Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

It has been a long time since I’ve brewed an Earl Grey. It was one of the teas that kept me attached to teas, back in the day of the occasional cup of bagged tea. I always loved Earl Grey. Even in a crappy tea bag. I had to wait until just the right time to open this tea. Waiting until it called to me, instead of grabbing it in one of my “whatever” sort of moods.

I must admit, I was a bit worried when I smelled the dry tea. The bergamot was strong—almost overpowering. I’d forgotten that smell. Actually, given that I’d only had bagged EG before, I’d probably never really gotten the pure, potent, punch of the bergamot before. It reminded me of David’s Tea Countess of Seville, which I wasn’t a fan of, with that strong citrusy scent.

I was wrong to be worried. This tea is delightful! The bergamot isn’t overpowering, but definitely present. Vaguely citrusy. It pairs well with the tea base, which is smooth and not bitter even after a five minute steep (what? I know, amazing, right?). It doesn’t have a lot of body, it feels kind of thin, but not in a bad way. It feels exactly the way it should. The entire tea just tastes right.

Captain Assam! I seem to be drowning in A&D’s Damn Fine Tea these days (not that that could possibly be a bad thing). A very lovely gift from a secret santa, and I brewed it straight away.

I went ahead and tried the full 4-minute recommended steep, and boy, it was lovely. Brisk as can be, with a very even flavor, reminiscent of raisin and wet branches. (Sorry, that sounds strange, but it’s pleasant, I swear!) I gave the leaves a second steep, but I’m afraid the resteep was rather weak. Maybe I’ll try a 3 minute first steep and the second cup will come out alright?

Anyway, A solid cup. It’s certainly worth your time.

Thoroughly enjoying my second mug of this excellent brew. :)
I have to admit that this tea has grown on me. I thought it was okay at first but now I really like it. Maybe because it’s had the chance to “age” a bit? It’s just so soothing with its soft biscuity-ness.

The perfect thing after overindulging in pizza for dinner.

Merry Christmas, Steepsterites…

I needed some soothing, simple and dependable tea this morning and R29 Ceylon was just the thing.

For some reason this is decidedly delicious today. I’m getting very yummy “bake-y” notes. Super smooth yet “chewy” bread-y aroma and flavor. Warm, freshly baked bread is one of my most favorite things and, today at this particular steeping, this tea is manifesting this in abundance.

I’m keeping the leaves steeping in my travel mug and the flavor throughout is outstanding.

I’m getting malty, chewy, stone ground wheat bread with a kick of raisin and rye but no “sourness”. Very comforting. At cooldown, there is slight bitterness—but nothing unpalatable.

I’m liking this tea more and more—bumping up to 85. :)

I think I’m warming up to this tea.

I find myself reaching for it when I just want a plain and simple black tea. No exotic flavors, no fancy brewing requirements, no tip-toeing around a reverent vintage…

Just tea.

Its mild (almost bland) maltiness suits me just fine. It tastes like a plain, straighforward, good quality black tea. And sometimes that’s all I need.

It’s like the “Amish” of teas. ;)

Happy Sunday everyone!

I was so excited to try out this new offering from A&D! Although I’m not a huge fan of Ceylons (from the few I’ve tried) , I trust that A&D has sold me only the very best of its kind.

Both dry and after steeping, this tea has a light fruity, malty scent.

The taste seems almost like raisin bread—but it’s very very subtle. They’re not kidding when they say this is “delicate”. It’s so mild, it’s almost not there. Totally innocuous.

So, in an effort to extract more flavor, I’ve kept this steeped for double the recommended time, but it has retained its gentle, smooth nature.

With this kind of “tame” flavor profile, I’m reminded of the “No Reservations” Holiday Special last year, where Tony tempered almost every acerbic comment with the disclaimer: “… [and I meant that] in a non-denominational, generic way.” This is sort of like that. I think this tea accommodates all tastes in an unoffending, non-denominational, generic way.

With that said, I think this will be a good choice for all those that prefer a mild-mannered, unassuming, well-behaved cup of tea.

But as for me, I just can’t help but wish that it stood out more—had more character, distinction or “kick”. But I guess that’s not how Ceylons are and I can respect that.

Many thanks to the very generous Mercuryhime who was so kind as to give me not only a sample of this tea, but an entire box full of tea samples! I can’t wait to try them all! This being the first of many, I picked a favorite and what’s sure to be a winner.

I wasn’t sure that a Bai Mu Dan existed that was much different than what I’ve tried in the past. I should have known that Andrews & Dunham would manage it.

This is delicious! It has that lovely hay and sunshine flavor of White Peony that I love, plus something extra. I’m not sure how to describe it. My first instinct says this is a greener version of Bai Mu Dan. But I think that might be understood differently than I intend it.

It’s honey-sweet with a bit of unexpected tart. Subsequent steeps yield floral, toasted pumpkin seed-esque, flavorful cups. It really is lovely. I’ve enjoyed this sample very much. Here’s how I brewed it:

170 degrees for 2.5 minutes
175 degrees for 4 minutes
175 degrees for 7 minutes
175 degrees for 14 minutes

No astringency. No bitterness. Just awesome. It’s too bad there’s not more of it. I could probably drink this every day. Thanks again to Mercuryhime for making this great experience possible!

I’m getting close to finishing this tea! Noooo! I love this tea! I can taste it losing its freshness though as I’ve had this for quite a long time now. It is still tasty. I wanted to drink this tea to see if it was my gaiwan that was messing up my previous oolong. It wasn’t. This tea is as good as I remember… just less fresh likely due to it being exposed to the air so many times! and age too! Anyhow, good tea! Yum!

I’m going snowtubing with my husband soon! Its his first time doing any snow activity so it should be exciting! :) Anyway, I was craving this oolong before we leave. I brewed this up and this is divine! So floral! I brewed this western style as I wanted a huge mug of this! I love the fruity aftertaste to it. Delicious!

I was super excited to break open this tin! The artwork is fascinating and beautiful. I love the grungier colors. Definitely a plus! When I saw all the dried, murky green curled up balls of oolong, I got even more excited! woo! It smelled SO good. It was floral and sweet.

Steeped, the color of the liquor was a nice orange-yellow color. Again, the smell was delightful. I’m not sure what kind of tea this is exactly. It is a scented oolong tea. The taste is so floral, but the first thing I thought of after my first sip was “BERRIES!” There is definitely a light, fluffy berry or fruity taste to it. It is barely noticeable but it adds such a nice touch to this tea. I have to give this tea 100. My favorite right now!

I was able to steep this 3 times via gaiwan but I wanted to write all about it so I stopped steeping! I bet this can go on for more steeps. It is absolutely SO good! It got even better the more I steeped it.

SIPDOWN!

Thanks to LiberTEAS for generously sharing this one with me. It’s been in my cupboard for a loooooooong time. I held on to it because I couldn’t bear parting with it. But what’s the use of tea if you don’t drink it? I’m super sad to see this one go finally. :( See my other note.

This sample is courtesy of Camiah! Thank you! :)

This tea is smooth and flavorful! A really nice blend of black teas. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew it would be wonderful from all the ecstatic tasting notes here.

Strong, full-bodied flavor with a tiny hint of smoke. I always drink black tea with milk and sugar because my sugar-loving tongue finds it bitter. I did add a little bit of sweetener, but this tea is delicious even without the milk, which is such a surprise and delight! Not even a trace of bitterness to be found!

Mmmm, it’s really hard to stop sipping this. I’m afraid my sips are turning into gulps, which are turning into chugs! Pretty soon, I’m staring into an empty cup and wishing there were more.

Damn Fine is the perfect description for this tea. I’m really impressed with the flavors and the way they play off one another. It’s just sooo good! It really brightened up my morning.

If only Andrews & Dunhams still made this tea, I would definitely buy up a couple tins. It’s fantastic, and I’m very grateful to Camiah for granting me this experience. It’s truly a magical one and reminds me why I love tea so much.

oh boy do i need this this morning

So much to do, so little time and energy! Gifts to wrap, packages to mail, house to clean… Here’s hoping this damn fine tea lights a fire in me to get my damn fine holiday preparations in gear!

Just brewed up a mug of this and am about to watch Home Alone on ABC Family! :-)

I tried using blackstrap molasses as a sweetener in this, and the tea is strong enough to stand up to it! Hmm I wonder how molasses would be in the gingerbread chai I still haven’t opened…?

very much in need of caffeine this damn fine Sunday morning…

Used a real teaspoon not my “perfect teaspoon” and it came out lighter, which is good for me. But, I brain-cramped and steeped it for 5 min, which is a minute too long. There’s a touch of bitterness. Honey & milk helped but I will give it 4 next time!

(I really need to start low-balling my tea timer to take into acct the time it takes me to set the timer, and more importantly the times it takes me to register it’s beeping, get off the couch and mosey into the kitchen, and remove the basket. Most of the tea I drink is fairly forgiving, but for the strong blacks, I need to be more careful!)