THEODOR

Recent Tasting Notes

89
drank Je t'Aime by THEODOR
362 tasting notes

A new tea, since I have been very good at finishing old teas, and wow what an indulgence this tea is.

First it is very pretty, filled with huge petals and tiny tiny perfect little rose buds, an incredibly beautiful tea. I used more leaf than normally and am glad I did, this deserves to be intense!

I am somewhat baffled by the other taste notes here on steepster, I get very strong coconut and chocolate notes, with some pistacchio and almond in the background. A very smooth base, as expected (and I think I should have gone a bit hotter and shorter, though no harm was done) and if I did not quite get before this the concept of dessert tea, I get it now. It is totally dessert in a cup, a not too sweet, not filling but a very pleasant intense taste. A very indulgent lovely tea!

(not sure if I prefer this or Tribute. Will selflessly test it!)

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Show 2 previous comments...
Ysaurella 11 years ago

oh the dominant note is coconut ? I was expecting pistacchio more…

cteresa 11 years ago

I dunno! For me, because it was unexpected the first thing I noticed was the coconut . but the pistachio (and almond!) are truly there as well. But nobody else mentions the coconut, might be just me.

It is amazing though!

Ysaurella 11 years ago

no no you’re not the only one, I checked on the French forums about teasand I saw other people mentionning coconut…

cteresa 11 years ago

Oh, that is nice to know, that I am not imagining or got totally the wrong tea (not that it would have happened anyway at their own store, but I know it has happened to me before particularly with a very pretty but very dishonest and/or unorganized tea store at Porto!)

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96
drank Dan Cong Feng Huang by THEODOR
408 tasting notes

Still roasty , mellow and delicious.

While sipping it I am thinking of Steepster, people here and tasting notes.
Since I joined Steepster 2 years ago a lot of folks here who have just “disappeared” and I was thinking of their last note. Did they know it was their last one? Did they feel sick and tired of writing notes ? Did they decide to only drink tea for themselves ? Did they have a major issue ? No chance to know the answer.

I’m feeling myself more and more lazy with my notes, saying less and less. Am I tired of teas ? I feel more like I would like to spend more time with some teas probably rather than trying news so often.
Sorry I am boring tonight :(

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 min, 0 sec
Show 4 previous comments...
Sil 11 years ago

not boring! just waxing poetic :)

ChariTea 11 years ago

I’ve been on here for a long time now, but I have not been writing down all the teas that I have been drinking. I think I just haven’t had much time to write these days. Perhaps a bit lazy too.

TheTeaFairy 11 years ago

Ysaurella and boring never belong together :-)

I also wonder about our friends who disappear…and i think I understand what you are experiencing. Most of the time, I just want to enjoy my tea and not think about what I want to write. That’s why I don’t review much. There’s nothing wrong with spending more time with your tea, as long as you don’t forget to pop up once in a while to say hi, other wise, YOU KNOW I will give you a little poke out of concern, we cannot afford to loose you to the disappearing ones :-)

Terri HarpLady 11 years ago

I understand how you feel, & I have been thinking lately that I have written multiple reviews on many teas, & have nothing left to say about them. Yet, I still want to drink them, I still love them. But I don’t want to be redundant.

CelebriTEA 11 years ago

It is easy to get caught up in the every day concerns of life :-(

cteresa 11 years ago

I know I have less to write about here – I have less new teas, I am drinking my stash, have some definite views about where and how to spend my next tea splurges. So well, there is only so much one can talk about tea. I hope to not disappear without saying a word though (and autumn, autumn is always my tea restocking time of the year) – and madam, we absolutely must have tea together one day, in Paris or Lisbon (or Sintra, yeah that would be the place!)!

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96
drank Dan Cong Feng Huang by THEODOR
408 tasting notes

I am seriously thinking of cleaning my cupboard and say bye bye to some teas -especially some flavoured ones.I need to check which ones exactly and propose them to adoption in the swap discussion area.

This one is not the kind of tea I can ever get enough. That’s very funny because this Theodor one and the Grand Fancy Oolong (MF) are among my favourites and I didn’t really choice them -the sales persons in shop did by deciding me to buy these ones even if, the scent, in both cases,didn’t really please me…
Sometimes you must forget about your nose…

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Show 4 previous comments...
TheTeaFairy 11 years ago

Aw! You look so pretty Mademoiselle :-) love the new couture sophisticated look!
The tea sounds awesome! The getting of…after 3 years it seems to be an ongoing project, lol!

TheTeaFairy 11 years ago

Oops, I meant «the getting RID of»

Ysaurella 11 years ago

thank you, this is a pic of Erwin Blumenfeld, I love this photographer.
About tea, yes I aam sure now for some I won’t drink anymore BUT I’ll continue to drink some very nice flavoured teas (mostly European brands I should confess…)

TheTeaFairy 11 years ago

Don’t rub it in, Mme la Française, lol!

Ysaurella 11 years ago

I’m definitively typically French I am afraid ;D

TheTeaFairy 11 years ago

And we love that you are xxx

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96
drank Dan Cong Feng Huang by THEODOR
408 tasting notes

Yesterday I went to the Theodor shop in Paris to buy a tin of J.E Oolong Milky. In addition I wanted a black tea and the charming saleswoman proposes me this black Oolong. She said it was coming from a very great Garden and she made me smell the dry leaf. It was a very earthy smell (which is not what I prefer) but I decided to go for it because the leaves were very long and I do really trust Theodor’s selections and creations.

I am clearly not regretting my choice as this is a very mellow and smooth Oolong with distinct tastes of cocoa and somehow some chestnut as well.

I really enjoy it and this is for sure a tea to keep in cupboard

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 45 sec
TheTeaFairy 11 years ago

Sounds like a great tea Ysaurella! Shopping online has its perks, but it’s nice once in a while to physically visit trust worthy shops and get good recommendations from experts. Obviously, if I lived anywhere close to Paris, online shopping would quickly become a habit of the past!

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89
drank Caramel by THEODOR
32 tasting notes

Very fragrant, the caramel flavour stays in your mouth for a while. It’s a light tea. Next time will add some milk.

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67
drank Sans Doute by THEODOR
32 tasting notes
cteresa 11 years ago

Desculpe a curiosidade mas por acaso comprou este chá em Lisboa? Gosto muito dos chás desta marca (este em especial não conheço, no entanto), mas a única loja que eu conhecia em Lisboa que os vendia fechou e adorava que houvesse outra.

Teresa Sousa 11 years ago

Fiz a encomenda directamente com a loja/casa mãe em Paris, através do website, e eles enviaram-me por correio. Foi extremamente fácil e rápido, e fizeram ainda a gentileza de enviar 4 amostras de outros chás.

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99
drank J.E. Oolong Milky by THEODOR
408 tasting notes

This is my first Milky Oolong.cteresa sent me a sample of this J.E.Milky oolong a long time ago and she insisted for me to taste it. You were so right Teresa, this is really an unique tea.

I was in hurry when I brewed it and just forgot to smell the dry leaves…so cannot say anything about ! But I smell now the liquor and this is an unbelievable rich and buttery smell.

Its colour is unbelievable as well : so light ! I was suspiscious at the beginning as I thought I made a mistake with the temperature or with the steeping time due to this very very light colour. But it wasn’t any mistake.

The taste is fantastic : so buttery with a hint of vanilla and a kind of sweet milk aftertaste.
This is so mellow, so smooth, it’s incredible !

You were so right to push me to have it cteresa thank you again for this fantastic tea, it goes in the shoppping list for sure.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 5 min, 45 sec
cteresa 11 years ago

This is probably my favorite tea like ever, I am so glad you tried it! Pretty amazingly magic isn´t it? And somehow, a totally forgiving tea (sometimes the really high class teas are the easiest ones which is weird).

Ysaurella 11 years ago

this is clearly a very high class tea and I am very glad to have had the opprtunity to taste it thanks to you.
It’s so true it’s a very easy tea

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73
drank So Long by THEODOR
15565 tasting notes

travelling tea box A!

oh god. this smells…uh gross. I’m fairly certain it’s the bergamot that’s inflicting this pain on my nose..or rather the blend of bergamot and passion fruit, which smells distinct on it’s own and is now coupled with bergamot. blech.

As for the taste? It’s really not too bad. The base blends quite nicely with the rest of the flavouring, leaving a cup that is actually pretty decent…except i can’t get past that smell. To which my other half has declared – “it smells like bad weed” not that i’d know what that smells like lol but his roomate at one point was too cheap to smoke good stuff…which apparently doesn’t smell as bad haha.

Terri HarpLady 11 years ago

I’m so glad the box FINALLY arrived!

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83
drank Je t'Aime by THEODOR
82 tasting notes

The first time I heard of this was in the THE O DOR shop in Paris, near the Eiffel tower — gobsmacked that one of my favourite tea companies would make a tea based off my favourite dessert, a pistachio macaron, I snapped it up in an instant.

The first time I brewed this was with @Carianin, who came over for a little tea-party. Possibly I was so overwhelmed and surprised by the taste sensation that arose from adding almond milk – almonds, yes, the base of macarons! – to this brew that it completely slipped my mind to ever make a tasting note. (I really recommend a hint of almond milk, you won’t regret it)

Even brewed strong, you can find all the lighter pistachio notes AND the stronger marzipan flavour. Strangely enough the black tea base always seems to marry the added flavours perfectly, for me, so that I can’t taste “ceylon” or “china black tea”, but a rich, woody-scented, marzipan and nut dessert. The dry leaves and the brew have such a strong candied scent but don’t let that put you off – it evens out when it’s brewed!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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85
drank J.E. Oolong Milky by THEODOR
82 tasting notes

Being a fan of milky oolongs I so, so dearly wanted to try the THE O DOR one… such a pity it’s so expensive, but I imagine that’s only representative of the quality! I managed to purchase 25g of this from a lovely tearoom in Perpignan (the only amount I could afford at the time!) which I’m hoping will last me a little while.

First off, it’s a lovely vibrant light gold, and the leaves seem more… folded, than crushed, in comparison to other milky oolongs I’ve tried. They’ve expanded, yes, but a little limp when I think of the oolong leaves of Whittard, which turned out to be artificially flavoured. I wonder if these tender, smaller leaves are indicative of not being artificially flavoured. The aroma is different, too, more softly aromatic like vanilla or cream than a rich buttery scent.

And it certainly has a beautiful flavour! It’s light (perhaps due to the brewing time) and somewhat reminiscent of a dessert. Instead of a heavy dairy-like flavour, like butter, I’m getting light vanilla notes, even slightly biscuit or cake-ish, in between the overall fresh and mild flavour. There’s only the very slightest hint of astringency that builds up after each sip, and it’s so pleasant.. rather than getting addicted to the flavour I’m feeling more like this will make one good round cup of tea.

Next time I’ll change the brewing time or amount of leaves, I think!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Show 2 previous comments...
cteresa 12 years ago

I have seen one “cheap” milky oolong, a random shop in Portugal. They called it voie lactée and it included flavouring as an ingredient. And it smelled un-tea like, more like instant pudding or something. I have it a pass.

This one is pricey indeed, ouch. It is actually IMO the only Thé-o-dor tin where the tin cames for a reasonable price compared to the loose leaf.

meliorate 11 years ago

@cteresa, the first milky oolong I bought was around £6 for 100g, and the next cheapest one was about £8 for 100g. Both places cited an artificial flavouring process (one literally had milk flavouring added, the other was steamed over hot milk apparently)… so now that I’ve compared a natural one with a flavoured one, the difference in flavour is very obvious. Buttery and over-indulgent = probably artificially flavoured.

It really is! All THE O DOR tins are a little out of my price range right now, but if I was to keep 100g of any tea in their gorgeous tins, it would be this one!

cteresa 11 years ago

Yep. It was the only tin of theirs I ever got, I was totally sorry on the way home, very sorry when I opened it and smelled it, but then I brewed it, fell in love and it´s something I will probably rebuy indeed.

And damn them, the Theodor tins are just awesome. They close really tight, individual brewing instructions on all of them and they pile up in a way really safe where they can not fall off or break open. Pity about the price.

The voie lactee I saw was about that 7 euros per 100 grams.

cteresa 11 years ago

oh forgot to add, the tin of this is only 80 grams. It´s decently filled, this is sort of packed loosely, but only 80 grams.

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85
drank Celebration by THEODOR
27 tasting notes

I think this’ll be my last tasting note for a while as I don’t have any new-to-me teas in my stash. This is lovely. Thanks again Ysaurella for the generous sample.
It’s very creamy – you’d think the base was milk instead of tea leaves. I get the hazelnut instantly and the chocolate as an aftertaste. I can’t pick up the vanilla at all but it doesn’t bother me, the cup is very well-rounded as it is.

I had a very interesting dessert tea orgy this week and I’m happy it’s ended on such a positive note. I’ll definitely purchase a full bag to keep in my permanent rotation.

Ysaurella 12 years ago

glad you liked this one too – Theodor is a lovely brand and I never had a bad tea from them

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100
drank Tribute by THEODOR
27 tasting notes

PERFECTION. The search for the ultimate almond tea is over for me. I’ve found it. This is it. I cannot be more grateful to Ysaurella for sending me a sample. I imagine this is what you’d get if you poured lots of almond extract on tea leaves and crushed some marzipan on top. I had this with almond milk for extra creaminess and it’s so blissful. The smell of the dry tea sent me into raptures. It’s very strong, almost overpowering. Almond, almond, almond. I’ve tried the Mariage almond but this Théodor is really superior.
Definitely a staple in my cupboard. What a beautiful, beautiful tea.

Ysaurella 12 years ago

I’m glad you liked it – for sure this one is delicious and for an almond lover it is really a dream.

Dinosara 12 years ago

Wow, I guess this one needs to go on my list to try!

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83
drank Comme Tu Le Sais... by THEODOR
408 tasting notes

I am sipping it right now and it is so good…It comes from a sample I had with my Theodor order.
I wouldn’t have ordered it by myself because it contains mango but I can reconsider because the main notes are much rose and lemon to me and the mango comes delicately.
I am very surprised how these 3 flavours work lovely together. The green tea base is smooth and with absolutely none astringency except a small pleasant note on the aftertaste which adds somme seriousness to the blend, I am very impressed by Theodor’s greens until now.

To me Theodor is really a very very very high tea merchant and creator, I think I’m going to consider buying their straight teas to develop my palate because if they are picking the right straight teas as they blend their flavoured teas I can find easily the way to drink more staights.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Show 3 previous comments...
Sil 12 years ago

Mmmmmm mangos… So good! Haha

Ysaurella 12 years ago

yes I find mango in teas is often hit & miss that’s why I generally avoid them :)

cteresa 12 years ago

I am liking Theodor very much as well – and do try the milky oolong! I think I sent you a sample once, if you can find it, give it a try, it´s so special I am almost surely going to rebuy it, even at the price they want!

Ysaurella 12 years ago

Teresa yes you sent me a sample of milky oolong :S I have a shameful amont of samples untried ! I will this week end :)

cteresa 12 years ago

Do then! Though I hope to not be raising expectations too impossibly high.

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82
drank Earl Grey Supérieur by THEODOR
408 tasting notes

It seems I am the very first to review this tea.
It comes from a sample I had with my Theodor order in may. Never have taken the time to taste it until now.

I am on holidays since this morning and this is just so pleasant to take the time to have breakfast or brunch properly without hurrying and worrying about trains, buses and timings.

The brewing instructions of Theodor are always surprinsing but I have the habit to strictly respect what they request and it is always for the best.

This Earl grey supérieur (pointes blanches) has been brewed at 85°c (185°F) only and it is perfect.
The bergamot is subtile here and isn’t overpowering at all. The tea base is very delicate without any acridness. It’s a medium bodied tea.
It’s not a sweet tea neither,it’s not so smooth nor mellow.
It’s abslotutely a very present tea with a specific personnality.

I’am happy to have found another Earl Grey so different and I love.
It’s a pity the sample was only for one mug.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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drank Carpe Diem by THEODOR
2 tasting notes

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drank J.E. Oolong Milky by THEODOR
1 tasting note

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Thanks to cteresa for the sample – my first green mate/maté (in memory, at any rate!) I drank this a few days ago, but didn’t get a chance to make a note at the time. I liked it! I didn’t immediately become fired with the desire to find more mate teas and become one with them, but I liked the flavouring a lot and it all worked together well. Big fan of lemongrass here.

Funny thing though – I’d caffeinated up with my usual two strong cups of afternoon black tea before drinking this, and about 30 minutes later, was hit by a wave of sleepiness I found hard to fight. What was that about?

cteresa 12 years ago

LOL, now the sleepiness is funny – with me, the mate is very energizing. Different than coffee or even tea, but very un-sleepy.

I like this one also, though not a huge favorite – but I am certainly interested in their other mates!

Hallieod 12 years ago

:) It may just have been the day that was in it – sleeping on the sofa with Bell isn’t totally restful! But I’ll try it again before my afternoon caffeine blast and see if I can register the energizing effect you get.

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drank Marabout by THEODOR
1396 tasting notes

Thanks cteresa for sending this one my way.

There is certainly that signature rooibos medicinal taste here, but it’s not the worst I’ve had. The baked apple I’m getting as well. I’m not so sure about the toffee, though there is a subtle sweetness to it that could be the toffee? Overall a smooth tea, even with that rooibos taste!

I’m glad I got the chance to try this one out :)

cteresa 12 years ago

Glad ypu found it interesting! I admit I am a rooibos lover ;) Though I am also a rooibos snob, a lot of rooibos bases, particularly cheaper brands (unless it´s south african cheap brands! LOL) are pretty bad – this rooibos base is pretty smooth IMO, but still rooibos for sure. Toffee, yes, I think it is literally tiny cubes of toffee which are supposed to melt – try to stir it once or twice when brewing and later when drinking for extra effect (and so the toffee does not end all at the bottom of the pot or cup!)

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69
drank Saïgon by THEODOR
362 tasting notes

Soooo, lotus.

I have never (or not yet) had plain lotus tea. I have seen it for sale, plain lotus on chinese grocery stores, but never quite dared (most of tea in the local chinese grocery stores seems to be intentionally medicinal and/or for slimming and taste even worse than you would expect. Very dangerous places to buy tea if you are not totally sure what you are doing).

I think I am learning what lotus brings as a flavoring by comparing mentally teas that I have had which have had lotus as a flavoring (this, elixir d´amour), though not sure that is leading to the right image. Sultry and floral maybe.

Barbara and I have been swapping teas and since we are both fans of Theodor teas, we have been sharing a lot of our Theodor purchases. This is an interesting blend she sent me, one which I have been half eyeing towards purchase. Green tea with fig, and named saigon, ah, tempting (though admittedly just about everything from Theodor sounds tempting). Barbara has warned me about being careful when brewing this. I got to test with the rest of the sample, but I think I followed close enough. The result was lovely but I think I am probably not a lotus person (if I can figure out what lotus is). The fig was maybe in the background a dried fig like flavour and it was mostly a sultry floral-type. I could not detect the lemon. The tea base was lovely and not bitter.

Not rating this right now, since I want to try brewing this a couple more times to figure out if I am really brewing this right. And what lotus is supposedly to smell like!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Histoire Tibétaine by THEODOR
1779 tasting notes

I’m getting a caramel orange flavor from this tea. I thought that it was Melange O for most of the cup, but a light steeping of it. I’m not getting the jasmine or other flavors mentioned, but I also had some of those Indian candy breath mint seed mixes about an hour ago which could still be throwing off my sense of taste. I’ll have to do a side by side tasting of those two teas.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Histoire Tibétaine by THEODOR
1779 tasting notes

I just found the last of this sample from a trade from years ago! Funny how a cupboard can eat thing, then randomly spit them back out. This tea is tasting like a faded mint vanilla with a slight cocoa finish, which I don’t think is at all representative of the tea when it was young and fresh. It is a little flat, but amazingly has some flavor left! Good job, little tea!

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drank Histoire Tibétaine by THEODOR
1779 tasting notes

One of my older samples from a trade with Barbara.

I could smell lemon in the dry tea! This tea is so well rounded and balanced! There is an almost caramel/vanilla undertone to it with slight citrusy notes in there. Almost a touch of malt, but then it slips away. It is also very nice with cream and sugar.

I wish I had made tasting notes for this tea ages ago when I first got it! Kind of funny, but this sample has been in my travel pack and has traveled with me to Ireland, Dominican Republic, California, Hawaii and New York! And I’m just now having my 2nd cup ever of it! If I come across this tea, I’d definitely like to try some fresh!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Histoire Tibétaine by THEODOR
1779 tasting notes

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drank Saïgon by THEODOR
1779 tasting notes

Drinking the last of this sample that I got ages ago! I made the mistake of letting my cup get cold and it didn’t do the tea any favors. I heated it back up and it is much better. I’m not getting much fig this time around. Not sure if it is because of the age of the tea or the allergies I’m dealing with at the moment. What I’m picking up on most is the lemon, which evaded me in previous cups. There is a little tang that I’m getting on the sides of my tongue. The flavors seem delicate and not something I can pick up on right now.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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