The first time I smelled this tea, it was so familiar. I’m absolutely elated it only took one more whiff to figure it out, because it’s a weird one and it would have driven me crazy trying to hunt it down.
Dry, Thé des Impressionistes smells like… Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream with Cocoa Butter & Sesame Oil from Burt’s Bees.
It really, genuinely does.
The tea is more elegant, of course; where the hand cream speaks of long days in the freezing potting shed, the tea is smooth and creamy and indoorsy with a hint of something delectable baking in the oven – most probably Nigella’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake (http://food52.com/blog/5226-nigella-lawson-s-dense-chocolate-loaf-cake).
This is all scent so far – I’ve been so torn about tasting this (It smells like hand cream! And Nigella!) I’m doing a live tasting note in case it’s so horrifying I need moral support.
…
Okay, in the cup this just gets stranger. No hand cream. A dash of Nigella, but it’s a good dash. This comes off as a light, sophisticated gingerbread-esque shortcake.
I’m extremely confused by this tea right now, but I do enjoy it.
[Surreptitiously acquired from Mariage Frères in London, August 2013.]
90 C, 1 min 30