78 Tasting Notes

76
drank Tisane de Noël by Dammann Frères
78 tasting notes

Advent Calendar – Day 15

Spices! Lots of them. This one is a complete departure from my usual flavor profile but I like it more than I thought I would. I would not sell my soul for a ginger cookie (as opposed to, you know, an eclair, a millefeuille or even chocolate mousse), so I cannot say I love this one, but the combination of cardamon, cinnamon, and licorice (not the licorice candy, but the licorice root like I remember buying and sucking on as a kid ) works very well I think (at least with the stevia). In fact, I found myself reaching back for my cup in spite of my initial hesitancy.

I think this might be a great herbal tea for after a heavy meal. I don’t know that it would help with digestive issues, but it tastes like it would be good for you, and that it would be soothing. It reminds me a bit of the Fasting Tea from Yogi Tea and I bet it would be a great infusion to drink if you were fasting (minus the sweetener so you don’t break your fast). I might have to try this one again when my stomach is unsettled so see if I like it.

Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Fennel Seed, Licorice, Medicinal, Spices

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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82
drank Noël à Paris by Dammann Frères
78 tasting notes

Advent calendar – day 13

Trying to catch up with my teas… The problem is that I have a 20oz Yeti cup that I use in the morning for a double cup of tea to start my day, And of course it’s too big for the Dammann samples, so I end up drinking teas from my own cupboard in the morning and getting behind. …1st world problems :p

Another cherry tea. I might be an easy customer, but I like this one too even though I don’t see myself yearning for a cup of cherry tea anytime. This one is a bit more straight forward maybe? Cherries and almond with a hint of ginger. It reminds me a little of a cherry cobbler. But it did leave me with a bit of a dry mouth though (maybe the way I brewed it?).

I think it would be a great one for cherry lovers like my husband. For me, it was another fun tea to try.

Flavors: Almond, Fruity, Overripe Cherries

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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79
drank Blanc Myrtille by Dammann Frères
78 tasting notes

Advent calendar – day 12

This one was a fun treat to try yesterday! (I’m so behind on my advent calendar, it’s embarrassing) I had no expectations since I had never had a blueberries tea, but I enjoyed it very much. I suspect my habit of adding a bit of stevia to my tea made a big difference here. It made the blueberries pop. It was a soft fruity tea with a hint of grass and I gulped it down happily. I tried to resteep it but it seemed like a ghost of itself so I only drank half of my cup that second time. Too many teas to try and not enough time… :p

It might not make it to my “Must Purchase” list since my list is long as it is, but I will be happy to get another cup when I can.

Flavors: Blueberry, Fruity, Vegetal

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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85
drank Noël à Pékin by Dammann Frères
78 tasting notes

Advent calendar – day 11
Such a delicious tea! I forgot to look this one up so I brewed it a bit higher than I would have if I had realized it was a black/green blend, but it was very forgiving and turned out just fine. I will try at a lower temperature next time just to be sure but thankfully, it is fabulous as is.

This one is so bright it seems. The jasmine tea is really lovely with the passion fruit and pineapple. I also get some mango but that might be the combination of the first 3 that makes it feel exotic and sunny. Very tropical. It’s a wonderful pause amongst all the dessert teas I love so much in the winter. It would be a great tea to drink in the middle of the cherry blossom season, or in the summer, or basically anytime!

I love Lupicia’s fruity oolongs like the peach momo oolong supergrade and the mango one, but this is different. It’s more flowery than those, more blended and layered. Just delicious! Definitely on my “must buy” list.

Flavors: Flowers, Jasmine, Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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74

Advent calendar – day 10

This is a lovely green tea but I’m not in love. I get some fruitiness/cherry and spices with a hint on orange and vanilla, but I found it a little light in flavor and I much prefer the black version of this tea. It’s another tea I would enjoy if it was offered to me, but would not stock for myself.

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90
drank Noël à Prague by Dammann Frères
78 tasting notes

Delicious! When I bought my advent calendar this year, I took the opportunity to buy a few extra teas. My husband wanted the Christmas Tea since he loves cherry teas, I wanted Mon Petit Chocolat and this was my chance to add to the order (15 euros for shipping was too good to pass up – Thank you Dammann!!!). This was one of the teas I tried out of curiosity and I’m so glad I did because it has given me a chance to try different brewing times and see what I like best.

The dry leaf is all prunes and while I actually like prunes ( I can’t figure out why so many people in America have a grudge against prunes. They’re delicious once in a while, so sweet and thick), I can imagine it’s not a flavor too many people love. Brewed for 4 minutes at 195F, the prunes still dominated the flavor with caramel second, a sort of booziness, and a hint of chocolate last. It was very good but you would have to like prunes.

This morning, I forgot to turn on my timer and I let it steep for probably 6 minutes and suddenly I went from liking it to loving it! Just like that! The flavors are much more balanced and I get much more caramel along with the prunes. So good! The vodka (I could not have picked it out but I can recognize it) is light and so is the chocolate, but it’s there. The combination works really well. Definitely a winter, rainy day tea. So cozy and thick. And it gets even better as it cools.

Flavors: Alcohol, Caramel, Chocolate, Fruity, Plum

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
Cameron B.

People in the US mostly associate prunes with the elderly, so maybe that’s why they’re not popular?

EmmaM

You’re right, I’m sure. In fact my 97 yr old mother in law eats prunes each day… Maybe by the time I’m her age, I will be more enthusiastic than she is :p

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77

Advent calendar – day 9

This is a very delicate cherry tea. Light and fruity and bright. Lovely! In fact, I gulped it down as I was working, and I’m already wishing I had taken my time instead. Thank goodness for my second advent calendar waiting for me in January, but I might have to fight my husband for this one! He loves cherry tea, while for me it’s more of a “once in a great while” thing. In any case, I liked it! Since white and green teas are not my usual teas, I am thrilled to have tried it! I can’t say that I taste much of the almond, but it might be why I liked it. The ginger and spices are there but in a very gentle way, it blends beautifully. I don’t find it vegetal at all which is a wonderful surprise. All and all, a lovely and delicate cup of tea. (disclaimer, I added a tiny bit of stevia as usual to bring out more of the fruit flavor)

Flavors: Cherry, Fruity, Ginger

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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75

Advent calendar – day 8

I’m not sure I should review this tea since Earl Grey’s are not my thing. I don’t think they taste bad per say, but it’s not my cup of tea :p. Still, I had promised myself I would try them all, so I gave this one a try. Ironically, I loved the smell of it. Bergamot and lime. Very bright and happy.

In the cup, I liked it much more than I thought I would! It’s a very mild earl grey. Very approachable for someone like me who doesn’t love bergamot (but ironically loves BB Detox from Kuzmi tea which is all grapefruit and very bold). I liked the hint of lime and its delicate approach. I enjoyed my cup and if a friend offered one to me, I would enjoy it. I just wouldn’t buy it for myself. My daughter who loves earl greys on the other hand, thought it tasted delicious. The lime adds something bright and happy in there. I’m definitely glad I tried it!

Flavors: Bergamot, Earl Grey, Lime

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 30 sec

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80

Advent calendar – day 7

I don’t love hibiscus but I don’t dislike it either so for me this fruit tea was very nice. But my husband who really dislike hibiscus was happy to pass his cup to me. It has that zing and that was a deal breaker for him. The tea itself is definitely all cherry with a tiny bit of almond. I liked it and I think that it’s the type of tea a child would love. All cherry candy.

Flavors: Almond, Cherry, Hibiscus, Spices

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 8 min or more

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83

Advent calendar – day 6 (and I have it in my cupboard :p)

This is a tea we have purchased twice now so no surprise there. We really like it and drinking it is always a treat. The delicious caramel is very buttery. A bit like a Werther’s Original butterscotch candy. It’s very smooth and creamy, and you can definitely taste the vegetal oolong. With a little bit of stevia, it’s delicious! I like it very much but for some reason I don’t find myself reaching for it as much as I would think I would (possibly because I have too many teas :o)

Flavors: Butterscotch, Caramel, Creamy, Vanilla, Vegetal

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 30 sec

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Profile

Bio

I started drinking tea in 2018 when a friend introduced me to flavored black teas. Since then, I have developed a bit of a tea addiction. I never want to be without the teas I love, but I’m perpetually compelled to try new ones…

I started with French tea companies like Mariage Freres, Dammann Freres, Kusmi, Nina’s, and TheOdor, because I’m French and it makes me feel closer to home, but I would love to find tea companies I love as much on this side of the Atlantic.

I’m partial to dessert teas and in terms of flavors, I adore almond, pistachio, biscuit, nutty types, as well as caramel, cream, cake, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, and cookies. For me, it’s all about drinking my dessert!!! I also like fruity teas like peach, melon, mango, raspberry, strawberry, figs, and even grapefruit flavored teas. I am discovering more floral teas and testing the waters there, but I don’t care for earl greys or chai. I have not expanded into unflavored teas yet, but maybe one day.

For full disclosure I like my tea with a little sugar/sweetener.

Tea ratings: (I’m not a tough customer and I don’t have a very sophisticated palate.)

96-100: Pure deliciousness and all-time favourite teas.

90-95: Love love love. Delicious teas I reach for all the time.

80-89: Good to great teas I’d drink any day of the week.

75-79: Good teas that I would be happy to drink from time to time.

70-74: Teas that are just ok for me. They’re not bad teas, but not my preference.

60-69: Maybe good for someone else but definitely not my thing.

50-59: Drinkable

1-49: Just no.

Location

North Carolina, USA

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