Balade en Flandres

2024 sipdown no. 55 | This also works for September 22 – Fall Equinox: drink a tea for the new season. :)

This tea is decently strongly scented (S&V still beats it out though), and the scent comes across really clear in taste. There’s some cookie-ness, cinnamon, and hints of brown sugar. This is a really tasty tea that doesn’t come across cloyingly, and it even resteeps fairly well. For some reason, I found myself thinking of Brioche while drinking this — it seems to be at that level of quality.

Thanks for the opportunity to try another great tea Cameron!

Sipdown! (17 | 120)

This was a speculoos-flavored black tea, but most of the time it reminded me more of Almond Sugar Cookie from S&V. Buttery cookie with toasted flaked almond notes and just a touch of spice. There were a couple of times when the stars aligned and it was pure speculoos in a mug, but alas, this last cup is not one of those.

Still tasty, but would’ve liked it to be consistently speculoos!

Having drunk this I can see why it has become a classic at Compagnie Coloniale. It is pretty successful at coming off as a spiced butter cookie with a hint of nut which has been my experience of Speculoos cookies when I have had them. The flavouring is not overhanded and some may find it subtle. Do not overleaf it or the fruitiness in the base tea can hide the subtleties in the flavouring. The base does provide a nice sense of biscuits breadiness which highlights the flavouring. The flavour notes start with caramelized butter cookie and vanilla, the stone fruit of the base tea, spice which is well mixed with nutmeg and cinnamon a bit more up front with a bit of ginger, and a coolness afterwards suggesting Cloves and cardamom without a strong sense of flavour. The base tea does not become bitter or overly astringent if you over steep it but the fruitiness can overpower the butter cookie notes. This company uses a steaming process to scent their black teas and the result is a leaf that is pretty shiny and a little wet looking. I’ve found that these teas tend to keep their flavouring well if you don’t get through them quickly from my small sample size of two that I have had from them before. There is a touch of toasted almond as well. The tea resteeps well and I am finding that the flavour notes often become more distinct in the second steep of this company’s teas. A nice warming tea for fall and winter that pulls off its flavouring well.

As a side note shipping from France was very quick and my order was posted within a day of submission. The refill packaging is not very scent concealing and if only buying a few teas it is probably worth it to buy tins which are double lidded and quite nice.