French Spice Quartet

I was doing some Christmas shopping with my daughter last night and decided to check out the store and grab a cup. Well of course I walked out with something because my daughter tried the blueberry bliss/strawberry lemonade combo and loved it. I figure get her started early. She also refers to it as her tea. This one intrigued me last time I was in so I thought why not. The dry leaves on this one are an intricate combo of spicyness. I was really getting excited to try it. First sip….wow! If you put a cinnamon, peppermint and ginger Altoid on your tongue at the same time you would get this tea. Not to mention the subtle sweetness of vanilla, a little more spice with the black pepper and clove, and that it’s an Oolong/Pu-Erh combo….This maybe the first tea that I can legitimately claim teagasm on. This tea was so amazing. I left the cup in the car overnight and a heavenly aroma still hung in the air! And I’m spent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KCE44Jz7BQ&feature=related

This tea smells like everything that is right with the world. I first received this tea as part of a Christmas present along with several other Teavana teas. I immediately opened all of the bags and then spent the next few hours just smelling and drinking the delicious teas! It was wonderful! All of the teas were great, but this one stood out especially.

When I first smelled this tea, it reminded me of the library in fall. The spices in this tea create a combination of flavors and smells that are reminiscent of old books, dry leaves, and antiques. All of my favorite things combined in one great tea!

I was apprehensive to taste the tea though. I was curious to see how the spicy, homey scent would translate to taste. I was not disappointed. The spice combination in this tea is lovely! It may be because I love cloves, but this is one of my favorite teas!

I am seeking entertainment that doesn’t require me getting off the couch this morning, so youngest is serving as my barista and bringing me tea. This is a sample from ThePurrfectCup. Many thanks!

The description of the tea really says it all. There are lots of spices in this and they are true to what you would expect them to be. They are strong enough, though, that I am not able to detect that the base is oolong and puer. I do not claim to have the most sensitive palate in the world, so maybe other people would pick up on that right away!

If you like chai spices, you would like this, and this is just the season for something so warming.

I’m the only one of all my co-workers who likes this, though I have some friends and guests who love it. During our tasting last fall I got both cups of this, sweetened and unsweetened. I must say the rock sugar gives it more of a holiday spice feel rather than the earthy culinary spice feel it has without. It is very clove and pepper dominant and leaves the whole body feeling warm and buzzing, this physical sensation is why I come back to it.

While for the last couple months I’ve been drinking mostly straight tea there are a few flavored oolongs I decide to brew every now and then. Monday it was French Spice Quartet. I was surprised to get three infusions out of it and Was pleased at how large the oolong leaves unfurled. I have yet to try a straight pu-erh though I have several samples, but there is a nice earthy punch in there that doesn’t seem to come from the oolong or spices. This time the blend was less warming and more churning, I had three 16 oz servings before a very late lunch and my stomach seemed to be nawing on itself, perhaps aided by the digestive properties of the oolong and pu-erh.

Overall a very interesting blend, not a chai masala and not a dessert spice tea. It is strong and not for everyone. I’m not sure if it will last past this year, but I’ll enjoy it while I can, next time after a meal.

I bought this tea yesterday as part of a long-awaited tea splurge at my local Teavana. I decided to try it this morning as my morning tea. I surprised myself that I could actually tell the difference between this oolong/pu-erh blend and other flavored oolongs! It had that background warm bitterness that is the heart of pu-erh flavor, which worked sooooo well with all those spices.

I didn’t have long to spend brewing it (running late, again), but I drank it all through first block today… and I have been in a good mood all day, not because the students weren’t crazy… they were… but because of this awesome tea that got me off on the right foot.

The clove and the pepper interacting together are the predominant flavors. Behind them are the vanilla and the cinnamon. I didn’t get the mint at all, but I wasn’t looking for it—maybe next time it’ll be there. Overall, this was a great oolong, and a great contribution to a pretty awesome day. :)

I’ve been drinking this tea for most of the day. I love the spices in it. Yet, it has a soothing taste to it.

I love spicy teas, and this did not disappoint. A lot of Teavana’s flavored teas are light on the actual tea leaves, but this wasn’t. The flavor was nice and strong, even if not terribly smooth. Clove is the dominant flavor here, backed by pepper. The vanilla is subtle and not overwhelming, which I had originally worried about.

This will be a perfect Fall/Winter tea.

With a name that has spice right in the middle, it sure does live up to it. The smell of rich sweet spices just explodes from the bag. I can tell I am going to like this tea.

And indeed, I was right. This tea explodes in your mouth with sweet flavors and spices. Of course, the ginger, cloves and pepper are most prominent, but the vanilla and peppermint sweeten and soften. This gives me the impression of a traditional but not so overbearing chai blend.

Probably because of the candied pineapple and certain spices, this has a tropical tinge, which gives this a non conventional flavor. The blend is quite interesting, because of the richness of each side, you are hit with a wide spectrum of flavors and sensations.

I like this tea. Diving in and out of convention and tradition is exciting, if just for a fleeting steep or two.

Way too much spice. Over kill!