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drank Citron-Caviar Rose by Dammann Frères
1607 tasting notes

March 2022 Sipdown Challenge – A French tea

Been making mostly ambient-brewed pitchers of this tea. Today was the first time I prepared it hot.

A medium-oxidized black, the tea itself is juicy and glassy with a mild sparkling astringency and woody taste. I really want to know if Dammann Frères selects for these qualities in brewed leaf or if it’s an added ‘natural flavoring’ that creates this glassy-juicy effect consistently for me with many of their teas. I love it.

If there is a cocoa note inherent to this leaf, it is very subtle. The bergamot takes center stage but it is not bold or brash. The finger lime floats the peppery notes of the bergamot very well and in a lively way, where the pepper also meets with rose and wafts out of the cup. I like rose that is spicy rather than perfumey and this tea’s representation of rose is just that. Fuuug, this is some balanced tea.

EDIT Looks like the new recipe has no bergamot peel or oil but uses lemon peel. I’m befuddled. It tastes just like bergamot. Maybe my bag was from the old recipe.

Ambient-brewed pitchers are fantastically refreshing. According to friend Jacques, when added to a glass of scotch, not only does the cool tea unbutton the scotch as a bit of water would, it adds something mysterious.

Flavors: Bergamot, Citrusy, Floral, Juicy, Lemon, Lime, Pepper, Rose, Spicy, Viscous, Wood, Woody

3 comments
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ashmanra
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I have tried hot, cold, and ice steeping but never ambient. No time like the present!

Leafhopper
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I’ll have to remember I can ambient brew tea the next time the power goes out and I can’t use my kettle. I’ve been tempted to do this before, but thought it would just make watery tea.

derk
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I leave it on the counter usually 8 hours overnight but 4 might do.

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Comments

ashmanra
Delete

I have tried hot, cold, and ice steeping but never ambient. No time like the present!

Leafhopper
Delete

I’ll have to remember I can ambient brew tea the next time the power goes out and I can’t use my kettle. I’ve been tempted to do this before, but thought it would just make watery tea.

derk
Delete

I leave it on the counter usually 8 hours overnight but 4 might do.

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

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100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

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59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

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