Crowkettle Send Message

Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 13

Ok, I’m still not feeling great, so tea is not sparking joy right now – even a nice, bright blueberry on a green/white tea base (profile is in-between, despite DF’s label). It tastes like a combo of hay and soy beans/ something green and flat? And stuff. Sorry, tea.

Twelve Days of Tea 2021 – Day One

I was sipping on this during my exam today (yay, for online courses and exams at home). This is, hands down, one of the better “eggnog” teas I’ve had in a long time (RIP Butiki). I don’t really love eggnog on its own, and am still feeling rocky (eggnog is not generally what you want to smell when nauseous), so love that coconut comes out slightly more. It’s so incredibly smooth and decadent, without being cloying or hiding the base. It’s a real winner and improved my day exponentially.

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 13

Lord. I shouldn’t have joked about food poisoning on my recent Sticky Rice Oolong note. I missed my advents and had a hard time reviewing material yesterday, but thankfully it receded enough for me to complete my final exam today (just finished, hurrah!). Talk about terrible timing (cold cuts are temporarily dead to me).

Unfortunately, I steeped up this tea just before it all went downhill. I got a few nice sips in before it hit though (and got to drink the rest cold today). It tasted like an alright Japanese green tea (and not an oolong, which google says this should be); I thought MF was reaching with the description of “notes of pink praline” but I did taste it before wishing I was dead. Or maybe nuts with sugar is the canary in the coal mine for food poisoning. Currently having trust issues (but if it’s a GABA the sweetness makes sense).

Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 12

DF originally included this as a sample and now I get to revisit it again! This time I didn’t add milk, and it’s as pleasing without. Apple will never be my favourite fruit but I think fans of it would be pleased with this. There’s ginger and almond here too but they are total supporting characters to the force that is cinnamon apple.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Sunday, December 12th: Universal Health Coverage Day

2018 Harvest
Ok, this isn’t technically a true health tea, but going through my past tasting notes shows a clear correlation of me drinking this tea and talking about health issues, either directly or indirectly (food poisoning, haha. I can laugh at the memory now). It’s one of my happy teas but it’s getting older, so I’m working on finishing it off this December. Still a staple but one I can let go and replenish when the time’s right (need to declutter cupboard).

Steep Count: 2

Also, a shout out to everyone on here who may be effected by the recent tornado disasters. Thinking of you and hoping you’re OK; drop a line if there’s anything I can do for you from afar.

Summer 2021 possibly August or September.

Sipdown – goodbye summer! I’m glad someone’s playing around with the natural stone-fruit notes in roasted and red oolong teas. I’ve said it many times recently, but I think roasted oolong teas are sorely underutilized in flavoured blends. They have such great potential: roasted/toasted malt, fruit, flowers, almost cloying levels of dark honey.. my brain tends to translate it all into ice cream cone tea with various toppings! It’s baked goods in a cup.

Here, we get some lovely stewed apricot and peach (I think) that perfectly compliments the base tea – the result reminds me vividly of my Grandma’s warmed canned peaches; and isn’t it so fitting that I’m tapping into this out of season? I think so. The (stronger than I usually like it ) toasted notes are near coffee-like, and are also so close to turning into a stone-fruit cobbler or turnover. I think my Grandma would’ve liked this one; I know it would’ve fit right in on her kitchen table.

Steep Count: 3

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 12

The third advent tea that’s part of the “In Love” series – which consists of bagged green oolong mixed with blue pea flowers. sigh This is not my favourite collection (make oolong looseleaf), but I also feel super pampered with this focus on green-ish teas.

This one says it contains notes of plums and cherries (as per tea satchet label), and rose petals (on the website description). It’s all pretty light and, at first, indiscernible from the past fruity oolong teas. But then it opens up for me; the stone fruits are bursts of subtle honeyed fruit sweetness, and provide a less subtle signature tangy sour quality to the finish. These flavours build as I continue to sip, as does the dryness. Halfway through, the fruity floral sweetness is near candy-like (and I am thinking of Japanese sweets now – especially rose flavoured hard candies). The floral and vegetal base is hard to discern from the blush of added flowers, which possess similar notes.

Steep Count: 2 – this tea is not great when it cools. Nope.

Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 10 because I skipped it yesterday

Another spiced Christmas orange tea (with “gingerbread”). Once again, the orange is the most powerful player. Clove takes a backseat to the ginger and peppercorn here, which is a good call. Rooibos is being itself – a sort of tobacco flower-like quality, and nutty sweet whatever. It’s a nice non-caffeinated blend that suits the season!

My Mom’s opinion: “It’s the smoothest, loveliest tea. Like silk. Even good cold.”

Mariage Frères Advent 2021 – Day 11

I cheated and peaked at this one before going to bed last night; the sugary red fruit aroma is so vivid it stuck with me until I faded out.

This fruity floral black tea feels like a sibling to Marco Polo – all red fruits and a relatively robust malt base. The finish though is sweeter than I remember: like cotton candy, strawberries covered in powdered sugar, and a sweet red apple. I think I also pick up some vanilla but hard to judge on one pot; it creates an almost cream pastry effect. It’s lovely, and after a couple sips couldn’t bring myself to add milk; it’s perfectly smooth and balanced to my tastes already.

Steep Count: 2

Dammann Frères Advent 2021 – Day 11 (I accidentally skipped 10. Whoops! but it’s also non-caffeniated)

We can’t all be winners! Steeped in milk because the ingredients lists said "chai’ to me (tasting it without milk, and yeah I prefer it with). It’s alright this way but I prefer other cocoa spice herbals; It has so many rich ingredients that I want it to be thicker, maybe. Also, not a huge lover of the combo of chocolate and licorice.