Jardin D'Hiver

YAY! A tea advent calendar! I’m a few days late starting because I just got it last night but I imagine I’ll catch up soon. I’ve never tried any Dammann Freres teas before so I figured this would be a good way to get a sampling and have a bit of surprise to it as well.

This is day 1, and it is December 6th today. I need to catch up as quick as I can so I don’t get any surprises spoiled for me. That, or stay off Steepster, which, let’s be real. This is practically my internet home.

Dry leaf smell is very sweet, cloyingly so. Mostly I get the mallow and the vanilla. It’s the kind of strong that I think the hot water will dilute, though. I couldn’t imagine drinking it if it smelled this strong when steeped.

Steeped: sure enough, much more toned down marshmallow notes. Still it’s the dominant smell, though. I’m trying to search for a bit of the fruity components, but maybe that will happen more once it cools off.

More than anything there is a creamy thick texture. Herbals are usually always too thin for my liking, so this is fabulous! There is still an indistinct sweetness in the flavor. It is a sweet, creamy tisane that has a slightly woody undertone as it cools…maybe licorice if I look hard enough. I think that speaks to the skillfulness in blending more than anything else, though – this was a smooth and unique mixture of ingredients that just worked.

Well, first impressions of Dammann Freres are favorable so far. Now it’s on to tea #2!

Dammann advent calendar, day 1. I just got my calendar today so I have some catching up to do. To avoid spoiling I will wait until the next day after each advent day to post my reviews, but after the day of, it’s fair game.

Lucky for me the first day was a tisane that I can drink tonight. I was actually curious about this one when I placed my order, wondering about the hawthorn base. The sachet smells familiar but I can’t place it… It does smell nicely sweet.

I do get a bit of a chamomile feel to this, and it think the apple is contributing to that (I always find chamomile appley). However, I like this considerably more than I like chamomile. The mallow blossoms add a sweet and creamy flavor and texture. I don’t taste all the individual flavors here, but they all come together to make a sweet vanilla cream with a light fruitiness and a bit of hayishness. I like it! I would consider picking up more in the future.

This is Day 1 of Dammann Freres advent calendar (sorry for the spoiler). Its December 4 but I just got the calendar today. Woot! So I have lots of tea to drink tomorrow to catch up. Very excited that this one is a herbal so I can drink it this evening. I thought the teas would be loose, but they are actually in silk sachets, which is really nice for ease of use.

This one is good. There is a chamomile type taste to it in my opinion (I am assuming this is the hawthorne?). The beginning of the sip is a bit vegetal/hay like, also dry. The mallow is quite strong initially. This gives way to the cinnamon and orange flavours. The vanilla adds some sweetness at the end of the sip. The dryness has disappeared. I think the cinnamon and orange make it taste like a winter type tea.

Day One of the Dammann Freres 2013 tea Advent Calendar.

I’ve left this in my cup for well over an hour now, and I have to say it gets better as it steeps. At first, wasn’t a huge fan. Tasted like not much of anything. Now? It’s sweet without being cloying, and I’m at a loss as to what’s making it sweet (a plus, considering some apply-flavored teas are just yuck to me). There’s definitely vanilla and cinnamon in here too, although it all blends together quite nicely. Not for licorice-haters, as it’s the majority of the top and middle notes.

I’ll order this, however I’ll have to make a note to myself to steep it heavily and for quite some time before drinking it.

Day 1 of the Advent Calendar. I am getting the licorice in both taste and smell from this one, but the other ingredients just blend in. It is a little more floral when I sweeten it, but still no wow factor. I have had a sore throat for a week now and have been drinking the Throat Coat tea and this strikes me as a watered down version of that. It works because I’m still feeling run down, but it is not anything that I would turn to for comfort or pleasure when well.

Got this tea from shmiracles and it’s so cute and adorable!
It was a wee little sachet and it smells really nice. I don’t know what’s in it, but it’s 9pm so I need my herbals this late at night.

It tastes… roasted. Like roasted rice and fruits? Oh it’s weird. It smells like a roasted Throat Coat from Traditional Medicinals.
So Throat Coat plus a smidge of spearmint? It’s an odd blend, but decent.

i like licorice root teas. they are warming and comforting.
they remind me of the days that i sang in bands and would drink cups and cups while on our scruffy tours in our rattly van.
it sounds more adventurous and fun than it really was. just trust me on that.