Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Green Tea Blend
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Company
Tea Description:
This French blend has a bright coppery colour, and Ooh-la-la floral notes from ‘crème de la vanille’, Jasmine and Lavender deliciously blended with flavorful Ceylons, pungent Assams and malty Kenyas. Truly a unique and wonderful tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I mentioned in one of my reviews for the 12 Days of Christmas countdown with Della Terra Teas, I also hosted a swap on Steepster using the 12 Days of Christmas theme. Basically, participants were to select a tea that would seem inspired by the lyrics of the song, The 12 Days of Christmas. I got Day 3: Three French Hens, and this is one of three teas that I selected to send out to the participants of this swap. (The participants didn’t have to send more than one tea, I chose three teas for a couple of reasons, 1) I couldn’t narrow down my choices to just one, and 2) since I had day three, I thought three teas just seemed to work within that theme … I sent them three “French” teas.)
And as I mentioned above, this is one of the three teas I selected. I chose this tea for a couple of reasons, first, the tea had a blended base of green and black teas, and since the other two teas I was selecting both had black tea bases, I thought the green tea would offer a bit of variation from the others. Second, I wanted a blend with lavender in it, and this tea has it. Third, I like the fact that there are other floral notes to this tea – specifically, jasmine and rose.
I am really happy with this choice. Since it was both a black and a green tea, I chose a lower water temperature (180°F) and steeped it for three minutes. The first couple of sips were rather astringent, but after allowing the cup to cool a couple of minutes, I found that the astringency waned. There is still some dry astringency to this, but it is actually quite nice, as it seems to cleanse the palate a bit.
This is a beautifully floral tea. It is exotically sweet with the notes of jasmine, rose and lavender, and there is a underlying creaminess to it too thanks to the vanilla tones. The base of black and green teas seems to be a goo choice for this blend, the black tea offers a bit of earthiness and a pleasantly rich flavor with hints of malt and even the faintest wine-like quality, while the green tea lightens the cup a bit so that the black tea doesn’t taste too heavy nor does it overwhelm the flavors of the flowers … or the vanilla for that matter.
A very enjoyable cup. I like the way everything is balanced. I can taste each element of this tea: I taste the black and the green tea, and that doesn’t always happen with blended teas such as this; I taste the vanilla, the jasmine, the rose, and of course, the lavender. These floral elements meld together so nicely, they don’t seem to compete with one another, instead, they work together to create a very luxurious tasting cup … like something you might sip at a French cafe while taking in the scenery.
Thé du Hammam from Le Palais Des Thés
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Le Palais Des Thés
Tea Description:
One of our most popular teas, this fruity blend is inspired by a Turkish recipe using green teas that evokes the characteristic fragrances used to perfume a hammam: roses, green dates, berries and orange flower water. Sprinkled with flower petals in the pure Eastern tradition, its extraordinary fragrance comes from a subtle combination of Chinese green tea and rich, fruity aromas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After reading the above description, I found myself somewhat lost, as I had no idea what a hammam was. And thinking that this was not only a good opportunity for me to learn something new, but that perhaps a few of my readers also might not know what a hammam is, I decided to look it up. According to Wikipedia, a hammam is a traditional Turkish bath in which warm air is used to promote perspiration, after which bathers are brought to an even hotter room before splashing themselves with cool water, and then they are bathed.
And while the idea of “bath water” doesn’t really sound like a delicious tea, this blend allows you to toss the bathwater and simply enjoy the essences of the perfumed Turkish bath. The sweet notes of date dominate this cup, while lovely hints of floral tones weave their way in and out of the sip.
The green tea has a light, fresh kind of flavor that is delicately vegetative. It has a somewhat buttery quality to it, offering a creamy texture and taste that harmonizes quite deliciously with the flavoring. The date flavor is what I find particularly enchanting about this tea. I’ve had a few date flavored teas, but I do not remember any that have managed to express this flavor better than I taste with this tea. This tastes like a sweet, juicy date – and it is really delicious!
Of the teas that I’ve tried from Le Palais Des Thés (and I’ve still a few left to try from the gift set), this one is my favorite! I like it a lot!
French Canadian Maple Tea from Tealicious Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealicious Tea Company
Tea Description:
Our French Canadian Maple Black Tea is a classic blend of Ceylon and maple flavor resulting in a premium taste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea had me with the very first sip. It is SO incredibly yummy.
The maple flavoring is perfect – it is sweet and a strong flavor but, I can also taste the black tea. It is a Ceylon black tea, so it is fairly mellow. With the addition of the maple flavoring what might otherwise be considered a medium-bodied tea becomes a rich, full-bodied tea.
That being said, this isn’t what I’d call an energizing type of tea. Instead, it is a cozy, comforting cup… a very pleasant tasting tea, it isn’t overly invigorating so it isn’t exactly the kind of tea you’d want to drink on the mornings when you need to get up and go.
Instead, I’d recommend this tea for the days you want to linger and curl up with a deliciously cozy cup of tea. Perfect for weekend mornings when you can take your time and savor this delicious maple flavor: It has that classic maple flavor that reminds me of maple sugar candy! There are complex nutty tones (chestnuts!) and a gentle warm spice note in the distance. YUM!
This is sweet without additions, but if you want something sweeter – a little bit of turbinado sugar will turn this into a delicious dessert-y treat in no time. This tea would also make a fantastic latte – just brew it a little stronger by adding a little extra leaf, and then add steamed, frothed milk to the brewed cup: it’s a creamy and indulgent way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Of course, if you want to amplify the maple flavor, you can also sweeten it with a drizzle of maple syrup.
As for me, I love this straight up – nothing added. It has an enjoyable sweetness to it that makes my sweet tooth happy without me needing to add calories to the cup. While this would be tasty as an iced tea, I prefer it hot, because the flavors have a very autumnal taste to them, and hot tea really plays to that cozy autumn-ness of the tea.
This is my first tea that I’ve sampled from this company, and I’m thrilled with it. I can definitely see a Tealicious Tea Company order in my future!
On The Eighth Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to Me …
I have been very happy with this sampler box and loving every tea that has been featured. But I don’t think I’ve been happier with a selection than I am with today’s choice … this tea was easily my favorite from the past year. (Exception: my Tomato, Basil and Black Pepper Tea was actually my favorite, but, I don’t think that 52Teas is going to include that tea with this sampler. So, I guess I should rephrase the previous statement to say that this tea is my favorite tea from the past year that didn’t include tomato.)
And it really surprised me at just how much I loved this tea. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were a chocolate tea. But, vanilla? I didn’t think I’d ever be choosing that as a favorite. I mean I like it, but, is it my favorite flavor? This tea certainly opened my eyes. And the biggest surprise of all was just how well the malty tones of Assam and the sweet, creamy flavor of vanilla meld together.
I guess by now it’s probably pretty obvious what tea I’m talking about, so let’s get this part over with: For the Eighth Tea of Christmas, 52Teas this to me …
As I said above, this is my favorite tea that 52Teas produced this past year that doesn’t include tomato. It is sweet, creamy and absolutely incredible. The Assam is rich and malty, has a moderate astringency. I am actually experiencing a tad more astringency with this cup than I remember from previous tastings of this tea. As you can read in my first review of this tea, I thought the astringency was lighter than with other Assam teas that I’ve tasted. Today, I experience more astringency, but, even so, it’s not an overly astringent tea.
Still no bitterness, still sweet, bold and malty. The malty tones of the Assam marry so well with the creamy notes of the vanilla, and create a caramel-ish taste that is incredibly decadent.
I love this tea.
French Vanilla Assam from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
Here’s an amazing malty Assam tea blended with organic vanilla bean pieces, cornflowers and natural French Vanilla flavors.
I have just three words for this:
De – li – cious!
Taster’s Review:
Oh, yum! Oh yummy yum yum yum!
This may just be… wait for it… Frank’s (aka the Chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas) BEST blend to date. Yes, yes, I know I’ve said that before – probably more than once. But, this time, I mean it! And it’s a vanilla tea! What one might consider rather ordinary, or shall I say it? Kind of “vanilla” is actually quite scrumptious!
This tea has a really delightful texture to it. The combination of the malty character of the Assam and the authentic vanilla flavor give this tea a chewy quality that is unlike any other tea I’ve encountered.
The Assam base is bold and rich. It has a very deep flavor to it, which really isn’t surprising since it IS an Assam. But, what does surprise me is how well the Assam and vanilla flavors work together. The vanilla is sweet, creamy and decadent.
There is no bitterness to the Assam (although, I’m sure if it were oversteeped it would get bitter, I watch the timer very closely when it comes to Assam teas, having been bit by that bitter note far too many times). There is some astringency, but really, when compared to some Assam teas I’ve tried, it really is what I’d consider a light astringency.
Overall the flavor is smooth and luxurious. It may sound a bit odd, but it almost feels as though I am eating this rather than drinking it… that’s how satisfying this tea is. It could probably work as a meal substitute (note: please consult your physician before implementing this as your dietary plan).
I love this tea. If I were to pose any complaint about it at all, it would be that it is sold out. I propose we storm 52Teas on Twitter and Facebook and demand that Frank install this tea as part of his permanent collection. A tea this awesome deserves it!