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
green tea
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 …
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 …
Thé des 2 Chinois – Dammann Frères
This is a sample that came with my order. It looks like a nice enough blend on paper, I mean – mango, rose petals? Other delightful fruity things? But then there’s Dammann Frères’ ginger. And boy, is their ginger not for me. It’s a faux-exotic ginger. It’s a dirty ginger. I don’t know if I can explain …
Grapefruit Dragon – Butiki Teas
Okay, so this is interesting. I’m drinking this on the same day as Butiki’s Creamy Eggnog, and as I smelled this sample in the bag, I was struck by how very similar they appeared to my nose. There’s one note that’s very present and dominant to me and that sort of drowns out everything else. …