Nina's Paris

The chocolate orange in this is subtle, but natural. The orange note is fresh and more noticeable than the chocolate, which comes across as dark and rich. It’s one of the better chocolate orange teas I’ve tried, though not my favourite – that title belongs to Butiki’s Three Friends. I wish I could have written a more detailed note on this, but my mind is elsewhere today. Thank you for sending me this sample, Marzipan.

Sipdown 208/399

This smells like a lot of fruit flavored blends. I expected it to taste like it too, but it has something extra. It almost has a floral rose like flavor underneath that works really well. I don’t think I’d put it on my shopping list, but I’d definitely drink it again.

Sipdown!

Got this who knows how long from VariaTEA!

I this tea won my random sipdown grab bag. I didn’t smell it before brewing it so once I got a whiff of the mint I was surprised. Had I known there was spearmint in here I would have done a different tea… idk I only drink mint when I’m sick and I prefer peppermint! Spearmint just tastes like toothpaste to me.

Peppermint and spearmint aside, it’s an okay tea, but not my fave.

I’ve been shuffling my teas around, so neglected things have come to the surface.

Home with the flu or a nasty cold today and I wanted something, something, something—-not quite sure, but the exact right something. And I wasn’t open to my flu teas which tend to be lemongrass and ginger medicinal types.

This long neglected sample from VariaTEA is exactly the right something for this moment. Apple softened with vanilla with a healthy dash of cinnamon. Despite my nasal congestion and sore throat and diminished tastebuds, I still get that this is a Christmas tea—it’s got that Christmas tea je ne sais quoi pas.

Thank you for the share, VariaTEA. This is exactly what the moment requires.

I’ve been shuffling my teas around, so neglected things have come to the surface. Home with the flu or a nasty cold today and I wanted something, something, something—-not quite sure, but the exact right something. And I wasn’t open to my flu teas which tend to be lemongrass and ginger medicinal types.

This long neglected sample from VariaTEA is exactly the right something for this moment. Apple softened with vanilla with a healthy dash of cinnamon. Despite my nasal congestion, I still get that this is a Christmas tea—it’s got that Christmas tea je ne sais quoi pas.

Thank you for the share, VariaTEA. This is exactly what the moment requires.

I have to assume that the adorable little red tin of Nina’s tea I have is this tea… I don’t recall who gave it to me, but it looks like black tea + rose petals, and it tastes like a mouthful of roses. Anyways – I previously posted about a tea labelled floral death, but that label should really be on this tea. It’s literally like rose perfume. In my mouth. I am not a fan, it’s just far too strong. Thanks for the sample, though, whoever this is from!

Sipdown 158/397

Yum! Even old this tea has a strong scent and flavour. I found the base tea quite astringent, though, so added milk and sugar. Waaaay too much sugar, but it’s still tasty. This is a perfect dessert tea, something to have when you’re craving that buttery caramel sweetness but don’t want or can’t have an actual dessert for one reason or another. The vanilla is actually more strongly present than I expected; I thought it would be overwhelmed by the caramel, but it’s not. Not as good as Butiki’s Caramel Vanilla Assam, but almost. Definitely something which could replace it, when I eventually run out of the last 2oz I’ve been hoarding. If I ever find out how to order from Nina’s (I might just end up going to Paris) this will probably be a part of my order.

Thank you so much VariaTEA for sharing!

This is easily my favourite genmaicha I’ve ever tried. I’m not a huge fan of green vegetal teas or more savoury teas in general, vastly preferring black when given the choice, so I’m sure the addition of black tea to this mix has a lot to do with it. The caramel and vanilla flavours meld together really nicely, and create a sweeter genmaicha than any other I’ve found, whilst keeping the flavour more on the natural-tasting side. It’s definitely not an overpowering sweetness. Reminds me of Butiki’s Caramel Vanilla Assam, but with a lighter body and a roasty twist. Yummy! If I ever find a way of ordering from Nina’s – I had a look at their website and they don’t seem to have an online store – this would quite possibly go on the list. It is definitely the only genmaicha I would consider purchasing.

Thanks for sharing, VariaTEA! Sipdown 153/397.

This is such a delicate tea! I don’t mean that it’s weak, or that the flavours are hard to find, but it’s just delicate, you know? It feels pretty. The apple and rose flavours go very well together, and I am a fan of rose tea so it’s no surprise that I like this one. The apple isn’t as strong, but it’s definitely there. As others have mentioned it’s not a sweet red apple flavour, but a more fresh, crisp green apple note. I added a little bit of sugar and the fruitiness popped a little more. My only qualm with this tea is that the base is a little bit strong for the flavour pairing. It’s malty, bold and astringent (only a little bit), and it makes me want to add milk though I didn’t because I don’t think it would go with the rose and apple flavours. I can’t help wishing that a more delicate black tea base had been utilised for this blend; something a little bit floral or honey-like, perhaps. This Ceylon has just a little bit too much punch. I haven’t drank this since I was first sent the sample, and at that time I drank most of my black teas, flavoured or not, with a splash of milk. I remember enjoying it this way, but can’t say if the flavours still came through or not. This could quite possibly make its way into a future order, providing it still exists.

Thank you VariaTEA for sending me this! Sipdown 140/395.

This was really good with a splash of milk. The scent of the dry tea leaves is overtly “apple” – but the flavour is much more mellow. You can taste the black tea, but with a crisp apple taste and very subtle rose as well. The rose was my favourite part. The two compliment each other very well. (p.s: The tin is so elegant!)

I got this tin at a Home Goods store, and it was the only one on the shelf. Thanks to the wonderful people who post on Steepster, I knew that Nina’s Paris teas were generally highly regarded. I saw the description of caramel and vanilla flavors, and snagged it immediately. Definitely my kind of flavored black!

Just brewed a pot of it this morning, and I was NOT disappointed. Creamy-caramel-vanilla-cookie happiness. This could have been enhanced by the evaporated milk I added to it and maybe the tea wouldn’t be as lusciously creamy without it, but – who am I kidding – I’ll always add milk to it.

I’ve been on a bit of an unflavored tea kick for awhile, but had a craving for something sweet and comforting. Surprisingly and delightfully, this completely fit the bill. I’m really satisfied and happy with it. Great as a dessert tea, and for me, great with breakfast. Delicious.

I was lucky to have come across this at HomeGoods. Had never heard of Nina’s, but upon looking to see what a stellar brand it was, went back to get whatever flavors were offered—-so glad I did. Having this tea today, iced, with lunch. I steeped yesterday, 3-4 minutes. I knew when I picked this up that I should want to try it as an iced tea, and boy is it good. I only added a touch of sweetener to the quart I made, but likely doesn’t need any. While steeping, it had a strong honey scent, along with the strawberry, and not too heavy on the vanilla. This will be a summer favorite. I will try it hot, but will likely save especially for iced tea. Very true strawberry flavor.

Second one from Nina’s that I like. I picked this up from Home Goods, and think it lucky to have run across these. I never go for vanilla flavored teas before—-I usually prefer fruity or earthy. This was a good tea however. It does have a slightly acrid/chemical smell, but not so bad—maybe just strong crème brulee. The brewed tea smelled nicely, and much more tame. I tasted first before adding my usual bit of honey. It is a lovely black tea, no bitter, and good crème brulee notes for me. May not be a favorite, but won’t mind finishing my tin.

Love this tea! The smell of the loose tea is overwhelming grapefruit—strong and juicy, but appealing. However, when steeped, it did not match the smell whatsoever, and was very gentle grapefruit to me. Roses? not so much. The black base is smooth. Glad I purchased this based on smell, regardless

Well, I took one whiff of the dry leaf and thought, “oh-oh, perfumey froo-froo French tea.”
I imagined that it was a cloud of rose and bergamot rising from the leaf and braced myself for something not altogether pleasant.

I used cooled water to prevent an astringent hit and steeped fast. As it was steeping, more rose, and then, something more interesting and complex happened. I poured the lightly steeped tea into my cup and waited a bit for the heat to dissipate. What I thought was bergamot disappeared completely, the rose deepened and settled to a woodier richness with the slightest tinge of tart green apple and possibly a bit of berry. All this was followed by the solid black base, not airily floating by as I had expected, but rather firmly planted.

Yeah, this tea is quite an unexpected surprise. Delightful even.

Thank you, VariaTEA.

Oh this is good..really, really good! The raspberry is raspberry NOT hibiscus and no medicine-like after taste. The flavor makes me think of raspberry jam (maybe its the red currant) . The vanilla compliments the raspberry by giving it a smoothness that makes it easy to forget that this is a black tea and a well blended herbal.
I tried it with a hint of Splenda which brought more of the fruit flavor out, but I probably wasn’t needed.

This is a wonderful dessert tea! A real treat that could take the place of an actual dessert.

Well worth the higher price for this blend.

I just added a dab of creme and… just when I thought it couldn’t get better…wow! So smooth and rich and still a very distinct raspberry flavor.

I can see the 1.7 ounce order being gone by the end of the weekend! It’s so hard for me to find a really great raspberry. I thought I’d found it with Harney’s raspberry but this is so much better!

The price makes it a special treat but it is something I would love to keep on hand. If you are a raspberry lover it’s something you won;t be sorry you tried.

Not as sweet as I expected but still a nice cup of tea. The caramel and vanilla flavors were the first I notice. The dark chocolate blended into the smooth creamy flavor of the brew. This is the first time I’ve tried Nina’s. The product descriptions and reviews on this site had me intrigued and I finally decided to take the plunge and get a 1.7 oz bag of this another another blend.

I am glad I did and maybe I would have rated this higher if I hadn’t tried Harney’s Florence last night OMG that was an amazing dessert tea! Hard to top for sure.

But Je T aime in is a good tea and it’s probably an unfair comparison.

I tired it with and without creme and dab of Splenda. The flavors come through either way. It is a smooth, full bodied tea that I am anxious to try again.

How does one purchase Nina’s teas? I was window-shopping on their website as I drank this, and noticed that there doesn’t seem to be an option to buy online. Are they only available in the shop in Paris? This is good for my no-buy but bad for the part of me that wants to place an order. They have so many teas I’d like more of!

This was one I enjoyed, but probably not enough to order more of (if I figured out a way to place an order, that is). It’s an elegant, sort of delicate tea which seems to be the theme with Nina’s as a brand. The blended black and green tea base is really quite nice – it has the maltiness and body from the black, but it’s tempered with more fresh and delicate notes from the green. Though I’m not a big fan of greens in general, strawberry is one of the flavours which I prefer on a green base. I’m not sure why, it just seems to fit. The strawberry note is most noticeable in small little sips, and it’s a natural sort of strawberry flavour. If you take big gulps it tends to get lost in a general red fruits flavour with the base being more noticeable, particularly the malt. I wouldn’t say the cream was identifiable as an individual note, but the cup definitely has a creamy sort of vibe, and it softens and sweetens the strawberry note. The added flavours become less noticeable as the tea cools.

Thank you VariaTEA for the sample!

Sipdown 81/393.

This sad sap is finally writing a tasting note on this despite having it numerous times already, and after so long too. Tsk tsk. The rose in this is intense! Did rose essential oil get into my tea? The base is astringent in mouthfeel but in regards to flavour, that astringency is mostly covered up by the rose. Apple notes are soft and meek. I wouldn’t buy it again but will enjoy the tea while it’s here. I confess that my mom wanted it for the fancy pink tin, so for that reason alone, it was worth the price.

I was not looking forward to this sipdown, that’s for sure. Need more of this chocolate orange fantasy in the future!