Nina's Paris

Thanks to Nina’s Paris for sending this free sample. I warmed up my tiny teapot and added the tea into the hot pot to take a wiff before adding the water. I could smell the delicate peach scent and just a bit of roasty oolong. Brewed at 195F for 1.5 min. A tasty peach and a mild roasty flavour from the oolong. A very nice tea but like Terri Harplady I also got a tingling on the tongue. I finished most of mine though only because it does taste good and I’ve had worse reactions (most from David’s Tea Blends).

Yay free sample! Thanks again to Laurent and Dorian at Nina’s for the opportunity to try this one. I love genmaicha and I was excited to see how good it is with caramel and vanilla. Plus this one has quite a following around here, so I knew it had to be good! It certainly looks like genmaicha, aside from the black tea leaves. Mine had a couple of pieces of popped corn in addition to the roasted kernels. Smells vaguely caramelly but nothing too amazing. Steeped for two minutes!

The aroma of the brewed tea is much more exciting! I can smell the toasty rice mixed with the vanilla and caramel for a marshmallow treat-like scent. Mmmm! The taste is not necessarily what I expected. For some reason, from the combinations of these ingredients, the first taste I get is coconut! Whaaaat…? Then I taste dried autumn leaves, I assume from the sencha, and at the end I get more vanilla. The caramel is there, but not necessarily as a sweet taste (I don’t know if that makes sense! :P). It’s more of a richness than a candy-sweet flavor. I don’t really get black tea from this, aside from some astringency and bitterness that suggests to me that I may have steeped this incorrectly… Hmm. I have enough left for maybe a half-cup so I guess I’ll try a lower temperature or something. Either way, this tea is mighty tasty and I will definitely be purchasing it at some point! :D

Dabbling in watercolors is a messy, messy activity. Currently I am covered in various shades of green paint and a few splotches of black, yes, I am watercoloring a Creeper. The first one I did had the most lovely wash and excellent Creeper face, but when I added a bit of calligraphy I realized the character for Creeper (as in creeping vine) looked like a face and I cannot un-see! I am trying again without the calligraphy.

Today’s tea is from Nina’s Paris, (specifically their USA branch) Nina’s Japon, a blend of Black Tea, Sencha, Genmai Cha, Caramel, and Vanilla. I have a trilogy of teas from Nina’s Paris to review, thanks to a nice promotion on Steepster, and I will say this…my French accent is terrible! It is this reason (ok, there are others as well) that I do a blog and not so much the vlog. The aroma of this tea is nothing short of mouthwatering, but it did hit my ‘OMG I love these’ scale pretty hard, with strong notes of vanilla, caramel, and nutty rice. There are also notes of hay, malt, and a tiny touch of grass at the finish. I took a minute sniffing the tea thinking to myself, ‘this tea reminds me of something, something sweet and tasty that I have not had in a while,’ and it hit me, this tea smells like Creme Brulee!

After I finally manage to pull my nose out of the tea leaves and steep the tea (it was really hard) it was time to sniff the wet leaves. The aroma is still very sweet with strong notes of vanilla, toasted rice, caramel, and a tiny touch of molasses. It has gone from reminding me of Creme Brulee to Rice Crispy Treats, you know, maybe I am really hungry for sweets. The aroma of the liquid without the steeped leaves is also very sweet, with strong notes of caramel and rice, again the image of Rice Crispy Treats float into my head, but with a much richer tone.

Sipping time, I am excited, if this tea tastes as good as it smells, I have found a new favorite. I admit when I saw the ingredients I had a very strong suspicion that I would love it, but picking a sample that didn’t look like something I would like seems a little odd. Unless it is a blend that is really weird and I am doing it for an adventure, that is a whole different story…but I am getting distracted, and that is unfair to the tea. Ok, this tea is delicious, all my cravings for sweet things have been satisfied (for now) with this perfect dessert tea. The taste is a sweet blend of caramel and toasted rice with a strong vanilla taste. The vanilla taste is pretty neat because it tastes like vanilla extract smells, it is sweet and very vanilla heavy, but with just a hint of alcohol as well. After the initial sweetness there is a slight malt taste and a tiny bit of smoke at the finish that lingers into the aftertaste. I am so glad that this tea was exactly as good as it smells, I burned through my sample at lightning speed and really need to get more.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/ninas-paris-ninas-japon-tea-review.html

Sipdown! (15 | 231)

And the last of my Nina’s Paris teas…

This is a pleasant strawberry rooibos blend, not sure I detect any cream at this point but it is a few years old. The strawberry is somewhat candylike, though not completely. Rooibos base is woody and smooth. It does go very slightly medicinal, as rooibos with red fruit often does for me, but it’s still enjoyable. I feel like the cream element would probably help curb that.

Not one I would reorder, but nice to have tried. I really hope Nina’s gets their online shop going at some point, they have a lot of teas that I wanted to try…

So after ordering some Yummy from Lupicia, which is also a strawberry vanilla rooibos, I remembered I had this one in my cupboard and pulled it out to have tonight.

Does anyone know if it’s even possible to order Nina’s tea online anymore? There used to be a US website I think, and last time I was able to buy almost all of their teas on Amazon. Now the only online shop I can find is for Japan only… :(

Anyway, this is pretty tasty. The rooibos base is quite strong, but I find myself enjoying red rooibos more lately so I don’t mind. It has a pleasant woody taste with a hint of dark caramel. The strawberry is somewhere between fresh and candy, and has a lovely sweet flavor. I’m not sure I really get any vanilla or cream here, maybe a little bit? But honestly I’m okay without it.

Sigh… There are so many teas I never got to try from Nina’s, I hope they aren’t really impossible for me to get now…

ETA – I got a response from Nina’s Paris via Instagram:

“Hi! Thank you for your interest in our products. We are currently working to upgrade our online shop, in the meanwhile you may send your request to export1@ninasparis.com. Have a nice day!”

❤

The first of my three free samples from Nina’s Paris. Thanks to Laurent and Dorian for sending these my way! :) These samples came in the most adorably tiny zipper bags… I knew I wanted to try one of the zodiac rooibos blends and this one seemed like it was well-liked on Steepster. My sample didn’t have any dried strawberry pieces in it, which makes sense because it’s a small amount. It just looks like plain rooibos. The smell is delicious though! There’s a very tart, bright strawberry scent coupled with a sweet, candylike strawberry scent, in addition to sumptuous vanilla and cream aromas. My sample doesn’t really have enough for two cups, but I didn’t want to risk overleafing when I only get to try this once, so I didn’t use the whole thing. I used a slightly heaping teaspoon and brewed it for 5 minutes.

The brewed tea smells quite lovely. There’s a very juicy strawberry scent – like natural strawberry flavor that has been pumped up with a bit of artificial candy flavor. I also get vanilla and a bit of rooibos in the background. Tasting this, the strawberry flavoring reminds me of Kusmi’s Strawberry Green. It’s a somewhat “jammy” strawberry flavor, meaning it tastes deep and almost cooked with a natural sweetness. Although I don’t really get cream from this, the vanilla is a nice substitute and produces a similar effect. Then there’s that tart, interesting strawberry aftertaste, which is exactly the same as in the aforementioned Kusmi tea.

I very much enjoyed this tea, being a liker of red rooibos and strawberry things in general. I feel like milk would go well, but I was afraid it would overpower the flavors. I’m really interested in trying all of the Nina’s zodiac teas, and I wish they offered a sampler… As it is, I’ll probably just buy one of them, then when I drink it all replace it with another, and so on. :P

Thank you so much for this sample, Nina’s Paris! This tea smells wonderful and the taste delivers! Like the other Nina’s teas I’ve tried, the flavors are well executed and perfectly understated without seeming weak. How do they do that? Along with the black tea base, this tea is all tart strawberry with a creaminess from the vanilla. It reminds me a bit of strawberries romanoff. This tea does dry out my mouth more than I’d like, but that’s really the only criticism I have. Tea of the angels indeed :-).

Rooibos wasn’t really my thing, but now I find myself craving it at night…. yup. I said it. I crave rooibos! (never thought I’d see the day…)
This was a lovely sample sent to me from Laurent at Nina’s (THANK YOU!!! :)).
For a nightly rooibos, this is perfect…absolutely perfect. Caramely, and creamy, with a definite toffee-like quality. My cup managed to cool, as I found myself distracted by pokemon (yeah…pokemon. I was playing pokemon ‘x’….that sounds so uncool….), but the cooled-down cup was just as good as the piping hot one.
I really loved this, and will be adding it to my ‘must buy’ list.

This was a free sample from Nina’s Paris. I brewed it at work so I don’t know if I got the temperature exact. The base seemed to be a basic green: astringent with only light buttery notes. It picked up the citrus flavouring but not any strawberry. There seemed to be a slight bitter edge to it but that might have been me getting the temperature off. Overall, it was a decent cup but nothing stood out.

Many thanks to Laurent at Nina’s Paris USA for this sample.

It seemed from previous notes that it was the green tea to try. (yes, I know there’s black tea too but anything with sencha and genmaicha is green in my book). Caramel and genmaicha, both of which I enjoy, are supposedly present here. I brewed at 175F for fear of burning the leaves and rendering the brew too bitter to enjoy. It works fine at 175F. No additives.

It’s a nice colour, reminds me of apple juice. Clear liquid, I love those. So nice when you don’t get cloudy muck. Flavour wise I get a sweet sencha mostly. Buttery and sweet but sencha is not on my to-die-for flavour list. I also pick up something floral-y. I resteeped and it does well for a second go around.

Sadly I am not going to jump on the bandwagon of Japon lovers. To each his/her own. I enjoyed 2 out of 3 of these samples from Nina’s so pretty good I’d say!

This tea certainly has a breadier, maltier and less sweet base tea than Nina’s other black teas I’ve had. It gives the tea a certain density and takes the tea from being a spring/summer tea to a year round tea. The tea initially smells a lot like other raspberry orange teas I’ve had, but on closer inspection this one is sweeter and more rounded than the other one I currently have. The berry notes are especially noticeable under the two dominant fruits.

The raspberry and orange blended with the bready, faintly leathery base are the first notes present but once these dissipate a warm sweet mixed fruit flavour opens up underneath. The puerh mixes well with the orange raspberry and as it cools, I am tasting a bit of passion fruit between the top notes and berry, and a faint floral note in the raspberry. The tea is warming at first but finishes with a cooling feeling in the mouth. I brewed this tea for Nina’s recommended 3 min and it creates a really good balance between the flavouring and the base tea flavours. An interesting pleasant tea that I like better hot than my current raspberry/orange tea.

Thanks for the opportunity to try this tea go to Laurent at Nina’s!

Method: 1 tsp in 8 oz at 208 degrees for 3 min, tea ball

Dry Aroma: fruity and sweet. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a real passion fruit. This smells a little like mango to me.

Brewing Aroma: Same as above

Flavor: yum yum yum. Lightly sweet and fruity, and even better with sugar. The base tea isn’t bitter and lets the fruity flavors shine. Nice!

Not sure about this one. It smells fruity, but to me, the aroma is more peachy than apple! I suspect this would be an excellent cold brew; however, I just had enough for one cup. It had a hint of bitterness, but that was easily cut by a little sugar.

White Tiger Oolong… It smells so good. I get a nice scent of fresh peaches. The apricot comes out more in the flavour. Overall, a good summer blend.

The dry leaf of this tea smelled brilliant – creamy, sweet caramel!

Sipping… I am a little bit surprised that the caramel and vanilla are more toned down. I think I was expecting a stronger cup. It is still yummy, though. The black tea adds a bit of astringency even with a short steep time, so I would watch it closely. For me, I would like to have a stronger vanilla and caramel note, but I can see this being a nice cup for someone who wants a more subtle flavor. Thank you, Laurent, for a sample of this tea!

Thank you Ninas Paris for this sample!
mmm it smells just like peachy rings! This brewed up much darker than I expected given the name, but it’s not really an issue. This is a very smooth tea. I love the peach flavor! I think I would rather drink this than actually eat a peachy ring (all that sugar!). Very excellent midday pick-me up too!

I decided I had time for one more cup of tea before I have to spend all afternoon working in the hood and I am super glad I threw this in my bag to bring to work with me. Nina’s Paris is batting 1000 with me so far! This tea is just delightful. I like it even better than the Nina’s Japon. The raspberry and the red currant are fantastic together and then caramel and vanilla mellow out the tartness. I’m glad I split my sample in two and risked underleafing it because I definitely want to have this again soon. Thanks for sharing your Nina’s with me, Ost!

Wow this is a dynamic blend!
Hot, it tasted of super sweet and fragrant tangerine. I think the pineapple really brought that out because it didn’t taste so much like pineapple, but it had that same sweetness.
Then as it cooled, it kindof reminded me of cherry!! Odd because I don’t think it’s an ingredient. Anyhow, now that my cup has entirely cooled, I get more of a citrus melange.
Overall, a very light, refreshing tea that I didn’t need to add anything to, though I think it’d go superbly with a touch of lemon! I would consider adding this one to my cupboard, no question.
Also, I agree with Sil, this is pretty much a lighter, more vibrant version of Hepburn.
Thank you Nina’s Paris for the sample!!

I’m having an experience y’all and that experience is Nina’s Japon. This is my first Nina’s tea and also my first tea with crispy rice. It’s so toasty and roasted nutty with a little bit of sweetness with the caramel somehow hitting as I exhale after the sip. To me, this is a really well done, subtle tea that I am loving. It’s scrumptious and comforting. Thanks Ost for hooking me up with my first Nina’s Paris tea!

Thank you for the sample Ninas Paris!
This was very aromatic. Strawberries and vanilla were the main flavors. Very smooth and has a really great base tea. I would love to have this one in my cupboard!

Yum, I quite liked this tea – probably as I love tropical blends and pina coladas! It’s a delicate vegetal green tea with smooth coconut. Magicienne has a fresh juicy pineapple finish with a hint of tang. The pineapple is quite flavorful and works well with the buttery green tea. I wish I had more, I’d love to try this iced!

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl – featuring a Magician in Training Tea Owl! http://oolongowl.com/magicienne-tea-ninas-paris-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Thank you to Laurent @ Nina’s Paris USA for this sample. I have been curious about these teas for a a while now.

At first I wanted to write that I liked Ma Passion better than this. This is strong at first, punchy base. Seeing this and realizing it isn’t what I had in mind I combined the two steeps in a 16 oz mug and added a touch of raw sugar. I also started goofing around on the iPad and the tea had a chance to cool. The end result is that I like this tea better than the other now.

I can’t taste any of the fruits individually, nor can I tell there’s pu’erh leaves in here, which is fine by me. The smell of the dry leaf reminds me a lot of H&S Fruits D’Alsace. And something in the taste also reminds me of it but a little less so.

I do have one comment to make and it has not to do with the tea but with the length of time it took for the samples to reach me. More than 3 weeks. In case I want to order some, three weeks is more than I like to wait for my stash. Anyone in Ontario ordered from Nina’s USA? How long did it take, do you remember?

Thank you for this sample, Nina’s Paris! I had it iced and have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. Resteeps well too, which is always a bonus.

I’m writing this from memory, had it yesterday. I loved the base and flavour balance, it was not a “juice” tea, it was definitely black tea with some passionfruit throughout. The wet leaf as it cools is all fruity goodness in smell, which is what made me resteep. I mean, if it smells so good still it has to have more to give. And that it did :)

The colour was what I would expect of a black tea, a deep brown and there was not a lot of aroma at first. Good lingering fruit aftertaste. Purchasing this would be considered for sure, it makes a good summertime beverage!

I had forgotten why I requested a sample of Je t’aime—until the scent began to waft off the pot, and I was reminded of Florence, Vanilla Comoro, and some of the other delicious Harney & Sons flavored blacks.

Je t’aime is scented with caramel and vanilla, but it possesses the rich voluptuousness of creamy chocolate as well. The liquor is reddish amber, and I took a couple of sips before adding a bit of half and half. It definitely seemed potable au naturel, but I love to add cream to flavored black teas.

My impression is that the base black tea is of somewhat higher quality in this blend than in the Caramel tea from Kusmi, but I’d have to do a steep-off to be sure…

(Blazing New Rating #63)