Dammann Frères

Sipdown! thanks to crowkettle for letting me try this one – probably something i’d reorder if i was searching for a fruity kinda of tea in the future from DF.

mmmm another tea from crowkettle super glad to try this since i adore mangos. This isn’t quite what i’d call mango lassi – too subdued for that, but then french teas are generally more subdued in their flavouring. Enjoyed this one though, even as it cooled (work distractions!)

It is the umpteenth cloudy day in a row. I needed some sunshine in my life somewhere, and derk has brought me so much sunshine – in so many ways! She provided some more today in the form of this tea.

I spotted a couple of teas that derk sent me and thought they looked just the ticket to brighten up today.

I had this one with breakfast. I was expecting it to be quite nutty but instead it was quite fruity! The green base is not covered up at all though, you can taste it perfectly and the strawberry is well balanced with it to be quite noticeable without being overpowering. The nuttiness that I tasted was of a sort that could easily be attributed to the green tea base itself, and was more noticeable on some sips than others.

Since derk had mentioned that this one doesn’t do as good a second steep as some other teas, I did not follow my usual morning method of steeping twice and combining.

Thank you, derk!

DF Advent Day 23 (23-Feb 2022)

Sadly, this one had a serious lack of flavour for me. The cacao was barely there and the orange, even less. It was more like a cup of hot water.

Sipdown. Was a purchase at the Midwest Tea fest through Emilie’s French Teas in KC MO.

Too much bergamot in this for me, plus it’s a green tea. I’ve had some okay cups of this but for the most part very cloying with an aftertaste I did not care for. Finishing this off today probably overleafed, probably too high a temp, but glad to be through it. Smells pretty good – bergamot, violet, floral. Just tastes like you’ve walked into a floral perfume cloud…bleh.

DF Advent Day 18 (18-Feb 2022)

This one smells lovely steeped. I get kiwi with hints of bergamot and rose. This reminds me of a candy, but it’s not really candy-like. The green tea is a nice base for these flavours. I really liked this tea.

DF Advent Day 17 (17-Feb 2022)

Both the blueberry scent and taste here are strong, but well done and not cloying or obnoxious. There is a maple aspect here as well that adds to this as well. There is a natural sweetness here, but yet not a sweetness? This is akin to unsweetened blueberry maple syrup. This is not one I need in my cupboard, but tasty nonetheless.

DF Advent Day 13 (13-Feb 2022)

There’s a cross between grass and hay flavour here, with a nice blueberry flavour at the end of the sip and in the aftertaste.

This has a fascinating scent that really does smell like the components noted — vanilla and rose at the forefront with subtle peach. The taste is a mix of vanilla and peach, with the vanilla more predominant. For someone who enjoys vanilla, this would be a good tea!

This came in my order in error instead of Pêche Abricotée, but when I contacted DF, they immediately sent the correct tea and let me keep this one — customer service for the win!

Not sure whether this is the real origin of the Assam tea I´m reviewing, as I bought it in an independent tea shop, and I was told that they often get DF produce in.
Then another remark : it´s one of those teas I buy, put aside and open much later, so I assume it was fresher when I bought it, and I should have had it before.
Finally, saying that I´m only writing the review when the tin (as I moved the tea to a clean tin, when I “discovered” it ;-) ) is almost empty, so I had plenty of time to drink and enjoy it…because, yes, it´s still enjoyable, especially as a morning cup which I want strong and malty! Less complex now than before, due to its age without any doubt. Other people might drink this kind of tea with milk, I don´t, so I´m pretty sure some people might not have noted the loss in complexity.

DF Advent Day 9 (9-Feb 2022)

This tea was quite lovely. The lemon with hints of lime was not quite subtle, but not over the top, just the perfect amount. I found the oolong base to be pleasant as well. A good cup of tea overall!

This one smells like that Quaker peaches and cream instant oatmeal. I would say this tastes very similar to the scent. The peach is more at the forefront, while the passionfruit, very subtle, falls to the back, but is identifiable. I also get perhaps a hint of apple here, which adds complexity to the tea and is quite nice.

DF Advent Day 1 (1-Feb 2022)

I’m smelling hints of orange from the steeped tea, and perhaps the scent of baked goods. The taste has a lovely almond baked good flavour that’s reminiscent of an almond croissant. There are hints of orange that come in as well, but subtle and complementary. I’m not getting very much/any ginger. This is a really delicious tea. I would definitely consider ordering this one.

Hot: The peach plays nicely with the hibiscus here, though the hibiscus is definitely at the forefront. Nevertheless, I really enjoy this blend and wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.

Chilled: The hibiscus is much more forward and tart once chilled. The peach us almost nonexistent, but I do catch hints of it in the background.

Hot: This is my least favourite of the carcadet blends we ordered. It’s not not good, but the taste isn’t my personal favourite. The piña colada flavour is really on point, but for some reason I feel that with the hibiscus-rosehip the flavours are clashing instead of complementing.

Chilled: The flavours are more muted when chilled. I would say the coconut comes forward the most, with that sweetness of what really makes that piña colada flavour. The hibiscus is more mellowed here and not in as much competition with the coconut/pineapple.

Hot: This is like liquified raspberries.

Chilled: I chilled this overnight for ~15 hours and it is delicious. The raspberry is at the forefront. The passionfruit comes in at the end of the sip and aftertaste, with hints of passionfruit-specific tartness and hints of floral.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but something about DF’s chestnut flavour doesn’t sit right with me. It seems to come off as woody/musty. I had the same issue with Oolong Châtaigne. Otherwise, I can get definite star anise and hints of chocolate.

This tea is quite tasty. Very little to no astringency with a clean flavour that isn’t too intense/bold. There is a slight coppery taste, but it mostly hides in the background and adds some complexity.

It must be time for advents (specifically that DF order) because I just finished this off. Still one of my favourite mango teas – although, now that I’ve had the chance to try it, the ripe mango oolong from Lupicia is now a rival for that spot (different base teas and concepts make it hard to choose).

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 9

I’ve made a few notes for this tea in the past; it’s working up to be one of my favourite casual dessert blends. When I finished up my original 100g, I took to refreshing the DF website every now and then, hoping that the 2022 advent would drop so I could justify ordering more of this. That was six months ago. I’m ok.

I got that 100g “refill” but, since I’m gifting it to myself for Christmas, I’m extremely happy to see it included in the advent itself. Hurrah for great creamy mango-almond-biscuit flavouring!

P.S. – I noticed a couple other “no. 9 mangoes” floating around the general Steepster advent note-fest. Good showing.

I reordered more of this as a Christmas gift to myself (yes, I do this early) – so I need to put it away. But first, I couldn’t resist taking a sniff of it. It smells so good, with all the mango-almond vibrancy that the “bottom pouch dregs” of the last session, prior to reordering, lacked. Ugh. Now I’m fighting the temptation to make up a cup, but that defeats the original purpose.

I have so many older teas to work through and a lot of October sipdown notes to catch up on though, so I resist (for now).

Sipdown! Checking this off for “June 2022 – A tea from a place you’d like to visit.” This is true for both France (never been) and Punjab, India – which influenced this tea. I’ve travelled to India in the past (Jaipur, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi) but I’d love to go back and check out other regions of the country.

I’d also love to order more of this mango almond cookie tea at some point – unless I find an even better mango tea. I’ve been savouring it, but when a point is reached where there’s only 1-2 servings left it’s nice to open up the cupboard space.

Until next time, Mango <3

It smells like MANGO BISCUITS (::dies::).

Mangoes. Creamy, biscuit-y Mangoes. With almond flour.

I’d given up on finding a Mango tea I liked until stumbling on DFs excellent passion fruit flavouring (which isn’t remotely the same thing, but still). It’s not quite perfect and it’s simple, but I still love this tea to the point that I have to hide it from myself at times so I don’t drink it every day.

It may be a diluted, “baked” kind of Mango, and it’s unsurprisingly more of an almond cookie than a rich, tangy lassi (it’s missing the cardamom and yogurt mouthfeel) but it’s a Mango I can believe in (and buy in large quantities). The nilgiri base is also a plush, smooth cushion of a black tea. Not much of a nip, but enough to prevent this tasting flat.

Today I drank it alongside a dosa and sambar (South Indian Cuisine but still a fine pairing). And the sun is out! I can’t stay sad.

Steep Count: 2

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 12

Mmm, a cornucopia of fruits. It’s nice to have tisanes of this quality to drink in the evening right now.