Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Damn Fine Tea
Tea Description:
You’re truly at your best when you drink the very best. Try our new Double Knit Blend and enjoy the rugged, stylish flavors you can only get from fully modern beverage engineering. Using our patented natural process, we’ve blended a tea that will keep you on top of your day: from your very first sip — bright as sunshine on a California highway — to your last mellow mouthful, satisfaction will be yours. You’ll feel it, and others will notice. Make it a Double Knit Day!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am a huge fan of Damn Fine Tea. I get all excited when I see that they’ve introduced a new blend or a limited edition series. So, when they introduced this Double Knit Blend last year, I knew that it would eventually become part of my tea stash.
And this is definitely a worthwhile tea to add to your stash too. It is excellent! Or, maybe I should say its swell? (or insert your favorite nerd word there)
One of the things that I love about Damn Fine Tea is that they pay attention to the small details. Their air-tight tins are beautifully decorated, and they usually include a little something extra … a little freebie gift with the tea. For this tea, I received a little black comb – just like the comb you would find in your favorite nerd’s shirt pocket back in high school. You know what I’m talking about, right? The comb that was stashed behind the pocket protector. I laughed when I opened my package and found the comb. A perfect gift with this tea.
But, as with any tea company, these details don’t mean a whole lot if the tea isn’t good. Fortunately, Damn Fine Tea is true to its name – their teas are DAMN FINE indeed! This blend is deliciously robust, but there is a certain crispness to it too. It doesn’t taste heavy … but it has enough gusto to it to get someone going in the morning if you need that extra push.
There is a touch of smokiness to this cup … not a strong smoked tone, in fact, I don’t notice it until after the first few sips. It adds a nice contrast to the sweet notes. A nice, subtle earthiness. I find this to be a masculine tea … not a lot of floral notes or sweet, fruity tones … instead, it is nicely round, with notes of earth, a sweet, caramel undertone, a hint of malt, and touches of smoke. Very pleasant.
These characteristics typically would be demonstrative of a heavier tasting tea – something very rich and thick … but, I don’t find this to be a very heavy tea. It is full-bodied, certainly, but, it doesn’t have a really thick presence to it. There is a certain crispness to it – it is bright and offers just a little bit of lightness to the cup … as if there might be some Darjeeling in the blend. Not a lot … just enough to lighten the cup up enough to keep it from overwhelming the palate with its presence.
This tea is just another example of why I love Damn Fine Tea so much!
Tiger Assam from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Damn Fine Tea
Tea Description:
We are delighted to offer you this Tiger, our latest Assam tea. It’s resilient yet refined, gentle yet ass-kicking, crouching yet leaping. Prepare it any way you like and it’ll taste great. Forget it on the counter? Brew it a little hastily in a travel mug? It’ll still taste great. Tigers are like that. They don’t get discouraged. They don’t have off days. They deliver 100% tiger, at all times.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am in love with this tea! Seriously, I’ve only consumed about 1/4 of my mugful of this tea, and I’m already head over heels in love with it.
I’ve consumed a lot of Assam tea over the years, and I’ve liked some better than others. But this … this is one of the very best I’ve tried. In fact, as I sit here, contemplating this tea and trying to think of other Assam teas that I might enjoy just as much as I’m enjoying this, there is only one that comes to mind. That’s pretty impressive, given the sheer number of Assam teas that I’ve sampled over the past ten years or so.
It is strong and rich … and just like a tiger, it will most assuredly kick your butt. If you are still half asleep when you reach for a cup of this tea, you won’t be after you’re half way through the cup. This tea has that GUSTO that you want from an Assam, it is robust and malty and delicious. It starts out with a smooth, caramel-y taste, slightly earthy, and as it transitions to the finish, there is just a hint of bitterness to the taste. Just a slight intonation… enough to let you know that you’re dealing with a TIGER! The finish is astringent, and this astringency slowly begins to dry your palate … a drying sensation that lasts into the aftertaste.
If ever there was a perfect Assam, I would say that this would be it. It is as close to perfect as it can get! And I love it.
Thirsty Elf Elixir Blend From Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
Tea Description:
The Thirsty Elf Blend is a custom blend of black teas. Melt snow until boiling and add leaves. Strain after four minutes and serve piping hot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have enjoyed just about every tea offered from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea, and this one is no exception. I do find it to be quite similar to the Damn Fine Holiday Blend of 2010, but I think I may actually like this one better (and at the time of its release, I proclaimed the Damn Fine Holiday Blend to be my favorite from Andrews & Dunham!) and interestingly enough, one of the things I like better about this blend is that it is a tad smokier than the Damn Fine Holiday Blend … and I generally do not like smoky teas!
I noticed a creaminess to the Damn Fine Holiday Blend that I don’t notice as much here, but both blends are remarkably smooth with lovely sweet tones that weave their way in and out of the sip. There are still some creamy tones to this which are more apparent as I make my way to mid-cup. These creamy tones meld with the sweet flavors to create a somewhat caramel-y note.
This blend has a bit more astringency than the Damn Fine Holiday Blend, I think, and the finish tends to be a bit more dry. The aftertaste is somewhat smoky with the aforementioned caramel-y undertone. Very pleasant.
This has a lightness to it – it isn’t a really heavy or “hefty” cup of tea, but, at the same time, I find it to be remarkably energizing, and I can see why it would be an elf’s choice to “restore elf vigor.”
A great afternoon pick-me-up, and would even make a good breakfast tea, even though it is not a heavy cup of tea, it is still strong and is sure to bring a smile to the faces of even those who find mornings unbearable (I’m one of them!)
The Mermaid’s Kiss from Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Andrews & Dunham
Product Description:
The Mermaid’s Kiss is a scented Oolong tea from China. Abandon yourself to its charms and steep for 5 minutes in 180 degree water. Drop anchor and stay for a few more cups.
Taster’s Review:
I kissed a girl and I liked it … err, that is, if you’re to take the name of this tea literally, that it is, indeed a mermaid’s kiss.
I have, over the past year or so, fallen head over heels in love with Magnolia scented Oolong teas. Just as jasmine seems a perfect fit with green and white teas, magnolia seems a perfect fit with Oolong. The natural creamy taste and texture of this greener Oolong plays so nicely with the sweet floral notes of the magnolia.
The Oolong is sweet and vegetative, but I wouldn’t describe it as a strong vegetative presence. It is a mild vegetative flavor that is a cross between freshly cut grass and steamed vegetables. It tastes very fresh and vibrant. The freshness of that grassy taste combined with the sweet flowery taste of magnolia give this tea a very spring-like sensation.
The magnolia itself is a lighter tasting flower when compared to jasmine, but I think that softness is what really makes it a perfect match for Oolong teas. Oolong is a very complex leaf, and the subtle approach of the magnolia enhances the nuances of the Oolong without overwhelming them.
A fantastic tea … and a most memorable kiss!
Captain Assam’s High Seas Elixer from Damn Fine Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Damn Fine Tea
Product Description:
The Captain is a hearty Assam tea from India. For an invigorating brew, steep these leaves for 4 minutes in boiling water. Try 3 if you are of a gentler nature and seek only warm comfort. Beware the urge to brew this tea in salt water.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been wanting to order series 5 from Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Teas for quite some time now, and have been praying to the tea gods that the series not sell out before I had a chance to do so. Fortunately, the tea gods smiled upon me and I finally was able to order it.
Yay! And this is a Damn Fine Assam. As far as Assam teas go, this is a rather mild one. It isn’t as hefty as some Assam teas I’ve tried, but in the place of that bold strength is a delicious sweetness that is somewhere between a burnt-sugar caramel taste and a honey-esque note. Of all the Assam teas that I’ve tasted to date, I don’t think one has come close to this level of sweetness.
It possesses such a lovely balance. It is certainly strong and invigorating, but, it isn’t as harsh nor as astringent as an Assam can be. There is some astringency, of course, but, it is offset by the aforementioned sweetness. It is incredibly smooth and full-flavored. The malty tones here unite with the sweeter flavors to give this almost an “ale” kind of taste.
I LOVE Andrews & Dunham’s Damn Fine Teas – and my love isn’t just about the tea. Their tea is wonderful, of course, but, there is more to this company. They ship incredibly fast, and everything about the packaging is delightful. The boxes are beautifully designed – and the tins are GORGEOUS! And there is always a little something extra that comes with each series. For series three, I got a patch. This time, for series 5, I got a sheet of temporary tattoos.
Tea should be fun! I probably will never use the tattoos, but, these little thoughtful touches add an element of playfulness and excitement to tea. It takes the “proper” out of tea time and replaces it with FUN!