Je t'aime

So I am finally drinking the last sample from Nina’s, the one that I opened and Samwise started dancing around me looking for the caramel cake. And I am caught off guard at first by the aroma. This isn’t the Vanilla Comoro-esque tea that I thought it would be. The smell of the base scares me at first. This is going to be too strong for me! And this is with a scant four minute steep at just under the boil.

But the sip is different, it isn’t as candy sweet as the smell made me think it would be. Instead, I find it to be a great first cup of the morning that is strong enough you know are having tea, but has a nice caress from the vanilla. This is a grown up vanilla tea, for people in power suits or ladies who lunch.

I made two steeps since the others have done well, and I drank a bit of steep one plain, then added steep two to what remained in the pot. I asked hubby to join me for tea since he likes vanilla. He always adds milk and sugar to his black tea and this was no exception. Since he said he liked it, I take it that it handles additions well.

I have a fussy tummy that doesn’t take to certain black teas well, especially since I drink almost everything with no additions. This one is not bothering me at all.

This is the serious, tall, dark and handsome guy, not the playful guy I thought it was going to be.
Sometimes that is the guy you want! I really like this, and would compare it more to Vanille des Iles than the Harney vanilla selections. This is going on my gift list for a friend who loves this kind of tea.

Thank you again, Nina’s, for the samples. They were all excellent and tasty teas!

Sipdown! (sample)

Thank you to Nina’s Paris for another wonderful sample! This is a tasty tasty cup of tea! It reminds me quite a bit of creme caramel from della terra, only with a stronger base and a better flavour to it. The scent of the tea is a little off but the liquid delicious makes up for that. I’d be willing to pick this up again for sure. LOoking forward to trying grand amour as well given how nice this one is!

Another fun sample to try from Laurent! Thank you! I was really eager to try this one since I like dessert teas and I loved Grand Amour, and this one has some of the same flavors. The dry leaf smelled sweet. I steeped this one for 4 minutes, being cautious about the astringency. At first, it smelled sweet with some sort of smokiness…uh oh, not a fan of smoke. How did that get in there? Anyway, it tasted like a (slightly smoky) vanilla tea with a bit of caramel. The caramel shone through more as it cooled. Overall, it was not as exciting as I hoped. I think because I kept comparing it to Grand Amour, which has both the vanilla and caramel AND fruity flavors on top. I think, in this case, I prefer a more complex flavor.

Sipdown! 790. Thanks to Nina’s Paris for the free sample :)

I think this may have been the best-smelling tea I’ve had from Nina’s yet (yeah, I have a soft spot for caramel/vanilla)! And… the flavour is actually really good too! I’m getting both vanilla and caramel quite strongly, and with keeping the infusion time to 2 minutes, I’ve avoided any possible astringency from the base, so instead it’s just hanging out nicely behind the strong desserty notes. Yum!! I’d certainly think of purchasing this one in the future, assuming I could get it to taste the same as this cup does. Delicious!

This is my first sample from Nina’s tea – I chose it randomly from the envelope it came in.

Before I looked at the ingredients in this I thought it was a chocolate tea – wishful thinking perhaps? This tea has a smooth base, and the caramel and vanilla add a bit of character to the profile. It’s simple. It’s sweet without being artificial. Like the girl-next-door of teas?

I’m pretty happy with it!

Thank you so much Nina’s Paris for providing me with this tasty sample!

The dry leaf smells intensely of creamy, decadent caramel with a lovely vanilla note added in. It smells like a fantastic tea to begin with!

You can taste the base black tea which is already a good base to begin with. I am getting an amazing caramel aftertaste that lingers and transforms into a vanilla aftertaste. This is good stuff!

Enjoyed this last night while watching Love Actually. Thought they complemented each other well.

This reminded me so much of Della Terra’s Eight Candles. Caramel is much of what I smell and taste in the cup. The vanilla and caramel together make it taste like a toasted marshmallow. So creamy and delicious. Another tea to add to my shopping list. I may need to take another part time job to pay for my tea addiction :) 2 for 2 with Nina’s Paris!

1 tablespoon for 247 ml

A touch of excessive astringency. Good caramel and vanilla flavour blend which are very well balanced.

Received my samples almost 2months after shipment, a bit late but then again a very very nice surprise! Thanks Laurent for the samples!

First up is je t’aime!

The dry leaf smells strongly to vanilla and caramel, very strong even. I’m brewing this 2 times like i do with all my blacks. First cup is a brew for 3min on boiling water.

The color of the brew is very dark and smells more like vanilla and less caramel. My first sips off the tea reveal a soft tasting vanilla aroma with hints off caramel. The caramel is not ruling the cup but thats maybe because its still a bit to hot. When its cooled alot more i’m noticing the caramel as a very nice after taste.

This is a very good first cup and i’m enjoying how smooth it tastes, pretty sure i’m going to order this in near future. But from nina’s european branch in paris…

Merci beaucoup Sophie et Laurent for this sample! (My French only goes so far, also I live in New Brunswick where it’s perfectly acceptable to speak a mash of both languages, haha)

I was so happy to receive these samples because I had wanted to try this ever since reading other reviews on it. I am also still on the hunt for the ‘perfect for me caramel tea’, so this was on the list to try.

My first impression was that it reminds me a bit of DavidsTea Salted Caramel, which is more burnt toffee and less creamy than I’m still hoping to find. On second sip I can tell it isn’t as burnt tasting as SC, must be the vanilla toning it down a bit. That’s the only real hint of vanilla I’m getting though.

All in all I did like this more than the SC, but not sure yet if I would order it. Maybe my idea of what caramel should taste like is just wrong?? Or doesn’t exist as tea? Kraft caramel cubes, that’s what I want. Brown sugar mixed with butter and eagle brand sweetened condensed milk!

Incidentally, today my third….ummm maybe fourth? (haha) Della Terra order arrived, and I got a custom sample pack including Caramel Creme which I’ve been wanting to try. I opened the bag up for a sniff and it totally reminded me of this!

Anyway i still have two Nina’s samples to try and I am excited. They’ve gotta be better than Grand Amour! (go check my review :))

Made this at boiling for 2.5 min

Thank you Nina’s Tea for this sample!! I’m quite enjoying this cup. The vanilla is very mild, and pairs excellently with the caramel. Light, like cloudbursts. The black base is nice as well, bringing everything together to make a very well rounded tea. No sugar or milk added.
Oh!! When piping hot, I swear there was something fruity in there!
I definitely wouldn’t mind having this in my cupboard.

Je T’Aime is a good caramel tea. Comparing this to the Marie Antoinette and the Earl Grey, this one is not as special. It does have good flavor but it could be richer. The other teas from Nina’s Paris, I could resteep because they were so potent. This one is weaker. Some people may prefer that but I like my flavored black teas strong and dark. Overall a good tea just not as memorable as the other two I’ve tried from them so far. Thanks Nina’s Paris for this sample! All of these teas have been so fun to try.

This tea smells exactly like this type of pipe tobacco I used to smoke. I like it.

I don’t generally go for flavored teas, unless they are sophisticated and classy like this one. This tea is vanilla and caramel for grown ups. It’s not over powering or artificial-tasting.

I would keep this on hand for blends.

Sample package: 2” x 2” clear plastic zip-lock – 2 level tsp
Label: “JE T’AIME” (No ingredients listed. No brewing instructions.)

Per http://www.ninasparis.com/en/pro_tea0.html:
“Le celèbre thé JE T’AIME
Vanilla, caramel
A voluptuous tea with the sweet taste of vanilla and all the tenderness of caramel. A blend that will envelop you in gentleness and warmth.”

Thanks to Laurent at Nina’s Paris Tea Store USA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ninas-Paris-Tea-Store-USA/569332199761362
for the recommended brewing instructions: 1 rounded tsp / 195*F / 6oz / 2.5 min.

Technique:
Water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 23 ppm
Heated to 212*F and allowed to cool to 195*F – verified with DAVIDsTEA digital thermometer
Steeped the entire tea sample in 12-oz for 2.5 minutes, then poured two six ounce servings.

This tea has a potent caramel vanilla fragrance.

2.5-min Infusion: The aroma followed the caramel vanilla fragrance. Similarly, the flavor followed both the fragrance & the aroma. The caramel vanilla flavor was so dominate that I cannot easily comment on the character of the base tea other than to say that it was not at all bitter or astringent and had a clean finish. Perhaps a longer infusion time may have allowed the base tea to more fully develop. Since the tea was very sweet, I wasn’t inclined to steep it longer.

Impression: A smooth, very sweet desert tea.

Suggestions: Perhaps Nina’s Paris might consider recommending a longer infusion time or a little less flavoring to allow more of the merits of the tea to shine through.

Thanks to Nina’s Paris for providing this free sample.

I’m indebted to Nina’s for this lovely late-night tasting, so, merci beaucoup pour le thé!

This is such a gentle cup, light, smooth, and uncomplicated. A simple profile makes this quite the easy-going tea, with clear, delicate flavors carried nicely by a thin, syrupy texture. The crisp aroma leads into a mild, sugary liquor, with a darker, caramelized finish. The vanilla is most evident in the flavor, lending immediate sweetness rather than any lingering creaminess, while the caramel provides a more subtle but consistent presence, with tasteful butter-salt notes through the sugar.

I do appreciate Je t’aime’s simple form of love. This is a straightforward, lightly charming tea, giving just enough without having to ask for much in return. It doesn’t quite have enough complexity or depth to interest me the long run, and I’m not enough of a caramel fan to seek this tea out again. Nonetheless, I’ve certainly enjoyed our short time together, and I imagine it will delight many others as well!

Smells like caramel.. A little sweet.