Chaud Les Marrons!

Having the last of this sample from Azzrian today. I don’t know why, but I was craving a bolder tea this morning. Maybe it’s because I’ve been drinking so many herbals, fruity flavored things, oolongs and greens. I need something different! Plus I went out to dinner last night and it was a sort of pre-fixe that came with coffee/tea and dessert. The only tea they had was lipton. Sigh. I can’t believe I used to be ok with lipton. Then I moved up to Bigelow and Twinings. SO much better! and now, looseleaf!

This tea is great. First steep is a bit harsh. I added sugar. To be honest, the second steep is probably the best. It’s mellow and smooth and chestnutty. Perfect.

I really should be getting to the new teas and samples I have. I have too many! But I really wanted this tea today. It’s perfect. I might even start drinking black tea because of this! I know I’m already a fan of DT’s Butter Rum. I really don’t need to start liking another category of tea! Luckily, Pu-erh and I still aren’t BFFs. Green oolong will probably hold that title for life!

I feel suddenly compelled to get one of those two part necklaces that say “Best Friends” that fit together like puzzle pieces and give half to my green oolong collection.

…that’s it. I’m officially crazy.

This is an absolutely delicious breakfast tea! I am so glad that it was asked for in a trade because I had not even had time to open a few of my Lupicia teas yet! This is so delicious!
Or is it delicioso? LOL
Regardless, once again Lupicia delivers a solid tea!
Sweet but not too sweet, bold base but not over whelming to the flavor.
I am looking forward to this waking me up in a cozy way! :)

mmmmmm another delicious tea from dinosara. I’m not sure i’d want to drink this every day but every now and then this would be right up my alley. This is like liquid delicious roasted chestnuts! mmm even the smell reminds me of my trip to france where you could find roasted chestnuts nearly everywhere! so good!

Sad sipdown. I’ve been craving this tea all week, because something at work has been smelling like it. Clearly I need to get more sooner rather than later, if I’ve been craving it. Sigh. Someone in the Toronto area will place a Lupicia order soon… right?

And thanks again to VariaTea for the rest of her pouch. It was thoroughly enjoyed.

Once again I have been bad about logging my teas. I had this one yesterday, and it was quite tasty. This is totally one of those teas that I never think of having, but when I do have a cup I really enjoy it. Nutty, sweet and delicious. Roasted chestnuts and that’s it; sometimes you want a simple flavored tea.

Had a dozen roasted chestnuts a couple hours ago which made me crave this tea- And no, it does not really taste like roasted chestnuts on the street ( those taste tougher, smokier, more tough guy chestnut taste), not even Istanbul chestnuts which are presented like jewels and not scorched at all (and a bit too raw for my tastes).

But this tea does taste of chestnuts, maybe oven-roasted or even the famous marrons glacés. Just not street chestnuts. And it is a lovely delicate tea, a more subtle take than Mariage Freres´s one, but a lovely very well done tea.

Lupicia definetely now on my list of places to try. Does their Paris store ship within Europe?

Special Thanks to Azzrian for this one :)

This has a slightly sour chestnut aroma.

It tastes like a cross between a chestnut and a macadamia working hand-in-hand with the medium-mellow black tea base. As it cools a bit – at room temp – it does get a little sweeter-nutty.

After letting sit for a bit I did like this – it’s a nice snuggle-E type tea.

Oh, this is lovely! The black tea is robust but not so much so that it overpowers the flavor of the roasted chestnuts. The flavor is nutty and a little sweet, toasty with just a hint of smoke and malt. Full-bodied and pungent. I am really enjoying this!

I am currently on my second infusion of these leaves. Both infusions have been very flavorful and delicious.

Here’s another from my box from LiberTeas from way back when. This is another I fear has been improperly stored and as a result I am not getting any odour. I could tell that it was a black tea but had no idea as to potential flavourings. Actually, even if this had been fresh i probably still wouldn’t have got it, chestnuts in my world are spiny creatures that really hurt when you get hit by them. Of course I would never do such a thing..

Steeped about three minutes, I have a rich brown liquor which is throwing off notes of.. chocolate? Oy. The smell I am getting is milk chocolate at that! There is also something weird behind that but I think it is the buttered popcorn contamination yet again. Darn you buttered popcorn sharing your yuck!

First sips are a mix of the weird contamination taste and some unexpected sweetness. I get something roasty at the back end of the sip which then morphs back into sweetness – while this is likely a very inaccurate assessment of this tea, it is really interesting. There is some bitterness in there as well, but it doesn’t seem to be the tea base – I’ll chalk that up to smell contamination as well.

Once again, the lesson here is to drink your tea quickly!!

Thank you Will Work For Tea for this Sample!

Ah ha! Desert! Roasted Chestnuts? Nah!
As for me Mon Cheri, I do not want roasted chestnuts! I want
macaroons…yes…chestnut macaroons creamy and crunchy.
Have you had them? Rich and perfectly decadent?

There is a glass door not far from my home…‘French Pastry Shop’…it says in fancy black filigree letters. So small a shop, with only 1 large cooled bakery case filled with the most exquisite macarons (French spelling). My favorite ones are Chaud Les Marron Macaron. Lightest cocoa brown…delicate. Only one placed gently in a small paper bag and I’ve scored!
“Where can I go in a hurry?”, I ask myself? There must be a perfect spot in the park to savor this precious treasure.

Can tea be like this?

In the evening, when dinner is a memory…something sweet will add the perfect final touch to my day.
I chose a memory of meandering to the French Pastry Shop for my secret desert as an aid to selecting this tea. Then the enhancement of adding sweetening and a bit of cream (which I think is a must no matter what you say)… just because, how could I not do this?
This is a rich desert tea! If I could get away with sprinkles of chocolate I would do that too! Very satisfying for my sweet craving!

Living a little. Enjoying life.