Bali

Here’s Hoping TTB

I haven’t had the opportunity to try very much from Dammann Freres, so I was excited to see one of their teas in this TTB. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do much for me. It came across as just a basic rose-flavored green tea, good but not very exciting. I wish I could have tasted more of the other flavors. Could just be the age of the sample, though!

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #5 – Tea #32
So many interesting characteristics to this tea but maybe I should have used more than a teaspoon to let them shine. The flavor didn’t seem as distinct as it could have been. I see big petals of rose, which was the most noticeable flavor. Hints of lychee. Not really any jasmine or peach. So I love the idea of this tea, but the only flower noticeable is rose and the only fruit noticeable is lychee.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug// 27 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 25 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep

From the Here’s Hoping TTB

I keep reading about Damman Freres teas, but this is my first. Now I see what the excitement is about.

From the name, I expected tropical fruit, but the dominant flavor is more spice than fruit. It does seem like there is a bit of fruit hiding under the spice. This is a very rich and complex tea. Very subtle, with different flavors coming to the fore at different times as I sip. Long finish. I can see what all the excitement is about.

Another samples from Equusfell
Okay, I shouldn’t have taken this samples because it has rose in it and that is a nasty taste in my mouth. However, this smells like an edible bath bomb so I decided I would give it a shot. This is actually a day trip to the spa in a cup. While I don’t like the taste completely, I am able to tell that this is a balanced blend that is smooth. Drinking this does make me calm because of the aroma :)
This cup makes me excited as I think about the oolongs I have from them that I have yet to try

Now that I have a kettle that heats water to specific temperatures, I thought I would revisit this one to see if all the fuss I made about it was true.
IT IS.
I still love it, though now with less bitterness! A touch of sugar still calls to me though, I think it mellows out the perfume aspect and bumps up the fruit, leading to a much more balanced and AMAZING brew! Once again, I have Dinosara to thank, she donated the last few cups of her stash of Bali to me! I absolutely cannot thank you enough!

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 15th

Time for another flavored green! And looking at the ingredients… this one may not be for me. But that’s okay, I’m willing to try it anyway. It has fruits that I really love, like grapefruit and lychee, and then it also has a double dose of floral. We shall see! The sachet itself definitely smells very heavy on the rose. I can see the green tea leaves along with large pieces of flower petals inside.

The steeped tea actually smells quite nice – yes, I can smell the jasmine and rose, but they’re tempered a bit by the sweet lychee and peach, and a touch of grapefruit. You know what? I don’t hate this. In fact, it’s quite tasty. Luckily for me, the rose is somehow kept very light and non-heady, perhaps from the citrus and jasmine? And the lychee complements the flowers so well, but at the same time it keeps them in check with its sweetness and allows me to taste the other fruits. I think the grapefruit is really the saving grace for this tea, it’s so light and refreshing that it completely neutralizes any perfumey quality this tea could have had. I could still do without the rose here, but at least it’s not overpowering the entire blend. Progress! :)

I really need to get a grapefruit tea in my cupboard… Anyone have any suggestions?

Day 15.

This tea smells delicious. But I am scared to try it becuase the deliciousness appears to be quite perfumey. There are scents of sweet jasmine and lychee.

This tea is interesting. There is definitely a jasmine base. It is not as strong as I would have thought in comparison to the smell. There are hints of lychee flavour. Lychee fruits are delicious. But the bad thing is that often in tea is comes across as very perfumey, and I am getting that in this case. This tea is strongly floral. Strong hints of rose. The tea liquor is light and thin, but the flavours remain quite strong.

My snippet review for this tea would be: smells perfumey, tastes perfumey.

Bought at Oronero – Palazzo Pitti – Firenze
Luzzia was the owner.
Jul/13