Week-end à Paris

Day 2 of the 2020 Dammann Freres Advent Calendar. I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I want to love it because it looks so pretty and it sounds delicate and lovely, but I can’t make myself fall in love with it. The peach blossom and cherry blossoms are nice, but maybe the whole thing is too light for me. I think it’s one that my daughter who loves floral tea is going to love though as will my husband who loves MF’s Sakura white tea.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 2 (from November backlog)

What a pretty wrapper this sachet has, metallic and bright blue! I followed the recommended steeping parameters, and I feel it was a mistake this time.

The oolong base has a touch of bitterness and astringency when steeped this way. Otherwise there are some smooth vegetal and light toasty notes, and a nice silky mouthfeel. I also get some peach here, but whether it’s from the oolong or the peach blossom listed, I don’t know. Overall the floral notes are fairly light, especially the rose (thank goodness). Oddly I don’t get sakura at all, which is supposedly the “main flavor”. I also do not get almond, which is disappointing.

Pleasant, but mostly just a lightly peach oolong. Not very impressive, I’m afraid.

Advent 2.

The sachet smells very fruity-floral with a tangy vitamin-type peach and marzipan. The aroma smells like vanilla-white peach, very sweet, mixed with a buttery vegetal tone and some almond and paper.

Taste is rather papery? and toasty? and buttery vegetal but without the mouthfeel of butter. Sliced raw almond with its woody skin. It’s still fruity but much less pronounced compared to the aroma, not exactly sweet, more tangy. Hint of cherry blossom when swished. The mouthfeel makes me think of stuffing a small, crumpled ball of tissue paper in my mouth. Drying with a scratchy throatfeel. I like the second steep better — it has a hint of citrus. Didn’t pick up on the rose essential oil. Is the base oolong a tieguanyin? I didn’t bother digging through the spent leaf.

Overall, it’s fine and has a fault with the mouthfeel even though it was steeped according to directions. I like the flavors, though, and I’d gladly have another cup.

Very enjoyable.