Dammann Frères Advent Calendar – Day 4

This is one rich tea – full of roasted chestnut, almond, and chocolate malt goodness. It also smells like marzipan which is my kryptonite. The profile has a lot in common with my seasonal favourite from Mariage Frères: Rouge d’Automne (but this oolong would be cheaper to order, so that’s a thought…).

Steep Count: 3

Flavors: Almond, Chestnut, Chocolate, Cocoa, Malt, Marzipan, Roasted, Vanilla

blueeyedsurprise

Sounds delicious! I will have to check this one out.

gmathis

Someone shared a packet with me a long time ago, and even after years, it was still delicious. Fresh, it must be stellar.

Inkling

Ooo, this sounds amazing!

Leafhopper

Agreed, this sounds lovely! It seems like the Dammann Frères advent has some nice teas this year.

Crowkettle

Yeah, I’m a fan of this tea and the Dammann Frères advent. I find them extremely consistent despite not particularly loving their “Christmas” blends :P

Leafhopper

A lot of the French teas you’re writing about sound like things I’d enjoy. I’m also having advent FOMO from everyone’s notes! :)

Crowkettle

Even though I have advents, I feel a bit of FOMO about some of the other selections I see lol (the B&B and the green tea-centric ones. Ahhh)!

I heartily recommend the Dammann Frères ones if you’ve never tried their teas before; I’ve always found it to be a good way to sample what they carry.

The Mariage Frères one though… that company carries some amazing teas that rarely, if ever, seem to make their way into the advents. Instead, MF usually over-highlights their “In Love” or “Rainbow” teabag series. I keep going for it because flavoured oolong and floral teas still feature a lot and, once in a blue moon, a unique tea will make its way in there.

After the holiday season, I should send out samples of some of the MF teas (I can’t promise anyone will like them as much as me, but they’re usually interesting).

Cameron B.

Dammann Frères does such a nice advent! I’m always a bit sad when I don’t get it ha ha. I’ve still never tried the Mariage Frères one, every time I see someone else doing it, it seems like a weird selection of teas, like all butterfly pea flower or something. I wish they would do a more classic selection, as I would like to try some of their core teas…

Leafhopper

Crowkettle, many of the Dammann teas sound nice, and I’d actually be happy to get only a single teabag given the size of my tea museum.

I’ve wanted to try Mariage Frères for a while, but they provide absolutely no info about their shipping other than that it’s via DHL or something and the Canadian resellers have very high markups. And I agree, I’ve seen some weird teas in their advents.

Shipping to Canada is another issue. I already pay exorbitant amounts to ship my fancy unflavoured teas, and I’m not sure I could justify spending a lot on something I’m not sure I’d enjoy (and they always seem to come in 100 g packages, too!).

Maybe we could do a swap in the new year if you like unflavoured tea. I have a lot of oolong at the moment. :)

Crowkettle

Yeah, unless you or a friend can visit a physical store, or are withing their free shipping range, Mariage Frères is pretty expensive and inaccesible. I’m in Canada too, and buying their advent (plus extra teas) is such self-indulgent splurge that I can barely justify it, honestly (Christmas gift to self). Even though it’s not consistently wonderful, I do believe that the advent has helped me form a better idea of what I do like, and what to look for, in their teas though. This in turn makes me feel more comfortable taking a chance on 100g…

The more I see of the blue pea-flower oolong the more I don’t understand it as a choice. It’s mentally jarring to drink a nut, brioche, or chocolate flavoured tea that some shade of murky blue/green/grey. Luckily, the special colour disappears on the second or third steep, which is personally when I think their oolong blends tend to peak. XD

Yes, I love unflavoured tea, especially the greener spectrum! Whenever I buy oolong for myself it tends not to last long. :)

Leafhopper

Christmas gifts to yourself are sometimes the best gifts because you know what you like. :) I’ve definitely splurged on tea gifts to myself this year as well.

I didn’t realize MF had a free shipping threshold. I’m guessing it’s pretty high.

I’d be happy to message you next year if you have some French teas you’d like to trade for some greener oolongs!

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blueeyedsurprise

Sounds delicious! I will have to check this one out.

gmathis

Someone shared a packet with me a long time ago, and even after years, it was still delicious. Fresh, it must be stellar.

Inkling

Ooo, this sounds amazing!

Leafhopper

Agreed, this sounds lovely! It seems like the Dammann Frères advent has some nice teas this year.

Crowkettle

Yeah, I’m a fan of this tea and the Dammann Frères advent. I find them extremely consistent despite not particularly loving their “Christmas” blends :P

Leafhopper

A lot of the French teas you’re writing about sound like things I’d enjoy. I’m also having advent FOMO from everyone’s notes! :)

Crowkettle

Even though I have advents, I feel a bit of FOMO about some of the other selections I see lol (the B&B and the green tea-centric ones. Ahhh)!

I heartily recommend the Dammann Frères ones if you’ve never tried their teas before; I’ve always found it to be a good way to sample what they carry.

The Mariage Frères one though… that company carries some amazing teas that rarely, if ever, seem to make their way into the advents. Instead, MF usually over-highlights their “In Love” or “Rainbow” teabag series. I keep going for it because flavoured oolong and floral teas still feature a lot and, once in a blue moon, a unique tea will make its way in there.

After the holiday season, I should send out samples of some of the MF teas (I can’t promise anyone will like them as much as me, but they’re usually interesting).

Cameron B.

Dammann Frères does such a nice advent! I’m always a bit sad when I don’t get it ha ha. I’ve still never tried the Mariage Frères one, every time I see someone else doing it, it seems like a weird selection of teas, like all butterfly pea flower or something. I wish they would do a more classic selection, as I would like to try some of their core teas…

Leafhopper

Crowkettle, many of the Dammann teas sound nice, and I’d actually be happy to get only a single teabag given the size of my tea museum.

I’ve wanted to try Mariage Frères for a while, but they provide absolutely no info about their shipping other than that it’s via DHL or something and the Canadian resellers have very high markups. And I agree, I’ve seen some weird teas in their advents.

Shipping to Canada is another issue. I already pay exorbitant amounts to ship my fancy unflavoured teas, and I’m not sure I could justify spending a lot on something I’m not sure I’d enjoy (and they always seem to come in 100 g packages, too!).

Maybe we could do a swap in the new year if you like unflavoured tea. I have a lot of oolong at the moment. :)

Crowkettle

Yeah, unless you or a friend can visit a physical store, or are withing their free shipping range, Mariage Frères is pretty expensive and inaccesible. I’m in Canada too, and buying their advent (plus extra teas) is such self-indulgent splurge that I can barely justify it, honestly (Christmas gift to self). Even though it’s not consistently wonderful, I do believe that the advent has helped me form a better idea of what I do like, and what to look for, in their teas though. This in turn makes me feel more comfortable taking a chance on 100g…

The more I see of the blue pea-flower oolong the more I don’t understand it as a choice. It’s mentally jarring to drink a nut, brioche, or chocolate flavoured tea that some shade of murky blue/green/grey. Luckily, the special colour disappears on the second or third steep, which is personally when I think their oolong blends tend to peak. XD

Yes, I love unflavoured tea, especially the greener spectrum! Whenever I buy oolong for myself it tends not to last long. :)

Leafhopper

Christmas gifts to yourself are sometimes the best gifts because you know what you like. :) I’ve definitely splurged on tea gifts to myself this year as well.

I didn’t realize MF had a free shipping threshold. I’m guessing it’s pretty high.

I’d be happy to message you next year if you have some French teas you’d like to trade for some greener oolongs!

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Bio

I started my Steepster loose leaf adventure back in 2012. I can’t say I’m completely new anymore, but I still view oolong as a magical, extraterrestrial creature that unfurls in water.

My favourites are teas like Milk Oolong, Silver Needle,and Japanese Sencha/Gyokuro, or fruity and floral flavoured ones. However, I generally enjoy ALL the teas, including a good old cup of Earl Grey or Breakfast blend.

FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS/NOTES:

DESSERT FLAVOURS
Vanilla, Maple, Caramel, Butterscotch, Cream, Toffee, Nougat, Marzipan, Butter

FRUIT & BERRIES
Citrus Fruits, Passionfruit, Banana, Pineapple, Melons, Blackberry, Raspberry, Currants, Elderberry, Persimmon, Rhubarb..

SPICES
Ginger, Turmeric, Clove-forward chai, Cardamom

AROMATIC & HERBACEOUS NOTES
Sandalwood, Frankincense, Juniper, Eucalyptus, Mints

FLORALS
Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, Violet, etc.

VEGGIE/GRAIN NOTES
Spinach, Grass, Hay, Cucumber, Rice, Sweet Potato

Less Preferred Flavours/Ingredients:
Stevia, Apple, Cocoa Nib, Almond, Licorice, Cinnamon-forward blends, Chinese Sencha

Subjective Rating System:
I don’t give a lot of low ratings out, since a) I tend to grab tea I know will appeal to me, and b) I don’t have a lot of strong dislikes.

90-100: Favourites. The Desert Island Teas.
80-89: Loved teas. Possibly staple-worthy.
70-79: Good teas, but I’m less likely to repurchase. Minor quibbles.
60-69: Ok teas. Likely a few preference and/or quality issues.
50-59: Cup of meh. Will do in a pinch.
11-49: Varying levels of undrinkable tea.
1-10: Nightmare tea from the chaos realms. This tea is the embodiment of the primordial swamp, an unholy abomination. It’s very gross and I’m almost positive it doesn’t exist.

Location

BC, Canada

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