Nina's Paris

So last night I did not sleep as I was writing a paper. I finally finished that at 10 am this morning and though my intention was to sleep for two hours before my class, my friend who is vacationing in Asia messaged me so I ended up talking to her instead.

I think proceeded to go to class, drop off my paper, and then promptly turn around to go home as I still have a midterm and a paper proposal I need to worry about by Wednesday. On the way, I dropped off some tea packages and grabbed some groceries and then got home, started the kettle, and turned on an episode of Bones to relax for a little while.

Apparently I relaxed too much because I passed out, sitting upright, and cross legged on my bed. I woke up at 7 and was super disoriented and immediately thought it was Wednesday and that I slept through both the exam and the paper proposal. After a moment of panic I realized what was happening and decided I was still very tire. I quickly fell asleep once again. Now, it is 9 pm and I have not had lunch or dinner or any tea today.

I saw Courtney had Japon and I decided that I also was going to make myself a cup. Typically I would try a new tea or aim for a sipdown but now that I am under 100, I can happily reach for my favorites and know that the others will be drunk in due time.

And of course, this is the perfect cup, as always. I am getting more caramel today than genmaicha but I don’t mind as all the components are still there and still delicious.

This isn’t valentines day themed but valentines is about celebrating love and I obviously LOVE this tea. I brewed up a huge mason jar to enjoy. I even got my roommate to finally try it (she does not like the idea of flavored genmaichas) and so she is joining in on the Japon love too.

When I am not sure what I am craving, I almost always make this. At least I know I will enjoy it.

Mmmmmm. Never disappoints :)

My friend was looking at a package of David’s Genmaicha and mentioned how she had seen tea that looked similar but was not from David’s. I then told her how genmaicha is pretty popular and most tea places will have their own version. However, if we were having genmaicha, I was definitely not going to let the opportunity pass to have some Nina’s Japon. So we are both having a cup of this roasty-toasty caramel treat. MMMmmmmm…

I have so many swaps and a bunch of samples that I really should be drinking instead but I could not resist this tasty little tea. Especially not after freaking out about it with Courtney for the past little while. Haha.

Honestly, there is a reason I rated this an 100. This tea is that good! Sheer perfection. The green base is never vegetal and the black base never astringent. The caramel is buttery sweet and the vanilla is silky smooth. All that combined with the roasty-toasty goodness of the rice. SO GOOD!

So I have a serious problem. I have over 200 types of tea and a box of samples that I haven’t even begun to try. In addition to that, I have multiple orders and swaps on the way to me right now. Meanwhile, because I sold a textbook and had some cash in my pocket, I had to fight the urge all day to go over to DAVIDs and pick up a few new teas. What stopped me? (1) The realization that I have lots of tea and I need to drink it before it goes bad and thus I shouldn’t buy more and (2) if I forwent the trip to DAVIDs, I could get home sooner to have a cup of this delicious tea that I have been craving ever so much since I got it weeks ago. In the end, my better judgement steered me home to a nice cup of Nina’s Japon.

I am so happy that this tea is actually as delicious as I remembered and not just hyped up in my own mind from the weeks of wanting it but not being able to have any. The green and black tea combine together beautifully to provide the perfectly smooth and subtle base that really allows the flavors to shine. The smell is that of sweet, gooey caramel but the first taste that hits my tongue is the vanilla. That sweetens up to the tasty caramel goodness only to be rounded out by the awesome flavor of the toasted rice. This tea is seriously ADDICTIVE! I am already 1/2 way done my 16 oz mug and all I have done was write this tasting note.

I am so glad I actually got to have a cup of this when I went to the Nina’s Paris office. That allowed me to get a whole tin worth rather than a mere one cup sample. And its a good thing that the tin is the large because this tea is going to go fast!

ETA: Having a resteep and the caramel flavor is more muted but still delicious. I think I have fallen in love with Nina’s take on caramel. Between this and Je t’aime, I am thoroughly impressed.

THANK YOU LAURENT, SOPHIE, AND EVERYONE AT NINA’S PARIS FOR YOUR AMAZING HOSPITALITY TODAY!!

I had the pleasure of visiting Nina’s Paris’ Miami office today and meeting the amazing staff of Nina’s Paris. I enjoyed two cups of tea and was given many, MANY samples that I just can’t wait to try! Not just tea samples either. My mother was given small jars of jelly to try and she LOVED them. She doesn’t even like jelly typically but she liked these jellies. However, none of that compares to how amazing kind and inviting everyone was at the office. It was an amazing experience and I would happily visit them again.

As for the tea, it was very good. So good in fact that I bought a large tin to bring home with me. It has the typical roasty-toasty goodness of a genmaicha but the black tea helps to mellow everything out and provides a smooth foundation for the deliciously sweet vanilla and caramel flavors to shine. Amazing!

This was the final tea served today for tea party, and I have only about a teaspoon of leaf left. This came in a beautiful special tin from Nina’s. It is predominantly orange flavored, rich and thick orange flavor and aroma! I love that it isn’t your run of the mill black tea-orange-cinnamon-clove that every company seems to make, that usually have a slightly bitter taste. This one is fresh and lively.

Regarding serving tea for events – here are a few little things I have picked up and I hope others will share any tips and tricks they may have.

First, you can write on your ceramic, porcelain, etc. teapots with a Dry Erase marker. I used to write the preparation instructions for my youngest daughter because she would prepare the tea while I welcomed the guests and kept them company until the table was fully ready. I wrote the time and temperature for each tea and away she went. Then you just wipe it away before bringing the pots to the table, or you can leave the name of the tea on the pot so you don’t forget which tea is in which pot, or so the guests can know what they are drinking.

Secondly, I just bought a metal cloche for keeping the hot foods hot, but when my guest was late one day I put a glass cloche over my teapot and it kept the tea nice and hot for a very long time. I don’t own a cozy other than a knitted Christmas one (thank you, Sandy!) that I obviously don’t use all year round.

The last tip I have is…invite people over even if you serve tea and Oreos. People want to socialize more than we think! It is nice to connect, so don’t wait until you can make some Martha Stewart extravaganza. Just do it! Truth is, they will probably be more comfortable if things are NOT perfect, because then they know you are human and they don’t mind returning the invitation.

I am fortunate to work at home, and I know that gives me a lot of freedom some people don’t have. I also have a daughter who loves to cook and never complains about being asked to make something special. In fact, she gets bored when I don’t. So when I invite other people over, I usually have a candle lit, soft spa music or coffee house music playing, and a general atmosphere that I hope will both help guests relax and help them have fun. I bring out the best of everything I have. I buy linen and cotton napkins for 50 cents at estate sales. The dog (or dogS if I am sitting for family members) have a bed under the tea table so we can slip them the occasional treat and get lots of love and kisses. So it is at once as elegant as I can make it, and also as relaxed and friendly, I hope!

I would love to hear anyone else’s tips and also what you have done that you love, that worked, or even what you will never ever do again! :)

We are gearing up for holiday mode even though our one or two chilly days went away and hot temps came back. We are making pumpkin flavored everything and starting to bring out our fall tea flavors, as well as Christmas ones.

I don’t like many Christmas teas. They all seem to take the same harsh orange flavor and some cinnamon and clove and shove it in your face. There is usually an acidic bite to those teas to me. Most of them are just too pushy.

This tea, however, is festive and more subtle. The orange flavor is mild and sweet and the tea is overall smooth and amiable. It doesn’t scream CHRISTMAS!!! I really think it is great with fall foods to accompany the pumpkin and cinnamon and clove, and it would be a great Christmas tea, but I also think of it as a fabulous New Year’s tea – something special after the holidays that is lighter and more genteel and ushers in the hope of spring. It was great along with our pumpkin scones and apple walnut cake. The light orange flavor really complimented the food.

This is a winner from Nina’s, and I love the special white tin. It is definitely fit for a Fete!

Today was tea party day, and as promised, I served this as one of our teas. It was the second tea I served and we were having White Stilton cheese with cranberries in it, served on crackers.

My guest lifted her cup, sipped, set it down, did a double take, sipped again, and said, “What IS this?” I told her Laurent sent it and gave her the name of the tea. She sniffed it again and said, “Some tea is good. All of your tea is good. Some of it is A Plus. This is A Plus.” She remarked that it was especially nice with the cheese, and I agree. The orange of the tea didn’t fight with the stripe of cranberry running through the cheese, but instead enhanced the fruitiness. This was a great combination that I don’t want to forget.

I had also mentioned that I wanted to try it iced, and I did. I added a little of my homemade simple syrup, which is just sugar and water and no additional flavors, and it tastes just like orange blossom honey to me!

A real winner, and it is sooooo nice to have a Christmas (New Year’s, etc.) tea that doesn’t contain cinnamon and clove. I like both of those, but this is a refreshing change!

Thank you, Nina’s and Laurent!

I just received a marvelous surprise in the mail! I will try to add a link so you can see the adorable “I am keeping this forever” miniature Marie Antoinette box and the beautiful white tin of this tea.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24998856@N06/11652962885/

I saw this advertised but did not order because I knew the girls had purchased lots of tea in London and Dublin for me for Christmas and hubby was getting me some puerh teas. Then I got a message from Laurent to look to my mailbox and today this arrived!

The smell when I opened the tin was incredible – I couldn’t stop smelling it. It was so intensely sweet and pure pure orange! Mandarins, I think. It is very like the fresh spray that hits your face when you are pulling back the peel of the juicy fruit.

The base tea is strong enough to taste through the orange, and the orange is the dominant flavor of them blend. I take my tea plain but I imagine this would be incredibly sweet with a bit of sugar added for those who are so inclined. This is such a lovely change from the all of the Christmas teas that are just a change of proportions of orange, clove, and cinnamon.

I am just so touched by the generosity of Nina’s and the Caravels. Thank you so much! I will be serving this at tea time on Wednesday!

This is a consummate summer drink. It’s grapefruit, through and through, with a slightly floral finish and substantial body. It was nice enough warm, but it works best as an iced tea. Be warned: this is crazy caffeinated. I made a teapot for my family yesterday around 8pm and ended up finishing off the last two cups myself. Big mistake. I couldn’t fall asleep until near morning.

I got this from Laurent at Nina’s Paris at the Taste of France festival back in September. Thanks!

Ha! I’ve done it! I have sipped down Fete de Versailles.
My final review.
Orangy! Not spicy orangy, just orangy. Not much more to day.
I tried it, and I now get to keep the gorgeous tin it came in.
Bye bye, Versailles.
Triumphant sip down!

I think I’ve only got one more pot of this. Maybe one and a bit.
I’m glad. This is not a bad tea, but it was never going to be my favorite, and I’ve found it to be problematic to sip on. So getting it gone would be quite the achievement, for which I would be happy.
Though I must admit, it steeped pretty nicely today. Its just not my favorite combination of flavors.

Up, and to my shift this morning. I like my Saturday job, but I’ve never liked the part were I have to get up. Waking up is hard to do!
I’m now in the official state of drinking this just to get it drunk. Its not bad, not by any stretch of the imagination, but its also not my favorite. It will be nice when I get to the end of it.

I wish I had been paying better attention this morning, as this brewed up very nice, and I wish I’d been paying attention to steep times.
I’d thought, when I got this, that it would be an spiced orange tea, but its really more like a plain orange tea. Its an interesting twist!
Is it Monday already? How does the weekend vanish so quickly?

This is such a lovely blend, in dry leaf form. Bright petals, and I swear I see little strips of gold. Lovely.
Its a little tricky when brewed. Its got orange, thats for sure, but the base gets bitter very quickly. For example, today I it brewed up a little long perhaps, and its a bit bitter.
Hmm. Grumble.

My cup this morning.
I did a very light steep with this today, which was both a good and bad thing. Its not bitter, and it does bring out the orange, but its also a weak cup. Hmm.
Theres just no pleasing me, I suppose.

I’m working on drinking teas that are not deeply thrilling to me, and this falls on that list.
A light steep helps keep the base from taking over compleatly, which is an important part of the whole arrangement. When I can get it right it has a decent orange flavor, but nothing completely overwhelming.
Well, thats at least a bit more down of this. And the tin it came in is gorgeous.

I’m feeling well enough to try a proper loose leaf today, but not well enough to pull out a beloved favorite.
This is a proper orange tea. Not an orange spice tea, not an orange cream tea, an orange tea.
I over steeped this today, though, as its a bit bitter today. Ah well.

First review? No pressure.
I got this as a gift to myself, and have been saving it for today. To all of you who celebrate this, Happy Christmas! For all of you who do not, happy Wednesday!
This smells very nice in the pretty holiday tin. Orange-y and sweet. And it looks so pretty, with the petals. I swear I even spied some golden shimmery bits, but that could just be imagination. And big chunks or orange peel.
Its very citrusy, with an after taste of spices. I keep looking around for the orange in my cup.
Enjoyable, I must say.
I will have time for some more tea, and then off to my parents house, where I may not get tea for a while. (humph, coffee-drinkers).
The best of the season to you, Steepster.

This has been on my wishlist for a while, so I was delighted when JustJames sent me this.
I’ve had orange spice teas before, and I realy like them. But I’d never tried anything like this before.
It tastes like one of those chocolate oranges, though the chocolate is almost subconcious. If I focus, I cant taste the chocolate, but if I relax, the chocolate orange just waves over me. Delicious.
Well, this has decided it. I’m going to keep this on my to-order list. Yum.