Tea Review: Bali - Dammann Freres

Tea Info
Type: Flavored green
Producer: Dammann Freres
Origin: Paris, France
Brewing Parameters: 2.5 g, 90°C, 3-4 minutes – Western style
Appearance: Small, broken up flat green leaves with rose petals and white flower buds
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
This is a tea that my mom got from one of her coworkers, which she gave to me. I have to admit, this is the first time I ever heard of this company, but I am really impressed by the packaging. It came in this red and black matte box called a "getaway package" (in French), that closed with a magnetic clasp. Inside, there was foam that held a tea ball strainer (a very nice one to add; much better than the one I currently have) with a large gold and white teapot charm that has the company logo on it. The tea was in the nicest tin I've seen though; a small, red and black rectangular container with the company logo and history in English and French on the sides and tea info on the back. The lid was very tight, and I needed to use a key to actually pop it off like a paint can.

I loved the smell of this tea; even before the tin was open, the box smelled of honey and flowers. The actual tea base, though, could be a bit more high quality. Lower quality leaves are to be expected, though, of flavored tea like this (especially considered how flavored it is– it actually smells like fruity perfume more than tea). When it brewed, the tea was a greenish yellow, with a few leaves at the bottom. It smelled like the dry leaf, but with more honey and tropical fruits (lychee was said to be one of the main flavors, and I can definitely smell it).

Tasting the tea, I'd say it's pretty average. I can't tell if it's because I've moved on from the majority of flavored teas (mainly fruity ones) or if tea is just mediocre. The flavor starts off vaguely sweet– with a tiny bit of unidentifiable fruit– with a slight hint of bitterness, and then finishes with even more fruit. The aftertaste is sour and leaves a dry feeling in the mouth and throat. It's not bad; I'd drink it with friends who'd prefer this stuff, but the brewing parameters might need a bit of tweaking so it isn't so astringent. It's certainly better than a few of the Lupicia teas I had during the 100 Days of Tea, but it's not my cup of tea.


Other Notes
Now that first semester is done, I have quite a bit to talk about. I'll put it on a different post, so look out for that!