Fraise Pistache

It is the umpteenth cloudy day in a row. I needed some sunshine in my life somewhere, and derk has brought me so much sunshine – in so many ways! She provided some more today in the form of this tea.

I spotted a couple of teas that derk sent me and thought they looked just the ticket to brighten up today.

I had this one with breakfast. I was expecting it to be quite nutty but instead it was quite fruity! The green base is not covered up at all though, you can taste it perfectly and the strawberry is well balanced with it to be quite noticeable without being overpowering. The nuttiness that I tasted was of a sort that could easily be attributed to the green tea base itself, and was more noticeable on some sips than others.

Since derk had mentioned that this one doesn’t do as good a second steep as some other teas, I did not follow my usual morning method of steeping twice and combining.

Thank you, derk!

Derk sent me a cup of springtime in December! The fraise is immediately detectible (both scent and sip). I’m not sure I was ever completely able to identify the pistache part, but no matter: the fruity part made me smile the whole time I was drinking it and made me ache for my mom’s homemade strawberry preserves—had the the exact same jamminess.

This made a good cold brew tea for the summer. Now that it’s fall, I see myself picking it up as a hot tea.

The gentle and sweet strawberry offers a glance into the fruity flavors of summer, but right now the mild nutty flavor combined with that to-me signature toasty note of Chinese sencha, has me feeling the coziness of baked goods and fall. It’s more like a macaron than a pastry.

The pistachio comes through as such in the aroma but turns something closer to sweet almond in the mouth. Some light tang from the green tea and another Dammann Frères tea with a juicy swallow. Smooth while sipping and leaves a tingly, salty-astringent afterfeel.

Overall, the flavoring is pretty mild, which I enjoy, but if you like strong flavors, this might not be the tea for you.

This one doesn’t steep as well a second time compared to most DF teas I’ve tried.

Listen: Idée Fixe by Methyl Ethyl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY8Oa02PkIU

this sample came from Derk
I’ll have to write more on this one later and do a comparison. I remember thinking this one reminded me of Lupicia’s Strawberry Vanilla Green. I have an unopened bag of that one and should do a comparison. I didn’t taste any pistachio but the strawberry was nice.

This is really nice iced. The sencha base is good, lots of fruity strawberry and nutty pistachio, although the pistachio is more similar to walnut and almond.

I was hoping this one would be delicious — it is! I just wish DF would list their ingredients. I often find fruit pieces that aren’t listed and unidentifiable. I love the green tea with this one. It is refreshing but also sweetly vegetal but with a creamy smooth quality. Then there is subtle sweet candy strawberry flavor and just the tiniest hint of pistachio. Such a unique but fitting combination, especially with this base tea. I can’t really tell if the green tea has matcha or if it’s just broken green tea leaves but it’s delicious. I could almost wish for more flavor from the strawberry and pistachio, but then I’d notice less of the green tea. I’m glad I bought some of this one — I would again! It reminded me a little of Lupicia’s Strawberry Vanilla. I must have steeped this quite well.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug// 27 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 28 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep

This is one of the teas I was most looking forward to from the DF group order, but instead it’s turning out to be one of the bigger disappointments. I’m mostly just tasting the sencha base, with a hint of candy strawberry and no pistachio to speak of. I think strawberry and pistachio make for a fabulous flavor combination, in general, and I was hoping for a tea that captured both components in all their glory.

I did steep it for 4 minutes, of a suggested 3-4, so I’ll try it at 3 next time in hopes that the strawberry and/or pistachio come through more strongly. I’m starting to wonder if DF’s greens just don’t work for me—and my feeling that what this company does best is old school European flavors is definitely getting stronger.