Nina's Paris

One of the samples I received from Nina’s Paris. Yay! This smells so deliciously of caramel and popcorn. Kind of like kettle corn but with distinctive caramel notes. It tastes very similar to its smell too. It’s bright with a light roasty flavor. I think the black tea does well in balancing the “greenness” of the sencha. I do wish that there was more puffed rice—the nutty, toasty qualities of the rice are getting lost in the caramel-vanilla flavors (which are very strong). Not bad but just not hitting the spot for me. I think it reminds me too much of this cupcake-scented perfume I wore in junior high, which makes it seem a little artificial.

Thank you Nina’s for my samples! Though one of them is one I have been sent before… I feel like I need a keemun in my collection. So I’m up for trying any. This is my favorite base from Nina’s. It isn’t as astringent as some of the others I’ve tried, so this would play nice with the flavors. The keemun itself is very nice – smokier than any of the Teavivre but it doesn’t have any of the chocolate notes that Teavivre has. Maybe if I used two teaspoons, I would have noticed chocolate. But in the past, Nina’s teas have been better without using too many leaves. This is a solid, nice representative of Keemun! I’m looking forward to the rhubarb Keemun they sent me…
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // couple mins after boiling // 2-3 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 min

I needed a comfort tea this morning, and this was it. My awesome headphones I have at work aren’t working on the right side. (My electrical engineer spouse is delighted with the prospect of tearing them apart and making them work again.) Of course, it seems like everyone who sits near me is either having meetings at their desk this morning or on conference calls. Never fails. I don’t even have backup headphones to use.

Sigh.

So I picked out this tea to have as I have enough for one cup. Unfortunately, I can’t remember who was generous enough to send this my way, either. I had multiple swaps arrive right around the same time, and I had them out of their packages and sitting on the table so I could put stickers on them to remind myself later, and my wonderful husband was nice enough to pick them up and put them away for me. Oops!

So yeah. The tea. I love genmaichas. I need to get more. I had forgotten how much I love them. This one with the additions of the black tea (which steeped at this low temperature just adds depth to the tea without taking over the more delicate flavor of the green tea) and caramel and vanilla. Comfort in a cup! I do find that the strongest flavor is still the toasted rice, which I absolutely adore.

I have just a little bit of this tea because I took it from the TTTTB after getting a free sample from Nina’s Paris. This tea is good.

I found some steeping directions online that work really well for me. A very low temp that my Hamilton Beach programmable kettle just doesn’t like to do. The directions I found said 158 °F, so I set the kettle for 155 °F, and it goes to like 170°. Ah well. I just have to wait a little bit and it’s closer to where it’s supposed to be.

I wasn’t sure how this tea would be, as it’s a green and black blend, but the lower temp really helps the black. This is just genmaicha-y to me, with vanilla notes. I really don’t get too much caramel this time.

But it’s sooooo tasty.

I’m drinking this by the 50oz glass, but I could really drink this by the giant mugfull. The advantage to the smaller glass is that it stays at the right temp.

This was one of my free samples from Nina’s. Really nice. This is a really nice balance.

I found the steeping directions on Etsy, and went with those. (1t/158 °F/3min) I’m really glad I did, because otherwise I would have had no idea where to go with this, being a blend like it is.

Yes, this tea is really good. I didn’t get too much from the black, probably from the low temperature. I definitely taste the green and the rice and the caramel vanilla. Nice. Really nice. It’s very creamy and toasty nutty and just the right amount of green to it.

This is quite nice. I love the spearmint in it, and the lemon isn’t too lemony, but it does smell lemon for sure. The black base is just that, a base for the other flavors. It’s there, but it’s not detracting or overpowering. Very nice.

I enjoyed this very much – I didn’t get a whole lot of rose flavor, but tasted predominately apple. It was somewhat astringent for my taste though – I prefer smoother flavors. That said, if I had more of this, I would see what magic cold steeping would bring, as I find teas that are too astringent for me hot are phenomenal cold.

Queued post, written April 20th 2014

Four red fruits! This is a flavour that I am quite partial to, but for some reason rarely buy. This is a sample that Courtney shared with me.

This one smells strongly like cherries. Unlike many of my co-Steepsterites, I was never as a child subjected to fruit-flavoured medicines. The only time I ever had any illness that required antibiotics as a child I was an infant and therefore don’t rightly remember. It was probably given intravenously then anyway. Other than that, the closest I come was some cough medicine that my father once bought. It was the sort where you put a tablet in a glas of water and it goes psssh-pssssh-psssssh and disolves. Supposedly it was supposed to taste like raspberry, but it was not like any raspberry I’d ever come across then or since. It didn’t really taste like anything other than medicine and it didn’t help the cough much either. Other cough medicines were usually strongly licorice flavoured because they contained licorice extract, but that hasn’t stopped me from eating licorice with great relish.

So for me, a strong note of cherry is not a turn-off and it’s difficult for me to imagine how it could be for anybody. I mean I can understand why it is. But I can’t imagine it.

I feel like I’m picking up some raspberry and strawberry in there as well, but it’s muted by the cherry. There’s a feeling of something a little tart as well, which fits with red currant. A 4RF where I can smell all four fruits! This bodes very well indeed.

The flavour is very close to the aroma. Primarily cherry, with the other three under the surface, but still without masking the base completely. I can even pick up some grain-y notes from it under the flavouring.

This is very good and very well balanced. I like that the emphasis is on the cherry as opposed to the raspberry and strawberry, because usually in these blends the cherry is the flavour I have the most difficulties picking up. The red currant is not very easy to find, though, but I think that’s for the best. If it was stronger, the tea would have been very tart.

This tea reminds me of my favorite bagged tea Tazo – Zen. Although this tea has a black base instead of a green. It’s minty, lightly lemony, and has a hint of bitterness from the black tea.

I’m so glad my tea samples arrived today! I thought they had been eaten by the post.
The bag this came in did not have a suggested temp. on it, so I just went with boiling water.
Dry, this smells very nice! I can smell the violet, which is the biggest reason I chose this one. Once brewed the base is very tasty, it reminds me of another gift tea which I have logged on here somewhere. The violet is very upfront. There are other flavors too that I cannot put my finger on, probably the rhubarb (I’ve never had it!). This is a really great dessert tea and I can’t wait to brew this again.

I am a big fan of this – the black tea alone is some of the best I have had. Flavorful but not bitter, strong without being too much. I didn’t taste rose specifically when I had it hot, but it was definitely floral, and I really enjoyed it. I will have to purchase this soon, and try it iced based on these other reviews.

I made this last night, steeping it 3 times, and adding all three steeping into a big mug with a little truvia to chill over night in the fridge. Was a very delightful fruity iced tea, nice sweet berry notes, though less intense than those in Grand Amour. Hard pressed, I’d chose Grand Amour, just because I’m in love with the sweet fruityness of that tea. All in all though, this is a delicious tea, and I’m happy than there was enough still in bag left to try it (the sample I had received had opened during shipment and most spilled out). Thanks Laurent!

Thank you again to Laurent and Sophie for a chance to try a couple of Nina’s Paris teas. I really enjoyed this one as well.

The flavoring is really subtle and balanced, but much better once the tea has cooled for 10-15 minutes or so. The orange while still piping hot was a little orange-rindy, but as the tea cooled, it because sweeter and more natural-fruit flavored. What lingers of the flavor on your tongue is juicy and fresh tasting. The cream also popped once the cup cooled, and was a sweet, rich cream that hung on and mingled with the orange. And the chocolate wasn’t quite identifiable as milk or dark chocolate, but had a cocoa flavor that was imparted somewhere mid sip. It doesn’t really play with the other flavors in the aftertaste.

I wish I had a bit more of this to play with milk and sugar. I think it has the potential to be truly decadent. Even so, it was very good and I’m grateful for the opportunity to try it!

I’m definitely leaving this on the wishlist as a reminder to get it when I have the chance.

Thank you, Laurent and Sophie, for a sample!!

I sure am glad I asked for a sample of this tea and saved it for last. This is a unique genmaicha blend. The combination of the ingredients creates a taste similar to Cracker Jacks, caramel popcorn. When the tea cools a bit the vanilla pokes out and the texture of the liquor becomes a bit creamy.

Thank you, Laurent and Sophie, for a sample!

The aroma for this one is nice as well, a gentle strawberry. But the strawberry doesn’t stand out so much in taste. While the liquor was hot it seemed that the only ingredient was rooibos. I had to let the tea cool down in order for the flavor to take over. I’m a fan of rooibos, but the strawberry could have been stronger.

This was my first experience with a Gen Mai Cha type tea. I had been thinking about trying it for a while. This tea is blended really well. It reminded me a lot of the Soba Cha Deep Roast from Steepster but not as strong. The tea all blends well together and provides a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Thank you, Laurent and Sophie, for a sample!

A nice apricot and apple aroma, very pleasant to smell. The liquor is full-bodied, brisk, and malty. The base tea takes over and, unfortunately, the fruitiness isn’t so strong.

I brewed a hot cup of this last night, it was good. Not one of my favorites but still solid. I think I enjoy dessert black teas rather than fruity ones. When it comes to fruit I prefer it to be mixed with greens or whites. Anyway.

The loose leaf is dark, rolled and aromatic. A sweet, balanced blend of both fruity and black tea flavors. The blue corn flowers provide a pop of color that adds a certain beauty. I’m a sucker for corn flowers though.

The taste itself is nice. This is a great choice if you really like fruity black teas this would be a good choice. It features strong passion fruit flavors that equate with the bitterness of the black tea base.

This tea was absolutely delicious. By far one of my favorite black teas. The vanilla flavor was well balanced with the black tea and the caramel undertones accompanied both beautifully. It’s a great dessert tea as well as a great relaxation tea.

Mmmm thank you tons, Laurent from Nina’s for sending me a sample of this tea!
It’s not as green as the photo suggests, but it does give off a nice and pleasant peach aroma. Reminds me a bit of the peach rings that I used to love so much :)

Ooh. I think my water was a smidge too hot and it’s right on the edge of being bitter, but it’s really nice! I makes a nice, straight cup :) The peach is definitely there, and it’s not as sugary as the peach rings, but still has the nice bright summer fruit flavour :)
I really like this tea! Definitely a nice oolong with a nice fruity flavour. Peach is definitely present, and I’m also getting bits of apricot which is nice

((this is also a sipdown so hooray for drinking all the tea!!))

You know what? I don’t eat enough apples. I’m too lazy to eat them, bite into them and munch them. I usually just settle for an easy banana (LOL) or grapes – they are so much more convenient. It’s kinda scary to admit that I have been usually passing up on apples because I feel there’s too much jaw work involved eating them.

All these fascinating reflections were initiated by the first sips of this tea. It’s an apple tea alright. It’s pretty good at being what it is, too. I like the ceylon base here, it is not shy, it is not weak, it is not hiding. It works perfectly with apple flavoring, which is just exquisite in its lack of artificial nastiness. All the apple notes I had in teas before were either practically non-existent or super fakey-fake. This one almost tastes like there’s a splash of cider in there. And it smells heavenly. I also detect some flower notes, from the rose petals I’m sure, although they are fainter.

Whenever I consider ordering from Nina’s Paris again, I will definitely re-order this one :) Thank you Laurent from Nina’s Paris for letting me try a sample of this tea :)

So my boyfriend broke my french press I had been using to steep my tea, which means I had to get creative with some coffee filters and twist ties to make this. I don’t know if I underleafed, or understeeped, or if the filter affected it, but it seemed weaker than the last time I made this. Was still yummy, but less flowery than I remember.

Like Hepburn, I’m preferring this tea a few weeks after it has arrived. I’ll have to remember in the future when ordering Nina’s to allow them to sit a while.

The strawberry is much more true to taste today. The base is nice, typical of Nina’s black teas. I’m pretty picky about strawberry teas, but this seems to be working out well.

One thing I have noticed about Nina’s teas is they are very perfumey and have a ton of flavor. Which makes sense when you factor in the roots of the company. So far I haven’t been a fan of the strong flavors in the two teas I have tried.

This one is quite floral and smells like a nice bubble bath. Which is interesting when drinking. Not my favorite tea, but I liked it a lot more than Nina’s Japon.