Versailles Rose

Made this one as a cold brew. Brewed for about 11 hours. It turned out very light and delicate. Slightly floral. There was more rose as a cold brew vs hot. But it was still not overpowering nor perfumey. The black base was very light. Made a great afternoon drink. Would not be one I would gulp down to quench my thirst, but perfect for sipping with a few cookies. I was sipping it while eating homemade nachos which was not the greatest combination, but I bet it would be great with a short bread or sugar cookie.

A neglected sample I’m just trying now (though not forgotten). Sorry and thank you Nina’s! This immediately looked like it was major steeping as I poured the water, so I went for two minutes exactly. It’s still very strong! Nina’s always seems to have such a unique black base tea that I’ve never tasted with other teas. It’s tough and malty. The flavor is definitely there, as well as the added flavors! I was guessing blood orange and passionfruit but it turns out its grapefruit! Not one I would have picked out myself.. blame it on the grapefruit juice dished out in elementary school. (Who gives grapefruit juice to five year olds?!?!) But since I couldn’t guess it was grapefruit, I don’t mind this tea! (Well, it’s much better than sour grapefruit juice to me anyway!) Sweet, not grapefruit tart… but with this black tea it would hard to overpower it! The second steep was even better somehow… the black tea was a bit muted letting the enjoyable flavor present itself better.

This is a consummate summer drink. It’s grapefruit, through and through, with a slightly floral finish and substantial body. It was nice enough warm, but it works best as an iced tea. Be warned: this is crazy caffeinated. I made a teapot for my family yesterday around 8pm and ended up finishing off the last two cups myself. Big mistake. I couldn’t fall asleep until near morning.

I got this from Laurent at Nina’s Paris at the Taste of France festival back in September. Thanks!

Sipdown, 241. Thanks to Nina’s Paris for this sample! Rose is of course one of my favorites, so Versailles Rose was an immediate selection. Plus grapefruit sounded like an interesting combo!

Well it seems like you can count Nina’s among the Parisian teas that I really enjoy. First off, delicious black base. Malty, nutty, with a hint of honey. Based on reading reviews of their other teas, it seems like this one has a much subtler flavoring. The grapefruit is light, just adding a slight citrusy note to the tea, and the rose is also very subtle, coming across as lightly herby-floral. I probably could have used more of those flavors here, but the base tea is quite delicious so it doesn’t matter as much to me. Looking forward to trying my other samples!

Bought it because it smelled so bright and grapefruit in the shop. I love grapefruit! Don’t get any rose flavor. Kinda reminds me of a brisk tea with a weird citrus twist. Not bad. Probably souldnt repurchase. Will likely keep the tin forever!

Love this tea! The smell of the loose tea is overwhelming grapefruit—strong and juicy, but appealing. However, when steeped, it did not match the smell whatsoever, and was very gentle grapefruit to me. Roses? not so much. The black base is smooth. Glad I purchased this based on smell, regardless

I am a big fan of this – the black tea alone is some of the best I have had. Flavorful but not bitter, strong without being too much. I didn’t taste rose specifically when I had it hot, but it was definitely floral, and I really enjoyed it. I will have to purchase this soon, and try it iced based on these other reviews.

Grapefruit without tartness! Enough rose to shave off the sharpness without adding perfume flavor. Nicely done, Nina’s!

Thank you Laurent and Sophie at Nina’s Paris for yet another sample to try. Once again, this is just not for me. It is not bad but I am just not a lover of citrus heavy teas. And honestly, I think as far as grapefruit teas go, I prefer The de Vendome.