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LaFleurBleue drank Chamomile Dream by Gryphon Tea Company

111 tasting notes

A disappointment !
After opening the plastic bag and taking out the “silk” tea-bag, I was already a bit reluctant, as the chamomile and other herbs looks grinded, while I was expecting full leaves and flowers.
The herbal tea color, once steeped, is a nice bright yellow. The smell is rather pleasant. The taste is rather pleasant, though the chamomile is rather short-lasting and the verbena takes rapidly over. I could not taste the marigold (though I never managed to identify its taste, as I’ve always had some in blends). The lavender may be responsible for some of the remaining after-taste, but I’m not so sure about it either.
Though a quite pleasant brew, I did not feel it was really special and I have better memories of drinks made only with entire chamomile flowers.
The second steep came out very light and with little flavor. At least with the Gryphon teas I’ve tried until now, I could manage up to 5 steeps, which were still interesting, though feeling weaker at the end, which makes them much better value for money.
Totally overpriced and not worth it.

Preparation

205 °F / 96 °C 7 min, 0 sec

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LaFleurBleue
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I’m reviewing a bit my initial impression. This time I brewed an almost full teapot with one bag and it’s not weak at all. This tea-bag allows for a large quantity though no resteep.
I can definitely recognize all flavors: the chamomile, rather mild, the verbena and the lingering lavender. The blend is rather subtle as none of this flavors is stronger than the next. That’s what makes it rather pleasant and not too bland. However it is clearly a blend herbal tea and not a chamomile one, which was what I expected the first time and why I was so disappointed.
It remains too expensive for me to buy it again.

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LaFleurBleue
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I’ve started drinking much more tea quite recently, almost completely quitting espresso for it!
I’ve been introduced to high quality tea by one of my best friend, MF Marco Polo addict since more than 20 years. I’ve only rarely bought tea-bags since then, preferring the quality-price ratio of loose leaves.
I drink my tea natural, without any milk, sugar or sweetener. I only add honey when a sore-throat is coming along.
I usually either brew a large pot at home or resteep my leaves at the office. I cannot seem to learn to master the use of a gaiwan in an elegant and not clumsy way…
My tea preferences :
- I really like flavored black teas, with a preference for fruity flavors, from a tangy Earl Grey to a real fruit smoothie-like tea. I’m trying some single origin unflavored blacks from time to time but always end up having trouble to finish them. I usually do not really enjoy the strong breakfast teas.
- I do not like chai or teas with strong spice flavors. Strange considering I really like spicy food, but not what I drink.
- I am quite afraid of pu-erh and lapsang souchong, though I probably have never drunk any real good ones and I’m quite sure it can make a huge difference… A few years ago, I had been introduced to scotch whisky and can definitely attest that you cannot say you don’t like whisky, if you’ve only drunk blended stuff and not tasted yet single malts. I hope to get the same happy discovery for those teas.
- I discovered very good oolong, without going through the step of drinking bad-one first, and really enjoy it, especially with a meal. I’ll definitely try some flavored oolongs in a near future.
- I’ve just started discovering white teas, which feels very delicate. The only problem is that those can be awfully expensive…
- I also really like rooibos which I discovered a few years ago while searching for low-theine/caffeine teas that I could drink at night without suffering from insomnia.
- As with green tea, we’ve had a long-standing difficult relationship. I’ve occasionally had some that were real smooth, refreshing and so very many that turned bitter very quickly. And I cannot stand a bitter tea.
- As for jasmine tea, I used to like it but have indeed drunk too much of some bad quality bitter brew, and now I even have problem finishing the high-quality pearls I bought in Beijing.
- Yerba Mate: I’ve had some in one blend and am quite convinced that I would never like that as bitterness is one of its main characteristics. I’ll try to avoid it like the plague.
- Herbal tea: I used to drink more or those before discovering rooibos; finding good ones is unfortunately really difficult – even in organic shops, the herbs sold are far from great.
I loathe artificial flavoring of any kind in any beverage or food.

I’m quite opiniated and try to leave room for further improvement and better discoveries, which explain why I haven’t rated any tea in the 95 and above range.
Teas above 80 are among my favorites
Between 60-80, I could or could not give them a second chance or recognize that they are made with high-quality ingredients though their taste does not please my buds.
Around 50, it starts to be rather bad and a not so pleasant experience to drink.
25 to 40+ cover low quality products that I manage to drink when nothing else is available.
Below that, it’s really vile and basically almost undrinkable IMHO.

Location

Singapore

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