Nil Noir

Doulton has struck again! Thanks D!!!!
I am drinking even more Black and Black Flavors than normal today! usually by now I spring into Greens, Whites, Rooibos, Herbal mixes, etc. I LOVE IT THO!!!!! :)

I wasn’t getting much scent from this one prior to infusion. Once it gets infusing the fruit and citronella scent come out a little.

This is a medium brown color with reddish tinge to it. Very nice color!

It’s quite a bit bolder than I anticipated! YAY!

There is a creamy-semi-fruity-sweet-ness with dessert like after tastes to it. It has a fairly unique flavor…and I must say I am pleasantly surprised by it.

Doulton’s Shakespeare: A Tasting Note in 5 Acts
Act I scene 6

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough briar,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats, spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In their freckles live our savours.
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II scene 1

I awoke this morning with the thought of Carpe Tea-um! Cheesy, but true. I’d been holding off on this and a few other teas and realized that I should just go for it. Why wait? There’s so much tea and so little time.

I have found my A Midsummer NIght’s Dream. I swear that fairies must have made this tea! I sniffed it and couldn’t tell what was in this tea. I still can’t tell you after reading the description. The description is all about fruits, and my tastebuds don’t see it that way. Is Puck tricking me? Perhaps the most apt description I can come up with is that this tastes like the flowers of a fruit before the fruit is born. It’s this beautiful, subtle, nectarish tea that I adore. I’m on its third and obviously final steep. It’s turned almost completely to a nectar sweetness. For me, this tea is the definition of lovely. TG

This darling sprang forth from the bag smelling of summer fruits kissed by the sun, dried and cradled by black tea.
Brewing it brought about more of the same. The flowers were a charming addition but this tea smells very much of pulp. Not berries or rich red fruits nor was it the hiss of dried orange. This sings of the sun and the former life of a stone fruit. I am reminded of peach or apricot and their golden flesh… more so that area of change where it turns red as it kisses the stone. The brew if fair in the way of black tea and perhaps I didn’t nab enough leaves. It is of a nice taste and I think this blend would be perfect iced with peaches on a summer day.
It’s lovely… cheery… I will have to remember this brew when the sun shines again. It screams summer… and is very enjoyable plain. I think my grandfather would have liked this tea.

Honestly, in my re-drinking of this tea… it tastes like an over priced Lipton. Nice… pleasant and safe. Tee-hee and ho-hum.

2022 sipdown no. 39

Thanks Cameron for sending this one along!

This tea has subtle hints of plum and fig with a smooth black base, though I find myself wanting a bit more. This has been my general experience overall with MF teas. Nonetheless, I drank my cup and am happy to have tried this one. I did find the 3 minute steep at 200°F brought out more flavour as opposed to 3 minutes at 190°F.

The perfect lemon tea. I have several Mariage teas in my stash and this is the one I find myself craving most often.

Bold and dark amber in colour, scent is bright and cheery lemon with underlying tones of honey, malt and the slightest hint of peach nectar. Light cooling element at the back of the throat after each sip. Just gorgeous.

Delicious both sweetened and unsweetened. Have only tried it hot but I am sure this would be delicious iced on a warm day. If you can find some, definitely try it. I highly recommend.

Thank you Cameron B.!

Refreshing and light-bodied tea with citrus notes, stonefruits, fruity… Not in your face type of tea. Really well balanced. Slightly malty to make it more satisfying. It’s also perfectly sweeetened with honey(?) so it’s not too sweet either. Enjoyed this sample in my daily sipper.

365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 28

Almost done with the first month of my challenge!

I haven’t tried that many teas from Mariage Frères (if I remember correctly, they only sell in 100g bags and their shipping is even worse than Dammann Frères). I actually bought this one at the Paris airport based on the good ol’ sniff test. And I guess my nose is trustworthy, because I love this one!

This is definitely a French tea – it has that French flavoring sense about it. I’m not really sure how to describe that… Musty? But not in a bad way? That just sounds weird.

Anyway, this one is lovely and smooth with some nice, rich honey and dried fruit notes. In particular, it reminds me of fig and dates. There’s also a nice mellow lemon flavor that really helps lift the blend and balances out the richer flavors.

There is a bit of a light floral note, but I mostly attribute that to it being a French flavored tea. ;)

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