Bellocq Tea Atelier

A sample from Fuzzy Peachkin, via CrowKettle. :)

Thanks so much!

This tea is SOOOOO GOOD. I’m having it with a touch of brown sugar because I’m really sensitive to bitterness/astringency right now. But it’s divine. Such a tasty, strong, breakfast tea. Some assamisness in there, but toned down with other teas, I think.

Highly recommend. Maybe if you can justify the $17/2oz for White Wolf, we can do a group order in the fall, CrowKettle? :)

Smells like toothpaste!

Bellocq couldn’t tell me what kind of mint was in here ages ago when I asked. But now, now I can tell. Toothpaste mint. :P

I steeped low and slow, as I’m enjoying with some of the white teas I have. There’s a bite on the tongue, I can smell and taste creamy vanilla, toothpaste, and some star anise. The white tea is super mild, but I’m not surprised by that.

If you like spearmint and weird teas, definitely check this out if you can.

Thanks so much to Crowkettle for sharing this with me. Not something I’ll buy again, but something I’ve really appreciated trying.

Edit: It might be the cedar that’s giving me the SPICE on the tip of my tongue. Pretty cool!

A chunk of anise in the basket today, so this tea definitely taste more anise-y. This brings out the mint and cedar as well. So neat how naturally flavoured (ie: with just ingredients, not spray) will change cup to cup.

I do quite like it, it’s calm and soothing, and the white base is lovely as well.

Thanks, Crowkettle. :)

Oh, I’m so excited to try this! Thanks so much for the sample, CrowKettle!

I smell mostly vanilla from the dry sample. Once I add hot water, I smell the mint and star anise. This is… hmm. I think it’s spearmint. I initially thought it was peppermint, but it’s not really. Maybe a blend, or some other type of mint. My favourite is Corsican mint (look it up! It’s a really neat ground cover, and the scent is divine), but I’m not sure if my friend would react to it or not.

It also tastes mostly of mint and anise. It’s a really mild and somewhat earthy mint tea. But it has body because of the white tea.

Really interesting. Thanks so much for sharing, CrowKettle!

Edit: Yeah, I can’t tell what kind of mint it is. If it’s spearmint, it’s not triggering anything for me. And it’s not super cooling like what I expect from peppermint. So. “Mint.”

Nice and subtle. This tea is great, but I would not recommend steeping it for the 4-6 minutes that Bellocq suggests. Along with other Bellocq teas, this is overpriced, but I got it as a present, and it’s pretty good.

Herbal tisane of the evening here…

There is a store called Maison d’Etre near the Rockridge BART station that is really cute and full of housewares, jewelry and some specialized tea that is difficult for me to find elsewhere. I should never take my BF tea shopping with me because he can’t understand why I need to buy more tea, he he! Of course that did not stop me.

Anyway I was intrigued by this blend, it seemed like a very nice herbal from what I could tell from the package and it smells really good. It’s a blend of tulsi, flowers and some chai like spices. The flavor is a bit too floral for my personal taste but otherwise I think it’s pretty good. I don’t really know that is was worth the price I paid for it ($14 for 2 oz) but I’m glad I got the chance to try it. Kind of wishing I could get the Bellocq teas in a sample size, I would definitely be interested in trying them all.

Oh. My god.

I’ve had these samples for TWO YEARS.

I’m so sorry, fuzzypeachkin and CrowKettle. I’m drinking them today I swear. O.o

Anyways, this Assam is a decent Assam? It’s a little sweet. Malty with that typical Assam flavour. I’m actually drinking it WITHOUT milk, which is almost unheard of, but it’s nice. I haven’t had a straight Assam for a while, so I’ll just sit here and enjoy the cup.

I got my Bellocq samples from fuzzypeachkin and CrowKettle! YAY!

Of course I’m having the assam first.

It’s nice. Really smooth. Really doesn’t need anything added to it (and I do like adding things to my tea). It’s a very sweet assam. IDK. Descriptive words are escaping my brain.

Tea good.

Very subtle tea – as white teas should be! Delicate and smooth bergamot flavor. Yes, this tea is not as strong as Earl Grey.

Personally, I never liked the assertiveness of the Earl, but I love bergamot. That is why I first tried this tea.

I love No. 9, The White Duke, BUT Bellocq teas are very expensive. Thankfully, I received a canister as a Christmas gift!

Sipdown #52
This is another one sent to me from Sil, thanks!
Not sure what to say about this one. I like the way the cedar aroma rises up into my nostrils, I’ve always loved the aroma of cedar. The tea is a little on the bright side for me, & I’m really craving something bassy & satisfying right now.

Sipdown #46!
Another tea from Sil, this is delicious!
I probably shouldn’t be drinking breakfast teas this late at night, but I still feel deprived after ruining that other cup of tea, which I was really looking forward to drinking, so there!

Thanks, Crowkettle, for this sample!

Backlog from Sunday. What a warm sweet tea! The mint and anise are sweet and the other elements add a warmth like a cordial or liqueur. It tingles and tantalizes me. it was a little odd at first to reconcile the coolness of mint and the warmth that I’m feeling, but once I let go of that expectation, it was a fantastical taste voyage.

Expected something entirely different. Maybe it has something to do with my tastebuds, can’t tell. But I don’t get neither cherries not chocolate here as was mentioned in previous review. I’m not even sure about cinnamon. What I get is cloves. Too much cloves for me. Not a bad tea, but I was expecting something like dessert tea and to me this isn’t it.

This is the last of the teas I picked up at the Bellocq meetup (back in September – eek!). It’s a very nice, smooth Assam, with all of the malty goodness I love in Indian teas. I could do with a bit more boldness – I think Sil’s right that this is more of an afternoon tea than a breakfast one – but on the whole I’m really enjoying this! The fact that it’s organic is a plus for me, too. There are tons of quality Assams out there, including plenty I’ve yet to try, but I could certainly see myself picking up some more of this at some point. I think I might like this ever so slightly more than Bellocq Breakfast, but I’d have to try that one again to be sure.

thanks omgsrsly was really nice to revisit this one today. delicious

Had a cup of this the other night to say goodbye to it. The last of this is off to be shared with tea friends! I still really enjoy this one, though my tastes have changed enough since i had my first sample of this, to warrant dropping the rating a little. It’s a tasty green, but there are others out there that are more reasonably priced and deliver some fantastic taste.

i don’t love green teas…at least not enough to have more than a sample size in my cupboard. I just don’t reach for them often enough for me to get through them when they’re fresh. Funnily enough i seem to have a couple in my cupboard now,including this one that is very much more than a sample size. i’d had sample of it before and loved it, so i ended up buying more. thankfully, i still enjoy this tea though i’ll have to share with friends so that it gets enjoyed when it’s fresh.

grassy, seaweed..smooth…i feel like this one could be blended really nicely with some flavours for a spectactular green tea blend.