Dammann Frères

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 3

Mom: “Are you keeping track of all my favourites? You can put the list on the windowsill.”

My mom became instantly smitten with the tea satchet’s aroma – a dominant blood orange note over a layer of summer fruit salad. I understand why; it would make an excellent fruit jelly.

We tried it with and without milk, and it does well in both – depending on the drinker’s preference. The cherry and strawberry flavours pop in particular for me, but there are still hints of sweet citrus and canned peaches. I don’t like it as much as my mom (her rating: 5/5), but it’s a lovely tea. It also pairs well with both mincemeat tarts and Japanese cheesecake.

Dammann Freres day 3. Not my favorite but it was nice, very subtle.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 2

Even with milk, the velvety butter and almond notes peak through to create the illusion of a festive marzipan orange dessert. It’s decadent, but not cloying or heavy (yes, I get brioche).

My mother, who is once again partaking in this advent journey, loves it too (her rating: 5/5), and even enabled me to buy more (“it’s not so expensive to get this shipped from France?” Dangerous).

Dammann Freres 2022 advent calendar Day 2. Like Day 1, I brewed this up in a little Western-style teapot so I could drink it from a teacup & saucer set. When I saw the company describe this as evoking brioche, I hoped it might be similar to or a dupe for ATR’s Brioche. Unfortunately it’s not, but it is tasty! It’s bready and has a fun candy orange note. It pairs nicely with a Te Company pineapple linzer, which has a similar flavor profile. Plus it holds up well on the second steep. I’ve never had panettone so I can’t speak to flavor accuracy, but I enjoyed it anyway!

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Gabby was kind enough to send me a generous portion of this tea in her holiday package, thanks Gabby! I really enjoyed this tea in the Dammann advent, so I was more than happy to have more.

I won’t say it’s exactly panettone, just because it’s missing the raisins or other candied fruit, but it’s definitely very close. It tastes like a delicious orangey brioche, which is essentially what panettone reminds me of. Buttery and rich, yet light and perfumed with sweet citrus.

A scrumptious tea! Definitely on my list to purchase the next time I order from Dammann. :)

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 2

Ooh, excited to try this one! My husband is Italian-American so we generally buy a panettone around the holidays every year.

This is honestly spot-on and I’m very impressed. It tastes just like an orangey brioche, which is essentially what panettone is. Super buttery and silky smooth with the perfect amount of sweet yet fresh orange flavor. It sounds decadent, but actually it tastes quite light, which is perfect for a light and fluffy panettone. The only thing it’s missing for me is the raisins, which I can live without.

Very scrumptious, this will definitely go on my to-order list!

So excited to be trying the Dammann Freres advent calendar this year! I paid international shipping for it, which feels beyond indulgent, but it’s absolutely beautiful. This tea is Day 1! The dry leaf smells strongly of vanilla and bergamot, with an almost equally intense jasmine note. I made this in a little Western-style teapot so I could drink it from a teacup & saucer set. It brews up orange, presumably because of the black tea. The first impression is bergamot, followed by a pastry-type vanilla that lingers long after the sip. That initial bergamot hit also has a bit of that astringency that black tea sometimes has. The floral note from the scent of the dry leaf doesn’t really come through in the taste, but it’s a flavorful brew even without it. You CAN do a second steep, but it has to be really long (15+ minutes) and will come out paler. It still has a nice vanilla flavor with strong bergamot notes – a reversal of the order from the first steep – and no discernable floral element. Overly, this was really tasty and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to this calendar! 

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 1

Excited to see an older Dammann tea that I’ve never tried! Considering I’ve had this advent several times, the odds are fairly low. Nice that they change it up outside of just adding the new teas from that year!

This is Earl Grey mixed with jasmine green tea and vanilla. I expected to like it and I do! The beginning of the sip tastes like a jasmine green and then the bergamot sort of pokes its head out mid-sip. A touch of creamy vanilla also appears, and then the finish is all citrusy-floral bergamot and light creaminess.

It’s interesting how the jasmine and bergamot really meld together and become almost indistinguishable toward the end. It’s a very light and soothing variation of Earl Grey, lovely as an afternoon tea. I don’t think I would order it, mostly because I have other jasmine teas I love from Dammann (looking at you, Noël à Pékin) and other Earl Greys that I would drink more often. But loved trying it!

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 1

Bold to kick things off with a black/green tea. The enticing bergamot-vanilla aroma appeased me, however. Even though the ingredients don’t list anise, mint, or coniferous tree bits – I’m reminded a little of White Wolf by Bellocq (a favourite of mine, but out of my price range currently).

Unfortunately, I steeped it at slightly too low an a temperature (185 °F), so I plunked it back in for an additional minute – for a total of five minutes. The result is gentle and not actually dissimilar to White Wolf, but more akin to Golden Moon’s velvety Vanilla Jasmine (also a green/black blend, I believe). The woodsy-floral bouquet of jasmine, vanilla, and bergamot is totally my jam. I also love that the vanilla is subtle and not the candy variety.

The drying astringency is minor, and I would’ve preferred to bring that out further, along with more malty bite. Oh, well… I doubt tweaking the steeping parameters would’ve allowed me to add milk anyways (but I may order more in the future in order to “experiment”).

To continue from last year, my mom is also partaking in the advents. She’s anxiously off to a medical appointment, but this tea’s calm profile helped a bit (the bite of Japanese cheesecake probably helped more). It’s definitely a soothing pot.

Steep Count: 2 – a solid second steep too (probably because my first was weak)!

A really beautiful aromatic blend with an underlying hint of vanilla. I loved this blend it was nice and strong on the bergamot front.

Refreshing cold brew with a profile that, to me, complemented late summer dry season weather out here in the North Bay, so basically up to the end of October.

Made the very last bit of leaf this morning with hot water from the work dispenser, cooled for 5 or so minutes before steeping.

Smelled just like a peach cobbler. Guessing the peach was coming from the green tea itself as peach is not an added flavor. I couldn’t pin down the base character beyond its alkalinity. It was something like stewed moss with lima beans and seashells?? Togo mentioned mussels in a recent review for another tea and now that’s where my mind is going. Sounds so weird but throw in those soft touches of floral-sweet cinnamon, basil and lime and you have a well rounded and balanced tea. Two good steeps and forgiving of brew time. I’d buy this again!

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Another one from derk, thank you!

This has been on my wishlist for a while now, but I just haven’t gotten around to ordering it. Since Dammann only sells in 100g bags, I tend to restrict myself to only getting a few teas when I order from them, which doesn’t happen more than once a year. Plus this tea is quite a bit more expensive than usual, which probably deterred me a bit as well.

But my god, this tea is so good! You can smell the tantalizing fruity aroma immediately upon opening the package, and it just smells so juicy and intense that it makes my mouth water. And the taste is exactly the same! A juicy sweet-tart pow of fruity goodness over a bed of thick, buttery, slightly grassy sencha. Dammann uses a more conventional Chinese sencha for most of their flavored greens, but this has an actual Japanese sencha base and I’m loving it. It has a much deeper flavor, and a hint of savoriness to it that really adds a nice bit of dimension here.

The fruit though… I’m trying to decide what it reminds me of, because it’s not kiwi. I want to say a plum of some kind, maybe with some apricot as well? But not a fresh one, more of a concentrated and intense flavor, like those thick fruit leathers that come in bar form. I’m not sure what those are called, but hopefully you know what I’m talking about…

Anyway, this is definitely going on my to-order list for next time. Thanks derk! :)

Sipdown

A lovely, very grown-up, chocolate flavored tea with a rich black tea base. Civilized enough to drink plain, strong enough to handle milk and sugar if you want it. None of the fake mildew aroma like some chocolate teas have.

December Sipdown Challenge – National Cocoa Day

This is a solid, reliable chocolate tea that lets you taste both tea and real chocolate flavor without telling of mildew or swimming in oil.

I am getting close to a sipdown but have a few breakfast pots to go. That is my favorite time to enjoy this one. I love it plain but I bet it would be super desserty with milk and sugar if that is what you are going for!

November Sipdown Prompt – a tea that makes you feel cozy

I think most teas can make you feel cozy depending on when and how you drink them. This one is comforting me on this cloudy day as I am not feeling quite up to par. My ears are so stuffy and I haven’t slept well lately so I was dragging a bit. It isn’t that cold outside but my toes feel frozen, even in socks. I decided that a cup of tea with a small snack while listening to an audiobook would be a nice treat as I will be cooking a lot the rest of the week.

This base has nice body, something that has been missing in a couple of others flavored teas from other companies that I have had lately. The chocolate isn’t overpowering but allows the base tea to still shine. This chocolate doesn’t have the mildew aroma we find a some of the oily looking chocolate blends.

July Sipdown Prompt – World Chocolate Day: drink a chocolate tea or have tea with chocolate.

I have had a very busy morning, mostly cooking and prepping for the weekend. I decided to have my chocolate tea as an extra decadent treat.

I steeped the tea double strength, poured the hot tea over some sugar, and then shook it in a cocktail shaker. I poured it into an Irish whiskey mug and added milk. I topped it with whipped cream and chocolate jimmies.

It was very good but if I make it again I will make the tea base even stronger.

March Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a chocolate tea or tea paired with chocolate

A gift from Superanna, and getting near the bottom of the bag although not a sipdown yet.

This is one of the better chocolate flavored teas I have tried. The chocolate doesn’t seem overpowering or artificial, the base is present, there is no strange aroma but rather a very natural chocolate smell to me. Delish!

Meanwhile – has anyone heard from evol?

January sipdown prompt for Bittersweet Chocolate Day!

This was a gift from Superanna last year. It is one of the few chocolate teas that tastes like real chocolate to me. I do not find the chocolate super strong in this – I can still taste the black tea base fortunately. And the chocolate flavor lacks that odd mildew smell that I find in some Harney chocolate teas as well as other companies.

The chocolate is mild and smooth and this was great with breakfast, but could also serve well with sweets or as a stand alone cup. I didn’t add milk and sugar, but I bet with additions this could be a dessert substitute if you were so inclined.

A really good tea.

I am shocked to see no tasting note from me on this one! This is to fulfill Mastress Alita’s November Sipdown Challenge prompt – a tea the flavor of a favorite sundae topping.

This tea was a gift from my eldest, Superanna, who always blesses me with marvelous teas!

I chose chocolate because my first real ice cream sundae was decades ago at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor. They brought your sundae in a tulip glass with a small metal cup on the side that was filled with thick, rich, hot fudge for you to pour over it when ready. I had never had anything like it! (When I was a child, we made chocolate ice cream topping by adding a tiny few drops of hot water to Nestlé Quik. I still think that is delicious, too!)

The chocolate flavor of this tea is very similar to my well-loved O’Connor’s Cream, a tea that was gifted to me by White Antlers. The base of both of these teas seems a little smoky or roasty to me, which is perfect with the rich, dark chocolate flavor. This does not taste like a milk chocolate candy bar, but rather like the cocoa notes of cacao nibs, or the chocolate notes in carob and coffee, rather scrape-y and rough and rich. I love it.

I wonder if this is a Keemun base? It surely tastes like one to me.

Sipdown, though it feels like this one barely counts since I only had the one teabag. I decided to splurge this year and get the Dammann Freres advent calendar. Shipping cost a small fortune but it’s gorgeous and I’m really looking forward to it. This teabag was one of the samples they sent with it. I used it in a 16 oz teapot and brewed exactly to specifications. It came out delicious, though I couldn’t get a good second steep out of it. I’d suggest brewing the first steep a little longer for maximum flavor. As for the flavor itself, I found that the verbena, lemongrass, and orange blossom dominated. It tasted delicate and floral and, well, elegant. The orange was very specifically orange blossom and not a robust, juicy orange flavor. I really enjoyed this as an evening tea.

Another great blend from Dammann Freres, while I loved this blend it is not for everyone. This blend has a lovely balance of orange, anise, and a touch of maple sweetness. If you don’t like anise, you probably won’t love this blend. I really liked it, it was perfect for me.

Really lightly flavored, I really adored this blend. It’s a cherry marzipan-flavored black tea that focuses more on the almond flavors but tastes a bit like licorice too. I liked the soft cherry flavor it was really comforting.

Tastes just like a panettone! I really enjoyed this blend… It’s citrusy, nutty, and a tiny bit sweet. My Panettone is such a nostalgic treat for me, lovely for the holidays.