Thé de Pâques

So I’m off today, and I slept in, really late, since I’ve been sick for the last week, and really fatigued at work (I did take Sunday off so I had 3 days in a row last weekend to take it easy). I got up, made this tea, and heated the tea biscuits I got from the Timmies at the airport yesterday morning when I took my husband there.

It tastes a little bit like an earl grey, when I added the milk, but it was more mild when it was without. Neither taste was bad. I did not steep this very long, afraid of getting a bitter base. I might they it again with a longer steep.

I’m glad I picked this one out of the SSTTB to try. It’s nice and just what I wanted this morning/afternoon. I think I may head back to bed soon, when this cup is finished, and rest up some more.

A sample from Ysaurella. After having skimmed a few of the notes below, I allowed 1 tsp of leaf 5 minutes in water around 90 degrees. The scent is fairly generic, and it’s hard to pick up any clues about the tea from that alone.

To taste, this one is, to me at least, a fairly unusual combination. I can pick up on a light edge of citrus, but on the whole this tastes rather like the sugar shells on chocolate mini eggs . A rich vanilla flavour emerges in the aftertaste, but that’s the only point at which I would have thought “creme brulee”. The custardy vanilla mellowness is there, but I think I’m looking for a caramel/burnt sugar taste to really round out that impression.

Somehow, though, this tea does make me think of Easter. It’s sugary, spring-like in its light flavours and delicate taste…fresh, somehow. It’s not quite what I was expecting, but it grows on me with successive sips. I’ll certainly enjoy finishing up the sample, but I think I might need to experiment with brew time and the amount of leaf I’m using a little. It’s like the waters are a little muddied at the moment, and it’s hard to really pinpoint what I’m tasting.

Thank you, MissB, for sharing this with me! :)

So the internet says the main flavour is vanilla, but I’m calling it an alternative Earl Grey. Mostly I taste citrus, with fruitiness and creaminess behind.

It’s tasty, I like it, but I still like H&S Paris better. :)

Thanks for letting me try this one!

This is one of the teas that MissB included in the mystery pack. Thank you.

I asked MissB if she could throw in a french tea or two and she spoiled me with quite a few. Thank you. I have yet to determine what it is about the few french teas that I have tried. I seem to love them all. This one I am now adding to that list. The base blends so well with the flavors and no one flavor stands out. I will have to sip on this again to determine each individual flavor. I definitely got the citrus and the but the others blended together to make a wonderful afternoon work tea. This one will stay on my wish list in hopes that some day I will be graced with the opportunity to have more:) Thank you MissB

This is good, but not as good as I expect from a “Fancy French Tea”™. I get a little bit of fruit and a bit of cream, and it’s nice, but not zomg, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for sharing Sil! I’m still happy I had a chance to see what this was all about.

Between this tea and the Rabbit’s Garden, I seem to have a bit of an Easter theme going, albeit a week early and completely unplanned. Anyways, thank you Sil for sharing this tea with me. As I brewed it up, I couldn’t help but hover because it smells really amazing. Alas, this doesn’t necessarily translate to the taste. Not that it is bad but rather, like so many other french teas, the scent is significantly stronger than the flavor. What I hoped to taste was a creamy vanilla. What I am tasting is mostly the smooth black base and citrus notes. Not bad but not necessarily for me either. Nonetheless, I am grateful for the opportunity to have tried something new.

hmmm not sure how i feel about this one. I didn’t get much out of this one beyond a taste of bergamot. The vanilla was missing from this and overall it came across much like an earl grey to me. :) Thank you for sending this my way Ysaurella! I’ll have to try this one again before i come to a conclusion on this one :)

I’m a bit early for Easter, yet I really wanted to try this tea. And so… yum!

The base is very mellow, with touches of something creamy and citrusy with zero flowers anywhere in the flavoring. Almost a meringue-like flavor and feel to me, which I’m quite happy with.

Thank you Ysurella for generously sharing so much with me! :)

This tea was highly recommended as it is the signature tea for a noted chef’s restaurant in Dallas. There must be something wrong with my tastebuds – it reminded me of soap. I have tried it hot and iced and have brewed it several times, always with the same result.