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__Morgana__ drank La Route Du Temps by Mariage Frères

2036 tasting notes

This is an odd flavor combination for me. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I ordered it other than that I must try ALL THE TEA.

In the tin, the aroma is more floral than ginger. In fact, I’m not sure I smell ginger in the dry blend. But after steeping, I definite smell ginger. In the rooty, spicy way, not in the gingerbread way. I also smell a floral tone that isn’t so much an undertone as a sometime undertone, sometime side by side tone. Cteresa identified this as jasmine, and I think that’s right — though it’s more of a generic floral to me.

The tea is light yellow in color, more buttery yellow than lemony.

In taste, this tea is surprising. It tastes much better than it sounds like it would. The ginger is prominent and spicy. It’s not so spicy that it opens the nasal passages, but it does push at them a little. It’s also somewhat sweet. The floral high notes keep the tea from being all about the ginger. I don’t taste the underlying tea as an independent flavor, but I can tell it is there.

I think this would be a great tea to soothe an upset stomach or help with a stuffy nose — but it is also something that is unique enough to hit the spot when nothing else seems to.

Flavors: Floral, Ginger, Spicy, Sweet

Preparation

175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 500 OZ / 14786 ML

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I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes