Rooibos My Madeleine

Dammann Freres advent calendar day 11. Day 10 has gone missing! I have searched high and low to no avail. I don’t know whether I drank it and forgot to take notes, moved the teabag for some reason, or the bag has gotten lost inside the calendar. It definitely makes the part of my brain that needs to do things in order feel itchy, but I’m trying to just accept that I might never find it and move on. 

As soon as I opened the packet for this blend, Day 11, there was a strong whiff of almond-y alcohol. The teabag itself smelled nicely of almond and soft vanilla, so I still had high hopes for this when I brewed it up in a spacious mug. It does taste like almond, with a nice lingering vanilla note. However, there’s a jarring alcohol aspect with that almond that just throws the whole thing off for me. Which is a bummer. because these are flavors I really enjoy otherwise.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 11

This has the prettiest metallic copper wrapper! Just gorgeous.

This is a somewhat subtle but still very tasty tea. I admit, I haven’t had many madeleines, and I’m not sure if I’ve had a lemon-infused one. It makes perfect sense though. The flavor here is a delicate combination of fluffy cake, rich almond, and sweet lemon. The rooibos base is thankfully quite mellow, and provides a nice, slightly woody base for the flavors without tasting at all medicinal.

I would consider purchasing this one… We’ll see how I feel about it by the time I make another Dammann order.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmDTtg-Ozz_/

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 11

Glad to see some of the non-caffeinated blends show up in this advent; there are a few of them and I’d rather not see them all clumped together near the end!

Rooibos is usually a “meh” for me but this blend won me over as soon as I ripped open the packet and could smell its glorious (and on point) lemony madeleine aroma. My mom even thought it was a cookie and was pretty disappointed to find it was “just a tea bag” when she opened her eyes.

I didn’t want to taste a lot of woody rooibos tonight, so added milk, then I poured another cup from the pot and drank it plain; both styles are tasty. I’m satisfied with the amount of lemon, almond and biscuit flavour I get – even if I can still pick up the sweet tobacco profile of rooibos here and there. It’s a lovely way to wrap up the evening.