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A very pleasant, light liquorice tea. It’s recommended by Dammann Frères that it be allowed to steep for 6 minutes – the resulting liquor is still fairly light and the tannins remain mild. The black liquorice is present but not overbearing. A pleasant after dinner tea.

During a walk in Florence, Italy, I was delighted to spy a small shop with wall full of canisters of my favourite tea company, Dammann Frères’ tea. Oronero sells a nice, broad selection of their own line and Dammann teas, as well as chocolates. We decided to try a few new ones in addition to our original favourite, Jardin Bleu, which is a good introduction to their fruit and flower infused teas.

This is a nice winter holiday tea, with rich, warm notes of caramel and vanilla, and essences of dark fruits. The tea is smooth with a medium-coloured liquor, and a lingering note of cherry on the finish.

This is a perennial favourite at my house for many reasons. My wife and I discovered this at an all-night bistro on the night we met, and the taste and aromas added to the magic of that night – neither of us had ever tasted anything remotely like it.

Dammann Frères recently sent us a package of it as a gift for the tenth anniversary of that night. They are a wonderful company, and their teas are of an exceptional quality.

The strawberry aromas can seem over the top at first, and one expects a very fruity cup but the tartness of the rhubarb and mild hints of vanilla mellow it. The black tea is mild and produces a pleasing reddish liquor. It is pleasant chilled in the summer, and wonderful hot with a drop or two of milk. No sweetener necessary.

I agree with many of the other reviews here – it isn’t the most subtle Earl Grey, nor is it the best quality, but it was one of my first loves, and “tastes like home.”
I used to keep a tin of it and a slotted spoon in my locker at school, and it was a reward at the end of the day. There is a singular flavour to it that I’m in the mood for sometimes, and the finer Earl Greys don’t have the same effect.

In my school yearbook, I was voted “Most Likely to move to the U.K. and live off croissants and Earl Grey Tea.” My tea tastes have changed, and I prefer scones these days, but although they meant it in jest, they were right about me.