Dammann Frères

Working from home today and stuck travelling the rest of the week, so this is my opportunity for tea really. I’m trying to pull out a few of my french teas to revisit them and because i tend to enjoy them more in a mug versus a travel mug. this one is no exception. delicious salted caramel goodness. so much noms….even in an oolong.

pulled this one out given my swedish chef’s tasting note. I brought back 200g of this version and another 100g of the fauchon version and i’m paranoid the flavour is going to disappear or turn on me. Thankfully i was able to share some with the girls when they were over, but i still have plenty for folks to enjoy. :) Still like this one, though i think i landed firmly on the side of fauchon’s being a teeny bit more to my liking, though not enough for me to be disappointed that i have less of it

i think this one is turning on me. It’s much more floral than it used to be. there’s still that delicious caramel taste to this…but there’s a green oolong taste coming through more than usual. Better drink up or share as quickly as possible.

noms. pulled this one out yesterday because i always get a little worried with oolongs. I find they don’t hold their flavour as much as when they’re roasted or as well as black teas. It’s still delicious, but i can see that i’ll have to drink this up/share with friends.

NOMs! so good. i am still really enjoying this one still, so that’s good since i have so much of it haha

dear god…yes. I pulled this one out this morning because i haven’t had it in a bit and it is still as wonderful as i remember. delicious creamy caramel. melted butter and deliciousness. so good.

oh. god. omgsrsly sent this my way, and she received it from dinosara. Can i just say that i love you both…of course now i want moar! I’ve had a couple steeps of this one this morning and it is amaaazing. Seriously…not a fan of oolongs as a general rule but holy mother of all that is caramel, THIS is delicious….it smells divine! it tastes like liquid gold… yum. yum…and did i mention….yum? thank you so much ladies! (now to find some that i can buy)

I enjoyed my sample of this tea today! It has that nice French powdered sugar thing going on. Definitely pasty/sweet. But I screwed up and drank it with some grapefruit chapstick on my lips, and was getting a definite fruit flavor…whoops :P

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 5

Almond AND cherry? The scent reminds me of that Jergens lotion that used to be super popular. Or maybe it’s still popular, I have no idea.

Okay, so this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it’s still not my thing. It’s strong on the cherry candy flavor, paired with marzipan, which isn’t a flavor I enjoy in tea. There’s jusssst enough brightness to the cherry to keep it from being a cough drop, but it’s still solidly in candy territory. I don’t taste gingerbread at all, not even a whisper.

A bit cloying for me, but it’s certainly festive. It makes me think of glacé cherries shining triumphantly on top of some iced baked good. :)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Clz-tccOo8D/

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 22 (from November backlog)

Uh oh, this one lists gingerbread flavor again… Bubblegum, here I come! Although really, the dry sachet smells strongly of cherry, and it has a nice tartness to it which is promising.

Not really getting bubblegum here for some reason… I wonder if it’s gingerbread and orange together that does it? Regardless, I am relieved. This has a strong and sweet cherry flavor, which narrowly avoids tasting like a cough drop. I think it has just enough tartness to remind me more of a dried cherry or at least a cherry sour candy. I also taste the marzipan, and a little warmth from the gingerbread. Apparently this has ginger oil in it, so I’m surprised that there’s not a stronger ginger presence. The base tea has a woody flavor, which I actually enjoy with the added flavors.

Very pleasant, but not something I see myself ordering. I prefer a slightly more tart cherry flavor, and already have a tea from Dammann that fills that need. Plus, I also find myself shying away from marzipan teas these days, having tried plenty of them in my tea “youth”. :P

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 23rd

Hooray, finally caught up! I’ve been quite happy with this calendar, and there are several teas that are now on my to-buy list. I would really like to try all of the different Christmas city teas, perhaps I can find someone to swap with (or maybe they’ll be in next year’s calendar). Anyway! This sachet is filled with black tea leaves and a few pink flower petals, and it smells heavily of maraschino cherry. Looking at the description, I see almond and gingerbread listed as well.

The steeped tea is also very heavy on the sweet maraschino and marzipan flavors, and I don’t smell any gingerbread. The taste of this tea makes me think of how Jergens cherry almond lotion smells. It’s a good concept, but it comes out tasting a little bit odd. The cherry and marzipan flavors are strong and heavy, a little bit too heavy I think. I can taste the ginger, but find it to taste out of place here and it makes the cherry go towards the medicinal side of things. There’s also a weird dough-y flavor that comes off a little bit like homemade Play-Doh to me. Overall, this one is a miss for me. I would have liked to have tried it without the gingerbread factor.

This blend smells a little funky. It’s quite heavy on the fruit and light on the spices. Certainly not a bad thing as I prefer my spices to be in the background.

Sipping… I taste juicy fruit gum and that strange “doughy” thing that I get in some of Dammann’s other blends. It’s not bad, but it’s sort of a fruity and strange blob that sits on my tongue. I can’t pick anything out, unfortunately. I think this blend reminds me of a cup of juice in that it tastes decent, but lacks any sort of dimension.

December 23 – Advent 2014

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 15

This is almost good, but the licorice root ruins it for me. I actually like the combination of the chocolate with the spices though, and the chocolate flavoring isn’t terribly artificial-tasting either. But that licorice root sweetness, sigh…

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 19 (from November backlog)

Hmm, not a very exciting one today to be honest. Though I don’t find myself excited by most of the “regular” Noël teas, as so far they’ve all had that weird gingerbread flavoring that tastes like bubblegum to me… This one smells quite gingery with a bit of chocolate.

Wow, there is a lot of licorice root going on. A big wallop of anise and then a strong sweet aftertaste. I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I can taste the cacao, though, as I often have difficultly finding it in teas. The ginger is there as well, and though I know it’s ginger root it reminds me more of powdered ginger.

It’s not bad, but the licorice root is overpowering and makes it somewhat cloying. A pity, I do like the chocolate flavor here…

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 22nd

Ooh, I think this is the only tisane in the calendar. To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect. Inside the sachet I can see crushed green leaves along with cardamon pods, red peppercorns, and cinnamon bark. There are also some other things and some flower petals. Dry scent is sweet and spicy.

The steeped tea’s aroma reminds me of gingersnap cookies. I’m actually surprised by how mellow this tea is, especially given all the spices in it. And it really does reminds me of gingersnap cookies! I’m surprised that I can’t really taste the licorice root here, not even the sweetness from it. Yummy!

I am drinking this cup of tea while wrapping my Christmas gifts; one of my favorite things… :)

I was excited to try this tea because it sounded like it was a most delicious combination of fruits. Now that I’m sipping it, it’s perhaps a bit too subtle. I don’t taste individual fruits, but more of a medley, similar to fruit leather. It is tasty, but perhaps not a re-purchase for me. As always, happy to have tried this one!

December 16 – Advent 2014

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 19

I thought I would like this one because of the kiwi flavoring, I love Dammann’s Kiwi Fukuyu!

But it’s just too many florals for me. I do taste a bit of the fruitiness promised by the aroma, but it’s definitely overwhelmed by the violet and orange blossom and the rather floral bergamot. The violet in particular tastes quite chalky to me and I am not a fan. Overall it ended up tasting a bit like soap.

Oh well! :P

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 21st

Hmm… I was not excited when I saw this one. Any tea with Versailles in the name immediately makes me think of roses and other florals, so surely this one will not be for me. Thankfully, reading the description assuaged my fears a bit. There is no rose in this tea, and the florals that are involved (orange blossom and violet) are sweet and not overly heady ones. There are certainly a lot of flower petals mixed in with the green sencha leaves. However, the dry scent is strong on the bergamot, with perhaps a touch of fruit.

The steeped tea smells very lovely – a nice balance of bergamot, fruity sweetness, and light floral tones. Wow, the base tea is very strong here, and quite grassy. The bergamot is, thankfully, nice and light as opposed to overpowering. For some reason, this is coming off a touch bitter to me, and I’m not sure if it’s because my sense of taste isn’t quite all there yet or if possibly 3 minutes was a touch too long this time. I don’t taste much peach until the very end and the aftertaste, though there is a light floral presence throughout the sip. Overall, it’s not bad, but not my favorite. I don’t think I particularly enjoy bergamot on a green base.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 22

So I remember being underwhelmed by this one in the past…

I think I like it a bit better than last time, but the base is still a bit too musty and earthy for me, and the flavorings are quite light. It has a nice, buttery caramel apple flavor to it that I would like a bit more of. I do get a hint of the maraschino cherry as well, not sure why it needs to be here but it’s fine. Maybe it gives the impression of a sort of apple upside down cake, with the cherries being included as they sometimes are in pineapple upside down cake? And of course that buttery brown sugar sauce is the caramel.

It’s enjoyable, but I feel like it would be so much better with either stronger flavoring or on a different base.

Work – 4:00 PM

The Great Cupboard Excavation
Untasted teas remaining: 4

I’m giving this one another chance with a shorter steep time after not being thrilled the last time I tried it.

Nope, this is just a strange one from Dammann Frères. The base tea is extremely earthy, and it really doesn’t go well with the flavoring. It’s like apples and dirt tea.

Meh.

Work – 11:00 AM

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I get to start some advent calendars tomorrow, squee. Can’t wait! I think I’ve decided on Tea Revv and Palais des Thés to go first, for no particular reason. The Bird & Blend calendars aren’t actually shipped yet, so those will need to be in December. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I also ordered a Bonne Maman advent…

Anyway, on to the tea! Apparently pomme d’amour is the French term for toffee apple (or candy apple, as we more commonly say in the US). But the tea description mentions caramelized roasted apple, so it’s a bit unclear what they’re going for here.

I think the base tea is a bit strong here. It’s earthy, mineral, and woody and it somewhat overwhelms the flavoring.

I do get some apple, and it does perhaps remind me a bit of apple pie. But the base tea makes it almost savory, which is weird.

I think I’ll give this one another chance, perhaps with a shorter steep.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 20th

Ooh, I remember seeing someone else’s review of this tea and thinking how delicious it sounded. Well, luckily for me, DF appears to have read my mind and included it in the calendar. According to miss Ysaurella, this is meant to be a toffee or caramel apple flavored tea (thanks dear, I wouldn’t have known by the name alone). There are a lot of flower petals and small pieces of apple mixed in among the black tea leaves. Dry scent is very caramel apple, yum!

The steeped tea smells lovely as well, though I do catch a bit of that French powdery quality. The flavor is lovely and appley, though I think I would categorize it more as a cooked apple than a raw one. The caramel is a lovely accent, but it doesn’t overpower here. There’s a touch of floral that I wouldn’t associate with caramel apples, but sometimes the French just can’t help themselves. ;) Overall, it’s yummy, but perhaps more of a caramel apple pie than the apple itself.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 19th

Ooh, this one sounds quite delicious by the description. I must say, I think this whole concept of different Christmas flavors for different cities is quite interesting. I admit, most of them (this one included) I wouldn’t know enough about to assign them holiday flavors. This sachet was almost all black tea leaves with a few stray pieces of citrus peel. Dry scent was sweet and chocolaty with vanilla and orange.

This is actually quite yummy! I agree with Dinosara that it tastes like there’s hazelnut in here even though it’s not listed. The other main flavors I get are creamy chocolate, vanilla, orange, and apricot. There’s also a strong sense of whipped cream that goes along well with the vanilla. I could see this being delicious with cream and sugar! :)

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 24

And here we are, with my very last advent tea for 2022! Phew, I’m so ready to work on sipdowns again ha ha…

So this is another one that tastes like bubblegum to me, having the same gingerbread and orange combination as some of their other holiday teas. There is some orange as well, but mostly it tastes like Juicy Fruit on a rooibos base.

Hope everyone is having a warm and toasty Christmas Eve!