Dammann Freres

I just samples a whole bunch of teas (all from my mystery swap with Shmiracles). As I have a bunch to log now, my notes will be brief.

The dry leaves of this one smell like champagne. I’m really not so into champagne or most alcoholic beverages really. I do pretend to like them when the occasion calls for it or if I really just need the after affect (^^) but that’s about it. I brewed this one tea up anyway, hoping it might taste different than it smells. Oh, sure it does. It tastes like, like, well I don’t really know. Fruity, sure, but the rest? Something in there tastes nasty. Is that the chocolate or the bluebonnets? It doesn’t taste like either, its just a strange flavor mixed in with the fruity. But on the brighter side, it didn’t taste like alcohol (^o^)

No notes yet.

I had an anxiety-filled morning during which I had to write an email to my advisors requesting to delay my dissertation defense, which was emotionally draining. Everything worked out, but at the time I was very stressed. I wanted something in the morning that would be comforting, and I grabbed this one out of the box it is currently residing in.

I am all out of sachets of this tea (that I had bought in Mongolia), which is a shame, because it is a tea I love to take with me while traveling. It is delicious and comforting, with a yummy black tea base and citrusy notes that complement it so well. A delicious tea that is comforting but also that I can just drink without thinking about it too much.

When Cteresa and I were planning our small swap, she suggested that I try some of this one. I had never heard about it before so I went and looked it up.

Then I made this face: O.O

And then I’m afraid I resorted to pitiful begging to pretty please with a cherry on top have a sample. Or something like that. Okay, maybe not quite that much, but I definitely wanted to try it.

I mean, caramel, vanilla and red berries? That’s like, three of my favourite things to flavour tea with! It reminds me rather of the St Petersburg blend from Kusmi, only without the bergamot. And you know what, I can totally live without bergamot. Easy. And I’m actually quite fond of St P. So what I’m expecting here is something similar but better. St P got 86 points from me on Steepster. Let’s see if we can’t beat that.

Oh my word, the aroma of this one! It smells like cherries and creamy-sweet vanilla and sugar-y sweet caramel. It’s quite heavy on the caramel too. This is liquid sweets in a cup. The berries here are cherry, strawberry and raspberry, but I can only really find the cherry in the aroma. That herry flavoured number from Fru P that I’ve got is really coming in handy here, because the cherry aroma in that one is exactly the same as in this one. Perhaps there’s a wee bit of strawberry underneath, but I can’t really be certain.

Okay, so the aroma is definitely leaving St P behind in a cloud of smoke. So far so good.

The first sip gives me juicy fruit a-plenty. It reminds me at first of a 4 Red Fruits blend, but extra sweet. Although this is only three red fruits. But who’s counting.

The vanilla and caramel are both quite subtle at this point, but the vanilla comes out more as I sip and lends a creamy note. I’m now reminded more of some kind of red berry ice cream dessert. All we need now is the caramel, but I expect it’ll show up if the cup is allowed to cool off a wee bit more. This seems to often be the nature of caramel flavoured teas. They need to be allowed to develop a little more before the flavour really comes out to play. (And no, as I’ve mentioned before, your various tricks of adding sweeteners of various sort do not work for me. It makes nothing “pop” for me. Adding stuff just breaks the tea for me.)

It’s true for this as well. A little patience before sipping further and the caramel is there in the aftertaste.

Oh yeah, this is better than St P all right! I must shop at DF som time.

Sipdown, 162.

This is a lovely floral green oolong. It is similar in feel to a magnolia oolong, but the florals are lighter and less thick. Reading the description again, I think this is actually not a scented oolong but just one that has natural osmanthus-like florals to it, and that’s exactly what it seems like. The florals are very “oolongy” which is to say that they seem inherant, not added after picking through a scenting process. It just has so many natural floral notes that it seems like it could have been scented.

It reads as very spring/summer to me, which is appropriate given the weather (warm, rainy). Fresh, green, vegetal, with a hint of butteriness and lingering sweet floral flavor. A very lovely tea.

Sipdown, 165. Thanks to Shmiracles for this sample!

Got back, exhausted, from DC, and wanted a nice comforting tea. I asked for a sample of this from Shmiracles because even though I dislike cherry-flavored things, I trust Dammann to blend it right. Nevertheless, I was a bit hesitant to try this for a while.

Well I drank one cup of it, and then immediately decided: I want to have another cup. So I brewed up the rest of the package. There is certainly cherry in here but it is not CHERRY to me. This is actually one of those blends where I can’t quite suss out all the flavors. They are just there, and well blended, and I want to keep drinking. I do taste a flavor that reminds me of the Melange du Cherubins that I had a while ago… Dammann’s chocolate flavor. It is perhaps not the most chocolatey of chocolate flavors, but it is pleasant and nutty and slightly cookie-ish to me. So all in all, quite a tasty blend to me.

The boyfriend’s nose says (knowing nothing previously about the tea): smells like flowers… then chocolate… and maybe some fruit. Haha, I am training his nose at least, even if he doesn’t drink the tea!

No 12 from TTB-A
I have to confess, I’m really enjoying sampling teas in this way!
These little cups hold just enough tea for a quick sample, & if it’s something I don’t care for, I don’t feel so bad dumping it out.
The one is not getting dumped! It’s tasty!
:)
And that’s enough sampling for now, I have a gig in a little while, the monthly tea party at the nursing home. Time to get ready.

Backlog and sipdown from last night. I wanted to compare this one against the toffee from palais de the’s toffee. Sadly i don’t recall much in terms of comparing the two since it was a super late night. I have a vague recollection that the damman freres version was slightly smoother and more about the black base, while the palais version was more about the flavour, with the base taking a bit more of a background. Either way both are delicious so it would likely come down more to which i could get my hands on here in canada more easily :)

Thank you so much Ysaurella for this surprise sample!

Once upon a time, there was a Fairy who had given up on Apple tea… She thought she could never find an apple tea that could meet her requirements and expectations.

What she had always longed for, was a tea that could reproduce the juicy and delicious taste of apples, without the company of the harmful Wicked Army of Additives! The WAA had terrorized the world of tea for centuries and was the main cause of discord between tea and flavour.

What she wanted seemed so simple: an apple tea that would simply taste like… APPLES!

Just as the Fairy had finally resigned on the idea, Princess Ysaurella from the heights of her French Kingdom, decided it would be otherwise. The injustice had to stop!

Apple tea should take its place in the wonderful world of Fairies and no longer be a forbidden tea!

From the other side of the ocean, she did everything possible to arrange safe transportation for Pomme d’Amour, and it quickly reached destination to the Fairy.

When the Fairy examined the offering, she remained skeptical: how could a spell that was there for so long could be lifted so easily? How could the WAA be defeated so easily?

As she had nothing to lose, she focused her attention on the infused elixir’s aroma…Oh, the scent of fresh apples! Was it possible? She cautiously moved to the next step and tasted.

Awww … divine potion that finally valued the Apple as the Queen of fruit she really was, allowing her to shine in her beautiful black China-Ceylon robe, without any unnecessary garments such as cinnamon, cake or pie flavours! Just the right amount of sweet and juicy apple taste!

It goes to say that without Princess Ysaurella reconciliation could not have taken place! The WAA was put to rest, and all the Fairies lived happily ever after, sipping their Apple tea.

The End. Thank you Princess :-)

My Internet dropped off today at work so I never got around to posting a note for this one. This will be short, but thankfully I have enough of this for a proper note later. Of course, thanks again to Shmiracles for this sample!

I love florals but I’ve never really been into osmanthus. But I’m also pretty sure I’ve never had a osmanthus green oolong, and this one is super delightful. It really seems floral only in the way that green oolongs are floral, not like added florals. It’s sweet and buttery and just lovely. A really treat.

thank you shmiracles I had this one about a zillion years ago today. It is divine! I absolutely love this one! the black base is nice, and smooth and just serves to complement the wonderful buttery caramel goodness that is this cup of tea. i really have nothing more to say than this week has been full of delicious!

I got the most amazing mystery box from shmiracles. Seriously, if she ever offers to send you a box, don’t miss the opportunity! There are some 20+ teas all indivually wrapped in foil pouches. It took me about 10 minutes of sifting to decide where to begin. I chose this one.

It was described as chocolaty and maraschino cherry. I totally got the cherry, a little chocolate. The fun thing about the mystery box is you get a bunch of teas that you probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise. A great chance to expand the horizons! This tea was perfect example of that. And I really liked it. Probably not a keep stocked on the shelf tea, but a tea I would happily drink if offered.

Thanks shmiracles!

This is a perennial favourite at my house for many reasons. My wife and I discovered this at an all-night bistro on the night we met, and the taste and aromas added to the magic of that night – neither of us had ever tasted anything remotely like it.

Dammann Frères recently sent us a package of it as a gift for the tenth anniversary of that night. They are a wonderful company, and their teas are of an exceptional quality.

The strawberry aromas can seem over the top at first, and one expects a very fruity cup but the tartness of the rhubarb and mild hints of vanilla mellow it. The black tea is mild and produces a pleasing reddish liquor. It is pleasant chilled in the summer, and wonderful hot with a drop or two of milk. No sweetener necessary.

Oh my oh my. Dammann, I love you so. This tea is just so delicious.

First off, thanks to Shmiracles for sending me some of this. I had initially wanted just a sample of the Mariage Macaron tea, but she offered a sample of this one and I am SO GLAD I took her up on it. I should have known!

Dry, this tea smelled like caramel heaven. Once its steeped up it also smells like caramel heaven, but also a little nutty and a teensy bit fruity, almost like a caramel apple? Don’t know where that is coming from, since there isn’t any apple in this blend. I think there must be some fruity note in the base tea that is coming through.

The tea is suuuper smooth, sweet, and rich. It tastes like caramel in the sip, but the real treat comes immediately afterward when I could be convinced I just ate a sweet, buttery piece of toffee. I do get a hint of a fruity note still, but it is exceedingly light and it works with the richness somehow. This is one of those delicious cups of tea where I want another cup immediately after the first one is gone. Love you, DF!

Yum yum yum. After having the macaron tea by Mariage Frères, I thought of the two macaron teas I have from Dammann. They are on a green base, so quite different from the MF blend.

I said a fair amount about this one in my previous note, and I drank it earlier today while working, so I don’t have any specifics right now. But as much as I haven’t been feeling flavored greens lately, this is the exception. Sooooo delicious… Violet and cassis (black currant) are such macaron flavors, too. They pair perfectly with the light almond cookie-ness. Mmmmm.

Thanks Sil
This is different than I thought it would be! It has a medium-weak black tea base with a quesi-citrus flavor but there is also a bit of tart in there – maybe like a not-quite-ripe-yet berry of some sort.

It’s an interesting flavor and a nice change-up, tho.
Creative Flavored Fruity Black, really…not bad!

Another sample sipdown! Thank you Ysaurella!
The St. Louis cardinals won, 10 – 1, completing a 4 game sweep of the Brewers.
This was my celebration tea, & victory is sweet! This lovely tea combines a blend of black teas with strawberries, rhubarb, & florals. It was a very nice cup, & Tony enjoyed it too!

when i have a lot of teas i’m excited about trying i tend to brew small little 6 or 8 oz cups.
this one i brewed once, and then brewed again immediately. i just wanted to be sure is all.
i wanted to be sure that what i thought i tasted was really what i thought i tasted.
and i’m just gonna go for it and declare …Apricot.
i don’t even know why apricot.
i mean, no pineapple or mango. i feel like apricot.
APricot!

thanks Dinosara! it’s a euro tea adventure!

as of today we’ve only been back 2 weeks, and yesterday my boyfriend was already googling all sorts of variations on “the cheapest way to fly to europe”.
it was inevitable.

oh Macaron Mangue Jasmin you are fairly stunning, but see, i have already fallen for another Dammann Freres (…or two hah). alas my heart is spoken for.

again i feel very lucky to have tried this tea and to have a couple more cups to go! i mean, have you seen their catalog it’s HUGEMONGUS! how would anyone expect a girl to get through that on her own. we all need the help of our tea friends don’t we.

Dinosara gave me this sample too. she showered me in the classiest of teas. (you should probably read her posts if you wanna actually know about the tea. she said it so well.)

a sample from the awesome Dinosara! and this IS a breakfasty kinda desert tea…
jammy dodgers! it’s jammie dodgers tea.
it just dawned on me.
YUM!
i’m gonna make a second cup and watch yesterday’s Doctor Who episode.
(after i rewatch the xmas episode and then rewatch the end of the previous episode, because Clara’s story is explained in there somewhere i’m sure of it.)

okay i re-steeped the pot. and i’m not a person who usually does that. like i basically never do that. so i’ll take that as an indicator that i like this tea even more than i realize i do.

THIS ONE IS A 100% BUY for me!

Okay so there is a certain orange flavouring in teas that I really dislike (when not paired with a black base, apparently). It’s kindof a spicy orange rind note, which I often find in teas that are a less than entirely fresh, but sometimes as an intentional addition.
This was the aroma/taste that hit me when I first tasted my tea. So not my thing!
But then, as I got through the cup, it kinda grew on me. I think that the blend of Ceylon and Chinese black teas must be a good match for that particular flavouring.
My cuppa had a smooth creaminess to it, and went down surprisingly easy without any milk or sugar, which I fully expected would be necessary given my flavouring bias!
It isn’t entirely orange, or orange rind though, and I’ve yet to put my finger on what that extra something is. Anyone have any thoughts?
Back when I was a tea newbie, I bought 100g of an orange flavoured mate without trying any first… and oh boy did I ever hate it. So gross, in my opinion that is. I did manage to find it a good home! Perhaps it was the combo of orange and mate I dislike. and orange and white tea! (yes I mean you…Tangerine somethingorother from Kally. Blech)
Anyhow, I’d definitely try this again, and could actually see myself keeping a stock in my cupboard. Not as my house “orange black” of course, as this one seems to stand on it’s own.
Thanks to my Mentor (in HR) for buying me a cuppa at Avenue Bistro Cafe :)

hmmmm, i don’t get the chocolate really but my sister was like “super marachino city!” and i was all AWWW cuz i basically bought it for her. she loves teas with flowers and rose petals in them.

also, dry in the canister, it definitely smell like wine to me. it’s a very true and strong wine smell. almost like a turned wine, like a white wine that has sat opened in the fridge too long. i certainly like it more than i expected to.

Ysaurella was kind enough to send some of this my way recently. :)

This is a nice, mild black tea with strong violet flavor. It is also sweet.

What it reminds me of are the violet candies you used to be able to get in 5 & 10 stores in small towns. http://chowardcompany.com/products.htm

I never cared much for the candy. As a tea, it is okay. Not bad, but nothing I’ll seek out to keep in the cupboard. I’ll share some of the sample I have left with my mom and her friend and it will all be steeped and enjoyed while it lasts. :)

I’m not sure how i feel about this tea. It’s strawberry, less so rhubarb but there’s a floral taste in the background that i’m not sure yet how i feel about. I’ll have to try this again ina few days and see if there’s any change in how i feel.