Nina's Paris

One thing about Ninas rooibos blends is that the base is always present. Now, with that said, there are different kinds of rooibos and while most can be offensive (medicinal/metallic/etc.), theirs is not. Nonetheless, it does distract just a touch from their subtle but lovely flavorings. However, today I found the key to tempering the rooibos…eggnog latte of course :P.

I was a bit hesitant at first because I made this in my latte mug which is 24 oz and Nina’s teas tend to do best in smaller cups but it ended up being awesome. The caramel was rich and decadent. And the cream really shined when paired with the eggnog. The whole cup tasted like liquefied creme brulee which made for a nice way to end the night.

This cup is 100% sweet caramel candies…like a wherthers. Yum!

I am learning – Nina’s rooibos blends are best made in smaller cups. Today I made this in a 12 oz cup and the creamy caramel flavor is really shining since it is not being drowned out by a surplus amount of tea.

Sipdown!! (203)

Pisces is my sign so of course I had to grab a sample of this. I was happy to see it was a caramel and cream tea as that sounds delightful.

Steeped, the smell of caramel is strong and alluring but it is yet again combined with a heavy scent of rooibos. When it comes to taste, there is a distinct creaminess that makes this tea simultaneously smooth and thick. The flavor is that of a rich and decadent caramel. The woodsyness of the rooibos combined with the flavors of the tea lends itself to the notion of a caramalization. The best description I can give is a Creme Brulee mixed with high end rooibos. Very good but I just wish the rooibos was more muted.

Thank you Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s Paris for your generosity. I am very honored to be able to try out your awesome product!

I fell asleep last night before getting to drink this so now I am sipping on it cold. The rooibos is a little more prominent in the cooled cup but so is the creamy coconut. Personally I prefer it hot but I am still enjoying this cup :)

Apparently I really enjoyed my cup of this last night because I woke up thinking about it. Lucky for me, I bought a whole lot of it from Nina’s so I immediately got up and started the kettle to brew another cup. And then something caught my eye – my pretty little Nina’s teacup from the wonderful people at Nina’s Paris (thank you guys!!). I just could not resist so now I am happily sipping away at the tropical deliciousness that is this tea from a cute little teacup and it just seems right. Also, maybe I am crazy or perhaps it is excitement over my new teaware but I swear the tea almost tastes better in the cup – less rooibos and more pineapple/coconut. Hmm…

This tea is like snacking on a nice fresh slice of pineapple…if that pineapple was slightly covered in rooibos. Nonetheless it has a nice pineapple tang with a hint of sweet coconut creaminess.

I think in my effort to find more caffeine-free options, I have become more tolerant of rooibos. Thus, this, and other Nina’s rooibos teas, have proven to be nice additions to my cupboard as the rooibos isn’t woodsy or medicinal like others and they have a nice amount of the other flavors as well.

Sipdown!! (204)

I brewed this for only two minutes because that is how long I brewed the other tea I was making simultaneously. Then this one got cold while I was trying to hook up my laptop to the television so I could stream the new episode of Sherlock for my sister and I to watch. As per usual, the episode is great so far but I am watching it bit by bit as the streaming is slow.

As for the tea, I have noticed Nina’s rooibos tends to be strong in scent but not overly dominant in flavor. What does appear tastewise is a high quality rooibos for sure as it is not unpleasant or medicinal as poor quality rooibos tends to be. As I sip, pineapple hits my tongue first and then coconut sets in and finishes off the taste. Tropical and delicious but yet again, the rooibos scent is throwing me off.

Thank you Laurent and Sophie for this sample but I am not sure if this is for me either. I think I far prefer Nina’s Paris black teas.

Sipdown!! (205)

This was released for the holidays and so Sophie and Laurent very generously gave me a sample. When choosing a black tea from Nina’s Paris tonight I had the choice of Marie Antoinette or this. Since I already sampled Marie Antoinette, I thought I would give this a try. Furthermore, I was hesitant as this is an orange tea and I am not typically a fan but I figured if they were kind enough to give me a sample, I could try it out. Plus, I enjoyed their grapefruit tea so I hoped this might also be a success.

After my first sip it became clear that unfortunately this was not the exception to my rule but rather another orange tea that is just not for me. I will refrain from numbers as this is just a weird personal issue and not a reflection of the tea itself.

Thank you for Sophie and Laurent for this sample but it is just not for me.

On another note of things that are not for me. I just tried a few different chocolate bars from Dylan’s Candy Bar. The chocolate itself is very sweet, especially since it has been like 10 months since I last had chocolate, so that is a little unpleasant. However when you have a Bacon Chocolate Bar which is a combination of very sweet chocolate and very salty bacon, it makes you not so upset that you don’t get chocolate often anymore. You never know unless you try though and that was definitely an interesting taste experience. I imagine it could be a good flavor combination but it was not executed very well.

Sipdown!! (209)

OMG this is like taking a bite out of a ripe, juicy peach. So flavorful and delicious. I am amazed right now. It is complimented by the smooth black base that I associate with Nina’s teas. Nearing the end of the sip, the apple and apricot appear as subtle notes to round the flavor. A very good cup, especially if you love peaches!

Thank you Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s Paris for this sample!!

Sipdown!! (210)

The only other currant tea I have had was DAVIDs Currant Affair and that did not go well for me. I found it overly medicinal and so I sent it away. However, this one smelled amazing so I could not pass up a sample.

Tastewise, I am picking up some of the medicinal flavor of the red currant. It is nowhere near as unpleasant as Currant Affair though. That is probably due to the other flavors which are hiding within the cup. Caramel can be found among the mix as well as raspberry but at the end of the day the dominant flavor is the currant and that is just not for me. With that said, I do recommend this for anyone who likes currant as the flavor is spot on and complimented nicely by the other ingredients in the cup.

Also, I have found that I prefer these teas brewed slightly below boiling for two minutes. I was recommended to brew them for three but after two the teas have been flavorful and free of any bitterness and astringency.

Thank you Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s Paris for this sample. I am glad I got to give it a try.

I think I have gotten used to life with very few teas because between my trip to Nina’s yesterday and the arrival of my teas from my father, I was overwhelmed. I sat on my bedroom floor for an hour surrounded by teas just trying to decide what to have. I finally decided that I have had so much luck with the Nina’s teas I have tried so far that I would continue to go through their samples.

Prior to visiting their office, I checked out Nina’s Paris on amazon and this was among three of the teas (along with Je t’aime and Nina’s Japon) that caught my eye. The smell of this lived up to my expectation and so I asked for a sample. So I brewed up the sample (about 2 tsps) in 8 oz of just boiled water for 2 minutes. The result is a very pleasant strawberry tea. There is a sweet creaminess from the vanilla that mixes perfectly with a natural strawberry tang. Furthermore, the base is present but not competing with the flavors. All in all, not a bad cup. Would I order this one?? I am not sure but I would definitely not turn away a cup if it were being offered.

Thank you Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s Paris for this delicious sample!!

ETA: Sipdown!! (211)

A sample from a while ago! Sorry about the lateness of this tasting note! I love Earl Grey. This one is certainly a decent one. I think it would be an Earl Grey especially for anyone who doesn’t like their bergamot very strong. The bergamot is nice and bright but not as strong as I like my EGs. I steeped for TWO minutes right after boiling because it seemed like the cup was dark pretty quick. The leaves are kind of small.. but maybe they were just crushed with all my other teas. I hope not! The black tea has a nice boldness, briskness to it but not overpowering…it’s a special kind of black base that I really only see with Nina’s Paris teas. Maybe it is taming the bergamot a bit. The second cup at just boiling for three minutes is somehow even better, even though the bergamot is even less present. The black tea is now very sweet somehow! Not my favorite Earl, but very tasty.

Made this as an eggnog latte and though my first few sips were good, on the whole this is pretty thin.

I brewed this up as an eggnog latte (and the second type of eggnog has worked beautifully so YAY!) and it is delicious. A touch floral but the apple pairs beautifully with the eggnog creaminess. Think apple pie a la mode. Yum!

Sipdown!! (177)

When I was at Nina’s Paris, I was given teas to smell and asked what I thought they were before I was told the ingredients. By scent, this was instantly recognizable as a Christmas tea. However, unlike many other Christmas teas, this has apple as opposed to orange and flowers instead of spices.

Steeped, the smell is all cinnamon but tastewise the cinnamon mellows. There is a subtle apple cinnamon flavor. I am not picking up any florals but since I am not a huge floral fan, I am happy about that. This is not bad but I definitely prefer the other Nina’s Paris teas I have tried.

Thank you Sophie and Laurent at Nina’s Paris for the sample :)

Made another eggnog latte with this tea but I added in a touch of DAVIDs Swampwater just for something a little different. Well, despite there being almost double the amount of this tea in the mix, Swampwater took over. Sure the strawberry popped a bit more than usual but mostly it tasted just like a creamy, eggnoggy cup of DAVIDs Swampwater.

A couple days back I tried continuing the success I had with Nina’s rooibos blends in eggnog lattes so I brewed this up and tossed in the last of my Pisces tea in hopes of getting a caramel strawberry milkshake type drink. Well, I didn’t get much caramel (granted I think the ratio of leaf was like 5:1) but this certainly hit the strawberry milkshake nail on the head. It was great and it was gone in no time at all. Delicious!

Made this as an eggnog latte with a shot of Criollo’s Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt liqueur. Both additions are strong sweet flavors that easily overtake the subtle strawberry of this tea. Still, as the sip ends, a candy strawberry sweetness takes over leaving behind a tasty strawberry taste in your mouth.