Dammann Frères

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Recent Tasting Notes

86
drank Bali by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

Dammann Advent Calendar, Day 14

Soooo behind. I thought I would catch up today but then I forgot yesterday’s and today’s teas at home. C’est la vie.

Anyway, I like this one quite a bit, and I do already have it in my cupboard. Love lychee and rose in combination, and why not just throw in some extra jasmine for maximum floral delight? MMMMMM florals. It is a very rare (and poorly blended) tea that is too floral for me. Haha sometimes I feel like I’m the only one on Steepster that feels that way. :)

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Cameron B.

Clearly you were meant to live in France with all the other crazy floral-loving people. :P

Dinosara

LOL clearly :)

QueenOfTarts

Don’t worry! I’m behind, too! :)

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86
drank Bali by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

This tea was super smooth and lovely today. Fruity, floral and refreshing. I love this rose so for me it is not overwhelmingly floral, but I could see how it might be too floral for some. To me it was fruity and delicious.

It’s nearly identical to Fauchon’s Rose et Litchi, but unlike Fauchon I can order this one any time. But I have a 50g tin of it that hasn’t been hit very hard (not to mention 100g of Rose et Litchi), so I will be set on rose and lychee blends for a while!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Anna

This IS the same tea, though, right?

Dinosara

Well the Fauchon-branded tea is just rose and lychee, I think, whereas Bali also has jasmine and grapefruit. So they are indeed very slightly different.

Anna

Ooh, okay! I do get pretty confused by the Fauchon/DF/Hédiard lines crossing.

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86
drank Bali by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

Had this one earlier this afternoon. This had been high on my list of Dammann teas to try despite my waning interest in flavored green teas. I do still like rose or jasmine greens, and I do still like my Dammann greens, so I figured I would give it a shot. It wasn’t until today that I realized that the flavor profile is pretty similar to another French tea I recently acquired, the Rose et Litchi from Fauchon. This has a bit more going on, though; besides rose and lychee, it has jasmine and grapefruit flavors as well.

This was nicely fruity and floral. It is definitely predominantely lychee, with the complementary rose that merges so well with it. I do get bright, citrusy grapefruit as well. No distinct jasmine, but it kind of adds to the overall floralness I suppose. I will have to try Rose et Litchi again in comparison, but this is quite tasty and I will definitely enjoy my pouch of it.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Ysaurella

it may be because Fauchon and Hédiard supplier for teas is…Dammann Frères ;)
For Hédiard, I identified at least 12 teas from the classical Dammann Catalogue (Charlotte au chocolat, Paul & Virginie, Orange et miel, mélange mystérieux etc…) And Dammann is the historical supplier for Fauchon since ages now so your palate should be right Dinosara

Dinosara

Haha, that’s so funny! It happens all the time with US tea companies so I guess I should have expected that something like that might be happening. Guess that explains why I have been liking Fauchon teas so far.

Ruby Woo Scarlett

Oooo that’s an interesting piece of trivia, I didn’t know Dammann supplied Fauchon. Do you know if Ladurée get its tea from another company too? I’m having a cup of Mariage’s rose right now and it’s eeringly similar to Ladurée’s Thé à la Rose.

Ysaurella

For Ladurée I have no idea sorry Ruby Woo Scarlett. I think I never had one of their teas :S

Ruby Woo Scarlett

Oh don’t bother. Overpriced weak tea, and I hate their staff.

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81
drank Elégie Pourpre by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

So after all this time, I’ve definitely come to the realization that puerh is not for me. I used to be able to tolerate it occasionally, like in well done flavored ones like this. No more. “Earth” is not a flavor I want in my tea. Nor is “wood” or whatever. I tried to drink some of this and I couldn’t get past a few sips. I have lost any taste I might have had for it.

I’m putting the two DF flavored puerhs, this one and Pu-Erh Gourmand (lets call them #58 & 57), I have up for grabs. There is probably a half-ounce of each left. Some of you have had them, but if you haven’t and you like flavored puerh, you might like them. If you’re interested, PM me or leave a comment on this post. If I don’t get any takers, I’ll list them for sale along with a variety of leftover Verdant blends I’m not interested in soon.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Sil

awwww

OMGsrsly

Oh, that’s too bad! I did like both of them, so far as I remember. But I really don’t need more tea. :)

Stephanie

I like Pu-Erh Gourmand but I’ve never tried this one. In general I get what you are saying about flavored puerh though…a lot of times I’d rather drink my puerh straight and have a less funky base tea for my flavored teas!

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81
drank Elégie Pourpre by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

Well I am super behind on tasting notes. I had this one last Friday afternoon! I just haven’t been doing a lot of Steepstering or tea drinking in general on the weekends lately.

This is good—for a puerh, haha. The only thing that holds me back about this tea is the puerh itself, which absolutely isn’t bad. No weird off notes or anything, just earthy, woody shu puerh, which really isn’t my favorite. Still, this is entirely drinkable and I feel like I should have some puerh in my cupboard for those times when you need something to cut through a too-large meal. I do love the blackberry and vanilla flavoring in this.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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81
drank Elégie Pourpre by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

This is the other flavored puerh that I got from Dammann/Instant Thé, besides Pu Erh Gourmand. The flavors on this one are blackberries and vanilla, with heliotrope (which is a flower, but I expect that it may be more for looks). The dry leaf smells very sweet and fruity, I’m going to say like blackberry jam.

Of course immediately upon the water hitting it, the puerh aroma really somes to the foreground. Definitely earthy woody puerh, much like the puerh in the Pu Erh Gourmand. I’m not sure whether my 2 minute steep time made a big difference relative to the Pu Erh Gourmand or not, but the woodiness of the puerh is less prominent in this one. It’s really quite nice. Rich, almost syrupy blackberry with smooth vanilla, and the puerh giving it a slight grounding, earthy tone. It’s really more evident in the aroma than the flavor. I’m not in love, but I’m glad I tried this one out because it is quite tasty.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

Sounds delightful!

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86

I’m going to log this one now too (#64) because I recently had it for a cold brew. It’s one of the ones I’ve been cold brewing now, partly because it is finicky when hot. But cold, it is floral and fruity and overall light. Definitely have been enjoying it.

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86

Dammann Advent Calendar, Day 8

A new tea for the advent calendar, but not for me. Having some loose and saving my advent sachet for later.

This can be a somewhat finnicky white, but when you get it right it’s very nice. Very rosey-floral, with some nice passion fruit and apricot notes to it. One of those teas that I enjoy but don’t drink often.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Cameron B.

I actually didn’t hate it, whoop! It cracks me up that you have all of these in loose leaf in your cupboard. :)

Dinosara

Well you know me, Ms. Dammann :D

Cameron B.

Sounds like you need to be waving atop a DF float in a parade somewhere. :D And don’t forget your sash!

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86

I haven’t had this tea in a long time and so I actually did look it up to see about my prior steeping parameters, so I found out that this is a somewhat tempermental white tea and that I should steep it at a low temp. I also reduced my leaf amount a bit this time.

Well, it turned out pretty delicious, and I have to bump my score up some notches. Way passion fruity with floral notes that don’t scream rose, but do add a nice rich floral flavor that I appreciate. At a lower temp it is a bit more complex, although I have to admit the white tea here does little for the overall flavor. I can just imagine this with a creamy yunnan white and how amazing it would be then! I will have to remember to add this to my regular rotation, although I doubt I will order more after it’s done.

ETA: ugh I had to try to submit this note like five times!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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86

Here’s an odd thing: I brewed a cup of this tea without looking at my previous note, so I didn’t see that I had found it bitter at 195°F for 3 minutes before and that I wanted to brew it at a cooler temp. But as it turns out, this cup wasn’t bitter at those parameters. Very odd.

Today this cup was relatively smooth and had nice, authentic passion fruit flavor. Again, I did not find this to be a particularly floral cup despite the promise of rose in the blend. I guess if I think about it I can kind of taste the rose in the aftertaste. Maybe I just don’t notice the rose because rose and passion fruit sometimes have a seamless relationship in my mind. Certainly this is a nice passion fruit white tea, but not really one I would have to keep in my cupboard; that may be more to do with the fact that it is a white tea (not something I crave often) than with anything else.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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86

One of the few non-black teas from my Dammann/Instant Thé order. I went back and forth about picking this one up and eventually decided yes because I love passion fruit and florals, and have been liking white tea more lately. There are not really steeping directions for this one, just a suggested time but no temp. So I went with my now-default white tea temp, and 3 minutes.

At first I thought I had ruined this cup because when it was still pretty hot it had a sharp bitter flavor. But somehow, against the odds it mellowed out and by the time the cup cooled a bit it was basically gone. Still, I think I will brew this one at a cooler temp next time. The white tea didn’t give the hayish, honey flavor of some of the whites I’ve been having recently, more just a very light base for the flavoring. This is passion fruit and apricots, and it is nicely fruity… perhaps more passion fruit than distinct apricot, but nice nonetheless. Not particularly strongly floral, but they provide a nice accompaniment. I’ll hold off rating until I brew this one again, but right now it’s a like not a love.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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89

Dammann Advent Calendar, Day 16

I haven’t had this one in quite a while, and I am very happy to have it again. I really do find this one delicious. Normally I don’t really like strawberry-flavored teas, but for whatever reason the jamminess of this one works. Figs, strawberry jam, and honey… yum. This wasn’t a restock for me recently, but who knows, maybe it will be someday.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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89

I drank the last of this tea down as a cold brew yesterday. I had ordered this one on a whim and didn’t expect to like it all that much, but I actually really really enjoyed it. I decided to sip it down as a cold brew mostly because I am trying to make room in my cupboard and weed out some of the Dammann teas I’m not in looooove with, but I am sad this one is gone. It was fantastic as a cold brew too. Tons of figgy and berry jam flavor, and yay, no lavender!

Flavors: Fig, Honey, Jam, Strawberry

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89

Merry Christmas! Or something. It was snowing today, does that count?

This marks the start of a long line of Dammann teas that I ordered through Instant-Thé in 50g quantities. What a great way to try a ton of DF teas and decide which ones are reorders for me. Although I do enjoy this one a lot, I don’t think it’s a reorder. Mainly because I like it for it’s figginess, and I have others that I love more for their figginess. But this is a lovely fig-berry jam flavor, with a hint of florals. I do appreciate that the lavendar isn’t overwhelming.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
TheTeaFairy

Yes it counts…merry christmas to you also…sigh. (Yes, it snowed here too!!)

Stephanie

The snow was so weird…kinda neat looking on blooming daffodils though, and it’s gone now!

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89

Merry Christmas! I’m glad to have a few extra Dammann Noël teas for celebrating today.

Mmmm figgy loveliness. Strawberry jam and honey. Delish!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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89

Dammann advent calendar, day 16. (I have skipped day 15 for the moment because I have been super busy with holiday stuff, and have had an evening to drink it. Also the rest of the calendar will likely be somewhat sporadically logged since I am out of town and my tea opportunities may be limited).

I have some of this, so I saved my sachet. I really enjoyed my pot of this yesterday, it was very figgy and jammy. I’m not sad that I can’t really taste the lavender in this one.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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89

Back to normal days at work, and normal tea habits. Also back to working my way through my Dammann teas. I ordered this one mostly to pad my order and because I was ordering pretty much any tea that Instant Thé stocked that sounded like something I might like. I am not usually one for strawberry in my teas, or the potential for lavender, but I am one for fig and honey.

This smells mostly like strawberry jam, figs, and honey. No lavender, which is fine with me. The flavor really reminds me of preserves, both strawberry and fig. With honey! This is definitely one of those blends that seems ‘sugary’ without being actually sweet. It’s really quite nice, and I’m definitely enjoying it. The usual Dammann base complements the flavors really well and is smooth and tasty. A strawberry tea that I really enjoy, how about that!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Fuzzy_Peachkin

mmm… figs and strawberries? I would never think of a combo like that.

Sil

you’re killing me with all your delicious teas! haha

Veronica

Oh my, that sounds amazing!

My mom makes a mock strawberry jam from figs that is really good. I doubt anyone would know it was made from figs if she didn’t tell them.

Tealizzy

That sounds yummy!

Dinosara

Wow, Veronica that jam sounds awesome!

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84

This is a subtle tea with natural notes of wood, and warm roasted chestnuts.
It has none astringency and is absolutely sweet and mellow.

We know that oolongs have naturally a nutty taste and it’s just as if DF had just poured some roasted chesnut in for some time to add this specific natural taste, delicate and refined.

A very comforting tea.

A very well blended tea, thank you Ruby Woo Scarlett for sharing this sample with me.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec
gmathis

I think I may have a teeeeny smidge of this left, and your description makes me want to leave my desk and go dig in the basket for it. (Of course, today, anything makes me want to leave my desk. :)

Ysaurella

oh lord, I’ll be in the same situation next week when I’ll come back at work -yes this is really a wonderful tea

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76

We’re going to a seafood place for lunch today. My partner invited me to celebrate my teaching certificate (I passed in June but nevermind). When he asked me if I’d be interested in going to the restaurant this weekend, I thought he wanted to celebrate our one year anniversary, which was yesterday, but that was putting too much faith in his ability to remember any date that isn’t crucial to a video game. FINE.
I needed something comforting today, something that’d be just about me. I toyed with the idea of preparing a cup of rose scented tea (sweet revenge, he hates roses – try and kiss me now, darling) but my kindness will be my downfall. I retreated and picked Mélange des Chérubins for a sweet treat before our food orgy (seafood is my favourite food and I fully intend on demanding to be rolled all the way back to my house after the feast).

This is a pleasant tea (not mindblowing though). It’s warm and well-rounded – I was pleased to find the blood orange cutting into the sweetness of the chocolate. It’s a tea I could happily sip while doing my lesson prep as it doesn’t ask for too much of my attention. Not a favourite but I’m happy I have it.

And now I’m off to meet my lobster!

Ysaurella

Men often forget about anniversaries…it should be one of the reason why we say Women are from Venus and Men from Mars !
Nice you appreciated the Thé des Chérubins before the lobster :)

Ysaurella

congrats on the teaching certificate ! is it a capes or an agrégation ? are you going to teach English or another discipline ?

Ruby Woo Scarlett

English CAPES!

JustJames

lol…. did you mention to him that he forgot the relevance of the date? he might send you a package of tea in apology?

Ruby Woo Scarlett

I did mention it afterwards in passing which was inevitable at some point since we live together :D

Anna

Oh, trust me – women are just as good at forgetting about anniversaries. I’m so bad at it, I made sure to get married on Leap Day – that way I’m only a wicked, forgetful wife once every four years.

Ruby Woo Scarlett

Oh believe me, I was in no way implying some essentialism! I’ve always liked Leap Day as a day, I’ve always felt I wanted to do something a bit special on this semi-secret day ;)

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92
drank Noël à Venise by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

Love this tea (#66) so much. It will always be one of my faves. Lemony and creamy with caramel… like the best lemon bars that just happen to have toffee on them. Yum. This is one I definitely do crave fairly often.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Nichole/CuppaGeek

Hmmm. . . .Lemon bars with toffee. . . sounds so good!

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92
drank Noël à Venise by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

Dammann Advent Calendar, Day 12

Mmmmmm, one of my favorites. I slurped this one down quickly. Of course, I used my loose leaf and saved my advent sachet for traveling. It’s always convenient because I spend a lot of time around the holidays at houses that are not my own, so the sachets are great to take a long and most of them are Christmas themed.

I love the lemon-cream-toffee flavors of this tea. Another example of Dammann’s caramel flavors and how I love them so.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Cameron B.

Lemon pudding tea! Slurp slurp…

JoonSusanna

My favorite Dammann Freres! Do they sell these in sachet form? I have it loose (and love it that way for home) but man the convenience of bagged for travel would be lovely…

Dinosara

I think they only make these sachets for the calendar, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that they offer sachets of this tea on their site.

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92
drank Noël à Venise by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

One of my favorites for sure! I love the creamy lemon meringue flavor of this one. This is definitely one of those teas that I am always happy to reach for in my cupboard. Here my beloved Dammann base blend is nice and well-balanced, supporting the flavoring just so and generally making for a lovely cup of tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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92
drank Noël à Venise by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

I was feeling a little off after an early class this morning, so I decided I wanted something lemony. This one popped out at me, haha. I just want to drink my DF teas all the time! Going through a phase I guess. Anyway, this tea made me feel better and was delicious to boot.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
keychange

I hope you feel better soon!

Dinosara

Thanks. This was just a temporary stomach unease, I seem to be mostly healed from the earlier sickness. :)

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92
drank Noël à Venise by Dammann Frères
2201 tasting notes

Well, since this morning’s (22) advent calendar tea was not a morning tea, I pulled one of the sachets from earlier in the calendar that I brought with me for the trip. The funny thing is I thought I was pulling Noël a Provence, but instead I pulled this one… I noticed it smelling way more caramelly than I expected!

I am, of course, not sad to be drinking this tea because it is delicious. Lemony, caramelly, creamy, yum!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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