• smakuje

Some useful pronunciation notes:

• rz in przyprawa is pronounced like ż
• ł in ziołami sounds like English w
• zi in ziołami is a soft sound, roughly like a softened zh / z
• smakuje sounds roughly like sma-KOO-ye

Very rough English-style approximations:

• przyprawa ≈ pshi-PRA-va
• ostra ≈ OS-tra
• ziołami ≈ zho-WA-mi
• smakuje ≈ sma-KOO-ye

These are only approximations, but they help highlight the main problem sounds.

The main cases here are:

• Nominative: ta przyprawa, kasza
• Instrumental: z ziołami

Why?

• ta przyprawa is the subject of jest
• kasza is the subject of smakuje
• ziołami follows z in the sense of with, so it takes the instrumental

This is a very typical pattern in Polish and a useful one to remember.