Dammann Frères

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

Same mango almond biscuit flavour as my much loved Mango Lassi – so that’s a plus! It also smells amazing.

Bai mu tan isn’t ever going to be my favourite white tea but the natural notes of blueberries, hay, and honey take the fruity flavouring in a ovverripe, jam-like direction. I actually don’t get much bergamot at all; I do get a citrusy strawberry-mango juice medley though.

I’d rather this have a black tea base. Or try it iced! It’s very sweet as is.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

Ooh, a white tea with mango, bergamot, and almond? Sounds intriguing.

Honestly, it’s a bit meh to me, and I think it’s because of the white tea base. It’s quite strong on the musty hay notes, emphasis on the musty. I can definitely taste a bit of (very nice) juicy mango and a touch of floral bergamot. I think the almond is adding a bit of desserty sweetness?

Anyway, a shame that the base sort of overpowers the flavoring here, if it were a bit more delicate I think this could’ve been a really nice tea.

Day 6 of the Dammann Freres advent calendar. I’m not sure that this is “pancake,” necessarily, but it is delicious. I’m getting a lot of banana and maple over a malty black base. I suspect that Dammann uses the same base in a lot of their flavored black teas that I’ve had so far. It works well in this blend, though! Any folks with this calendar and a better sense of black teas, are they using the same base?

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

A good cup of bright earl grey. The bergamot is almost juicy. I’m totally drinking my cup cold (by accident).

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 17

So I do enjoy bergamot, but if I’m honest, plain Earl Grey isn’t my favorite. It’s not something I buy or drink often, I tend to prefer Earl Grey with extra citrus or other fun additions.

But this one is lovely! The bergamot here is very citrusy, and it’s not super strong. It almost tastes like there’s lemon added, which is perfect for my preferences. The black tea is smooth and slightly earthy, which pairs nicely with the bright citrus.

I’m not sure I would buy this one, as I think I prefer their Grand Goût Russe, but it’s still a delicious tea!

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 16

Yay, this is one of the ones I was most excited to try from the advent! I happen to love yerba maté, so I’m always happy to see it in flavored blends.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one, not being a cherry fan, but I’m actually loving it. To be fair, the flavoring is quite subtle. A lot of the flavor is coming from the maté itself, which I really like, so I’m not complaining. It has such a softly earthy, herbaceous flavor with notes of hay and dry leaves and dark honey. It’s a really, really tasty green maté base, and then in the background I can taste the cherry and lemon being layered in. The cherry is more on the tart side, thank goodness, so it doesn’t end up tasting like a cheap lollipop or cough syrup. I wouldn’t call it authentic per se, but more like a cherry Jolly Rancher sort of flavor, which has more tartness to it than a traditional cherry candy. The lemon is soft as well, and helps lighten up the cherry but also stands a bit on its own in the finish. It’s not a sour lemon, but it’s not candy either, maybe a bit like lemon peel but without the bitterness?

Regardless, this is easy my favorite from the advent so far and I need to buy more! :)

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 16

I both a) oversteeped this so the earthy roasted notes of the mate are in full power, and b) am drinking it in a rush. Sorry mate!

Ignoring my blunders, I get lots of citrus on the back of cherry, cranberry and lemon. For me, cherry is the dominant addition to the mate’s muskiness (it reminds me a little of pot – that green funk; but it’s also kind of “fresh” like mint). It’s also a bright contrast to the base. I don’t dislike it, but the earthy bitterness of the oversteeped mate and tartness of the fruits give the blend a medicinal bent, and are infringing on what would otherwise be a solid cup.

I may have enjoyed this more if I had payed attention to steeping it. I’m definitely enjoying the juicy cranberry-cherry-with-lemon finish, regardless.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 14

Solid citrus black tea and tasty with milk. This went over extremely well in the big communal pot. Bright and malty earl grey-styled teas are always a hit.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 13

I’m so grateful this was the tea yesterday. I had a six hour math final ordeal, and by the time I was done it was nearing midnight and I had a headache.

I love chamomile more than most people. Adding apple to it is always a nice way to emphasize the already apple-ish notes of the sleepy-flower. Likewise, sage tidies up and rounds out some of its herbaceous edges with earthy fresh notes (not that much sage though). In that way, the extra ingredients don’t really flavour (and smother) chamomile so much as highlight its existing profile. It’s perfectly soothing so gets my general chamomile score of “76” + 2 points for solid (if somewhat conventional) blending.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 13

Such a lovely wrapper, it’s metallic and a pretty yellow-green color. :3

The sage here is actually quite mild. Mostly I’m tasting chamomile, and I’m not getting any apple or ginger. Actually, maybe a little hint of ginger on the back end. The sage is definitely an accent flavor, it adds just a touch of earthy, slightly mentholated savoriness that contrasts well with the sweet honey notes of the chamomile.

It’s a pleasant tisane to sip on while I wind down on the couch, but not something I would seek out, as it’s just not that interesting and I’ve had better chamomile.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 11

This has the prettiest metallic copper wrapper! Just gorgeous.

This is a somewhat subtle but still very tasty tea. I admit, I haven’t had many madeleines, and I’m not sure if I’ve had a lemon-infused one. It makes perfect sense though. The flavor here is a delicate combination of fluffy cake, rich almond, and sweet lemon. The rooibos base is thankfully quite mellow, and provides a nice, slightly woody base for the flavors without tasting at all medicinal.

I would consider purchasing this one… We’ll see how I feel about it by the time I make another Dammann order.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmDTtg-Ozz_/

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 5

I’ve come to accept that I just don’t like rooibos all that much. Despite that, this tea tempts me with it’s lemony cake aroma. When I tried it last year I was undecided about whether I’d want 100g of it. Second year in the advent calendar and I’m still undecided. Dammann Frères obviously needs to send me another half a dozen samples…

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 11

Glad to see some of the non-caffeinated blends show up in this advent; there are a few of them and I’d rather not see them all clumped together near the end!

Rooibos is usually a “meh” for me but this blend won me over as soon as I ripped open the packet and could smell its glorious (and on point) lemony madeleine aroma. My mom even thought it was a cookie and was pretty disappointed to find it was “just a tea bag” when she opened her eyes.

I didn’t want to taste a lot of woody rooibos tonight, so added milk, then I poured another cup from the pot and drank it plain; both styles are tasty. I’m satisfied with the amount of lemon, almond and biscuit flavour I get – even if I can still pick up the sweet tobacco profile of rooibos here and there. It’s a lovely way to wrap up the evening.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 9

Ooh, I’ve been so excited to try this one! :D

Okay, this is scrumptious. It has such a lovely sweet and creamy mango flavor, just like a mango lassi! It’s perhaps a bit more subdued than the real thing, more of gentle and relaxing tea than a bright and energizing one. But it’s just so smooth and lovely and yum… :3

I kind of wish they had added popped rice to make it a mango sticky rice sort of thing! Maybe I’ll have to order some and experiment myself ha ha.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 8

I love strawberry rhubarb am glad this was selected for the advent (but, it also reminded me that I forgot to order “Mélange Vénitien” again; it’s also supposedly rhubarb). There’s a good balance between the two red fruits – although, maybe slightly more sweet strawberry. Tartness is at a minimal and it veers into jam territory.

This is one of those times I wish DF used “loose-leaf in small tins” rather than sachets – because I’d love to try cold brewing this tea. I imagine it would be delicious!

I loved this blend, at least the amount I was able to drink… Buddy (my puppy) is now on the naughty list again this year because while I was grabbing a book in the other room he decided to climb onto the dining room table and drink the tea out of my mug and when I scolded him he knocked it over with his paw so I was only about to get a sip or two in. From what I tasted, this was a delightful, desserty strawberry-rhubarb blend with a hint of cream that I will definitely be grabbing more of. Another hit from the Dammann Freres Advent Calendar.

This was another meh but still good blend from the Advent calendar. I enjoyed it but it was pretty light on all of the flavors I planned on tasting based on the scent of the loose tea.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 6

On the subtle side, but lovely accents of banana and maple to finish. Toasted grain, in the shade of buckwheat, is the predominate note for me. It makes for a malty sugar in the hue of dark amber. It’s more in porridge or pudding territory than pancake land, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I was really excited to try this one but, of course, left it until the end of the night. So I’m sipping it half asleep. Oh well!

Steep Count: 2

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 6

Ooh, one of the new teas I’ve been wanting to try! :D

It’s really good. I will say, it doesn’t reallllly remind me of pancakes? It’s more toasty than that, almost like a genmaicha or something. It does have some lovely buttery notes to it, and the banana comes in mostly at the end of the sip for me. It is a tad candylike, but it’s not full-on Runts banana. More like a creamy pudding banana, the kind from a box. There’s also some caramel going on, or maybe that’s the maple. I’m surprised I’m not getting a more definite maple note, as I remember some of their other teas being super spot-on for real maple syrup.

Oh, I see this has buckwheat flavoring, which explains the toasty notes! It’s scrumptious but reminds me more of a banana-caramel genmaicha on a black base than it does of pancakes. Either way it’s yummy though, and going on the to-buy list! :)

Also, I find it nice that Dammann seems to be embracing more modern flavors in their new teas lately, despite being a very traditional company. I hope they keep making fun new blends like this and Lassi Mango!

Advent Day 6: OH MY GOODNESS! This blend is just right for me and my preferences. It’s cakey and toasty like the golden brown pancakes that are flipped just in time. It’s drizzled in a rich maple syrup and it has a light banana flavor that isn’t intense or artificial tasting. Could there have been a little more banana? Sure but I really loved this blend.

Dammann Freres 2022 advent calendar Day 5. Now we’re talking! I absolutely adore marzipan, and the dry leaf of this smells like marzipan. Brewed up, I can taste the cherry and almond. It’s not marzipan, but it is cozy. Plus I got a good second steep out of it, with the flavors still pretty much the same. Apparently this is supposed to taste like gingerbread, but I’m really not getting that. Between this and the flocons d’épices blend yesterday, I’m starting to conclude that either I can’t make out Dammann’s gingerbread flavoring very well or the flavoring is relatively faint. Which is a bit of a shame because I love actual gingerbread, but better to learn it with samples than entire bags/boxes of a blend.

Dammann Freres 2022 advent calendar Day 4. Ok. So. I understand that this is meant to be a gingerbread cookie-type tea. And perhaps that is the experience that others took away from this tea, in which case yay, I’m glad you enjoyed it! But I oversteeped by literally 45 seconds and ended up with something that tastes like one of those oranges with cloves stuck in it. And the thing is, the dry leaf smelled like that too, so I’m not sure how much of this was just about the oversteeping. I offered it to my partner, who rarely likes tea but does enjoy black tea from time to time, and he literally said that all he could taste was cigarettes because the clove was so heavy. Best case scenario is that the lesson here is to be very strict about steeping parameters with Dammann Freres teas, and this tea in particular!

This blend wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t special. I saw gingerbread on the bag of the bag/sample but it tasted like plain black tea to me.

Dammann Freres 2022 advent calendar Day 3. Just assume I’m brewing all of these in my little teapot and drinking them from my delightful, perfect teacup (it’s this one and I’m obsessed with it: https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/juliska-country-estate-flint-teacup-prod193440738?utm_=). I enjoy the fruitiness of this one, both hot and cold, but it’s a little weird on a black tea base. I think I would have preferred this flavoring on a green tea base. The black tea isn’t astringent or tannic, but it’s still heavy in a way that green teas aren’t, and it weighs down the fruit flavor. The major flavors are peach and strawberry; I really have to work to find the cherry notes. Given another chance, I might try cold brewing this one to see what happens.