Okay, so you remember that Thé d’amandine (Comptoir des thés et des épices) review that prompted Ysaurella, our resident fairy godmother of The O Dor tea samples to offer some up in the first place? Well, I do.
I’ve been so curious about this one – I mean, a comment such as, “Tribute by Theodor is cleary THE galette des rois tea” makes it impossible to resist, after all. And yes, this is one of those cases where – if I’d had this one first – I would have been head over heels, placing an order within the week. But now I have two very positive experiences with other almondy teas, one of them a staple in my cupboard (Pleine Lune) and the other one (Thé d’amandine) a tea I’ve vowed to re-review more generously, seeing as I was so fed up with French greens when I tried it.
This is a black tea, though, and as such more closely comparable to Pleine Lune. Quite unfairly, seeing as the MF tea is one that makes me want to put a leash on and kneel before my master. Tribute strikes me as less complex in taste, with a mouthfeel that comes off as a little watery to me, compared to the creamy smoothness of PL.
In the case of Thé d’amandine, it had the added bonus of being a green tea, and as such lighter and more accessible. It also brought some element of surprise to the table, through the addition of that distant, near-spectral cherry presence.
Tribute, however, doesn’t leave much of an impression on me.
I’m very torn here – on the one hand I feel like it’s close to sacrilege to rate this less than the seemingly obligatory 80+, but on the other, I’m really grateful for knowing exactly what I’m looking for. That knowledge, however, would be impossible if not for all this tea sampling – thank you so much, Ysaurella! I’ve had such a good time with these samples, and you really are the sweetest for helping me explore my feelings for the ravishing Monsieur Théodor.
[Sample from Ysaurella, spring 2014.]
I’m glad you appreciated this one too. I’m in love with Tribune this is really an Ode to the French Galette des Rois(the “north” of France one)-so delicious !