Nina's Paris

I received this sample today (thank you Laurent!) I had heard so much about it that obviously it was the first one I wanted to try.

It’s really quite a nice cup of tea. I am so accustomed to black teas that sometimes I have to remind myself to appreciate the more mild teas, like this blend. I am starting to really love genmaicha. It adds such an interesting level of flavor that is different than anything else. It’s hard for me to pick out individual flavors in this, probably because it is such a balanced blend. I get a bit of honey, some vanilla, some caramel notes.

I would love to know the caffeine content of it, I could see this being a new favorite late evening tea for me.

This was nice, got it in a swap. I had read the reviews so I knew to look for a fruit taste (and that I would probably not find one). Most of the cup was just a moderate black, not especially strong. At the very bottom I got a hint of fruit. I had added some rock sugar and it had dissolved and not been stirred in, so it was that last couple of “insta diabetes” drinks where I got it.

Not bad, not great.

Thanks for this sample VariaTEA!

The flavor in this tea is on the lighter side. I can taste cherries, but not an impressive amount. It is more of a dried cherry taste as apposed to fresh cherry. The base is nice enough, smooth and not overwhelming the flavor. It feels like it is lacking something to really pop. It’s good, but is getting an “eh”. I’m happy to have tried it though!

TTB&C #11

Yum yum yum yum! I didn’t have expectations for this one. It seems this one is hit or miss on Steepster. I get peachy and apple with the vanilla. The sip is rounded out with a bit of sweetness at the end. I do not get apricot, but it could just be because it has been too long since I have had one. I am a little leery of the black base in Nina’s Paris teas. It seems a bit “smokey” to me. I might have to try the Japon and Eve next to each other. For this it works, but I could see how it might get in the way of some blends. Thank you NayLynn for including this one.

This tea wins for best chocolate orange tea.
That is all.

Oh! It’s creamy orange? I immediately tasted creamy fruit but couldn’t narrow it down further. Now that I’ve cheated and read the description my taste buds are all, yes, yes I can taste orange. Suggestible traitors, aren’t they?

It really seems obviously orange now though. Mmmmm… It’s like drinking a liquid Campino! (those hard candies…. om nom nom). Yes, I’m totally digging this now. I wouldn’t crave it all the time, but it hits the spot for orange if you don’t want to be blasted with cinnamon-orange.

Thank you Sil for passing this sample on to me! (177)

I love this one. So incredibly lovely. And I’m having some cantaloupe at my desk, so I’m in heaven. (I made this recipe for cantaloupe salsa and it was delicious: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/cantaloupe-salsa/)

I didn’t read Dune last night (!!!) but instead watched the season premiere of TeWo… which managed to include a HUGE fanfic trope that I have never seen done in canon before. Bravo, you silly show.

Wow. This tea is amazing. I don’t really get the citrus as much as the strange spiciness – it reminds me of Catholic church, so like frankincense and myrrh or something. Maybe it’s the marigolds! Also, golden flowers, yes. It’s very TEA and strong, but soft and lovely. Thanks, Shmiracles, for letting me try some from your samples!

I think I had nightmares last night. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched shows with dismembered human totem poles in them before bed, maybe???? (Though, looked pretty amazing, I must say.) Why didn’t I dream about Hoechlin and baseball, or how Dylan O’Brien looks in all those Maze Runner pics? Oh, brain.

Thank you to VariaTEA for this sample! I had been wanting to try more of Nina’s astrological rooibos!
I think I brewed this a little too strong, but I don’t want to water down the rich caramel flavor! The flavor is more present on the aftertaste, but does start to show mid sip. At the beginning of each sip, there is this mild tartness that made me think this was a fruit flavor at first. My mouth is left a little dry, like most rooibos teas would. It was a very nice cup, but won’t make it to my “must stock” list although I do look forward to a cup or two more before the sample is gone.

Sipdown!

I finished off the last of this tea this morning. Slightly overleafed (to finish it off) and oversteeped (because I wasn’t watching the clock).

I may restock this once I deplete a few other items in my cupboard. The flavouring in this is very subtle, which I imagine I’ll appreciate much more in the spring/summer.

Tea from this morning. I’m not sure if it was because I steeped it in a disposeable bag from David’s Tea, but it tasted kind of flat this morning. I did it for 2 minutes in 85C water – I wish I could get this tea right…

Happy first day of school, everyone!

There’s something so hopeful about the beginning of September for me. So much possibility just hanging in the air… my husband works on-call with one of the local school boards, so it was an immense relief for him to get called into a classroom on the very first day, less than 15 minutes after the dispatch line opened for the day. Hooray to work starting up again for him!

It also means for me, as a freelancer, that the sleepy hiatus of summer, when most of my potential clients were probably away from their desks, is over. I really hope that as the month goes by, business picks up.

I decided to celebrate by drinking Demain, a tea that it took me a while to come to grips with, but which I now appreciate for its delicate flavour. Unfortunately, it’s still not foolproof, as I only steeped the leaf for 2 minutes rather than 3. The flavour was a bit washed-out this time.

Ah well. September! School! Renewal! Possibilities!

I think I’ve figured out steeping parameters for this tea that work for me: 1 tsp per 8 oz, 87C, for 3 minutes.

The result is still green and somewhat vegetal, but it smells heavenly and there is a definite, gentle fruit taste.

I sipped this this morning before I headed out the door for a small business networking event. Let’s just stay that I started the day on the right foot.

Backlog from yesterday afternoon.

I tried this again using Lala’s preferred parameters of 1 tsp per 8 oz, 87C, 1.5 minute steep with a bit of sweetener (agave nectar, in my case). The tea was very light and fragrant, but the berry flavour was only visible in the aftertaste. Still pleasant, but kind of average.

I really have to find the old tasting note I wrote where the tea resulted in an aftertaste of fruit roll-ups. That’s still the most memorable steep for me, so I guess I should keep to those parameters.

I tried this tea this morning using Lala’s recommended steeping parameters: 1 tsp per 8 oz, 87C, 1.5 minute steep, with a little bit of sweetener added.

This resulted in a very mild, light cup of tea. The green tea base was a lot less noticeable this time, though I didn’t sense the berry flavours taking over the way I hoped they would. I do like this, though. I might stick with these steeping instructions, as the tea was very smooth. However, I did really like it that one time I brewed it and the aftertaste reminded me of fruit rollups. Hmmm…

Last time I tried this, I made note of what steeping parameters I was going to use next.

Aaaaand I forgot about that when I brewed. Bah. I really need to figure out how to get this one right.

Second time I’ve had this, and I admit I like the green base a little better now. It’s still not there yet though. Steeped it for slightly longer this time. Looking over other people’s tasting notes, I’m going to try Lala’s suggestion next (1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 190°F [87°C] for 1-1.5 minutes with a bit of sweetener).

The aftertaste on this is great – fruity and sweet and tongue-coating, almost like a classier, grown-up version of a fruit roll-up!

Backlog from earlier this evening.

I finally opened up my tin of this! I just didn’t have the time for this one before. As I’m finding typical for Nina’s teas, this smells absolutely heavenly when dry – fruity and slightly floral, even candylike. The raspberry is definitely the most prominent flavour here.

Also as I’m finding typical for Nina’s teas, this doesn’t come with any steeping instructions. Sigh. I went with 1.5 tsp for 8 oz at a temperature of 75°C and a 2-minute steep. In the end, this tea was a lovely yellowish green, mostly clear but slightly cloudy. There was some dust at the bottom of the cup.

Brewed, the scent is very similar: fragrant and fruity, with the raspberrry still dominant. However, alas: the base tea itself tastes somewhat musty! This definitely tastes like a Chinese green, (perhaps Chun Mee?) and I can see why this melds well with the fruit flavours, but I’m not a fan of the base itself. It’s not bitter or astringent, though.

I’m finding that Nina’s teas are rather finicky. The smell is worth it, though – I will figure out how to make this tea work, as I’m rather fond of red-fruit greens.

omg i’ve been so MIA

it suuuuucks.

but look. me and 3d!steve. we’ve been spending some quality time.
http://instagram.com/p/mifNfSIc8m/
really connecting.
bro-ing down.
priorities.

(i miss you steepster and i’ll be back soon i swear.)

Sipdown! (141/395)

I am so happy to finally be drinking my last cup of this tea, as I’ve had this well over 4 years at this point (!!!) I’ve been saving it for when it could be properly appreciated, since I screwed up my cup so royally the last time. It got to the point where I was scared to brew it, for fear of making the same mistake again and ruining the entirety of the sample I was sent. This time I was prepared. I read my old tasting note about what I did wrong the last time, read VariaTEA’s suggestions on how she drinks this, and read several other notes from other people who had enjoyed this particular tea. I used less water as last time I remarked that the tea was underleafed. I stuck to a 2-minute steep time, below my usual 3-4 minutes and FAR below the 30 minutes I left it last time. I am resolved not to add milk.

The waiting and preparation have definitely paid off! This is delicious! I can only imagine how incredible it would be fresh. As it was steeping, I could smell the apricot strongly, and the peach came through too after a minute or so. My mam remarked that it smelled like jam, and I agree. Plain, the peach and apricot flavours came through in the initial sip, but were quickly replaced by a surprising bitter note. Not astringency from the black tea, though there is a hint of that too, but something actually bitter which took me by surprise. I added a spoon of sugar as I enjoyed it best this way the last time, and wow! The peach and apricot flavours really pop! Now it tastes incredibly jammy, too. I love peach flavour, and I’m not usually keen on apricots, but together here they are d e l i c i o u s ! The bitter note is much less prominent with sugar added, and even less so as the cup begins to cool. I’m going to chalk it up to age or cross-contamination, as nobody else seems to have mentioned this. The vanilla really adds an extra something, a sweet creaminess which goes beautifully with the other flavours. The apple is lost behind the peach, apricot and vanilla, but I’m totally fine with that. As predicted, my previous rating of 43 is being left for dust this time around, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I definitely see a Nina’s order in my future.

Hmm…
I will write a proper tasting note for this one from my swap with variaTEA when I can do it justice. For now, it was poor and totally my fault as I fudged it up.

It smelled very strongly of apples in the packet, with a creamy hint which I suppose came from the vanilla. Almost like Adagio/Cara’s Ten blend (Doctor Who) only without the coconut. Brewed, the peachiness came through more than the apples and it smelled very juicy. HOWEVER I got distracted and alas, totally forgot about it for over half an hour, with the leaves still steeping in the cup in my little brew basket. I was so annoyed with myself when I remembered, as I was so looking forward to this!! It also turns out I underleafed, so the flavour was weak as well as bitter. I am planning on using the rest of the sample to very carefully prepare a cup exactly as it should be, as I want to enjoy it as it should be enjoyed.

Although it was bitter, I didn’t have to dump the cup – I added a teaspoon of sugar which mellowed it out a little, and was able to enjoy the fruity flavours in the aftertaste, after each bitter sip. The bitterness was just bearable enough, thankfully! Near the end of the cup, I added a touch of almond milk, out of curiousity, which didn’t turn out anywhere near as good as it sounded in my head. It kind of curdled a little, and the flavours seemed to remain separate in my mouth, too – first bitterness, followed by fruits, followed by a faint almond hint which ruined the overall aftertaste in my opinion. I think it would be good without sugar, too, but wasn’t able to tell this time due to the bitterness. My rating reflects the way I drank it with sugar before adding the almond milk as it was the most enjoyable, but I am sure the rating will increase massively when I manage to brew it properly without breaking it.

I am so angry with myself for overbrewing. I may have to find a way to acquire more (read: place a Nina’s order) as punishment. Yep. That’s what I’ll do.

Well, now that I look at the picture on this page and at my actual tea… I am not sure if they are the same. Because I sure don’t have any of these fancy fruit pieces! The Mon Secret that I got is largely just tea leaves… There’s bits and pieces of something in it, I guess. Hmmm…

The steep has a beautiful dark ruby color but it looks and tastes just like keemun tea with not much else to it. It’s a little disappointing, but I am not sure who to blame for it. I seriously believe that there’s something not right with the blend I got. Perhaps getting their teas from Amazon is not an entirely good idea?

I think I’m finally getting used to the flavour on this one and accepting it for what it is, rather than what it should be. Consequently, I’m not noticing the vanilla/peach flavour as much, and instead the base is coming to the fore. Really nice and smooth, not astringent. I need to have this tea more often.