Double Knit Blend

Out of all the A&D blends I’ve tried so far, this is my least favorite. It’s certainly not bad but I find it a little bland. Especially in comparison to the Oktoberfest blend I tried previously. It’s malty and a little sweet but there’s not too much else there. I know this is a Ceylon blend and I’ve never been super fond of them so take this review with a grain of salt. I do wish I liked it more because I absolutely love the tin. But it’s probably not worth $20 for just that :)

Thanks to Sil for this sample. I’m so happy to be able to try all these blends before springing for the full sizes.

Sipdown (146/153)!

Thanks VariaTEA for the sample! Not sure if you knew, but this was my first Damn Fine Tea! I know the company is pretty beloved here on Steepster, and based on this one I can see why.

I made it up in my timolino, but sadly I didn’t get around to drinking it until it was pretty luke-warm. Even still I really enjoyed it; it was smooth with no bitterness or astringency, and it had lovely malt notes and very light smoke notes that blended together really well. I think some milk (just a little splash) would have made this one to die for, as well!

Sadly I had to drink it pretty quickly because Tre and I were going out for supper (spontaneous roommate bonding time, since I got off work early) and I felt bad taking tea into the restaurant. It was a good meal! French toast with strawberry topping and berry syrup, and mozza sticks with the most divine, sweet marinara sauce! Plus, Tre let me steal the maraschino cherry from his dessert and I got to show off my mad skills at tying knots in cherry stems with my tongue.

Supposedly that’s hard to do; I wonder if it’s a genetic thing though because both my brother and I can do it really easily? I wonder if my little sister can; if so it’s gotta be genetic (and passed down by my mom, since we have different dads)…

So another swap from Cavocorax and even though it’s pretty dang hot outside, I really wanted a cup of tea. And nothing sweet or flavored, so I grabbed this.
I get a little bit of smoke, a little bit of malt and just a smidge of astringency, which all in all isn’t too bad. It’s just got a bit woody and is a tad bitter on the back of the sip, but overall I like it. Next time I make it I think I’ll try a bit shorter of a steep to see if that makes a difference with the bitterness.
I’m not sure if I like it 4.4 ounces worth, but I’ll be finishing the rest of the swap I got and maybe consider ordering it one day if the mood (and the money) strikes me. XD
(1.5tsp)

Today’s tea two, or the second tea leaf today. Again, I have been enjoying this tea for quite some time, unsure of why I haven’t reviewed it until now.

The leaves have an extremely subtle scent, a pleasingly sweet smokey freshness. They are dark and curled, seemingly dusty and manly presented; I would say the equivalence of a nicely trimmed beard.

Steeping the leaves gives a less subtle and more pleasing sweet malty aroma, the liquor very dark and very rich. This is, indeed, a modern tea.

The flavors are lightly malty, and lightly sweet. The smokiness does return within a full body. There is no astringency, just simply very well rounded.

This tea is perfect to enjoy in the late mornings or early afternoons, extremely pleasing with no surprises.

So I am just going to start by saying that Dexter is AMAZING!!! She heard I was exploring straight blacks and next thing I know, I have a whole box of black tea samples to try. It is like my very own educational box and I am so grateful for her generosity and kindness. Thank you Dexter!!!

As for the tea, this is smokey and ashy. It is good though I don’t think this is the type of black I will reach for. The blacks I personally have enjoyed have all been towards the dessert tye flavors with notes of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and the like. Nonetheless, I really appreciate the opportunity to try something new so once again, thank you Dexter!!

This morning, courtesy of Terri HarpLady, I’m very pleased to review Double Knit Blend by Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea, Western style: 8 oz. / 1 tsp (2.6g) / 212*F / 4 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

Leaf: Thin twisted mostly dark chocolate-brown leaves 2 cm or less
Fragrance: Mild Malty
Liquor: Clear, amber brown
Aroma: Upon removing the lid of the Finum brewing basket, the first concentrated fleeting wiff – oooh, YUM – this is something special! But what is it? Subsequent sniffs required placing one’s nose as close as possible and inhaling deeply in an attempt to appreciate the aroma. A touch of Keemun smokiness blended with malt.
Flavor: Malt & Keemun

4-min: Very pleasant, smooth, and medium-bodied with no astringency or bitterness.
5-min: A rich full-bodied tea, but not as full-bodied as a straight Keemun or an Assam tea, with a touch of bitterness and very slight astringency to be appreciated with, not before, breakfast for anyone with a sensitive stomach.

Re-Steep:
6-min: Light to medium bodied
8-min: Light to medium bodied

Impression: A rich, full-bodied black breakfast blend. I love a great Keemun and that predisposes me to enjoying this tea. The other black tea (others have suggested Darjeeling) that was blended with the Keemun to lighten and brighten this blend, obviously makes it less full-bodied that a straight Keemun. Additionally, if one brews it an additional minute to increase the body, bitterness begins to increase. Perhaps 4.5 minutes may achieve a more optimum balance?

Thanks to Terri HarpLady for sending us this gracious sample.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teaware/royal-albert/45581-old-country-roses-afternoontea-mugs
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39312-perfect-preset-tea-timer

A huge thanks and thunderous round of applause for Cavocorax for sending me a package of teas to try out! Such an exciting thing to find in my mailbox today, especially since I hadn’t had my morning tea yet.

As I’ve been wanting to try some A&D teas and she was kind enough to send some samples along, I thought this would be good for breakfast.

So I have no idea what sort of teas this is comprised of, but a smokey note is mentioned.
I did get a tiny whiff of something when I smelled the leaves, but nothing scary.

So I brewed this up at 100 degrees for 4 min, and let it cool, then had a sip (you’re welcome for the play by play – during this time I also had a piece of leftover bacon out of the fridge)

….not sure what to expect, but I ended up enjoying this!

It’s definitely slightly smokey, but in a good way! I especially notice the flavours in my cup after I had a few mouthfuls of breakfast then went back to it. Definitely a hint of astringency at the end, but nothing off putting.

I don’t think I need to own this one, which is good because it’s not cheap and it’s a massive tin!

But thank you to Cavo for letting me try this :)

Thank you for a generous sample of this, Cavocorax! I am so happy to be able to sample the famous Damn Fine Teas!

I had this on a Saturday morning, when I was still in the woods, while sitting on the porch and listening to birds chirping. I decided to also have it this morning and right now I am sipping on the very last drops of the second steep of this.

I remember the time when black tea used to be just… black tea. Terroirs? Harvests? Blends? Single origins? Whaddya mean, my friend? Those times are long gone ;)

The first time I had it I recognized it as a kind of black tea I am usually less drawn to. It’s bold, noticingly astringent (although not unpleasantly so), even a tad bitter. But then, at the same time, it also appears to be mild, a little sweet and refreshing. The balance here is amazing because you can just go on saying “this tea is x but it’s also y” about most any quality of it. You’d think it makes it careful kind of boring? No way! This tea is taking some names with its bold uniqueness, it certainly takes mine. You just want to keep on drinking it even though it might not be entirely your thing, like in my case. It’s just DAMN GOOD.

The only complaint I would have is that this tea seems not to be able to go well beyond two steeps. And even with the second one you gotta make sure you add at least 2 minutes on the top of 4 minutes you wait for the first infusion. Also, the second steep comes out much more mild and docile anyway. Which is not a bad thing for a fan of sweeter blacks like myself.

Thank you so much for this sample, Cavocorax! I still have enough left for about 2 servings. Yum!

Oh they know they are special, don’t they…I now understand why they don’t offer samples, why they only sell 4oz tins. Who’d want just a tiny little supply of this god damn fine tea?

I promise, you have a sip of this, and you want to curse like a lumberjack in action. %$&#&?!?&# this is good!!!

Full bodied, malty, just a little smoky, very assertive yet smooth, a Mr. Personality!

It’s not fancy, there are no poetic inspiration that comes to mind when I drink it…

It just pleases me in every possible way.

It’s as if I had spoken to my tea this morning and said something like this «TEA, I command you to taste like a slap in the face and satisfy my every desires like no other tea has ever done in the morning!» and this is what I would have gotten.

Thanks Dexter3657 for paying attention by adding this one for me, I understand why it’s her favourite blend. I was dying to try, but not willing to commit. Now it will be hard to stop me from placing an order.

My first impressions of this tea were of texture, even when thinking about flavour. I found it to be smooth and soft,with fruit and biscuit above malt and smoke, with a dense texture provided by tannins and a sharper aftertaste. It is pleasant and easily drinkable with a slight astringency on the tongue. There is a hint of cocoa but not really chocolate, a hint of apple blossom, leather, malt and biscuit with smoke in the aftertaste. The flavours all blend smoothly into each other. The tea smells of smoke,biscuit, leather, dried currants, apple and malt and the colour was a rich mahogany. I think I was expecting this tea to be a little more robust than it tasted but it is definitely well crafted. Thanks Dexter3657 for the opportunity to Try my first Andrews and Dunham tea!