2201 Tasting Notes
This was another sample from MissB, albeit one I’ve had before. Apparently MissB actually sent me previous sample I had, too! I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding because MF also has another tea called “Lune” that is not this one, and that I haven’t tried, but I am still happy to have more of this. Previously I had a sachet, and now I have loose tea.
Today, my cup was super almondy with a hint of spice. Before I had issues with what I thought was cherry flavoring; I think I had gotten the ideas from previous reviews, and somehow my brain convinced me that even though there is NOT cherry flavoring, that I was tasting cherries. I’m not even sure I would call this cup distinctly fruity (there are some unspecified fruits in the blend), I mostly just tasted almond and a hint of spice. So I am glad that I got a chance to try this again, to set me straight on it. It is, in fact, quite delicious.
Preparation
When I looked up this one from MissB, I was excited to try it, since it has a lot of good reviews here and the flavors sounded pretty good. I’m not sure if I would recommend it as a cold brew, though. The fruit flavors became perhaps too intense, and the whole thing tasted like some kind of strange peach candy. I could also be reacting to the strawberry; I enjoy fresh strawberries, but anything else strawberry-flavored is not my thing. All in all, not my favorite fruit blend.
I had been putting this one off a bit (one of the last black teas in my MissB package) because it is a Christmas tea, and it just didn’t feel Christmasy. It still doesn’t, but I put it off long enough. I also tend not to care for LPdT’s black tea bases, but we’ll see how this one goes.
Anyway, almonds and spices and such. Also supposedly citrus and rose; I think I got some orange (though it wasn’t very strong), but no rose. It was nicely almondy, and the cinnamon wasn’t overpowering. My biggest gripe with this one is the base… at current parameters, it seems like it needs an “oomf”, something to pick it up and give it a little more flavor. Like a higher temp! But there are also notes that warn me that it might not be so friendly at a hotter temp, like the base would go bitter on me. I think this one would likely be delicious brewed strong and taken with milk and sugar, so I will likely save the rest of it until winter when I feel like doing such things again. :)
Preparation
MissB sent along a sample of this tea as well. From the name alone I knew it was the Dammann blend, not surprising since apparently they wholesale their teas around France in general. As always, it’s one of my favorites. :)
Preparation
Interesting! Do you have a mental list of who does their own?
Not really; the big companies mostly blend their own, although I have heard tell that Fauchon’s are all blended by DF for them. Hediard is another big one that is supposedly Dammann blended. But it seems like a LOT of small French tea companies are actually Dammann resellers; not unlike a lot of small American tea shops are resellers of Metropolitan Tea Co. and others.
I’ve had teas variously called 1001 nights before, although I think this one is quite different from all of them. This one I got from MissB, and I cold brewed it. I have to say, although it was reasonably tasty, none of the flavors really stuck out to me. It was kind of just a generically fruity green tea as a cold brew. Apparently it has mint in it too, and I’m glad that did not come out in the cold brew. I definitely preferred Roi Solei from Laduree as a cold brew, it held it’s flavors better.
This was a super tasty tea. I overleafed a bit based on my sample size (from the amazing MissB of course), and tried to compensate on brewing, and it mostly worked. There is a hint of bitterness, but not enough to dampen my enjoyment of this tea.
I have my ups and downs with chestnut teas, but this one is definitely an up. Sweet candied chestnuts without a hint of smoke or roasting, which I am loving. The vanilla really works here too; it’s like Fleurilège (DF) but with chestnuts instead of hazelnuts. I would absolutely buy more of this tea if the opportunity ever arose. Really really tasty.
Preparation
Today I made a tea soda with this tea, which of course came from MissB. I found a bottle of sparkling water, and I need the bottle itself for carrying cold brewed tea to work, so a tea soda had to be made. Peach and black currant seemed like they would make a nice soda. It’s reasonably tasty, but could use… something. More sugar? Stronger tea? I dunno. The white tea is a bit strange in this too. Those hay flavors that white teas often have are quite strong here, and it doesn’t quite work in a soda. The peach and cassis are pretty nice, though. We’ll see how it turns out as a cold brew, I have a little left to try it.
First to review this tea, eh? I got this from MissB as a surprise sample, and I really enjoyed it! It sounded like something I would like: red fruits, caramel, vanilla, and grapefruit. It is quite well done. The red fruits flavors are rich and jammy, made richer by the creaminess of the vanilla and caramel. I can’t say that either of the latter flavors really sticks out all that much on their own, but I think they add a lot to the overall cup. The grapefruit was fairly absent, but I have to say I didn’t really miss it. It might have added a bit of brightness that I didn’t really process as grapefruit. All in all, a delicious blend. Thanks for sending it along, MIssB!
Preparation
I initially asked Sil for a sample fo this quite a while ago, being that it is a newer blend from Fauchon and I always want to try their stuff. Unfortunately, some postal service and/or customs seems to have swallowed that tea package because it is still MIA. Booo. I did, however, get a sample of this tea from MissB, so I do get to try it still.
This is definitely very nutty, almost chestnut more than hazelnut. It reminds me a bit of Chauds Marrons from Lupicia, but without the smokiness. Very sweet, candied-like. I don’t get a ton of citrus/mandarin flavor, but I suppose it is there in the background. Pretty tasty, and I’m happy to have it again, but I am glad I got a sample before buying a whole tin because it’s just not the kind of tea I would be able to drink a lot of.
