2355 Tasting Notes
Apple and chamomile with a hint of cinnamon. For something called “winter spice” the spice is very subtle. Whilst it’s pleasant enough, it’s also a flavour combination I feel I’ve seen at least 100 times from Twinings in various guises. Not a unique “holiday” tea by any means.
Day 10 of the Dammann Freres Advent 2025.
Cacao Orange is a chocolate orange flavoured infusion. I found this one a pleasant surprise as although it looks quite thin and transparent it does taste exactly like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange in liquid form. There’s the smooth and creamy milk chocolate, intertwined with a vibrantly zesty orange. Sweet, as you might expect, but not cloying. I could be tempted to buy more of this one, it’s just so good!
Day 10 of the Mariage Freres Advent 2025.
Sweet Shanghai is a green tea with fruit notes. It brews up a pretty pale yellow-green, and tastes like tropical fruit juice. Totally unexpected from MF, whose flavours I usually find to be more subtle. This is delicious and I would 100% be happy to drink it again (I so rarely say this about bagged flavoured greens!)
Reacquainting with Mrs Claus’ Raspberry Prosecco this morning, a tea I’ve had before but several years ago now. Fortunately it’s as delicious as I remember; sweet, tart raspberries on a grapey Darjeeling base. I made up today’s cup iced and topped it off with lemonade for some extra sweetness and sparkle. A perfect fit for its name! I’m excited to try this one both cold brewed and hot now, it’s just so delicious!
Day 9 of the Mariage Freres Advent 2025.
Earl Grey Rhapsody is at first glance an intriguing one – an earl grey with a white tea base. It brews up a beautiful pink colour, although the ingredients list doesn’t give away why. Hibiscus or beetroot, perhaps, although I don’t taste either. Instead this is just pure bergamot from start to finish, which is fine as far as it goes but ultimately not as interesting as I’d hoped.
Day 9 of the Dammann Freres Advent 2025.
The Noir Aux Epices is a black tea-based chai. Closer inspection of the bag reveals that the base is CTC, which is fine with me just slightly unexpected from DF. It’s robust enough to take milk and is deliciously sweet and malty, which is great. The spices, though, are so subtle they are barely there, even after the recommended 5 minute infusion time. I get a little cardamom and clove if I really slurp in an effort to taste, but none of the promised ginger, cinnamon, or pink pepper at all. On that basis, a bit of a disappointment.
Day 8 of the Dammann Freres Advent 2025.
Mate Clementine is a green mate-based blend with orange blossom and clementine flavouring. It’s quite earthy, as you might expect from a mate, but with a bright, sweet, juicy zip of clementine which lifts the whole thing beautifully. It gives a nice afternoon energy boost also. Mate isn’t generally my thing, but I’m glad I got to try this one as it’s not something I would have picked out for myself.
Day 8 of the Mariage Freres Advent 2025.
The de la Couronne (or “crown tea”) is a British-inspired black tea flavoured with fruits and spices. It’s deliciously sweet and malty, with a hint of juicy fruitiness – maybe blueberry, although it’s not a prominent enough flavour to say for certain. There’s also a subtle background of citrus which is reminiscent of earl grey. There is no “spice” to speak of at all as far as I can discern. The website indicates that this blend works best with milk, although my experience today is that it’s not really strong enough for that; even after the recommended 5 minutes, milk seems to wash out most of the flavour. Definitely glad I tried it black beforehand! On the whole I found this one pleasant enough but not particularly memorable.
Day 7 of the Mariage Freres Advent 2025.
French Afternoon Tea is a green tea flavoured with vanilla. The green tea base is smooth, delicate, and lightly vegetal, and the vanilla soft, sweet, and perfectly creamy. There’s just the barest crystalline hint of rose also. One of the nicest flavoured greens I’ve tried in a while.
