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I am SO thrilled this was in the Dammann Freres Advent Calendar this year – this was a tea I really wanted to try, and couldn’t find a supplier for.

Out of the bag, this smells amazingly decadent – chocolate hazelnut. OH YES. It smells divine! Steeped, it smells less so, and drinking it was pleasurable, although not as lovely as the smell of the tea itself.

I’m getting a rich black base along with almonds and perhaps something orange. There’s something faintly chocolate in here too, and I can definitely taste the nuttiness. It’s much better sweetened, and I wish I had more… it’s delicious. Definitely on my to-order list.

Size: Large (60g)
Quality: Basic
Type: Regular
Flavor: Delicate
Made with 8oz of coconut milk, added 1tsp Truvia, mixed with a chasen.
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/irish-cream-matcha.html

Oh, how I wanted to love this. An ex used to make his own Irish Cream, and I since I’ve sworn off many of the things used to make this boozy treat, I’ve been looking for a replacement for many years now.

Out of the bag, this smells buttery. That’s really all I get. Mixed up, I also smell butter, and tasting it (initially) is just creamy, buttery matcha as well. Once I get down to the bottom of the bowl however and I see how poorly I mixed the sweetener, I can tell it’s Irish Cream. Tangy Irish Cream, even if I have to reach for it a bit.

If I try this again, it’ll be with a different base (black?) and a higher flavor profile.

Heh. So funny that I commented on this the other day with someone (yyz?) and now here it is, Day Two of the Dammann Freres 2013 Advent Calendar. Duh me.

This tea smells like Christmas to me, or at the very least, the holiday season. A hint of black tea with citrus (?) and another hint of clove. It’s got depth to it, and I’m just sitting here, sniffing it in. Just the smell alone is worth my getting more than this tea bag.

It’s still a bit hot for my tastebuds to really enjoy it, however this is a lovely tea. It’s sweet – sweeter than I was expecting – while full bodied. It almost smells like a green the more I drink it, even though it’s definitely a black. Zero astringency… smooth. Touch of black tea tannin in there to remind me, and the citrus lingers ever so slightly, even minutes after I’ve had a sip. A touch of Truvia lifts the citrus (and something else – cherry? fig?) to mouth-watering heights.

Yes, this is most definitely on my to-buy list.

Wow. This is by far the most unusual tasting and difficult-to-review tea I’ve ever tried.

Size: 60g (Large)
Quality: Basic
Type: Regular
Flavor: Delicate
Mixed with 8oz coconut milk and 2tsp Truvia, mixed with a chasen.
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/bubble-gum-matcha.html

This is very strongly scented; my 5-year-old even recognized it instantly as chewy pink bubblegum. It mixes easily, and tasted just okay without sweetener. With sweetener however, holy moly. It’s like I’m drinking pink chewy bubblegum, including that chewy mouthfeel. Really a challenge to describe, and again my son commented that it was like drinking bubblegum. For me, this is a weird concept my brain couldn’t wrap around… I’m so used to spitting out gum when it’s done. Drinking something that tastes identical to it? Uh… brain confused.

Having said that, it is a perfect replica. It tastes a bit chemically, however so does bubblegum to me. I’ve already finished the cup, and I can still smell it.

Would I recommend this? Definitely, at no more than delicate level, and only if you truly love the chewy pink stuff. I like bubblegum, however I think I’d prefer chewing it to drinking it? I’m still so confused. High marks because it really is an excellent replica.

Bought this about a month back just after it was renamed. I love cinnamon tea, so this was on my must try-list.

Huge slivers of cinnamon in here makes it a really strong smelling tea, and this is promising for me. Kind of reminds me of Bengal Spice (Celestial Seasonings) my current favorite cinnamon tea, even though I’m loathe to admit it. Bagged, grocery store tea? Sacrilege!

All I taste is liquid cinnamon and rooibos at the end of the sip. This is a good thing (for the most part… there is some bitterness in there). I’m happy to gulp it down with or without sweetener – although sweetener does help it pop more.

This was the first tea (other than the advent calendar) that I cracked from my recent Dammann Freres/Vendomme Cadeau order. A huge thanks to yyz for letting me know about this optional way of purchasing DF teas! (Note: shipping was only 8 euros to Canada, and it got here in a week. Beautifully packaged as well).

So why did I pick this tea? Because it’s the only one I’m not sharing with others in some fashion, and because it’s such a small amount (cute 30g tin). Plus I love greens, and haven’t had a lot of late.

For some reason, I’m getting spicy in this blend. Cinnamon perhaps? Which is odd considering there’s zero cinnamon, just variations of orange (orange, orange peel). I definitely get orange though, and a touch of vanilla. It’s quite a lovely tea, although much better with a touch of Truvia. Light, refreshing, pleasant. I might order more if I could find a better price for a larger amount…. $20 for 30g including shipping seems a bit pricey for me, if only compared to the other teas I grabbed that were in the $11/100g range. Or maybe I’m just spoiled.

Ah, peanut butter. I LOVE it. A bit too much in fact. There were days not that long ago where I’d down a whole container of Peanut Butter Chocolate Haagen Daz in less than fifteen minutes. I would do (almost) anything to have that flavor again. And so, I bought this matcha. I have some Bavarian Chocolate as well, and will mix them eventually.. once I’ve had them both solo.

Size: Large (60g)
Quality: Classic
Type: Regular
Flavor: Delicate
Preparation: one heaping matcha spoon of matcha mixed 9oz cold coconut milk using a chasen
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/peanut-butter-matcha.html

This is definitely one I want to try as a Distinctive or even Robust flavoring, because I can barely taste any flavoring at the Delicate level. Having said that, it definitely smells like peanut butter, and the taste teases me. As I demolish the cup, it tastes more and more like peanut butter, and I want to see if I can get the flavoring to pop a bit more so that I love this, instead of just like it.

EDIT: Once I got to the bottom of the cup, it was most definitely a peanut butter matcha, including mouthfeel. It’s almost like this one needs massive sweetener to bring out the flavors, which surprised me. Upping rating, because at the end? Amazing!

Thanks to Dexter3657 for sharing some of this with me!

This smells delicious – like I’ve just squashed a raspberry between my fingers. It steeped up nicely and I taste very little rooibos in this cup. Having said that, I kind of wish there was more raspberry in it, even though I’ve added some Truvia to it already to see if I could ramp it up just a teensy bit.

I do however love the title, and so I’ll sip it easily tonight, thinking about the time a few years back that I splurged to get one Prince ticket right next to the stage while he was in Victoria, BC, and where he sang RIGHT TO ME and pointed… ah… even the women around me squealed and asked why he picked me. Dunno what I did, other than just sing along to every single song he played, except for the radtastic medley where they jumped from song to song so fast, my head spun and my heart vibrated.

Day One of the Dammann Freres 2013 tea Advent Calendar.

I’ve left this in my cup for well over an hour now, and I have to say it gets better as it steeps. At first, wasn’t a huge fan. Tasted like not much of anything. Now? It’s sweet without being cloying, and I’m at a loss as to what’s making it sweet (a plus, considering some apply-flavored teas are just yuck to me). There’s definitely vanilla and cinnamon in here too, although it all blends together quite nicely. Not for licorice-haters, as it’s the majority of the top and middle notes.

I’ll order this, however I’ll have to make a note to myself to steep it heavily and for quite some time before drinking it.

Backlogged from earlier tonight.

Went to Faubourg with some friends tonight, a French patisserie in downtown Vancouver. They sell Mariage Freres tea there, and this was the first one that caught my eye. (For the record, they also sell them in the tins, however 50g is $38… Holt Renfrew is $24).

I found the smell of this tea to be standard rooibos, however the flavoring was very vanilla-rich, almost like a custardy booze. I re-steeped it twice with zero flavor loss, however I still wanted more out of this. More… bourbon? I dunno. I guess I just expected more from such an expensive tea, and one that’s hard to find here. I’ll order it again if it’s around, however I’ll likely never buy any loose for the house.