Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – December 8th
Ooh, this is the first white tea of the calendar! I do enjoy white tea, though it’s not something I drink often. Judging by the ingredients listed, this is a possible flower bomb tea. We shall see. I was quite surprised by how crushed the white tea leaves are inside the sachet. The pieces are very small, almost like a generic tea bag with fannings. I think I can see a few bits of flower petals, but it’s difficult to say. Dry scent is sweet-tart apricot and passion fruit with just a bit of rose. I had originally planned and started a 3-minute steep, but I was worried about bitterness from those tiny leaf pieces so I took it out about 15-20 seconds early.
Once the tea is steeped, the powdery rose is more evident in the aroma, though I can still smell the lovely fruits. The rose is definitely the strongest player here, but it’s not so overpowering as to make me not want to drink the cup. It also plays quite nicely with the hay-like, slightly creamy white tea base. I can taste a bit of apricot and passion fruit in the background, and they do come out a little more at the end of the sip. I do wish the fruit flavors had a stronger role here, and they would help temper the rose just a bit more. Overall, this is better than I thought it would be, but I’m going to withhold my rating because I know I’m biased against floral teas. :P
Flavors: Apricot, Creamy, Hay, Oats, Passion Fruit, Rose, Sweet
