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VariaTEA drank Gemini by Nina's Paris

6444 tasting notes

Sipdown!! (218)

So I brewed this at the same time I brewed Sugar Plum Spice and the resteep of Marie-Antoinette. Then I got distracted by packing up teas for a swap so it cooled a bit. Now I am trying it as I eat my pizza (Jenny Craig, the one diet you can eat pizza and a cupcake every night and still lose 65 pounds!).

As an accompaniment to my dinner it is weird. On its own, this tea is tasty. The rooibos is more muted in this blend than in other Nina’s rooibos blends I have had and that is a good thing (not that their rooibos is bad – I am just not a huge fan of heavily rooibos tasting teas in general). That may be due to it being cooled though. Anyways, I mostly taste the vanilla but I can detect a hint of strawberry. I don’t notice the grapefruit other than the fact that this is a really well balanced cup and I think that might be due to the citrus of the grapefruit toning down the other flavors. All in all, pretty tasty.

Thank you Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s Paris for this sample! I appreciate your generosity and am really glad to have met such wonderful people :)

Preparation

205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 15 sec

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My cupboard has grown exponentially since joining this site and I have a lot to share. Feel free to snoop through my cupboard and message me if anything interests you – I am always happy to swap!

For me, flavored teas are definitely my sweet spot. I will most often reach for black teas and rooibos or honeybush blends but I do keep some flavored whites and greens around for when the mood strikes. I have a few herbals/tisanes but most of the time I find myself disappointed by them as they often smell deliciously sweet and then end up tasting tart/sour. I have a little bit of an aversion to pu’erh and oolong teas. I am also wary of florals, earl greys, and chai teas. I do not like overpowering citrus flavors nor do I usually like hibiscus, licorice or chamomile. I love dessert teas – caramel, vanilla, toffee, cookie, cream, and other sweet flavors make me smile. Fruits like strawberry, peach, mango, and pineapples will often catch my attention as well.

I have also realized that although I really enjoy adding frothed milk to some of my teas, if I do not like the tea with zero additives (just in plain water without milk or sugar), I probably won’t drink it. The one exception is flavored matchas which I will happily drink in cold milk if I do not like it mixed with hot water. My theory is if the tea can’t stand on its own then it is not for me and I will more than likely try to swap it out for something else.

Tea Ratings Guide (as of December 10, 2017)
90-100 Teas I NEED on hand at all times
80-89 Teas I want to keep around for a cup every now and then
70-79 Teas I am glad I have around and can experiment with but probably don’t need more than what’s in my cupboard
60-69 Teas I would not turn down a cup of from a friend but that would probably be enough
50-59 Teas I can see why someone would enjoy but are not for me
Under 50 Teas I really did not like and most likely got dumped

Location

Waterdown, Ontario

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