Mariage Frères

I am … slowly … learning a little restraint when it comes to steeping the really fine stuff. While I don’t have anything sophisticated in the way of heating equipment, at least I’m learning to hold my peace and occasionally stick a thermometer in the water to keep from scorching things.

This one, when I cool the water temp off boiling, is phenomenally good, sweet, and caramelly. Mom used to make us “skillet toast” with bread, butter, and sugar. This is a slightly lighter equivalent.

This is my second experimental tasting of this one, and I don’t know what I did the first time (overmeasured and oversteeped, probably) but even then I had good things to say about it.

This time around, I lowered water temp and steeping time considerably and I believe it’s even better. Fruit-caramelly. Yummy.

It’s fun to get a tea treat (thanks, Doulton!) that you have no preconceived notions about and then to be absolutely blown away by how good it is. As good as getting a birthday present.

This is an excellent pairing, It steeped almost a dark walnut color; smells fruity and barky. The first word that popped into my mind when I tasted this was “clarity .” It’s not murky or bitter (Darjeelings can turn on you if you’re not careful); must be the snappy Yunnan keeping it in line.

A lovely warm-me-up after being out on a chill and soggish day.

Just not crazy about this one….there’s a strange astringent taste that hits right in the middle and I just can’t get around it. I’ve experimented with water temps and steeping times but I just can’t get into this one.

I think I like this one better than Damman Frerés’. The black tea flavor come through more strongly.

Woke up with my back still a wreck. Had breakfast and then started stretching since that is what works best. Went to get a drink only to discover that the 18 year old had served popcorn and bacon for breakfast. Stale popcorn. Decided not to mention it when I realized no one asked for breakfast and that it wasn’t that different from my bowl of grits.

After that, I really wanted a tea that would make me feel human again! This is the last of a sample from Quiltguppy. I used my tetsubin on a warmer and I resteeped the leaves, adding the resteep to the full strength brew already in the pot.

The kids have not gotten into green teas yet but youngest agreed to taste it. I was about to tell her how heavenly the aroma is on this one – it smells like cherries to me – when she exclaimed, “it smells like someone melted Lifesavers in a cup!”

The great thing is that even though the taste is much more subtle than the aroma, she liked it. Although she is still a black tea girl, she said she would definitely drink this whenever it is made.

Next up – Rat Lunch!

Many thanks to Quiltguppy for this tea! A friend and I tried this one today. The dry leaves smell like candy! Really really like candy! The aroma of the steeped tea is lovely and sweet. I thought it smelled like cherry candy at this point. The green tea base was very smooth…I am thinking it is probably a Chinese green. A lovely tea and very tasty! I may have go pick up a tin next time I go to A Southern Season.

I think this must be a blend of Chinese blacks and greens, despite the description. An utterly delicious and delightful blend! It tastes like magic. It’s totally different from Rosy Earl Grey, but it has that black/green/floral synergy going on. It also has the addition of a creamy vanilla flavor which just knocks my socks off!

You know I’m no fan of green tea, but like in Rosy, it really WORKS in this blend. It provides a delicateness that makes the fruits and florals, and yes even that touch of vanilla, shine! I wouldn’t want this one any other way.

Thank you so much Dinosara! This is fantastic and so different from my every day fare. I am really enjoying it.

Having a little post-lunch sit down and was in the mood for something sweet. I didn’t have quite enough of this left to make a whole pot, so I put in a pinch of Chocolate Almond Allure from Talbott Teas. Nice! It’s less marzipan-y and more nut-y, and you can taste a little chocolate. I do prefer the unadulterated Trois Noix flavor, even if it does make me cry with nostalgia!

Thank you Dinosara for a most enjoyable tea experience! I think instead of abracadabra, the magic word should be marzipan!

I prepared this as a dessert tea (a little extra tea, 5 minutes, barely a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of half and half). I’m tasting the most delightful marzipan flavor, which actually reaches a crescendo (!!!) where it sweetens and almost tastes like orange blossoms and you don’t know what is going to happen!!! then it quiets to a nuttier, deeper flavor. Wow. It reminds me of childhood and my Grandfather and definitely Europe and goodness…what can I say. These French teas can be so evocative for me! So many of them taste like things that simply don’t exist in America any more, and they cut me to the quick! I actually have tears behind my eyes!

Needless to say, I find this tea very dear, and I thank you Dinosara for a little visit back in time and across the globe.

I don’t have time for a proper tasting note on this one right now, but I will update later. This is SO GOOD!

My bestie asked me to take a break tonight and come have tea with her. When I got there, she offered me a slice of her coconut cream pie with the tallest fluffiness meringue you have ever seen. I have never had ANY cream pie before. Oh. My. Goodness. It was so very good and I am so very stuffed! I got the recipe but I know my mother will be up in heaven looking down at me saying, “Gee, thanks! You couldn’t try it and fall in love with it while I was alive, eh?” She loved pie, and I never really ate any cream pies.

This tea was a very nice accompaniment to the pie. The base is good, smooth but not overly sweet, and the vanilla is just right – it doesn’t mask the tea but you don’t have to look for it, either.

A friend really loves this tea and drinks it often. We shared a pot of it tonight for the first time and I found it to be a very smooth tea with no astringency. The vanilla aroma is just right and the vanilla flavor is light with a sweet aftertaste that is very mild. It was a very good tea, but as my youngest daughter (who LOVES Vanilla Black by Harney and Sons) said, “I still like Harney and Sons Vanilla Black better!” And it is less than half the price! Vanilla Black does not taste the same as their decaf tea called Vanilla Comoro, which is sweeter and more of a dessert tea but is also delicious.

The vanilla note is very subtle, overpowered by the lavender. I might need to try serving this in different ways and it might grow on me more – although it reminds me of spa facials as the lavender is quite pronounced. I’m going to try it as an iced tea – which will probably suit it.

SIPDOWN! I loved this when I first got it, but I did find it to be finicky – finicky, but worth it. As long as I keep the temp around 203F and the time around three minutes this is great.

Hubby and I now prefer Anna’s Blend from Tin Roof Teas, which I think may be sourced from TeaGeschwendner. I has a yogurty tang to it with nice strawberry flavor, but is overall smoother than Marco Polo and is much more forgiving.

This last pot of Marco Polo was really great until I got to the last cup. A tiny bit of very fine sediment had escaped the infuser and that was enough to add a touch of bitterness, or perhaps it just gets bitter as it cools. Either way, the first two cups were fantastic and the last…not so much.

If I added milk and sugar to my teas this might not be a problem, but I prefer my tea sans additions whenever possible.

The tins are lovely! I peeled off the clear label that tells the name of the tea and relabeled this tin with a permanent marker in my fanciest attempt at lovely handwriting so it can now hold my Anna’s Blend!

I was pretty surprised today when I made a pot of this tea, gave it a sniff, and realized that I was in the same boat as GMathis. If you put this in front of me without telling which of my teas I had, I would be hard pressed to tell if it was Marco Polo, Tower of London, or Anna’s Blend.

The big difference comes in the sip – this base is more like what I think of as a French base, though not all French teas have it. It reminds me of the base for Rose Congou from Upton. I am finding that since I no longer take milk and sugar, I prefer the Harney teas like ToL and Paris, or Anna’s Tea from Tin Roof Teas, to this one. I am going to make an effort to finish this tin soon as it is getting on up there in age.

It is a very good and I may come back to it, but for now I am preferring Anna’s or ToL.

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Tonight, hubby looked up from his laptop and asked, “Do you still have some of that tea called Marco Polo?” Needless to say, I pretty much leapt from the sofa and zoomed to the kitchen to make it.

This is an amazing tea. It is also a finicky tea to me. Don’t oversteep or you will be disappointed. I usually go just over 2 1/2 minutes with it, but got tied up doing something else and didn’t get the leaves out until almost four minutes. It was still good, especially for hubby since he adds milk and sugar to this one. It was decent enough for me to drink it plain. I also realize my tin is getting on up there in age…pushing two years old.

I made this since he requested it, but very very soon I am going to fix a pot of Anna’s Blend from Tin Roof Teas to share with him. It is very similar but has a less fussy base, plus the yogurt flavor adds a lovely, creamy tang to the tea that really ups the interest.

Tunes: Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel, The Otherly Opus by Joy Electric

Hubby is off and home for lunch today, so I let him pick the tea! This is one of his favorites. He took his with milk and sugar.

The first time I tried Marco Polo I didn’t care for it. (Gasp! I know, right?). Then I read to try it with milk and sugar to bring out the strawberries and cream notes. Delicious! But my tastes have changed a lot, so I wanted to see if I like it sans additions now. I did! It was extremely smooth. One thing that was strange to me…I hadn’t picked up floral notes before and today this was very, very rosy! I had several cups and enjoyed it very much just as it was.

I am trying hard to be good and wait for my friend to come over so we can try Jenn’s honeybush teas together, but I think I am going to cave and go ahead and start tasting them tonight. The names make your mouth water!

I was especially eager for Sandy to try this one when she got back from new Zealand. I was introduced to it by the lovely and generous JacquelineM (who will be getting a box from me soon! I promise! I am packing it today!) and thought it was heavenly. Even hubby likes it, and that is saying something! Milk and sugar turn it into a bowl of strawberries and cream, with just a hint of vanilla.

I was not disappointed in her reaction. Sandy liked it as well as I did, and I am glad because she is the one who taught me the joys of loose leaf and the necessity of having more tea in the house than kinds of food!

Today I had to say good-bye again to my tea buddy as she prepares for six months in Australia. But we will be sipping tea together via Skype! God bless technology!