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“Well, I’ve been reduced to boiling water in the microwave. With a Dammann sachet, which is crazy. Man can you tell the difference. Years ago, before I was actually “into” tea, I used to boil water...” Read full tasting note
“Tea of the afternoon….. This one is from Dinosara. Thank you! OMG! This is so right up my alley! It is a good tea base and a super yummy citrus flavor. I am guessing it is orange and bergamot....” Read full tasting note
“Day 6 of the advent calendar. I am not following along very well, it seems. Also, I am kind of picking and choosing my way through it for whatever reason. What a gorgeous tea. I have had a few of...” Read full tasting note
“So… after much ado about nothing, I am decupboarding this tea. I had it again today and i find that it’s just not enjoyable for me, though i know a number steepster folks out there that i’ve...” Read full tasting note
“Goût Russe Douchka” flavored black tea
Created by Dammann Frères in the 1950’s, this blend of black teas and citrus fruits (bergamot, orange, lemon) essential oils has prouved its durable success. Kept secret by the family, you will enjoy this recipe for many long years.
Brewing time: 4 to 5 minutes
I drank this one earlier without really knowing what it was. It smelled sweet, rich and a little spicy and tasted fruity and… heavy?
When I looked it up I realized it was orange citrus and once I had that in my head it was very obvious to my taste buds. Whoops. I need to get better at identifying it without knowing what I’m drinking. :P
Overall this is a nice tea, but I think I’d prefer an actual EG to this one. Thanks Sil for letting me steal a scoop!
Sipdown (168)
I’m enjoying this tea more and more as it cools and the flavours intensify at first it seemed a little mild. I really like strong Earl Greys.
The ingredient list is bergamot and orange essential oils, but the way they merge together reminds me of sweet lime, with sharp bright citrus notes.
Brewed, I smell light leathery notes from the base, mixed With hints of cooked lime mixed with bergamot. Maybe this is a tart orange like the ones bought for juice in Ecuador.
The initial flavour was not quite as strong a citrus note as I was expecting but the flavour intensifies as it cools. The flavour is bergamot with hints of ginger and spices,the orange oil tempers it and kind of removes the floral notes from the bergamot. The base tea is robust but is kind of innocuous after a 3.5 min steep. Enjoyable but not a must have for me.
This was a tea which had been on my casual to-check-out one day list for like ever. I am not a big earl grey or citrus lover, but I am not a hater of those either and sometimes it´s just so delicious. Yesterday my cup of morning tea was plain old Lady Grey, from the blue Twinings tin and like meeting an old friend you had not seem in years and picking up seamlessly. I am in a (somewhat rare) earl-grey mood.
This is a famous Dammann tea, the story is beautiful, and Sil kindly swapped some of this with me. And dunno, but am a bit underwhelmed. Citrus-y bergamot-y black tea, a familiar black tea base.
And forgive me the heresy, but for this sort of thing, I prefer Lady Grey. Or preferrably Aïda….
I have had many fancy teas over the years, but I so agree with you…opening my tin of Lady Grey from Twinings is really like visiting an old friend. I always keep The Blue Lady around, along with her husband The Yellow Earl :-)
ah, the yellow earl is not such a close friend of mine as the blue lady and the black prince or the red smoker :) but they are good friends.
And Lady Grey is an underrated citrus tea IMO :) it just works so perfectly.
please tell me you prefer Aïda to Lady Grey….:D
Douchka is a special tea, very delicate, the orange is not very present,it’s more an evocation to me than an heavy orange.
Not sure I’ll ever rebuy but I liked it.
I am impatient to get your opinion about Pouchkine as you are in EG or EG’s spin off actually
I might prefer Aida, but to be fair and trying to not be influenced by the name on the label and just measuring the experience, Lady Grey holds its ground
Sometimes things are bargains for what they are. I think Douchka is nice, maybe my problem was I wanted something a bit stronger.
Pouchkine, ah that can be arranged and soounds like a great idea!
Thanks Sil
This is different than I thought it would be! It has a medium-weak black tea base with a quesi-citrus flavor but there is also a bit of tart in there – maybe like a not-quite-ripe-yet berry of some sort.
It’s an interesting flavor and a nice change-up, tho.
Creative Flavored Fruity Black, really…not bad!
Day 6 of the advent calendar.
Dry, the tea smells citrusy, like an Earl Grey. What is with all these DM teas having citrus in them?! The taste is silky smooth and doesn’t have that unbalanced bite that some teas with orange have. It is good, but not amazing. It is just a smooth black tea with orange.
I love the presentation of this company. I love the black tins, the design they use to frame the name of the teas and that they put out an advent calendar, but I’m still waiting to fall in love with the tea.
Perhaps your palette is more bold? French teas in general tend to be more refined, gentle, complex but light. I think that’s why I have the opposite feeling towards other companies with their teas. I find the flavours aren’t as developed. I feel like with tea, I’m a judge on Chopped and I’m critiquing the harmony of the flavours working together (LOL.)
It may be more bold, but I have enjoyed many other teas from French companies which is why I expected to enjoy these more. I found them very smooth and well blended, but with more pronounced flavors and more interesting mixes than the DM teas. Still hoping to find some winners in this mix!
Ah okay, DM is more subtle I guess. I’ve never had their teas, I just know I prefer French teas generally and have been shying away from other companies lately. For example DT. I use to like them a lot more, and can’t help but be suckered into their marketing, however I am not enjoying their teas that much anymore.
Just had a thought… how much water are you using for the sachets? They are somewhat smaller than typical pyramid sachets and I find that they turn out best with only 8oz of water.
In the past 6 months or so I have tried teas from The O Dor, Nina’s, Marriage Freres and Les Palias De Thes (I’m probably butchering the spelling here) and they were all a bit more flavorful than DM. There are a couple of DT’s teas that I like, but I found a large portion of them to be ho hum to my taste too.
I’m brewing them in a full David’s mug, which is probably more like 16oz. I’ll try less water next time. Thanks!
I had really high expectations for this one, following my first tastings of Dammann teas, thanks to Isaurella.
The tea base was fine, though not fantastic, better than that of Kusmi Anastasia. However to me the disappointment came from the flavoring, mild, really mild, I kept searching for it. I mostly found it in the lingering pleasant aftertaste left in the mouth after drinking.
I preferred Anastasia’s flavors to this one, which are subtle but not as subtle (ie. almost weak) as this one.
I’ll definitely have to try the second sample on a positive day, as I know I feel gloomy today and this might also explain part of my disappointment.
I’ve had a cup of this today, in the middle of Anastasia’s teapot. This may not have been a good idea. The flavors of this one are really mild, and in comparison with the others appeared washed out, even though the tea base stood out as really good quality.
I definitely have to be super careful with my tasting of the few remaining leaves in the sample.
I finished the sample today and got a tea more black than citrusy; indeed a nice and well-balanced black tea, but too weak-flavored. I’m glad that I could try it, thanks to Ysaurella, as it allows me to avoid a purchase that would have left me frustrated.
I admit I had high hopes for this tea, but I’m surprised to find it to be nothing special at all. If I’d been served it at a diner, it would have seemed unremarkable and about as expected. The tea base is light and balanced but unflavorful, and I’m really only getting a little orange on top. I’m sad to report my foray into Dammann Freres flavored black teas is not going well, and I’ll definitely abandon it once I get through a few others I have. So far only the Fleurilege will stay around at all, and that as an everyday iced tea, not to be repurchased.
