Mélange Mystérieux

Day 5 of the Advent Calender!
When I stiff the tea dry I can pick out the citrus right away, but I’m unable to name the other scents. There is a lone purple flower in the tea bag, which is a nice touch. Once brewed the strawberry come through in scent and taste. I can’t identify any of the other flavors, but it does leave my mouth a little dry after each sip. It just seems like a smooth fruity black tea. Another enjoyable but not amazing tea. I have been really into and impressed by French tea companies in the past six months or so and am hoping that DM will wow me with something in this calender. 19 or more teas to go, so there is still hope!

I want to give this tea a higher rating since I love Dammann Freres tea, but my mouth just found this one far too confusing! I honestly don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like.. there is so much going on. I can’t pick apart any of the individual flavor notes. It’s just a big mixed blob that tastes a bit strange. Sorry, Dammann Freres. This is not a blend for me.

Dammann Freres 2022 advent calendar Day 3. Just assume I’m brewing all of these in my little teapot and drinking them from my delightful, perfect teacup (it’s this one and I’m obsessed with it: https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/juliska-country-estate-flint-teacup-prod193440738?utm_=). I enjoy the fruitiness of this one, both hot and cold, but it’s a little weird on a black tea base. I think I would have preferred this flavoring on a green tea base. The black tea isn’t astringent or tannic, but it’s still heavy in a way that green teas aren’t, and it weighs down the fruit flavor. The major flavors are peach and strawberry; I really have to work to find the cherry notes. Given another chance, I might try cold brewing this one to see what happens.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 3

Mom: “Are you keeping track of all my favourites? You can put the list on the windowsill.”

My mom became instantly smitten with the tea satchet’s aroma – a dominant blood orange note over a layer of summer fruit salad. I understand why; it would make an excellent fruit jelly.

We tried it with and without milk, and it does well in both – depending on the drinker’s preference. The cherry and strawberry flavours pop in particular for me, but there are still hints of sweet citrus and canned peaches. I don’t like it as much as my mom (her rating: 5/5), but it’s a lovely tea. It also pairs well with both mincemeat tarts and Japanese cheesecake.

Dammann Freres day 3. Not my favorite but it was nice, very subtle.

Final freebie sachet. Glad to get these little gifts with orders :)

This one is full of flavor for me. The aroma does come through in taste even if it seems a little divorced from the tea taste. So the tea is woody and a little muddier tasting than other flavored DF blacks. I get syrupy cherry and tangy strawberry smashed between a dominant blood orange top note that’s almost like the powdered drink Tang and a lesser tart peach note on the bottom. I don’t think it’s so much a Mélange Mystérieux as much as a mouth-punch of fruity taste. Maybe the element of mystery is the way the fruit flavors feel like they morph in and out while still feeling like they’re stacked. It’s like the way a PB&J mixes together a little bit. But that’s a crap analogy.

Good for 2 steeps as usual.

Home – 7:30 PM

Ahh Dammann Frères… I’m kind of regretting not buying the advent calendar this year. As if I need another tea advent calendar…

Anyway, on to the tea. This is a lovely fruity black blend! The strongest flavors for me are zesty orange and sweet peach. Apparently there’s meant to be strawberry and cherry here as well, but I’m not sure I taste those. I do feel like there’s a bit of vanilla or something, as the peach really takes on a creamy flavor. The base tea is mild, smooth, perhaps a bit musty.

Yummy if you enjoy fruity black teas (which I do)!

Ooh, I’d totally forgotten I owned this one!

A nice wind-down for the end of a lovely weekend that, annoyingly, has left me as fatigued as I was at the end of work on Friday. No fair.

But at least this tea is as nice as I’ve come to know Dammann fruity things are – the base is strong and tasty, and I’m getting plenty of peachy cherries. That’s nice. This is a good ‘un. I’m glad I remembered it!