Mandalay is a cousin of Esprit de Noël blend. A cousin by cinnamon & cardamom filiation
The scent is strongly spicy, not floral at all.
The dry leaves are so beautiful, a large amount of petals of sunflower is mixed with some red spices.
Steeped four minutes only to ensure not having a too spicy cup, the tea was perfectly balanced between the spicy notes and the rose note.
If you want to taste this tea, you should be spice lover otherwise you can be very disappointed. Rose flavour is really sweetening the liquor and is really present but the main notes remain spices, cinnamon & cardamom on the top.
I won’t have Esprit de Noël (sometimes called Noël) and Mandalay in my cupboard at the same time.
I have to think about that but I really appreciated the rose flavour in this blend so not sure I’ll won’t change my dear Noël by this blend sometimes.
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Interesting that they’re so similar! I’m very tempted, Noel is one of my very favourites.
Oh dear, this sounds awesome. I was tempted by Noel, but I smelled it and I must admit to a bias – I am portuguese, I do not like citrus rinds in things namely orange peel. For me citrus rinds are the stuff you throw away (lemon zest for some reason is acceptable, but of orange and clementines and such no), so I tend to prefer my citrus more abstract. Mandalay is sounding wonderful.
I bought a little bit of Chandernagor the other day though have not had it yet, am sort of reserving. It smells divine, but cloves are its main ingredient and proud to be it. Cinnamon and cardamom are there, but the starring role is all cloves.
the vanilla is present too but very very behind, just as a basis.
Interesting that they’re so similar! I’m very tempted, Noel is one of my very favourites.
Oh dear, this sounds awesome. I was tempted by Noel, but I smelled it and I must admit to a bias – I am portuguese, I do not like citrus rinds in things namely orange peel. For me citrus rinds are the stuff you throw away (lemon zest for some reason is acceptable, but of orange and clementines and such no), so I tend to prefer my citrus more abstract. Mandalay is sounding wonderful.
I bought a little bit of Chandernagor the other day though have not had it yet, am sort of reserving. It smells divine, but cloves are its main ingredient and proud to be it. Cinnamon and cardamom are there, but the starring role is all cloves.
the vanilla is present too but very very behind, just as a basis.