Noël à Londres from Dammann Freres

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Black

Where to Buy: Dammann Freres

Tea Description:

Blend of black teas from China and Ceylon, marigold petals, cinnamon, vanilla, apple, almond, ginger essential oil.
A rich cup, perfect on a crisp frosty day.
Recommended brewing time : 4 to 5 minutes

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is by no means the best tea I have sampled from Dammann Freres as of late, but that is only because I was lucky enough to do a swap with a lovely Steepster from Paris! I can not begin to tell you how yummy the box smelled when I opened it! Oodles and bunches of teas from Paris which combined into smelling like something from a fancy french confectionary! I was in heaven! Needless to say I have sampled a few so far but this is the one that I grabbed when I had time to do a review. There are others from Dammann Freres I have enjoyed far more but this one does not disappoint.

Sometimes I feel it is good to review one of my less favorite teas from a company because I figure if one of my less favorite is still worth purchasing, still tastes good, then as a whole the tea line itself is quality.

Now I have to confess, I do not have much, if any prior experience with the Dammann Freres tea line. As a matter of fact, before this trade I do not believe I have ever had any tea from them.

This tea offers a warm and welcoming cinnamon aroma but the flavor is not over bearing which is nice. The strong flavor of cinnamon could easily take over but it does not. There is s sweet almond candy flavor, but again is not overwhelming.

The black base is nice and bold enough to be noteworthy through a myriad of flavors.

The ginger is light, which is good for me as I am fairly sensitive to ginger flavor and generally do not like too much ginger in a tea.

I find the vanilla note a little difficult to detect but it is there and more pronounced after the tea has time to cool for a while, it seems to present itself more if you swish the tea in the mouth. It does mix well however with the other notes.

While I am not sure that Dammann Freres totally hit the mark with this one, again my baseline is in comparison to only a few others from their company. I must say a couple of the others I have sampled from them were so amazing that it is difficult for them to live up to their own tea selection when considering this specific tea. I guess we can’t fault them for that!

I do notice that none of their flavor notes seem artificial and I noticed that in the tea description they mention ginger essential oil! Some of you who know me know I adore essential oils and find them to be the best method for flavoring anything! Therefore Dammann Freres gets props from me for that!

I am looking forward to reviewing other teas from them, and can’t wait to review a couple of my favorites! This, its good, but so far isn’t going to make it to my personal favorites list, then again I am not a huge fan of this flavor profile so please take that into consideration when placing your own order.


Almond Matcha from Red Leaf Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green (Matcha)

Where to Buy:  Red Leaf Tea

Tea Description:

The well recognized and much loved taste of sweet almonds can be heightened and made vibrantly unique by adding the exotic Matcha blend. Almond Matcha makes a slightly sweet treat that can be perfect for those looking for a combination of the nutty flavor combined with an interesting twist of oriental Matcha. Almond Matcha is perfect for many desserts, cakes and any other snack because of its naturally sweet taste that blends well with most snacks. This makes it a very popular treat for young kids anytime of the day or night.

Learn more about this Matcha here.

Taster’s Review:

I guess it’s no big secret by now that I LOVE Matcha, and I have really loved all the flavors that Red Leaf Tea has to offer.  It seems like it would take a LIFETIME to actually try all the matcha flavors and combinations that Red Leaf Teas has … in fact, just thinking about it makes my head spin!  So let me just put it this way:  You are bound to find a flavor that appeals to you – because there are just SO many flavors from which to choose!

This Almond Matcha may just be the best one that I’ve tried yet!  I know I’ve probably said that a few times with a few other flavors … but, I don’t just say it without meaning it, either.  The ones that I say are the “best” … well, they are really worth getting excited over!  And I’m really excited about this Almond Matcha from Red Leaf Tea.

I prepared this latte style using a ratio of 2:1 (2 parts water to 1 part milk), and it is just heavenly.  It tastes like the sweet almond paste that bakeries use to make the cute little flowers on top of cakes.  Sweet and creamy, the flavor of the Matcha and the flavor of the almond seem to work together to accentuate the strengths of each element.  It is rich, slightly vegetative, deliciously nutty, and sweet and decadent like a dessert.

This particular Matcha was crafted using the classic grade of Matcha and the Robust level of flavoring, and while I can taste both the Matcha and the sweet, nutty flavor of the almond, I think that I’d go with the distinctive level of flavoring on the next batch, because I’d like more Matcha flavor to shine through.  I might even upgrade to a higher quality of Matcha with this one.  And there will definitely BE a next time with this Matcha, this is one I want to keep on hand.

 

 

Orange Danish from Trail Lodge Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Trail Lodge Tea

Tea Description:

You’ll feel like you visited the bakery when you taste this tea! The vibrant green tea leaves are joined with the sweet taste of orange, almond, and spice to taste like an orange danish.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Yum!  I’m loving this tea.

It has a very bright and sunny orange-y kind of flavor to it, but I can totally taste the “danish” connection too.  There is this sort of nutty, buttery, pastry-like taste to it, very rich and almost creamy, that provides that danish-y type flavor.

I like the mellowness to this cup as well.  Even with the bright flavor of orange, there is sort of a calmness to this cup, very sweet and gentle.  It would make a great dessert tea, or a mid-day cup for those times when you want something a little bit sweet that won’t weigh you down or cause you to feel sluggish.

The taste of the green tea is not as distinguishable as I normally would like it to be, however, I think that the way the flavors all sort of meld together into a seamless taste works out well.  While the green tea is not as sharp or distinct as it could be, instead, it becomes sort of soft and buttery, providing a nice background for the pastry flavor.  It all comes together in a very unified way, and it’s quite enjoyable.

Cheers!

Coconut Almond Cookie from Spire Tea

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Spire Tea

Tisane Description:

Do you like cookies? We certainly do and that’s why this sweet and nutty combination of rooibos, coconut and almonds tastes like the real thing!

Learn more about Spire Tea on their website.

Taster’s Review:

Yummmm!  This tisane is definitely all about coconut and almond!  The “cookie” part … well, the nutty, sweet flavor of the rooibos does sort of offer a warm, bake-y sort of flavor so yeah, I sort of get that … but, really, the cookie seems to be more of a flavor that comes with the power of suggestion rather than an actual taste of this tisane.

It’s still really yummy though.  The flavors of coconut and almond go together very well, and they are pretty evenly balanced in this blend.  The almond is strong, sweet, and toasty, while the coconut is also strong, with a smooth, creamy taste.

I think that this tea could use a touch of “buttery” flavor that might propel the tea to another level where the “cookie” would not be such a stretch of the imagination.  As it is, it is tasty … but I think that the enhancement of a real cookie-like flavor would really make this blend amazing.

I do find this to be very enjoyable though.  It has a comforting kind of flavor, the kind of tisane that you want to curl up to while watching television at night.  It will help curb those late night sweet cravings, and because it’s naturally caffeine free, you don’t have to worry about it keeping you up past bedtime.

Cherry Almond Gunpowder from 52Teas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  52Teas (this flavor is currently sold out though!)

Tea Description:

My wife has been asking me for this blend for months. Sometimes I ask her what I should blend next. She likes to throw out ideas, and most of the time, I say, “Nah,” which irritates her to no end. “Why do you ask my opinion if you never listen to it?” Well, wifey of mine, I do listen. I don’t always act immediately, but I do consider everything you say.

So, here, for my lovely wifey, is a gunpowder green tea blended with almond slivers and freeze-dried cherries. I love you, Sheri.

Learn more about this green tea blend here.

Taster’s Review:

I’ve been very excited to try this blend.  I love the combination of cherry and almond, the two flavors go together so well.  Something about the sweet and slightly tart, fruity taste of cherry together with the sweet, earthy, nutty flavor of the almond … the result is just amazingly delicious.

I’ve had a couple of cherry almond flavored BLACK teas, I even crafted a cherry almond flavored black tea back when I was a tea artist after a customer requested it and I fell in love with the taste so much that I began to offer it to all my customers.  But I don’t recall trying a cherry almond flavored GREEN tea before … or if I have, it wasn’t memorable enough for me to remember it.

But this one … this Cherry Almond flavored Gunpowder green tea IS INDEED memorable!   The cherry flavor is sweet with hints of tartness … just enough tartness to perk up the flavor without causing a sour pucker.  I like the delicate quality of the cherry – cherry can sometimes be over done and end up tasting a bit like cough drops but that isn’t the case here.

And the almond offers a sweet, nutty flavor that melds beautifully with the natural nutty tones of the gunpowder green.  The green tea tastes light and refreshing, with a distant smoky note.  It doesn’t taste overly vegetative, but there is a mild vegetative taste to the overall cup.  It tastes smooth.

I am really enjoying this Cherry Almond Gunpowder from 52Teas.  As I mentioned above, it is now sold out … however, maybe if you tweet Frank at 52Teas … or maybe mention it to him on Facebook, he might be persuaded to re-blend this one!