There’s a whole, perfect little rose bud in my steeping basket, and that makes me happy. Just like this tea. Boiling, 1 min 30
Macaron Cassis Violette – Dammann Frères
This is a nice idea – currant, violet, macaron. Ideally, this would have a nice balance of berry notes from the currants, elegant florals from the violet and a sweet. light, pastry presence keeping the whole thing together. Nose wise, I mostly get violet, but also an almondy note, which, generously, could be deemed the …
Jasmine Silver Needle – Adagio Teas
Oh. The bag is really, genuinely, irrevocably empty now. I shook it and held it upside down and everything. And I can’t get any more right now. Flurr. [Sample from the EU Travelling Box, autumn 2013.][Sample polished off in Rome, January 2014.] 90 C, 3 min 30
Blackberry – A.C. Perch’s
I had a tiny craving for this the other day, and one more just now. I was going to send the rest of it to a friend, but maybe just one more cup before it goes. Honestly, I have no idea why I enjoy this so much. A pretty basic berry-flavoured black? It’s an evil tea, though. …
1, 2, 3 je m’en vais au bois – Dammann Frères
I’m slowly going through the last of my untried DF teas, and I honestly feel like I’m writing the same review over and over. When I dipped into my Mariage Frères haul, I felt nothing of the kind. Not the slightest hint of it. Their greens all had completely different personalities, and put me in different mnemonic …
Dune d’Épices – Dammann Frères
Haha, I added this tea to the database a few months back, and now BOOM! A whole slew of tasting notes! That Dammann calendar has really been getting around, and I enjoy seeing so many people try their teas. I want to emphasize that translating ‘pain d’épices’ straight to ‘gingerbread’ is wrong – this is absolutely …
Mousson sur Hanoï – Dammann Frères
The base tea here looked really interesting – I didn’t recognize the leaf; apparently, it’s Vietnamese green tea. In the bag, I get bamboo and rose more than anything – in fact, I find this very rosey throughout, even in the cup. This is a bit of a mystery, seeing as there is no trace …
Clair de Fruits – Dammann Frères
Okay, so I’m going to curl up in bed with a cup of tea and a few articles I have to read online. Bed, because it’s where the internets are strongest in this apartment… also it’s warm. And there are fresh linens. So it’s just a really good place to be right now. I have …
Ginger Lemon Green Tea – Kusmi Tea
Atter having such a meh ginger yesterday, I wanted to remind myself what a good one tastes like. This turned into one of my staple travel teas last year, since I’ve been doing most of my transfers in Copenhagen, and in the lounge there they stack bags of it pretty much floor to ceiling. There …
Thé Vert Marco Polo – Mariage Frères
I’m up early, which is always absolutely horrible for me, so I decided I deserved a cup of this. It’s such a very good tea. So much flavour – this is what I love about Mariage Frères’ greens – they’re present throughout the entire sip. None of that Dammann nonsense where you have to sit …