Ysaurella

I’m coming back to tea life after a big cold.

I wanted to taste Nosy Bey for a while now.
The perfume of the dry leaves is absolutely divine : vanilla and peaches.
The aroma is clearly a vine peach head note (not peaches but really vine peaches- In France our vine peaches are almost red (pulp) and the skin of the fruit is more or less grey ).
We can taste a very present and opulent vanilla behind.The black tea base is absolutely sweet and has no hint of astringency.

This is a delightful aroma, vine peach is a wonderfully perfumed fruit and this tea reveals perfectly its qualities.The presence of the vanilla just sublimates it and makes it very generous and luxurious.

A great afternoon tea, almost a fruity dessert tea.

I think I can recognize a DT in a blind test- or blind taste.
I don’t know, there is a signature, something like a kind of special vanilla maybe…an aroma I get everytime I drink one DT.

So this one is a DT as well. I have the same complaint about the tea base, too weak for me, I don’t have the feeling to have a tea but more an infusion, once and again…bis repetita…

The dry leaves scent is a perfection, very spicy and mild cinnamon mainly + pumpkin of course.

I was expecting something stronger as it is a chai but it’s a very light chai to me.

I think I am quite happy with this tea because I normally dislike pumpkin and I found it fair. If the tea base was stronger I would probably even have really liked it.

Forgot to thanks Darby for giving me the opportunity to taste this blend ! Thanks so much Darby

I went to the DF shop to buy in person the tea Figue Fraîche but they didn’t have it !
I wanted a tea with fig so I bought this one at the MF shop.
MF rarely blends figs (Boléro has some but it’s clearly not the leading note).I found this one by chance just looking at their website and when I didn’t have the chance to buy at DF, I did know what to do instead.

So I am the first to review this tea and it is strange because the name of tea is an homage to you dear North Americans.

The aspect of the dry leaves is really beautiful : beautiful big petals of a mysterious blue flower (MF says this is a flower which is growing on the pacific coast…any idea dear pacific coast residents?)

Once I steeped it 5 minutes and it’s too much, astringency was really there and I disliked it.

I did it again with 4 minutes steeping and this is perfect, no trace of astringency nor bitterness.

The scent of the steeped leaves made me very happy : I had the fruits and especially fig.

Drinking it is a little bit different, I got more vanilla & exotic fruits (weird because not mentioned by MF but I picked Mango first I think)and the fig but behind.
The black Chinese tea base is nice

This is a very nice afternoon tea, it’s probably not to me to say but I think is this is a beautiful tribute to America.

It’s my first Butiki teas and I need to double thanks Nicole.
Thanks for the sample and thanks because this tea is really wonderful.

The dry leaves scent is very maple but once steeped, the pecan nuts are the main flavour to me, but on the maple syrup base – this is really well done.

The flavours are so natural and so subtile, it is a very high pleasure to sniff and to drink this tea.

I really really really love it and now I feel sooooo sad not to have enough blend to drink another cup ! It means I need to order it for sure.It goes in my shopping list.

Merci Butiki Teas for this exceptional creation.

I am not very confident with green tea, to me tasting a green is like playing lottery.
I find greens a little capricious especially because of the bitterness we can sometimes get (even if we steep the correct time)

This time I won at the lottery ! Thanks so much to cteresa for permitting me to taste this fantastic blend – I am just surprised you didn’t review it yet-sure you will asap your cold will disappear :)

Delicate and refined green tea base without any hint of bitterness nor astringency.

I get more the fruity notes (berries)and behind, in the supporting role the floral notes (rose is the floral leading note to me and then lavender)

I really enjoyed it – did anyone tried it iced ?

Well this one was in my shopping list but I am happy my mother gave me some to taste because now I know I don’t have to buy it.

It is not a bad tea but it is just not enough fantastic to me to decide buying it.
Almonds are there (but the sweet ones, not very strong on taste, exactly the same as the ones used in Charlotte au chocolat- so weak), weak cinnamon too on a just correct black tea base.
The ingredients seem to be all on the same level, no one to take an advantage on the other – sometimes this is a strength and we can say the tea is so well balanced- here is it just not the case.

It is just a nice cup…I am becoming terrible with tea…it’s no more enough for me, I want more and expect more especially from Dammann Frères.

Really not very impressed by their Christmas teas for the moment; but I only tasted 2 so I am keeping hope !

EDIT

Tried another time, same opinion …

I received this sample thanks to lovely cteresa

The dry leaf scent is fantastic as 99% of the MF blends. On the picture, it reminded me a lot Prince Igor but now I can see it “in real” it is different, dryer than Prince Igor.

The fragrance of the liquor is very special, very green, toasted green tea. This is to me the leading note, almost smoky and then, behind, almond.

Drinking it, to me the dominant flavour is exotic fruits and almond but a different almond from the one used for Pleine Lune, a dryer one less creamy.

It’s clearly not a spicy tea despite the presence of cinnamon (very discrete).

Balthazar has definitively its own personality as cteresa said.
To me it has nothing common with Pleine Lune except almond.It may not be its cousin…
Balthazar has the MF signature for sure. The exotic fruits are what I’ll remember from this blend, but non sweet exotic fruits.

A very nice tea (mix of green and black teas)

Mandalay is a cousin of Esprit de Noël blend. A cousin by cinnamon & cardamom filiation

The scent is strongly spicy, not floral at all.

The dry leaves are so beautiful, a large amount of petals of sunflower is mixed with some red spices.

Steeped four minutes only to ensure not having a too spicy cup, the tea was perfectly balanced between the spicy notes and the rose note.

If you want to taste this tea, you should be spice lover otherwise you can be very disappointed. Rose flavour is really sweetening the liquor and is really present but the main notes remain spices, cinnamon & cardamom on the top.

I won’t have Esprit de Noël (sometimes called Noël) and Mandalay in my cupboard at the same time.
I have to think about that but I really appreciated the rose flavour in this blend so not sure I’ll won’t change my dear Noël by this blend sometimes.

One of the tea I absolutely wanted to taste- I bought a full bag today.

The dry leaves scent is amazing, opulent & floral more than fruity, very promising.

The liquor is less amazing than the dry leaves scent but the notes are very well balanced between floral and fruity ones.
It’s so well balanced that it is complicated to get the ingredients identified clearly.
Even if I know there are vanilla, red & black berries, citrus and cornflowers and mallows, none is overpowering.

Warm, it becomes even better than very hot.

I’ll need to taste it more to see if the experience is different. To be continued so !

This is my third David’s Teasane, oops meant David’s tea.
As I had difficulty to taste the tea base with this brand, I decided to sacrifice the whole generous sample kindly given by Darby for only one cup (4 ts)

I mentioned there was still few tea leaves in this blend so decided to cure this by having an heavy blend.

So, verdict…hummmm ! …can mean yummy , mmmmmmm or meah but really meah. Here you already guessed it’s hummm like meeeaaaaahhhhhh.

To me it’s definitively not a tea, I cannot taste the tea base. I am just drinking a warm tisane.

I get the nuts very distinctly + something which probably can be strawberry
This is sweet ,a nice tisane but the problem is this rating is supposed to be for a tea.

This is probably a fantastic iced beverage

This is a tea I get thanks to Nicole. Thanks really for that.

Paris…my town…I mean Paris is really my town, the one I love overall on earth.
The other one which touchs (almost) so much my heart is Lisbon.

I decided to have this tea especially today because of its name, I’ll explain you why : I’ll have to leave my apartment in one year, the owner needs it.
Regarding the rates of the apartment in this city, I won’t be able to find another one with the same rooms number.
So I am already nostalgic with my town as I really don’t want to leave it : I feel already out of Paris even if I am still here.My bakery, my supermarket, my daughter’s school seem already distant now, as no more mines…

So let’s back to the tea : it’s a real tea :) I mean I feel the tea + the flavours and this is very nice.

After reading some reviews and especially cteresa’s one, I didn’t steep it too much, 3 minutes only.
I had none bitterness,none astringency.

This is a nice tea where I picked out bergamot (leading note for me) and vanilla and just a hint of caramel.

Not sure I would have chosen these flavours to represent Paris, but why not ?

This is my second David’s tea and I had it thanks to Darby.

The dry leaves have a scent of rum… or am I crazy ?
I see very few tea in this tea…many marshmallows and chocolate chips but really few tea leaves …I am suspicious and a little worried.

I steeped it 5 mn and the scent of the liquor is really spicy (cinnamon is the leader)
I don’t get the marshmallow taste, just sugar.

Had the impress to drink a hot water with cinnamon and sugar – weird

As mentioned this is only my second DT and I have the same problem : I don’t really taste the tea base. I get the flavours (not all) but not the tea base.
Really odd,I’ll continue with testing DT, I’m sure I didn’t taste the 2 main teas of their collection.

Awaiting to taste their masterpiece …which is ? to your opinion ?

I drank this tea in the morning but this is more an afternoon tea.

To me the dry leaf scent is something like panettone’s aroma.
Probably due to the citrus present in the blend and in the recipe of Panettone.

The tea base is correct (mix of Ceylon and China blends)
Dammann’s promises were for a Lemon meringue pie & toffee.

Normally, with a Christmas tea, we expect an explosion of flavours.
Alas, it is not the case here.
The main flavours perceptible to me are lemon and toffee (more caramel than a real toffee).

I am a little bit disappointed with this Noël à Venise.
To be honest this is a good tea but a soon as drank, it’s immediatly forgotten… it’s not remaining any flavour in mouth. It’s a fleeting tea.

Disappointing for a DF tea and disappointing for a Christmas tea with such a Name and promise.

I won’t buy it again.

I got this tea thanks to LaFleurBleue, merci beaucoup :)

(by the way if anyone can help me by telling me how to manage to put some writing in bold here on Steepster I would be more than grateful – I really don’t see where to do this)

So merci beaucoup because it is really a very nice tea, very delicate, refined.

To me, basil is the main flavor but not overpowering, it’s just on the top of the other flavors : rose and peony. It’s like the cherry on the top of the cake, it sublimates the whole tea.

This is a mild tea, may be perfect for an evening.

This is my first Gryphon tea and I really appreciated it. However I liked the tea bag quality which is really high and all the information provided on the wrapping sachet (character, aroma,origin, tea pairing suggestions)

The flowers and basil seemed to be of highest quality.

Great tea.

Aïda …is a tea opera dedicated to the glorious citrus !

I am not able to identify each type of citrus present in this blend but they are a lot : for sure bergamot,lemon (candied probably) and bitter orange.

It’s like an orchestra where each flavor is playing its musical score with respect and harmony with its citrus collegues.

Without being exceptional, the black tea base is nice, strong enough to welcome all these fantastic flavors.

Recommended to citrus lovers for sure

Thank you Darby for this tea !

This is my first David’s tea and I was a little curious to know how apples and cinnamon would work on a green tea base.

It works perfectly well, I can get every flavor : the crisp of the pie, the cinnamon, the apples. It it really yummy.

As a French, I have to confess the apple pie is not a childhood reference for me. For apple cake reference,we are more on tarte tatin or simple tarte aux pommes here – and there is no cinnamon in Tarte Tatin and sometimes but rarely in a Tarte aux pommes.
So none nostalgia about the Mom’s cake (however my Mom was and is still a awful pastry cooker ! She makes nice salted meals but not desserts at all)

I appreciate the pastry taste of this tea, it is not only an heavy apple & cinnamon flavors.

The thing I liked less with this blend is the tea itself, I cannot really get the tea base.
To me it tastes more like a tisane than a tea. The good point is there is no astringency, no bitterness at all but I would have loved to get the tea base more present.

Despite this point, I really liked it but it seems this blend is discontinued ?

So I managed to brew it correctly for my palate !
2 minutes only are really enough.

I can now appreciate both malt and caramel and behind a little chocolate hint

I amended my rating.

First time in my life I have to steep a blend such a little time !

This tea can really bear several steeps without any problem, so quite economical finally :)

It’s probably the Best Earl Grey I ever had.

It’s an easy tea (after my adventure with Wedding Impérial, I appreciate)
Bergamot is very present but does not “overtake” the floral note offered by blue cornflowers.
The fruity citrus note is delivered with a majestic and harmonious touch.

The tea base itself is very mellow, light but tasty.

This is an euphemism to say I loved this tea.

The funniest is that it wasn’t the one I wanted to purchase : I asked at Mariage’s desk : I want the French Blue Earl Grey, the one with lavender… the Earl Grey Provence was the one I wanted but I can thank the salesman for not reestablishing the correct name of the Tea I first wanted.

The dry leaves were smelling so good ! Caramel and a hint of chocolate for sure it was so sweet…I bought it ! I met an angel…

Then it was just a demon !
I struggled with this tea all day long.

I had it this morning and steeped it 4 min but I found it strong and bitter but I drank it.

I took it with me at work because I thought I did something wrong.

Second cup at work, I have been busy and I forgot it, it steeped for 6 minutes probably : it was just undrinkable to me : bitter incredibly bitter, I just dropped the beverage.

I made a second steep and for 3 minutes and a half this time, it was nice.

I made a third steep and it was nice as well.

The tea base is an assam and it is too strong for me I think. It hides me the fantastic flavors this tea has from the second steep.

It means I should find someone to drink all my first steep cups :)

I’ll try this with milk and sugar as well, may be good even on first steep.

After my disappointing visit of the Dammann Frères shop, I was so frustrated that I decided to visit the nearest Mariage Frères shop (not a big walk…450 meters ! )

My 10 years daughter was with me and she saw a beautiful canister(Sakura 2012 green tea), she sniffed the blend and she absolutely wanted me to buy it…but it was 22 € and didn’t want to spend so much just for the canister…So to replace I took the Sakura 2000 which is available in loose leaf.

Prepared it yesterday night and I had no problems to sleep behind (theine level shouldn’t be too high)

Well I just need to say it’s a wonderful tea :

the smell is a wonderful bouquet of cherry blossom
there is absolutely no astringency with the liquor, the first sip is highly floral and sweet.
the after taste is clearly fruity with a delicious sweet cherry.

You keep the taste a long time after finishing it, it is delightful.

I highly recommend to discover it.

First I need to say I’ve always been suspicious with the idea of chocolate flavor for teas.
Each time I was seeing such a flavor on a package, I didn’t purchase it.
I like to drink hot chocolate with milk and tea + chocolate was little weird to me.

But I am curious and however now we can see more and more chocolaty teas (chocolateas ?)

I decided to taste this one because of the ratings here and because I never had a Dammann Frères I didn’t like.

I really appreciated it even if to me the only flavor I get is chocolate. I cannot pick out the almonds (I regret it because I love almonds so much)

The tea base is very sweet and smooth without any bitterness.

The tea is absolutely mellow and sweet.

Dedicated to the chocolatea lovers.

But between this tea and a cup of real hot chocolate, I would still take the real chocolate…too bad for calories !

PS : my daughter is in love with it (she’s 10 and like to taste my cups of teas)

I went to the Dammann Frères shop today. I am very disappointed but it’s nothing to do with the tea itself so I won’t say anything here but I will in a note for Dammann Frères place.

This is a very pleasant tea, opening the bag the smell is very very strong, maybe too much ! it’s candy candy candy, over-flavored.

I followed the steep instruction written by the saleswoman on my bag : 80°c and 4,5 min – not sure there are the correct ones- so I’ll give another try with a 90°c as it seems to be more classic for a black blend.

The flavors are really mixed and to me the taste is really like poppy candies. I can pick out marzipan in addition.
I love it but I have a reproach to do with the tea base which is too weak, light bodied.
Now it may be because I didn’t brew the blend at 90°c so I will give another try and amend my note soon.

This is really a pleasant dessert tea anyway, very smooth and mellow.

For my experience with Dammann Frères shop please have a look here : http://steepster.com/places/2733-dammann-freres-paris-ile-de-france

Everybody is already asleep home including the cat !
I am alone on my sofa and I feel so lazy…I’d like to have a cup of this tea…but I feel well on my sofa…nobody’s around to go in the kitchen for me…even the cat…anyway cats never help to prepare a cup…

I had a dream Le Chat is waking up and is going in the kitchen, he’s putting water in the kettle, 80°C (he is clever, he knows it’s for a green tea)…put crystal sugar in a mug & put the infuser in.

But pffff he’ll never do that for me…that’s the reason why I love him and love cats… they don’t care for what we think, they are just free and only do what they want to.

So I have this tea and it is a nice tea.
I am not very impressed by the green tea base but appreciate the flavors (mainly rose but I can pick mango and behind maybe peach).

it doesn’t work for a second steep, it becomes really too weak.

Nice for a lazy evening with or without cat

Another best seller of the Mariage Frères tea house.

No suspense for this one : it is one of my favourite even if I don’t drink it very often.

I know this tea since I am a child, my mother had it in a beautiful canister. Sometimes, I was just opening the tin to sniff the incredibly perfumed blend : it’s Christmas Spirit really …candied oranges, cinnamon, Vanilla, almonds and cloves and mandarin.

I can pick up all the ingredients on the dry leaf…and it makes me really sad….
Christmas is a period that always drove me very sad and there is probably the reason why I don’t have this tea very often.

But as a good masochist, I sometimes have it (it is all year long in my cupboard) and I really enjoy it.

The infusion is as perfumed as the dry blend was, no surprise.
Maybe the perfumes are more mixed than on the dry leaf, I am not distinguish them all as I can before steeping.

And here we are : Noël is never as strong as I am expecting each time, year after year. The blend reflects exactly what I am feeling for the period…

Mon cher thé Noël, tu es définitivement l’exact reflet de cet esprit de Noël et pour cela je t’aime autant que je te crains.