Thé des Poètes

This morning I felt like giving myself a treat, so I decided to depart from my morning habit of attempting to drink up some of my starter teas before my tastebuds are fully awake and drink something new and likely to be quite nice. So I reached into my box ’o goodies from the French buying co-op that Doulton organized and picked this out.

The name of this one is so romantic. Makes me think of sidewalk cafes; lofts on the West Bank; misunderstood, tortured souls bursting with angst. In other words, being in my 20s and an American in Paris. ;-) Or maybe Rimbaud and Verlaine.

All of the flavored Dammann Freres teas smell divine when you open them up. Like walking into a pastry shop. They look rich and dark and beautiful. Steeped, this one smells like apples with a touch of cinnamon and caramel. There’s a lemony high note that seems ornamental rather than necessary to the substance, like a grace note.

What a nice way to start the day. Apple pie fans should like this one. It’s tea, but it’s also apple pie flavor, and the flavor emanates organically from the tea rather than feeling pasted on or dropped in. It’s not overly strong, nor is it too subtle. It’s mostly apple and cinnamon, but like the best apple pastries, it is well balanced between the two flavors.

I got this tea mostly so I could compare caramels. I’d thought I shouldn’t give up on caramel flavoring after my bad Necessiteas caramel apple experience so I decided to try a number of caramel flavored teas to get a sense of the possibilities. This isn’t really a caramel tea. The caramel is around the edges giving the flavor a depth, rather than a sweetness. But it is still a very nice apple pastry tea.

I had two cups, so I could stay in Paris just a little longer.

When I won Doulton’s Dragon Ball giveaway, she also sent me some other samples! How generous! From the selection that she sent, it looks as though Doulton purposely sent me teas that she thought I would like. Either that or she’s psychic! Thank you, Doulton!

This was my first experience with Dammann Freres. It sounds like a really wonderful tea; I love apples, lemons, and caramel. The strongest smell I got while steeping was the cinnamon. I’m not nuts about cinnamon, but smells can be deceiving. I should probably mention that I took this without milk or sugar.

This is quite different than anything I’ve had before. First I taste the lemon, then the apple. I’m not getting much caramel. Thankfully, the cinnamon is just on the back end, and very lightly so. I didn’t think I liked cinnamon teas, but the cinnamon that is present in this works very well. If it wasn’t there, there would be this big void at the end of the sip.

Thanks again, Doulton! I love trying new teas, and especially new companies!

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act I scene 8

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Romeo and Juliet Act II scene 2

Recently I’ve spent some time contemplating pricier “hoity-toitier” teas vs. their more reasonable counterparts. I was never one to be swayed by trends in my school years. I never wanted to purchase the jeans for their brand. So, why do I suddenly covet these more expensive teas? Am I being lulled into a tea popularity contest? And the conclusion I’ve come to is that I think that I’m being true to myself. I think that if a “hoity-toity” tea didn’t taste good to me, then I’d admit it to myself and others. And likewise, if I found a tea that I love that everyone else despised then I’d feel confident in my declaration of love.

All of that is to get to my notes on this remarkable tea. This is my second French tea and I am in love. I am just astounded by the magic that is created with these teas: I open the packet and am completely overwhelmed with potpourri! Yet when it steeps and then I drink it, it has become the most wonderfully complex cup of yum. The only thought on fragrance of the dry leaves was that I thought that it must have anise in it. It is an anise-based potpourri.

Oh, but the joy in this cup! There are all these flavors working harmoniously together so that they become greater than their parts. I can’t even tell you what those parts are until I read the description and then things crystalized in my mouth. And I’m pretty sure that I’m not being swayed by the description. I didn’t have to convince myself of a single one: they’re all there and I’m in awe of how well they work together. Oh, and this tea is smooth like silk. No dryness or astringency to be found. The cinnamon does start to make its presence known more as the cup cools. But it’s still delightful. And to clarify: there is no anise in here. What I believe my mind did was confuse good cinnamon with anise. Strange, but true.

I think that I now understand “afternoon” teas. This one is too genteel for my mornings. But for the afternoon? Perfect. The thought of having this tea later on in the day would help me get through even the roughest workdays.

So this became Romeo and Juliet for me. It is heart-achingly romantic with so many beautiful moments. But then I only have enough tea left for one more pot, and thus my heart breaks. It is so tragic! TG

This smells beautiful! Another Doulton goodie!!!!

At first I was thinking I was smelling BING Cherry, but then realized it was apple…then when I tasted it I could taste apple and lemon but knew there was something more in there…I then read the description and noticed CARAMEL…Yup! I can taste it…

This is just a neat mix of flavors and I’m such a HAPPY Tea Drinker right now!!!! Thanks again D!!!!

What went wrong? I loved the first Dammann Freres teas that I tried but I am pouring this one out! Life is too short to drink bad tea. This tastes like a badly brewed astringent tea with bad lemon added. Is it because it came from Summit Tea Company instead of straight from Dammann Freres? We bought this sampler hoping to find a US source for their tea, or at least to find a variety of teas we could order all at once from France. This one will NOT be on my list. I am getting no apple or caramel flavor at all.

Backlogging Thanks Teaequalsbliss for including this. This smells like black tea apple cinnamon and some lemon. I steeped this up and I can taste the black tea the apple the cinnamon and abit of lemon could not taste the caramel though. but I think this is a pretty good tea.