75 Tasting Notes
I neglected this tea at first because I got it at the same time as Adagio’s Hazelnut Honeybush, which I fell head over heels in love with (which is why it’s now all gone… sad). Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of this tea plain, because I find it needs a longer steep time to really get a strong hazelnut flavour, and by then it’s too bitter for me. But with milk and sugar, it’s hazelnutty desserty perfection. Very very nice. (Also, fantastic when mixed with some black vanilla tea.)
A very nice, very classic vanilla. I don’t like the addition of the flowers because, really, they don’t add anything to the taste and they are just there to look pretty – only once they’re wet they just look sad and floppy. But nevertheless, this is a lovely tea. It’s also great for blending with other black teas (I loved it with Adagio’s Hazelnut).
A very nice, simple, refreshing tea. I wanted to get a grapefruit tea for my boyfriend because he liked a Detox one we were given to try at Kusmi and in general, with Kusmi, I figure I can find a similar kind of tea for a much lower price elsewhere. And indeed – this one is lovely, grapefruity, and wonderfully affordable due to its Dammannness.
It’s not at all bitter, but it’s also not really sweet. It’s kind of like a perfect grapefruit, though the grapefruit taste is also decently subtle. But it’s the main flavour, so it’s definitely there. I don’t really have too much to say about it, I just like it. And it’s nice for when I want a break from all the sweet or floral greens that I have and when I don’t want anything with spices in it (such as The des Riads, which is also grapefruity and lovely, but in a rather different way).
I have yet to have a bad experience with a Genmai Cha. A friend brought me some in tea bags from Japan and it was yummy, so I bought some of Adagio’s loose Genmai Cha and – it’s lovely. Then I got some Kusmi Genmai Cha from a friend cause she didn’t like it and – it was lovely. (Mind you – Kusmi recommends 1 minute at 90 degrees. Do not listen.)
So, basically, a lovely, typicall Genmai Cha as far as I can tell. Ricey! Lovely.
I like the idea of smoky tea, but I don’t tend to really drink it much. Still, Lapsang tends to be too strong for me, and this one is a bit more subtle, which I really like. Plus the name Confucius just makes me happy and goes very well with my general mood whenever I actually drink smoky tea… basically, rather Chinese and kind of mysterious and contemplative. My favourite smoky tea so far.
I really like this tea. It’s unusual and lovely and everyone I’ve served it to has liked it. Plus I love that is has the weirdest list of ingredients I’ve seen so far. I need to actually make it again to write a proper review, but I’m updating my Steepster cupboard listing and wanted to make sure that I mention that this one is lovely. Also, I think the first time I made it I was watching Moonrise Kingdom, so now it reminds me of that movie.
I have a feeling that Mariage Freres shop people in London are far more friendly than the Paris ones. Now, this is not one of those ‘Parisians are snooty’ things, since I’ve met plenty of lovely Parisians, including lovely tea shop clerks, but Mariage Freres Parisians aren’t among them. I’ve seen other people complain about how they grumble about samples, and I had the same thing – I bought 50 eur worth of tea, and they turned their nose up at giving me a sample! They gave it to me, but they weren’t happy about it.
In London, on the other hand, I bought Chandernagor for a friend and then asked if it would be possible to get a sample as well, and the very friendly shop fella started packing up a sample for me right away – a very generous one, too! (To be fair, so was the Parisian one). And he smiled! So. Much. Nicer. And the last time I was at the London Mariage Freres, the other shop guy had a nice chat with me about his home town. I love it.
Anyway, on to the tea. I don’t love it! I am utterly unhappy that I don’t love it. After reading all the glowing reviews here I had really high hopes that I’d found my perfect classic chai, but it’s just far too spicy for me when I leave it in for long, and not particularly special when I don’t. Sigh. The search continues…
I loved this one the first time I made it, and then the second time I just liked it. I think I need to figure out just how to prepare it, but it definitely has a lot of potential.
A note – it’s a vanilla and hazelnut black tea. The other day, I mixed my Notting Hill (Tea Palace’s vanilla black with some decorative flower petals) with Adagio’s black Hazelnut tea and it was very very yummy and very very vanilla and hazelnutty. This tea is nothing like that – it tasted much more subtle, but still sweet and lovely. And whereas I drank my mixed tea with milk and sugar, I drank Fleurilege plain and I get the feeling that’s the way it works best.
Must try it again before adding a rating.
