Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

This smells like it should pack quite a bite, but it is surprisingly smooth despite that. I’d say it’s medium smooth. A deep mahogany brew that is Assam-like but not that malty. I find myself wanting to try this alongside a Nilgiri. Thanks, boychik, for sharing!

I managed to prepare this tea without making a complete mess on the desk. Celebrate good times! Yesterday I spilled everything I touched. Also yesterday I ate like a 20 year old single guy – nuked frozen burritos, refried beans, hot dogs, and Velvetta and macaroni. Today I woke up 57 and realized that was not the best behavior. I’ll be switching to puerh shortly but wanted some octane in the tank first.

I had no idea what to expect from this one. A&D’s description gives no clues. Terri told me to steep this for 4 minutes. That seems like a long time. Many breakfast type black tea gives me stomach burn so I usually go no more than 3 minutes. I went with 4 today and this is not bitter and did not seem to hurt. A light hint of smoke, some briskness, a little malt. On my scale somewhere between English Breakfast and Prince of Wales in intensity. Actually leaning more toward the mellow side.

Thanks to CHAroma for sending this to me in a swap!! I have wanted to try this one forever, but figured I wouldn’t be able to because it was limited edition over a year ago.

The tea smells quite mild and sweet. I was anticipating a bold, kick you in the butt, kind of holiday blend.

The brewed tea is a little but more than slightly sweet. It is very smooth, a little bit of malt. I have to admit, I am actually getting a little bit of chocolate taste. There is a little bit of vegetalness to the tea. More like a really dark oolong, without the roastyness. There is a slight metallic twinge to the tea which is actually pleasant.

I am finding this tea to be a little light. I thought it would be a lot more bold than it is. I will try using more tea next time. This tea is more than a year old, so even though it is in good condition, I have to take that into account.

I saying all the above, it is still a very delicious tea. Just not what I expected. Andrews and Dunham have never done me wrong :)

The wonderful, sweet, generous ifjuly saw a comment of mine about this tea, and sent me a sample of it. I was really excited to get to try it. I was hoping to either LOVE it and therefore not have a problem order 4.4 oz of it (for 35.00) or to HATE it and then cross it off the list and not have to think about it anymore. Neither of those happened.
I really like this, it’s a really nice yunnan black. But I don’t think I love, I think I’ve had other Yunnen golden tips or golden buds that were as good or better than this. Are they cheaper than this, not really – about the same. I’m just not sure I need that much in my cupboard. Would like to order 2 oz of it. The other issue is that it’s limited quantities. I guess it’s good that I didn’t LOVE it and then couldn’t get more.
I’m just torn about this one. I think I’m going to leave it, if there is a discount shipping opportunity then will order, if not then will just be happy with what I have.
Thanks ifjuly for the sample. LOL not sure it made my decision easier, but is always nice to try before you buy.

Honestly, making myself a little tea care package before we left is one of my best ideas in recent memory. This way I get decent tea and I can sip some stuff down! Luckily I thought to bring tea that’s not too delicate to temperature—the coffeemaker only has one setting and that is boiling.

I didn’t get enough sleep last night and this has a pleasant kick of caffeine that’s really helping me this morning. I still haven’t decided if I’d buy this or not but I will say it’s reliable and one of the least finicky teas I’ve had. No matter how I steep it it never gets bitter or too strong.

I struggle to say anything about this one, because while it’s good it’s very basic to me. There’s nothing really remarkable about it—the base is good but doesn’t overpower the bergamot, and the bergamot is fruity and pleasant. Other than that there’s nothing much to say. A good way to wake up but I don’t think I’ll be restocking it.

There are tons of EGs in my box from LiberTEAS, thanks to our shared love of them I assume. I’m excited to try them all! So far I haven’t been disappointed. This is one I specifically asked for because I was curious about the company (I was drawn in by the great packaging, I admit—I’m a sucker for design).

This is a very solid EG offering. The bergamot is all fruit and no perfume, and the base is assertive but without a trace of bitterness. It’s actually much milder than I expected from the name, but not meek in any way. It’s not my favorite plain EG that I’ve had, but I wouldn’t mind having it in my cabinet.

Resteeped this one and heated up a frozen burrito for lunch. The tea was still very tasty and stood up well to the burrito well.

So I am looking at the picture and thinking, why is there a pentagram on the label? Then I read the description and I am all like index and pinky in the air screaming (in my head) Yeah! – Let me just say Dio would be pleased. Then references to Burn and Smoke on the Water keep bouncing through my skull. As you can tell I am amused. Where is my Paranoid album?

Opening the bag, this is not fire and brimstone. I first notice sweet smoke with light hints of cinnamon and vanilla (there isn’t any in the blend – just my perception). While the brewed cup is pine smoke bbq scented, the sip is sweet and not at all overpowering. I can even taste the tea. Just like in the movies this bad boy has a tender side.

Despite my initial inclination this would be a sensory assualt, it actually turned out to be a very pleasant caravan tea. Smoky yes, but not offensively so. Quite enjoyed this one. Thanks Terri

Oh man, I love A&D Damn Fine Tea. I think I currently have 5 tins of tea from these guys and I pretty much love all of them. (I’m not so fussed about the Double Knit blend but the rest are amaze).

I’m drinking this bc we’re not getting a Goat/Sheep tea for Chinese New Year, which makes me sad, but the fact that I still have LAST YEAR’s TEA (and a lot of it) really helps make up for that. I tend to savour these teas and they last me months. And while I’ve had a lot of Yunnan teas lately (mostly thanks to Sil, I find that I have the warmest thoughts about this silly horse tea!)

I’m so happy ifjuly sent some of this way! I had a few sips, and then added it to my shopping list. Yes, this is a good tea. Even though it has a doofy horse on the tin. :P

It’s warm, and bready, and there’s a bit of honey, and it makes me think of bread out of the oven with a little butter and something sweet on top of it. It’s really good. Very smooth mouthfeel. Warm, comforting taste. No one has been exaggerating with these reviews. There is NO conspiracy to make you go out and buy this tea!

I want to go buy this tea. I’ll have to coordinate with Sil because $10 shipping to Canada is TOO MUCH for one tin. I was hoping they’d offer a shipping discount sale as they are wont to do from time to time.

I keep drinking amazing teas all day with multiple infusions. I’m only on tea 2 for the day – hahaha

From the LiberTEAS sampler I bought a while back

Both dry and whilst brewing this smelled much like a breakfast tea – there was that almost-astringent note on top with that earthy black smell underneath – so I had high hopes for how it would taste once finished. I sweetened this one with a little sugar and honey (as is my custom for breakfast-y blends) so that may affect the flavour.

Post-sip it tasted just as expected – it’s a basic Irish breakfast sort of blend that hits all the right spots when I’m craving coffee. There’s a lingering woodsy note at the back, strong wake-me-up flavours in the front and it leaves you just a little dry, but not so much that it’s unpleasant.

I think in the future I would choose to mellow this one out a bit with milk, but otherwise it’s a solid, repeatable sort of breakfast-esque tea. Would recommend.

Wow, this is a way bergamotty EG. A really good tea. Strong and in your face but not harsh. Thanks, ifjuly!

Wow I have been terrible about logging teas lately. I blame my adorable puppy. What can I say I’m a sucker for sad puppy eyes and cute fluffy faces <3
Been in a bit of a funk today. Work was very slow all week :( booooo. Sure hope my clientele picks up next week.
To pull me out of this bad mood I thought I would try one of my new teas today. As soon as I opened this one up I knew I chose correctly!! The bergamot oil smells amazing! Calms my head instantly. Thats exactly what I have been needing lately, something to pull me into another land, an escape from my thoughts.
Steeped it smells a bit more earthy, reminds me of being in my parents flower garden as a kid.
Mmmmm this is the perfect tea for me today.

This is deep and dark and rich. I don’t know that I’d keep it on hand but not through any failings of the tea itself. I simply have plenty of other teas that are available in lesser amounts that do the same thing for me.

I did this with my water at home and noticed no smokiness. I have plenty left to try with filtered water at work, thanks to the generosity of ifjuly!

Last night I did my monthly tea count, re-organized my shelves a bit, etc.
I’m starting the month at 362 Teas, which is down from 389 last month, so progress, not perfection, right?

My first cup of the month, although my sense of taste & smell is coming back, it’s still not where I want it to be, and I’ve been avoiding all of my favorite teas (all 277 of them, LOL), because…well because! Although there is a lot to be said for mouth-feel, tea buzz, etc, I hate to miss those subtle flavors. I just remembered that Sheng sometimes seems to help with allergies, so maybe I should quit messing around & bust out a brick!

All I’m getting from this tea today is a nice milky mouth, some baked bread, maybe a little chocolate (Which I’m probably imagining, not actually tasting), & cannibis. Yeah, you heard me. It’s been over 30 years since I toked up, but you never forget that taste.
:)

I’ve been wanting to try this one since it arrived. I got Tin #45 out of 150. :)
No real comments, except it was the kind of tea I needed, & was shared with one of my students this morning.

I love dragon well tea. This is a staple green tea for me. This one does not disappoint. It is smooth and buttery! I love this tea. I hope Andrews & Dunham will have more green teas in the future.

Honey-sweet, bread-like, with a bit of malt in the back. This is one fine tea!

I used 1 heaping teaspoon in an 8 oz cup with 200 degree water and steeped for just 1 minute and it was delicious. Resteeps for 2m, 2.5m and 3m were almost as delicious but the flavor declined a bit with each steep. The next time I’ll try boiling with a longer steep just to compare.

I’ll keep this tea around for sure and plan to enjoy it frequently.

Ah, pretty much exactly what I was expecting. This is quite bright and relatively astringent, tastes very much like an Indian blend but there’s no bitterness, that aspect is very smooth, and at the end of the sip there’s a (surprising given the upfront brightness) rich depth of flavor, that mysterious quality all my favorite A&D blends manage to possess. A decent morning choice. Curious how it’d go blended with something else…maybe something spicy, hm.

Oh. Mah. Gawd. Sulu. This is good tea.

Smells fantastic, looks nifty. Cute package.

Heavily baked bread flavor, sweet, malt, smooth…golden. It was probably a mistake to have an entire pot this late in the evening but I just couldn’t stop. No time for a resteep tonight, but will definitely try tomorrow. Though my pots are kind of like resteeps… I steep 16 ounces then another 12 ounces or so with the same leaves and combine them in the same pot.

It’s not a desert island tea, but it’s Damn Fine.