Amandine Rose

I love almond teas and rose teas so when I saw Teavana had an Amandine Rose tea, I jumped on my poor penpal Jackie to ask for a sample and she very kindly put up with me. What a delight this tea is. It’s a very unusual combination but boy is it satisfying. It’s posh and comforting at the same time. The rose comes off really strong and the almond behind is so interesting. I’m really enjoying this with stevia.
Sadly the base was super weak when I resteeped it so I can only enjoy this once a day at most (I usually resteep my morning tea as a dessert after lunch so now I’m sad).

This is one of the last few teas from my epic swap with JustJames it’s hard to believe that I’m almost through with them.

Even though I don’t generally care for Teavana teas, every once in a while one of them intrigues me. I thought the combination of almond and rose sounded absolutely delicious, but sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations. I could taste the almond, and it didn’t taste like pure almond extract like many almond teas, which was a plus. The floral notes tasted almost soapy, which was quite a surprise, and in the end the reason I dumped my cup out. I really wanted to love this tea because it is a combination of so many things I love.

Thanks to The DJ Booth for this one which came to me as the result of a recent swap.

This one is pretty good, maybe Teavana should try some more black tea blends with less fruit in them. The aroma is very almondy and I am definitely picking up the rose. I wonder if I ended up steeping this too long because it got slightly bitter and also a bit “soapy”. I will try again and report back if my rating changes.

I think I like the smell of this a bit better than the taste of it. I was really glad I got the chance to try it!

I had called a Teavana location to inquire about their Almond Biscotti, to which they informed me Amandine Rose has replaced; they had also assured me that this tea is exactly the same as Almond Biscotti.

Right away, I expected the familiar and comforting buttery flavor Almond Biscotti is known for, which this tea is close to getting.

I can smell and taste more of the rose petals than the almonds, which makes for a pale yet sweet brew.

But, Almond Biscotti this tea is not, as it is more of a pale marzipan than a dessert tea.

I still enjoyed the tea, as it is now the best marzipan I have had.

Thank you JustJames for providing me with a sample of this tea.

This is not a tea I would normally choose myself just because it has rose in it, and I thought it would be too floral. I actually only got a hint of the rose in the background, more as an aroma than a taste. I mostly tasted sweet almond. I’ll admit though, I cheated a little and had added almond milk to this. It was ok. If they took the rose out, I’d probably enjoy it a little more.

My fiancee decided to take advantage of the great post-new year’s sales yesterday. As my reward for trudging through the women’s sections of several department stores, and helping her critique her potential new wardrobe, she offered to take me to the nearby Teavana store and buy me some more tea! No wonder I’m marrying her!

Teavana also had some great sales and I left the store with three new teas to help kick off the new year! This morning I reached for the Amandine Rose.

This tea has a rich sweet almond aroma while brewing. It is almost like almond biscotti. I’m not sure but I think I started to drool as I waited for my one-touch Breville tea maker to beep its completion.

Brewing this tea at 195 degrees for three minutes (as recommended) resulted in a dark honey-like color. The hue is similar to orange pekoe tea.

When I took my first sip, my throat was filled with the sweet taste of an almond cookie. (My fiancee is a pastry chef and her professionally trained palate discerned the taste of Cap’n Crunch cereal!) The flavor is steady and well-defined but not strong.

I don’t go out of my way to buy or try flowery tasting teas, but the rose flavor in this blend seems to just make this selection a little sweeter without drawing a lot of attention to itself. My greedy sweet tooth hungrily lapped it all up.

Like Teavivre’s fine products, Teavana teas have yet to disappoint me. If you like sweet, medium-strength black teas without astringency, you may enjoy this tea as much as I (and my sweet fiancee) do.

Tried this for a third time. This time, I brewed 1 tsp of this plus 1 tsp of rooibos with 1 tsp of rock sugar in 16 oz of water. It was vastly more drinkable than the previous times I had tried drinking this tea alone.

The almond flavor is definitely still present throughout the tea, and the sugar enhances the rooibos and the other flavors in the Amandine Rose.

I think I’ve finally doctored this tea in a way I actually like it. I’m bumping up my score for this tea a bit in reaction, tho I wish I hadn’t had to nearly jump through hoops to make this drinkable.

I think Teavana might have a problem with the consistency of their blend on this tea. While others have said the rose in this is subtle, I found the rose in my bag to be unbearably strong. The best way I can describe this tea in taste and smell is 25% Almond Biscotti and 75% rose air freshener. I’ve had plenty of rose teas before, but this just seems artificial and extremely overbearing. Somehow I managed to finish the cup, but it was probably just because I was too lazy to make something else. Considering this was supposed to be a “tweaked” or “upgraded” version of Almond Biscotti, I am seriously disappointed.

If someone is brave enough to give this tea a try, check out my swap list in discussions. I am willing to swap this for absolutely anything.

I received a sample of this tea from Dustin. Thanks Dustin!.

This tea is unlike anything I’ve ever had before. I don’t really like rose, so when smelling the dry tea (with a very dominate rose smell) I was hesitant. After brewing the rose smell still is very present, but you also smell something ‘behind’ the rose, something sweet and dark. It’s really very intriguing.

The taste holds up well to the promise of intrigue. The first or top note is floral, but the roasted almonds and cinnamon follow fast on its heels, so that overall the first impression is a dark and intriguing rose+. It has a body and complexity that is very similar to expensive red wines. A very true desert tea and one that has converted me to not strike rose teas off my list of to-try-teas.

This isn’t an everyday tea though. More like a special occasions or special mood tea. And it probably is a hit-or-miss tea as well. My partner can’t stand the smell of it and complains when I brew a cup. :-)

Tea of the morning. :) Prepared black, with a little less sugar than normal. This tea didn’t smell like it needs much sweetening.

The loose leaf is VERY marzipan! I’m not a fan of the texture of marzipan, but I love the smell, so I didn’t mind. I also smell the almond, and a little of the flower petals. My husband was very intrigued by the candied violets, which are present only sparingly in HUGE chunks. I made sure to get one of those in the infuser. :) After steeping, the black tea smell comes through to bind all those scents together. The marzipan is definitely present still, while the almond seems to have faded a little bit. Wonder if this foretells anything for the taste.

In the first few sips, YES, there’s marzipan in there all right. The candied violets are there in the flavor as well. However, I’m not getting a very almond-y taste. Despite the fact that marzipan is MADE from almond paste, it never tastes very much like almonds to me, so I guess I was hoping that this tea would have more almond flavor—after all, there are almond pieces galore, along with the marzipan. I do like that the floral notes come through; after all, the name of the tea is Amandine ROSE.

The overall effect is a very creamy, sweet brew, with a somewhat astringent aftertaste. I was hoping that this would be an adequate replacement for my ever-dwindling supply of Almond Biscotti, which Teavana has discontinued, but it doesn’t look like it holds the same appeal for me. I won’t be having this one with shortbread or scones anytime soon. I will, however, drink it when I’m looking for something sweet but not fruity or caramel-y.