Goût Russe Douchka

Well, I’ve been reduced to boiling water in the microwave. With a Dammann sachet, which is crazy. Man can you tell the difference. Years ago, before I was actually “into” tea, I used to boil water in the microwave at work and steep my teabags in them. These days I’ve always wondered how I was able to stand such bitter, yucky tea, but now I realize that microwaved water totally neutralizes any tea you put in it. I brought a bunch of Dammann sachets with me but it’s totally not worth using them in this, because while there are still hints of how good they are, it’s basically a waste. Oh well, if only North American hotels all had electric kettles like Asian hotels!

Tea of the afternoon…..

This one is from Dinosara. Thank you! OMG! This is so right up my alley! It is a good tea base and a super yummy citrus flavor. I am guessing it is orange and bergamot. It is just a little more lemony-but-not-quite-lemon than an orange tea would be. It is also nice to have such an orangey tea without spice! If there was an easy way to get some of this (besides Dinosara’s generosity!) I would be buying some. I guess for now it will just go on the list in hopes that I can get more one day. For now, I have about two more sachets and I will thoroughly enjoy them.

Usual mug method with a sachet.

Day 6 of the advent calendar.

I am not following along very well, it seems. Also, I am kind of picking and choosing my way through it for whatever reason.

What a gorgeous tea. I have had a few of their citrus ones and its enough for me to see that they do this flavor well. The scent of the dry leaf in particular with this one smacks of bergamot – I was assuming it was an Earl Grey, in fact, until I tasted it and got mostly orange. I am also assuming there is some Ceylon in the base as that has particularly bright citrus characteristics to me and the base is working VERY well with the flavoring.

I’m having trouble remembering why I ever needed to drink any tea with milk and sugar. It seems like all teas should stand on their own as well as DF teas do. All teas should be this smooth and unfussy to make, as well.

I’m so glad someone posted this advent calendar in our forums…it’s made my holiday season so far!

So… after much ado about nothing, I am decupboarding this tea. I had it again today and i find that it’s just not enjoyable for me, though i know a number steepster folks out there that i’ve swapped with have really enjoyed this. SO, for those that I’ve swapped with before, if this is of interest to you, send me a pm. I’m happy to send it off to a home that will enjoy it more than i do :)

Day 6!

This is one of the Dammann teas I have had before. This one tastes a bit different this time. I am unsure if it is scent contamination or just the time that has passed since I had this one. I am getting a much more floral fragrance and taste this time around. The black tea base is light to moderate. It is smooth with no astringency. There is definitely an orange flavor. It is sweet, maybe slightly tart, but it is not bitter. And it is orange, not orange peel, which is a refreshing flavor to have in a tea. I also feel like I am getting some jasmine (?), some kind of floral. Either way, it is still delicious. Because of this tea, I now often put a whole orange slice into my tea for pure taste enjoyment.

This fruity black tea is from Sil, when she sent me an amazing Strawberry Rhubarb package a few months ago.

I steeped it for 3 minutes in a David’s Perfect Mug, in 208F, sans milk.

There’s more citrus to the aroma than to the taste, and it reminds me a little of an Earl Grey. There’s something lightly smoky to it too, that strangely appealing right now. I feel cozy and nostalgic while drinking this, and I have no clue why.

This seems like a good tea to sip away at while finishing off the fourth book in the Wheel of Time (I’ve unknowingly made a huge commitment).

I absolutely wanted to buy this tea, because of its history (described in the tea sum up) : I found this very romantic and I adore citrus flavoured teas.

Opening the bag…oh…I was first disapointed because no pieces of fruits here, no flowers…only dry leaf + essential oils.

The perfume of the dry leaf was fine but not exceptional.

I brewed it as requested and magic arrived !
What a wonderful tea, so subtile, delicate with a touch of orange just as we need, not over flavoured and so natural.

Just as if we had some fresh orange juice into an excellent black tea.

We can taste as well some bergamot but a very delicate and soft bergamot.

A beautiful tea, reliable as only an excellent classic tea can be.

Jean Jumeau-Lafond should have loved his wife so much to imagine such a fantastic tea for her…or Mrs Jumeau-Lafond had a fantastic taste and explained exactly what an excellent tea “goût russe” should be …we’ll never know…

Yum. Yum yum yum.

I feel a lot of my tasting notes are starting in similar ways. :)

I love this tea. The orange-earl grey just takes the edge off the “blergamot” and makes it divine, especially with some honey.

I would get more. I would get more of a similar tea, even. Not necessarily this exact one. :)

Thanks, Sil, for sharing!

There’s a very distinct smoky, leathery element in here, which I wasn’t sure about with the first sip, but ended up actually enjoying more than I thought I would. With the orange citrus adding a sweet and bright flavor, this reminds me a bit of an Earl Grey, or like a Kusmi spin off thereof.

What I learned from this: I actually think I might enjoy smoke with citrus. I ran into the same thing with Romanoff (American Tea Room), when they paired it with blood orange. It just works.

Thanks Shmiracles!

Having to skip a few days of Dammann’s Advent Calendar due to allergies, this finds me at day six.

This tastes like an expensive Earl Grey to me, heavier on the orange than bergamot – but let’s face it, I’ve confused the two many times before. Had to add a fair amount of Truvia for me to enjoy it.

Nothing to see here. I think I may move on to day seven next.