Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 1

Bold to kick things off with a black/green tea. The enticing bergamot-vanilla aroma appeased me, however. Even though the ingredients don’t list anise, mint, or coniferous tree bits – I’m reminded a little of White Wolf by Bellocq (a favourite of mine, but out of my price range currently).

Unfortunately, I steeped it at slightly too low an a temperature (185 °F), so I plunked it back in for an additional minute – for a total of five minutes. The result is gentle and not actually dissimilar to White Wolf, but more akin to Golden Moon’s velvety Vanilla Jasmine (also a green/black blend, I believe). The woodsy-floral bouquet of jasmine, vanilla, and bergamot is totally my jam. I also love that the vanilla is subtle and not the candy variety.

The drying astringency is minor, and I would’ve preferred to bring that out further, along with more malty bite. Oh, well… I doubt tweaking the steeping parameters would’ve allowed me to add milk anyways (but I may order more in the future in order to “experiment”).

To continue from last year, my mom is also partaking in the advents. She’s anxiously off to a medical appointment, but this tea’s calm profile helped a bit (the bite of Japanese cheesecake probably helped more). It’s definitely a soothing pot.

Steep Count: 2 – a solid second steep too (probably because my first was weak)!

Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Floral, Herbaceous, Jasmine, Milky, Smooth, Vanilla, Woody

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Nattie

Hope everything went okay with your mam’s appointment!

Lexie Aleah

Hope your mom’s appointment went well.<3 My mom has had quite the medical year herself but we just received some potentially good news.

Nattie

@Lexie -I hope your mam is doing well too

Crowkettle

Thank you! It was a basic check-up this time but went well. The lingering effects of a concussion are pretty much gone :)

@Lexie, I hope that good news bears fruit!

Nattie

Glad to hear it! (:

Lexie Aleah

Glad to hear it! Thanks, guys.

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Comments

Nattie

Hope everything went okay with your mam’s appointment!

Lexie Aleah

Hope your mom’s appointment went well.<3 My mom has had quite the medical year herself but we just received some potentially good news.

Nattie

@Lexie -I hope your mam is doing well too

Crowkettle

Thank you! It was a basic check-up this time but went well. The lingering effects of a concussion are pretty much gone :)

@Lexie, I hope that good news bears fruit!

Nattie

Glad to hear it! (:

Lexie Aleah

Glad to hear it! Thanks, guys.

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Profile

Bio

I started my Steepster loose leaf adventure back in 2012. I can’t say I’m completely new anymore, but I still view oolong as a magical, extraterrestrial creature that unfurls in water.

My favourites are teas like Milk Oolong, Silver Needle,and Japanese Sencha/Gyokuro, or fruity and floral flavoured ones. However, I generally enjoy ALL the teas, including a good old cup of Earl Grey or Breakfast blend.

FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS/NOTES:

DESSERT FLAVOURS
Vanilla, Maple, Caramel, Butterscotch, Cream, Toffee, Nougat, Marzipan, Butter

FRUIT & BERRIES
Citrus Fruits, Passionfruit, Banana, Pineapple, Melons, Blackberry, Raspberry, Currants, Elderberry, Persimmon, Rhubarb..

SPICES
Ginger, Turmeric, Clove-forward chai, Cardamom

AROMATIC & HERBACEOUS NOTES
Sandalwood, Frankincense, Juniper, Eucalyptus, Mints

FLORALS
Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, Violet, etc.

VEGGIE/GRAIN NOTES
Spinach, Grass, Hay, Cucumber, Rice, Sweet Potato

Less Preferred Flavours/Ingredients:
Stevia, Apple, Cocoa Nib, Almond, Licorice, Cinnamon-forward blends, Chinese Sencha

Subjective Rating System:
I don’t give a lot of low ratings out, since a) I tend to grab tea I know will appeal to me, and b) I don’t have a lot of strong dislikes.

90-100: Favourites. The Desert Island Teas.
80-89: Loved teas. Possibly staple-worthy.
70-79: Good teas, but I’m less likely to repurchase. Minor quibbles.
60-69: Ok teas. Likely a few preference and/or quality issues.
50-59: Cup of meh. Will do in a pinch.
11-49: Varying levels of undrinkable tea.
1-10: Nightmare tea from the chaos realms. This tea is the embodiment of the primordial swamp, an unholy abomination. It’s very gross and I’m almost positive it doesn’t exist.

Location

BC, Canada

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