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“Bah. Non. Pas du tout. It sounded like a good idea, but smelling it I had my doubts and MF kindly (though with some froideur) provided a sample. And thank goodness I did not get 100 grams of...” Read full tasting note
“I remember reading cteresa’s note for this four months back and laughing so hard at the following, “…have no idea why they call it samourai, I can´t think of anything less samurai like than this...” Read full tasting note
Thé noir parfumé
Les samouraïs, guerriers professionnels du Japon portant sabre et arc et chevauchant de fiers étalons, buvaient du thé avant de livrer bataille pour se donner force et endurance.
Leur histoire épique valait bien que Mariage Frères leur dédie ce thé noir au parfum très enveloppé où se côtoient une grande bergamote, de rares agrumes, de la vanille et de la violette, le tout embelli de fleurs de mauve.
Une splendeur du palais pour avant, pendant et après l’orage.
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Bah. Non. Pas du tout.
It sounded like a good idea, but smelling it I had my doubts and MF kindly (though with some froideur) provided a sample. And thank goodness I did not get 100 grams of this.
A flowery, very flowery vanilla earl grey, have no idea why they call it samourai, I can´t think of anything less samurai like than this tea. Bergamot, a lot of vanilla, the violet. I think it might have some orange blossom as well. And it´s a mess.
I got half the sample left, enough for a cup. If whoever I am sending teas next wants it, please just mention it, I will be glad to give it away free to a good home for anybody who wants to check for themselves (though I am warning you!).
I remember reading cteresa’s note for this four months back and laughing so hard at the following, “…have no idea why they call it samourai, I can´t think of anything less samurai like than this tea.”
Now I’m sitting here with the remaining half of her hard-earned sample – there’s no way I can top the sheer hilarity of her review, though, so I’m not even going to try.
Scent wise, this is very lotion-from-l’Occitane, in other words, absolutely not for me. Smelling this for more than five minutes would give me a headache – it’s too medicinal. Brewed, it’s not so bad at all, much less lotiony, with hints of citrus, and with the tea base (which is quite nice) coming through distinctly. There’s a jubilant, grassy, vegetable note in there, too – I’m guessing it’s the MF bergamot – I’ve never tried theirs before.
In the cup, this just blooms. It’s very floral, and I like floral. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this a complex tea, but the tea base adheres to MF’s usual high standard (although it tastes surprisingly green to me) and I’m not having any problems finishing the cup. I also wouldn’t turn down a second cup, but I wouldn’t buy it – it simply isn’t something I crave as a staple. Maybe it’s because I’m just not samurai material.
Thanks, cteresa, for letting me try the least samurai-like tea in the world.
[Spin-off sample from the second round of the EU Travelling Box, spring 2014.]
[Sample polished off in Rome, February 2014.]
Can you imagine serving this to a samurai? it´s so girly…..
Though dunno, for some reason the french (and I think mostly the french) have this whole tibetan – monks – tibetan monks naming for floral vanilla earl greys. I don´t know how accurate that is, but you got these elegant flowery teas named after Tibet and monks, maybe this is a spin off?
Glad you enjoyed it somewhat! That missing sample from the box had fallen right next to this one, had forgotten about this and thought it was a sign to liberate this!
It was definitely a sign – I remember considering asking you for the remaining half of the sample when I read the review, but I forgot. Probably too busy laughing very hard.
And I would definitely serve girly things to a samurai. Forcing preconceived, stereotypical masculinity on guys is so last year. Also let’s not forget about the onna-bugeisha, the badass warrior ladies!
But the problem of serving it to samurai is not because it is girly, it is because it is so fussy, sooo too many flowers. I was samurai aesthetic all more ascetic, purer, more simple. I would serve Adele H to a samurai I think – black with peach and pepper. Something elegant but elegant simple, not elegant fussy.
