Adventageddon Day 1
Excited to be kicking off the Dammann Freres advent with a tea that’s new to me! I think this was my least favourite tea of the day, but it wasn’t bad by any means. I was sort of just left with a feeling of being kind of on the fence whether I liked it or not. It was a little confusing.
The blend is a white tea base, which I’ve had hit or miss experiences with when it comes to Dammann Freres. I definitely think they have some other stronger bases they utilize; the white tea is just sometimes a little coarse and more fickle to brew. But it wasn’t unpleasant here, and I thought the more medium level of body was the appropriate amount to bring to the cup based on the flavour.
In terms of flavours, this is a blend of bergamot, mango, and almond. Very intrigueing combination, in my opinion. I really like DF’s mango flavouring and that’s no exception here. It’s juicy and fresh but not fake or cloying, and there’s a nice naturally floral undertone and hint of pine-y notes to it that really sell the authenticity of the flavour in my opinion. The undertones of almond were interesting because it was almost as creamy as it was nutty. More like an almond milk than the amaretto/marzipan style or roasted almond I would have guessed it to be. The bergamot was kind of the kicker for me. I already don’t love really strong bergamot flavours and I definitely thought this was a lot. Very perfumey and heady in a way that felt a little bit cacophonous with the freshness of the mango and silky undertones. Like walking through the perfume section of a department store, a little bit.
I would probably need to drink this one again to decide if that’s a flavour balance I could acclimate to as I got more familiar with it or that could be dialed back with different steeping parameters. Right now it’s sort of just “so so” to me.
Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDDUEFtyMDA/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtNBFcBcC8&ab_channel=Findlay
