Je t'Aime

Another from VariaTEA, and since she suggested I try this and Caramel-Toffee one after the other, I figured I may as well. She has yet to lead me astray.

I must say, I really appreciate the average steep time and temperature feature. When I couldn’t find directions before, sometimes I would go through and do a quick average myself and now it’s already there. However, I also see the tea measurement is still rounding down.

Perhaps this is due to VariaTEA’s feelings on this as well, but I am slightly preferring this tea over the last. The base seems to work a bit better with the flavouring here. The caramel seems softer, perhaps due to the vanilla. I’m excited I have some of this en route to experiment more with.

Thanks VariaTEA!

The minute I opened the sample, I knew this one would be good. Sometimes you just have that feeling. Je t’aime had this almost custard-like vanilla and caramel type smell. It was almost overpowering in the best way possible.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well that amazing dry tea translated into a delicious cup of tea. The vanilla and caramel didn’t weaken all that much and was pleasantly creamy not cloying and over-sweet. I also love this black base quite a lot. It’s sort of smoky and has a bit of astringency to it. The sweetness of the vanilla and caramel and the kick of the base play very well together—in harmony if you will. The only negative I have, is that this tea is pretty much a one shot deal. The resteep was too weak and I just tossed it. But based on how amazing this one was on the first steep, the lack of resteep-ability can be overlooked.

Thanks to Laurent for the sample.

Enjoyed this last night while watching Love Actually. Thought they complemented each other well.

This reminded me so much of Della Terra’s Eight Candles. Caramel is much of what I smell and taste in the cup. The vanilla and caramel together make it taste like a toasted marshmallow. So creamy and delicious. Another tea to add to my shopping list. I may need to take another part time job to pay for my tea addiction :) 2 for 2 with Nina’s Paris!

1 tablespoon for 247 ml

A touch of excessive astringency. Good caramel and vanilla flavour blend which are very well balanced.

Received my samples almost 2months after shipment, a bit late but then again a very very nice surprise! Thanks Laurent for the samples!

First up is je t’aime!

The dry leaf smells strongly to vanilla and caramel, very strong even. I’m brewing this 2 times like i do with all my blacks. First cup is a brew for 3min on boiling water.

The color of the brew is very dark and smells more like vanilla and less caramel. My first sips off the tea reveal a soft tasting vanilla aroma with hints off caramel. The caramel is not ruling the cup but thats maybe because its still a bit to hot. When its cooled alot more i’m noticing the caramel as a very nice after taste.

This is a very good first cup and i’m enjoying how smooth it tastes, pretty sure i’m going to order this in near future. But from nina’s european branch in paris…

Merci beaucoup Sophie et Laurent for this sample! (My French only goes so far, also I live in New Brunswick where it’s perfectly acceptable to speak a mash of both languages, haha)

I was so happy to receive these samples because I had wanted to try this ever since reading other reviews on it. I am also still on the hunt for the ‘perfect for me caramel tea’, so this was on the list to try.

My first impression was that it reminds me a bit of DavidsTea Salted Caramel, which is more burnt toffee and less creamy than I’m still hoping to find. On second sip I can tell it isn’t as burnt tasting as SC, must be the vanilla toning it down a bit. That’s the only real hint of vanilla I’m getting though.

All in all I did like this more than the SC, but not sure yet if I would order it. Maybe my idea of what caramel should taste like is just wrong?? Or doesn’t exist as tea? Kraft caramel cubes, that’s what I want. Brown sugar mixed with butter and eagle brand sweetened condensed milk!

Incidentally, today my third….ummm maybe fourth? (haha) Della Terra order arrived, and I got a custom sample pack including Caramel Creme which I’ve been wanting to try. I opened the bag up for a sniff and it totally reminded me of this!

Anyway i still have two Nina’s samples to try and I am excited. They’ve gotta be better than Grand Amour! (go check my review :))

Made this at boiling for 2.5 min

Thank you Nina’s Tea for this sample!! I’m quite enjoying this cup. The vanilla is very mild, and pairs excellently with the caramel. Light, like cloudbursts. The black base is nice as well, bringing everything together to make a very well rounded tea. No sugar or milk added.
Oh!! When piping hot, I swear there was something fruity in there!
I definitely wouldn’t mind having this in my cupboard.

This tea smells exactly like this type of pipe tobacco I used to smoke. I like it.

I don’t generally go for flavored teas, unless they are sophisticated and classy like this one. This tea is vanilla and caramel for grown ups. It’s not over powering or artificial-tasting.

I would keep this on hand for blends.

Sample package: 2” x 2” clear plastic zip-lock – 2 level tsp
Label: “JE T’AIME” (No ingredients listed. No brewing instructions.)

Per http://www.ninasparis.com/en/pro_tea0.html:
“Le celèbre thé JE T’AIME
Vanilla, caramel
A voluptuous tea with the sweet taste of vanilla and all the tenderness of caramel. A blend that will envelop you in gentleness and warmth.”

Thanks to Laurent at Nina’s Paris Tea Store USA
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ninas-Paris-Tea-Store-USA/569332199761362
for the recommended brewing instructions: 1 rounded tsp / 195*F / 6oz / 2.5 min.

Technique:
Water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 23 ppm
Heated to 212*F and allowed to cool to 195*F – verified with DAVIDsTEA digital thermometer
Steeped the entire tea sample in 12-oz for 2.5 minutes, then poured two six ounce servings.

This tea has a potent caramel vanilla fragrance.

2.5-min Infusion: The aroma followed the caramel vanilla fragrance. Similarly, the flavor followed both the fragrance & the aroma. The caramel vanilla flavor was so dominate that I cannot easily comment on the character of the base tea other than to say that it was not at all bitter or astringent and had a clean finish. Perhaps a longer infusion time may have allowed the base tea to more fully develop. Since the tea was very sweet, I wasn’t inclined to steep it longer.

Impression: A smooth, very sweet desert tea.

Suggestions: Perhaps Nina’s Paris might consider recommending a longer infusion time or a little less flavoring to allow more of the merits of the tea to shine through.

Thanks to Nina’s Paris for providing this free sample.