Marie-Antoinette

So the commotion last night that kept waking me up turned out to be someone being shot to death across the street. I left my house to a swarm of police.
Yesterday was a very surreal day, with me sort of floating through things, unsure as to what was going on, and, when I turned the news on, seeing my house as the backdrop of police activity.
Eeeesh. I’m unsettled. Last night was calm, but I think the whole neighborhood feels a little off right now.
But life keeps going. I have tea to drink, and to go to work, and see a friend, and generally feel odd all day long.
Not my most cheerful steepster post.

Well where do we start with this second sample i’m going to try from nina’s tea. I’m still happy to be able to try these samples laurent did send out to me!

I’m seeing these dry leaf mixed in with a few tiny rose pedals. It looks good but nothing to special when dry. Upon steeping i’m noticing a very dark colored brew that smells like… rose!

The 3min steep with boiling water seems a bit long for my first brew. I’m finding the rose flavors to be a bit to sour but then again its been a while that i had a rose flavored tea. Still trying to get myself reminded that the sour taste probably isn’t only from the rose because there are apple notes in this blend. Can’t really tell this in my first cup tough. Maybe its because i never had a rose/apple blend or maybe i’m just to bad in tasting apples in a hot drink.

Have to say i’m still enjoying my first cup and i’m sure to update this note (or make a new one) when i’m onto my second or maybe even like some people suggest third cup!

already updating my note:

My first cup is cooled alot more now and i’m kind off starting to sort out and get my head into the apple taste! Its really like some people mention apple taste with rose instead off the rose with a little bit apple i was expecting… very curious now for the other cups i’m going to try

I so wanted to like this tea. I loved Grand Amour, and this one has such a cute name! Unfortunately, it wasn’t the tea for me. Once steeped, it tasted like an apple jolly rancher and very astringent black tea. I was surprised by the astringency because Grand Amour was so silky smooth. Not sure why this one was different. Oh well. I appreciated the sample, Laurent!

free sample!
(that’s all i feel like saying i guess. … for now)

This is pretty good!

I love the smell of both the dry and steeped leaves. I was hoping more of the apple flavor would come through but…after leaving it sit awhile it came through more. There is a nice balance of black tea and apple. It’s a smooth tea that makes me think of luxury and fine things. I didn’t notice any astringency. I used 1tsp worth (so I could stretch my little sample out) for 3 minutes…so maybe that’s why it may not have been as strong as I would have liked. This is a yummy tea though…very delicate. It would seem fitting as an afternoon tea:)

Thank you to Laurent and Sophie from Nina’s Paris USA for this free sample. It only took 23 days to get to me. The anticipation was killing me.

The dry tea smells very flowery and perfumey. There are small yellow flower petals mixed throughout the black tea.

The brewed tea smells very flowery but no so much of a perfume smell, more like a natural rose scent. There is a slight sweet vegetal smell. The yellow petals have unfurled and float in the liquor. Looks beautiful.
The tea tastes slightly sweet, some rose flavor but not overpowering. The sweetness comes from an apple flavor, its very light. Reminds me of smelling the ripe red apples at a fruit stand. Smooth and creamy. This tea feels very luxurious and I can totally understand why it is named after Marie Antoinette. I would not necessarily drink this tea in the morning, it feels like more of an afternoon tea.

Definitely going on the shopping list.

I don’t care much for black tea or black tea blends, but this is one of the rare few that blows me away.

The dry leaf smells like a Green Apple Jolly Rancher. I couldn’t detect a floral smell at all, even though rose petals are an ingredient.

After I brewed this tea the apple smell was less intense. This tea definitely tastes like an apple in the first steeping. Thankfully, not in a “Jolly Rancher way”, but a “natural apple way”. The black tea is mild and smooth in the background.

In the second steeping, the scent and taste of rose petals comes out. The apple flavor is more mild than before, but still present. I enjoyed the second steeping most since I LOVE rose. Apples, rose petals, and black tea make a winning combination. I’m so glad I tried this tea.

The 2nd steep has an apple flavour still nicely present with more rose and with the tea base shining through. The bitterness is still present but there is no added astrigency.

I purchased a tin of this tea at Versailles when I was on holiday and I am glad I did. It smells incredibly strongly of green apples and roses, I can smell it through the tin! To me it tastes just as it smells only not as powerful – like green apples with a hint of roses. I steeped this tea twice and on the second cup I found it much more floral.

My second sample from Sophie and Laurent :). This is my favorite so far. The dry leaf smelled like roses. When I steeped it and sipped it to see if it was strong enough I could immediately tell it was apples. As it cooled, I got a whole lot more of the rose so by the end of the cup it was pretty equal tasting. I think it would have been a good tea for Valentine’s Day actually, a romantic, sweet tea with roses :) One of my favorite teas was an apple black tea that was discontinued so I really like this one…