Nina's Paris

Another tea from Laurent. This was my second go at this tea and it’s just not the tea for me. this is a little better the second time but it’s not my favourite tea. i taste a lot more peach in this blend than other fruits, which is maybe why it’s not quite the tea for me. it’s a decent enough tea but as far as peach teas go, there are others i prefer. I just wish i could figure out how to get the other flavours to pop a bit more.

Thank you to Laurent of Nina’s for this sample tea!

As I often do, I took my Nina’s sample to share with my friends at the Happy Lucky’s Tea House.

Today, Andi (who just finished her degree in art at the University) was working behind the tea bar along with Sam and Diana.

Business was busy off and on. An ebb and flow of thirsty patrons buying iced tea, loose tea from the ‘GREAT WALL’ of metal storage bins, or pots of tea for languishing over with a book, laptop or conversation with friends.

During a quiet spot, Andi took my small packet of Nina’s tea and steeped much of it in a tasting cup gongfu style. She then poured the liquor into a larger sharing cup for group tasting. (We’ve been group tasting for quite some time by sipping from different parts of the rim on a larger bowl style cup)

At first Andi and Diana were convinced the tea was black current tea even when I told them that the flavors were a blend of orange, strawberry and cherry.

It took me some time to think about what I was tasting, because there was a peculiar ‘other’ flavor. Something that reminded me of Greek Mountain Tea. (A sage-like herb flavor that I like but didn’t expect.)

For me, the tea was a cross between orange and peach, with not a hint of strawberry or cherry…and medium body.

I imagine cold brewing would suit the blend best.

Andi was determined to compare Nina’s with Happy Lucky’s Black Current Tea, so she brewed a sample taster side-by-side and the result was interesting.
Nina’s sample smelled milder than the current and had a richer more layered flavor profile. The current was pungent smelling but mild tasting.

Side-by-side tastings are fun to do and are helpful in learning to polish the skills needed for detecting aroma and flavor differences.

I think this is an above average flavored tea, although a little different because of the herb flavor.

Full review on the 18th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are the snippits:

The initial sip evokes the cherry flavors in such a pleasant way. Nothing like a medicinal cheery or artificial cherry flavor. As a matter of fact the flavors in this tea are delicious and quite natural with no residual “oily” look or texture floating on top of the cup. In fact the tea is so clear that I am highly pleased as I anticipated some type of oils from all the varied flavorings.

It is wonderful how lovely the flavors meld, I can distinctly pick up all flavors of peach, strawberry, and cherry, and they blend in harmony.

very orangey at first. but i might have steeped it aggressively? so added a bit hot of water back to the already brewed cup. definitely still orange, but gentle and fun!
i love blood orange in my tea.
whod’a thunk?!
(i mean i have a decadent blood orange puerh in my cupboard and i would have never thought that those go together so well.)

last weekend we filled in the old fire pit in our back yard and built a new one.
this new one is WAY BETTER.
http://instagram.com/p/Yn64JJIc-M/

i am gonna go home and prep some tea swaps. …and can i just say that i’m absurdly giddy about it?!?! it’s not even the getting part, it’s the giving! i find it so exciting!

First, thanks to Nina’s for the sample!

My first thought after sipping this tea was, “Confound it, cat, would you QUIT scratching the doorpost? I have to sand and repaint!” My second thought was, “This reminds me of Marco Polo and Tower of London a little bit.”

Further thoughts confirmed that this is a little bit like an Everlasting Gobstopper—give it a few moments, and you’ll catch something else. What I took for lemon after it cooled was the orange; now that it’s nearly gone, there’s the cherry. Good cherry, not cough syrup. Lots of wonderful and subtly sneaky flavor changes.

I suspect this would be nice chilled, too, if the cold temp doesn’t completely overpower all the gentle fruitiness. Fruit tea fans should give this a try, for sure.

This dry tea smells very fruity and delicate, slightly flowery. There is no distinct fruit standing out, but just a generic sweet fruity smell. There is black tea leaves with yellow and purple flowers mixed throughout.

After the tea was done steeping, I took a long sniff and it smelled exactly like blood orange. Mmmmm. I love blood orange, so I am happy that this one lived up to its description. There is also a flowery scent.

The base of the tea is soft and delicate and works well with the blend. It is not overly bold which I like. There is a slight blood orange flavour, but is not tart at all. I can also taste the peach and cherry notes. I get a slight taste of the sunflower petals.

The recommendation was for a 3 minute brew, but I only did 2 minutes, as I have found that works the best for Nina’s Paris teas.

I have not been disappointed by Nina’s Paris tea yet!

My package just said “Nina’s” on it, but judging by its smell, I think it’s Nina’s Paris.

It’s a very subtle blend where I mostly taste citrus fruit, sweetness and then a bit of tartness. Interesting, but so far je t’aime is my favorite of their teas.

Thank you so much to Nina’s Paris for sending another envelope of samples! This one seems to have a different base than the Nina’s Paris teas I’ve tried before. It is intriguing but less strong than the other blends. This black tea base better showcases the flavors anyway. And I like the flavor! There is supposed to be a few fruits here, but what I taste is mainly peach and it’s a nice peach. (I’ve had some terrible flavored peach teas before and I think I’m remembering them in every tasting note for a peach tea. Not nice!) But this one is nice. I think I’ve equally liked all of the Nina’s teas I’ve tried so far!

Thank you so much, Laurent of Nina’s, for giving me the opportunity to try this tea!

When I smelled the dry blend, my senses were overwhelmed with peach. The summer sun outside seems like a wonderful counterpoint, and I couldn’t wait to make it up. I used my 16oz infuser mug and added 2 teaspoons of tea with my customary tablespoon of raw sugar.

Because some of the other people who’ve written about this said they had better luck with a two minute steep, I briefly paused there. After a tentative sip, I decided to go for the full three minute steep and I’m glad I did. The first sip had been a very light fruity flavor, but now it tastes like its come into its own.

I still taste the fruit blend, especially the peach, but now it’s much stronger and the strawberry and cherry appear in the aftertaste. I can’t pick out the blood orange, but when my husband stole a sip he told me he could identify it in the aftertaste.

This tastes wonderfully summery, and perfect for a day like today. Out of curiosity, I’m going to put the rest of my cup into the refrigerator to chill, and I’ll let you know how that goes.

Update: When this is chilled, the cherry picks up speed and actually comes close to the prominence of the peach. It’s tasty, but I think I prefer it hot. For now, I’m going to go cut up some fruit, because this has me craving the real thing!

Glad I remembered to copy text before trying to post :)

I have found all the Nina’s teas I’ve tried to be subtle cups. They don’t shout flavor. They quietly reveal themselves, if you are willing to take the time with the cup. This one is no different. It starts lightly of orange that is followed and supported by peach. The soft flavors are natural. The cup seems a bit creamy to me. As it cools the strawberry reveals itself. Later the cherry can be detected but I find it the lightest of the flavors. The base is smooth with no astringency. If you like big and bold – forget it. If you like a quiet relaxing cup, you might like this one.