1433 Tasting Notes
Twelve Days of Tea 2021 – Day Twelve
Honestly, I wasn’t too excited to see this one. Chocolate in tea – you know? However, I added eggnog and I’m in eggy Cookie Dough heaven. Soo good. I’m not getting too much “chai” but that’s fine. I’ll have to see what this tastes like before the milk drop (or not, because it’s seriously perfect with nog). Like Nik, I’m getting caramel mocha notes from the chocolate too, which is interesting.
Advent Last Thoughts: I haven’t made tasting notes for all 12 days yet – but, as many of you can imagine, I’m super happy with this box (is it a secret I like 52Teas a lot? lol). The incredibly bold flavours were a lovely contrast to my two French advents, and the concepts are (as always) unique and playful. And, of course, it marks another good year of tea coming to a close.
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Cookie, Earthy, Mocha, Sweet
Preparation
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 25
Merry Christmas! I may have slightly oversteeped this one, because it’s somewhat dry and bitter to start (bitterness dissipated as it cooled). It does taste like sweet crumbly bread (brioche), with a dash of that MF fruit perfume, and I think it’s pretty tasty, if an odd choice for Noël. Who looks at white tea and says “I’m going to make you taste like sweet buns”? Mariage Frères does. This is also the second time this year an advent tea’s made me crave Maxim’s Bakery; want is turning into a dire need.
Steep Count: 2 – Now it tastes convincingly like a sweet hot cross bun to my palate (I swear there’s even a touch of cinnamon and the suggestion of butter, thanks brain), with distinctive fruity bits. The nose is raspberry/red berry jam, which is a favourite. Finally, a Rhapsody I like! (My mom only gets “fruity white tea” so the hot cross bun is probably me being special again.. but I’m happy so not questioning it lol).
Final Advent Tea Tally!
5 White (4 “Rhapsody”); 6 Green; 8 Oolong (5 “In Love”); 6 Black.
Last thoughts: Yes, I wish the teas were more diverse (ie – less “bleu gimmick”), and with loose leaf – but, despite all my complaints and teasing, I had a lot of fun overall. It showcased many teas I’d never pick out myself (and will continue to never pick out). I’m going to miss that distinctive Mariage Frères aroma too. My favourite category turned out to be the green teas, which is not what I’d have predicted. There’s about three teas I’d consider “spending more time with” too.
Flavors: Berries, Bread, Candy, Fruity, Raspberry, Red Fruits, Smooth, Spices, Sweet
Preparation
Merry Christmas! Now I’m thinking I really should’ve put my thoughts on each advent in my day 24 notes as well… Oops!
Wow. This green tea reveal is rather shocking.
@Cameron B. I only felt compelled to do it for MF lol. Although I still have one straggler for DF I need to get caught up on.. XD
Merry Christmas!
Yeah, it surprised me too! I’m pretty sure the oolong base was the same for the most part, and I didn’t love it even when I enjoyed the flavouring. The White tea was a mixed bag (I know I like MF’s rose now though). So there went my usual favourite categories. The black tea included a coffee tea, which automatically disqualifies it from my consideration (it was an interesting spread though) :P
Although a lot of the green tea was paired with fruit, the fruits were usually different enough (Yuzu, Pineapple, MF Berry), and so were the base styles (Kukicha, Colombian green, “gabacha”). I already know I like “Marco Polo”, and “vert” was same. Ditto with “Buddha Bleu” (which isn’t blue at all, thankfully). The only one that was super disappointing was “fantome”..
Hmm, the green assortment sounds tempting. I hope they do something with rest to make it more appealing.
I am unlikely to splurge on the over the top delivery fees unless the calendar is more of a sure thing, like at least 75% delightful and interesting.
How would you rate the Df calendar?
It’s also that niggling knowledge that MF has some neat black teas that aren’t fully on display here. The teas they went for seem to be for a “softer” palate (like the tea equivalent to baby mush). I don’t know if I’d do their calendar next year, but I’d be tempted to take a plunge on some random 100g once I run out of Thé de Lune.
DF – while I don’t typically prefer “Christmas blends,” I thought a lot of them were well done, or at least interesting. DF had stronger flavouring than MF’s by a long shot, and I think they were also more generous with their tea bag leafing. I wish THEY had included more of their oolong blends though; otherwise the selection was relatively varied. :P
I felt DF made up for the lack of festive “punchy” teas in MF, and MF made sure I always had a caffeinated option.
Thanks for your perspective on this. All in all, it seems that MF could do better. And DF could pick up the case with the caffeine.
Merry Christmas :)
Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 24 (x2!!!)
Double bag day with “Noël à Manhattan” (cute). It snowed this morning so I added milk (I am logic).
This has a similar profile to Christmas Tea Blanc, but this is working for me better for some reason. I still find the DF gingerbread cake-ish. The combo of thin almond and bright, slightly tart cherry carries sweet marzipan vibes. For me, the cherry is lush enough to create a complex baked feel that is not dimmed by the milk. Ginger isn’t zippy hot but a sweet and subtle warmth. It pairs smoothly with cherry to enhance that baked dessert feel.I kind of want to check out the jelly version of this, and maybe cookies, eventually. I love the cherry for once and I’m sad to finish off the pot (and end this advent). We had good times this December. Merry Christmas, Steepster!
Flavors: Almond, Cake, Cherry, Ginger, Marzipan, Spices, Sweet, Tart, Wood
Preparation
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 24
I knew it was coming, but does that lessen the impact?
Citrus hazelnut is an odd thing to put on a oolong that steeps blue-green, but here it is. It’s not bad but still quite gentle; it’s not as fruity as other advent days and I count that as a silver lining (I like fruity but I also like variation). I can also taste the smooth, almost creamy, vegetal base here and wish the oolong they use had a bit more “oompf” to it. I’d score it higher than most of the other “IN LOVE” series though. Not a bad Christmas Eve tea!
Have a good evening, everyone! :)
Flavors: Citrus, Cream, Hazelnut, Smooth, Vegetal
Preparation
Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 24
I ate some roasted chestnuts a couple of days ago at the Vancouver (German) Christmas Market – so, now that the memory is fresh I feel more confident saying the anise and orange aid in bringing forward that chestnut flavouring! Like “Montreal”, sometimes the anise hits in a certain way which dissociates me from chestnuts, but when it’s blending in I enjoy it. Sometimes the orange clementine becomes prominent as well, and I get spiced chocolate orange flavour (the only time I notice the chocolate is when the orange breaks away. Weird eh). The maple is so light I barely register it except as ideal sweetness. I don’t pick up on the apple at all. Perfect.
I actually enjoy the green base with this profile; it’s a smooth, slightly vegetal template for the decadent flavours. It’s on the drying side though.
After two samples of Montreal and this one, I think the ingredients are mercurial in how they poke through. Today it’s working beautifully; I wish I’d had this in my travel mug at the market to pair with all the good food I ate!
Flavors: Anise, Butter, Chestnut, Chocolate, Maple, Orange, Smooth, Sweet, Vegetal
Preparation
Yay for having chestnuts and getting a chestnut flavour here!
We just picked up more chestnuts to roast! I’ve had so many through December, my mom would say I’ll turn into one soon. XD
Next year I’m taking a page out of your book and roasting my own. They are delicious and there are far worse things to turn into :P
Mercurial—yes, an excellent way to describe these multi-faced teas. I haven’t tried this one yet, but Montreal is absolutely like this in terms of what becomes prominent when. Interesting exercise, tea drinking.
Twelve Days of Tea 2021 – Day Eleven
All along the Pacific Northwest we grow a lot of mint of all varieties, and it’s incredibly happy here (EDIT – as it tends to be in most places). Too happy. Even though I planted my pineapple mint, chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint in separate containers it found a way into an adjacent bed (or two) a foot away. They’ve also all intermingled somehow and birthed a horror of mint flavouring. It’s a weed given half the chance but it’s a persuasive garnish so we forgive it its’ many flaws… Hear that mint? (:Mint is unmoved by my speech and continues to vigorously fester, quietly, in its various containers and beds:)
Anyways… I’m on a tangent about mint because I haven’t seen a strong showing in my French advents this year and I missed its presence. Leave it to Anne to save the day for mint (I think peppermint but it’s been a long time since I’ve had “pure mint”, see above lol). My mom describes this tea as “soothing. Like a gentle hug.” No surprises that 52Teas’ Marshmallow Genmaicha, with the addition of peppermint and vanilla, is a winner. This is a similar flavour profile to Santa’s Secret from David’s Tea, sans tacky artificial note. It’s a perfect winter holiday tea.
Rating of 80, from three years ago, stands – with a slight bump because this is even better than I remember it!
Flavors: Candy, Cream, Herbaceous, Mint, Peppermint, Smooth, Sweet, Toasted Rice, Vanilla, Vegetal
Preparation
I’m imagining chocolate pineapple mint and I don’t know whether it would be really good or awful. :) This sounds like a nice holiday tea.
Yes, and it’s the Pineapple Mint that’s the clear troublemaker of the group.Constantly in “time out,” that one. :P
LOL. It sounds like it would be really good, though, when it isn’t causing trouble. Pineapple mint is now on my list of things to try if I can find it.
I don’t think it’s the tastiest of mints (chocolate mint wins), but it is unique smelling and showy – with fancy variegated leaves :)
It’s the prettiest and it knows it.
All plants and trees are happy there. Everything looks like it has been pumped full of steroids. Twelve times the size of the same thing in the East.
Also, your mom sounds so lovely.
Leafhopper, we do have all these mints here too.
I’ve had similar experience with homegrown mint, even when they didn’t tentacle their way into the other pots. I had high hopes for orange mint and pineapple mint one year and didn’t even get much “mint,” let alone the appropriate citrus. So I’m back to one at a time, and for me, it’s apple mint. Grows and performs as expected.
gmathis – any seeds that might find their way here?
CrowKettle, yes, I’m sure chocolate mint is tasty. It’s another one I want to try.
Evol Ving Ness, I’d have to grow that mint on my windowsill, as I don’t have a yard. It’s too bad those varieties of mint don’t find their way into tea shops.
Mint’s a pretty hardy, shade-tolerant, water-loving plant – it’d should take to windowsill/small planters. Oregon and Washington are the first regions that come to mind when I think big mint production but the Great Lakes are fertile spots too! We can all grow some kind of mint :)
My happiest, most compliant mint was a peppermint, but it died in a drought one year. I haven’t been able to grow as nice a peppermint since, and haven’t figured out how to coax a good leaf yield vs rhizome tentacle productions. No matter where I put it, the pineapple mint does both though. And flowers. XD
I’d love to see different mint types in tea blends or as a plain herbal. I guess I could experiment with my own..
CrowKettle, so not only is pineapple mint very pretty, but it’s also hard to kill. Sounds like a winner if you don’t have other mints nearby to be infiltrated/contaminated!
And you should definitely experiment with making your various mints into tisanes. :)
We always seem to have all the mint varieties growing. I think we even have an orange mint plant. I think the class Spearmint is still my favorite though.
Spearmint is fantastic. It, along with peppermint, are popular for a reason! :)
Ashmanra, just now seeing this…I don’t have any seeds at the moment—sent derk the ones I salvaged a while back. But you can have dibs on this year’s!
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 23
It’s flippin’ blue! Again! (arrrrrrrrrrrrgg….)
We’ve reached at least this level of blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK6sMo8NBY
The only flavour in this blend is the ghosts of citruses past. Ok, maybe I get the afterimage of grapefruit ginger over time. It’s faint. Very faint. Doesn’t the fantome de l’opera have a killer voice? The tea isn’t offensive but it’s not as dynamic or bright as I’d like either. DF has lush citrus flavouring and I’m sadly comparing.
Flavors: Citrus, Ginger, Grapefruit, Smooth
Preparation
I have been expecting this level of blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ugkg9RePc
I almost included that song too. It’s also mood perfect :P
Hahaha, Martin, that is exactly what first came to my mind, too!
Can you just imagine if the worst parts of the advents got together to make one extremely groan-worthy tea? I’m imagining one of these French green base butterfly pea flower blue teas covered in the gold luster dust… shudders
Nooooooo!!!! That’s the worst. Falls under the category “it’s so bad it’s good again.”
I feel like you guys got more blue teas than I did doing this advent last year. I remember soooo many of the blue ones were oolong teas and feeling like someone in their R&D department must have though they were so clever for making ‘blue tea’ (another name for oolong tea) that actually steeped blue. Bad tea puns.
Right?! Someone thought they were punny and got carried away. It is a neat effect. In moderation.
Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 22
This tastes like a buttery baked cinnamon apple to me! I like my super candied, over the top version from DavidsTea a bit more but I wouldn’t pass up a cup of this either (despite not loving cinnamon or apple as leading flavours).
Apparently citrus is supposed to lead this tea but I didn’t get that this time around. Maybe next year.
Flavors: Apple, Butter, Cinnamon, Fruity, Ginger, Smooth, Spices, Vanilla, Wood
Preparation
While I enjoy sharp, bold, smoky teas I don’t drink them often enough to justify buying loose leaf; I buy it by the “to go” cup. With covid lockdowns last year, and me no longer working in the immediate vicinity, I missed my annual ritual of going down to New West’s River Market and picking up a cup to go in the fall/winter months. I didn’t mean to go today either, but when the transit gods lead you somewhere you graciously accept your blessings. I managed to pick up my sister’s preferred Double Earl Grey at the same time, so win-win!
That’s how I ended waving away the bus driver I didn’t expect so soon, while clutching a cup of slightly over-steeped smoke tea (I’m not bringing this almost-sentient campfire on board to harass fellow passengers, no. lol. My tea’s name is Calcifer). I only had to wait an extra 10 minutes for the next one. It was chill and it let me spend extra time in my favourite place, overlooking the Fraser Delta as the sun dips below the horizon (ie- 22nd Station. I don’t know why this place makes me so happy but it does).
Flavors: Astringent, Malt, Smoke, Sweet
That sounds divine!
It was a wonderful end to already fantastic day :)
Oh, to live in a place where you can buy good cups of tea in shops!
I don’t take advantage of the privilege enough! :)
Neither do I much, aside from my Hong Kong style milk tea in Chinatown excursions. Occasionally, in normal times, tea at the Art Gallery (because they have Sloane Teas. I figure since I have mountains of good tea at home, why spend/drink elsewhere. Also, usually I have a travel mug of tea with me.
I should probably make notes for the abundant supply of restaurant (and food court) masala chai around here. I also take that for granted.
Like you, I’ve so much of tea at home..
Also, didn’t know that about the Art Gallery. They just got bumped up the list of priorities next time I visit that city.
Yup, the AGO, in the restaurant/cafe in the basement. Careful of the proximity to children’s programs. It is not always a peaceful time.
That sounds so nice to enjoy a nice cuppa tea in a nice place… I’m usually carrying 1-2 cold brew pitchers + 3-4 travel mugs of tea a day but that’s just my personal problem.. :)
Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 22
Mmm… this is a fine smoked tea. Besides the delicious smoky malt flavours, it also contains some caramelized fruit and vanilla-esque notes. Dates is an accurate descriptor. I wonder if I added milk if this would taste like a smoked date milkshake (out of every kind of milk atm, so it’s not happening). So tasty. I’d be tempted to get more of this.
My tea bag tag says this is “gently smoked over guava leaves.” Interesting.
My mom can’t drink this one; smoked teas are her “nope”. More for me!
Flavors: Dates, Floral, Fruity, Malt, Roasted, Smoke, Smooth, Vanilla
This does sound like the Advent collection everybody was collectively the happiest with.
I like that we got to vote on the selection too. Makes it feel specifically curated for a lot of us. :)
“This does sound like the Advent collection everybody is collectively the happiest with” YAY!!! (Anne does the happy dance!)
I definitely agree! (Nevermind that I’ve only actually tried 2 of the teas at this point, haha.)
I voted on this one and then completely forgot to go back and order it somehow. I have regrets.
Shae – I still have some of this tea remaining: https://www.52teas.com/shop/p/cookiedoughchaiblacktea
I did not realize you had any of these for sale! Thank you! Looks like I’m about to make my first purchase of 2022. :D