THE O DOR

This was a sample, very kindly provided by the Theodor shop when I was not quite sure about the scent of this. And after dividing the sample in two and having it twice I am still a bit unsure about this but sort of glad I did not get 100 grams of this – in most shops it would have indeed been the best choice, but not in that particular one.

My first attempt at this failed, I used too much water. This my second and final attempt worked much better. It is a chinese dark oolong, with a definite personality. It is wonderfully complex and very smooth. There is this richness to its flavours, which OK yes reminds me of chocolate, dark (not malty) chocolate. And there is a note as well which reminds me of tobacco, raw tobacco (I do not mean smoke!), and this is where it baffles me. Like seaweed notes, I do not like tobacco notes.

I can not really rate this properly, it is a wonderful high quality tea, which I am drinking with pleasure but which just escapes being a tea I love, because of my own personal likes and dislikes.

Just a short note to up the rating once more. Wow, this was not love at first sip, but the cup I am drinking right now seems some kind of perfect to me. And yes hazelnuts, they were right.

But while making this tea, I keep saying to myself, this is not a black tea, not a black tea. It does even not look like one, green and silver like olive leaves, not sure why i insisted on scalding it. But water not too hot, not too long and then this is amazing.

To do proper justice to this tea I had to clear myself of the misconception this is a black tea. Seller makes pointed references to Darjeeling, but I did not take enough notice, for some reason was expecting and treating this as a chinese black tea or say an assam. Nope. Not at all. But I have very little experiences with Darjeelings as well, some of this tea has been spoiled so far while I tried to figure it out. And for me it´s not too much leaf, cautiously hot water (80 to 85 would be my estimate) and some 4 minutes.

If you do that, it´s quite unlike all other teas (except you know, those famous darjeelings which I do not know well enough) and really quite extraordinarily lovely. Light, very light color, delicate flavour (seller mentions hazelnuts and cacao. Me nope, raisins, wine, maybe wine must), a bit of astringency underneath – I usually dislike all astringency but here is no flaw but part of the loveliness.

My first sip of this and not quite sure what to make of it.

I certainly love it better than the first Nepal black tea I ever had (from david´s tea, a Angrboda sample). This is just smoother, more elegant. But either Nepalese black tea is so different from the teas I usually have I am a bit baffled by them and can´t really judge yet. But will drink my cup with pleasure! And finish that David´s Tea sample (but for once, the one I had before is not the winner. This Shangri La is just better even to newbies like me).

I get the woody and hazelnut notes from the official description – as well as something raisin-esque. Very smooth with just a hint of astringency which IMO is part of the charm.

This was a sample kindly provided at The-o-dor´s shop and duh, should have bought it. Yep. Luggage would probably not have burst.

A warning, this is a smoked tea – a subtle one, a very subtle one, but smoked tea haters might want to avoid this. On the other it is perhaps the most subtle, more ready for for smoke-curious smoked tea I ever tried.

It is a light smoke tea with red berries. I was stupidly careless when brewing it (a sample! a precious sample, careless indeed) and I overbrew it, longer than 5 minutes for sure, let´s say on its way to 10 minutes for sure. It did not really matter, it was wonderful just the same with that particular mellowness which I associate with lapsang souchong (a confession, I love lapsang souchong not because of the smell, but because of that mellow taste).

I am liking this more and more each time I have it (good thing because I got 100 grams). The trick to brew it is IMO to use more leaf that you would normally use – this is a very pretty tea, filled with petals and things, but you need to compensate for those pretty things by adding more real tea.

It´s sweet (macaroon tea! Parisian macaroon tea!) and feels like a total indulgence, but somehow perfect for this post Christmas season where I am totally tired of food particularly rich food (clementines, rucula and tomato and sushi are somehow OK. Chinese hot and sour soup as well). The coconut and pistachio in this tea are somehow just perfect for this mood of mine.

A new tea, since I have been very good at finishing old teas, and wow what an indulgence this tea is.

First it is very pretty, filled with huge petals and tiny tiny perfect little rose buds, an incredibly beautiful tea. I used more leaf than normally and am glad I did, this deserves to be intense!

I am somewhat baffled by the other taste notes here on steepster, I get very strong coconut and chocolate notes, with some pistacchio and almond in the background. A very smooth base, as expected (and I think I should have gone a bit hotter and shorter, though no harm was done) and if I did not quite get before this the concept of dessert tea, I get it now. It is totally dessert in a cup, a not too sweet, not filling but a very pleasant intense taste. A very indulgent lovely tea!

(not sure if I prefer this or Tribute. Will selflessly test it!)

Still roasty , mellow and delicious.

While sipping it I am thinking of Steepster, people here and tasting notes.
Since I joined Steepster 2 years ago a lot of folks here who have just “disappeared” and I was thinking of their last note. Did they know it was their last one? Did they feel sick and tired of writing notes ? Did they decide to only drink tea for themselves ? Did they have a major issue ? No chance to know the answer.

I’m feeling myself more and more lazy with my notes, saying less and less. Am I tired of teas ? I feel more like I would like to spend more time with some teas probably rather than trying news so often.
Sorry I am boring tonight :(

I am seriously thinking of cleaning my cupboard and say bye bye to some teas -especially some flavoured ones.I need to check which ones exactly and propose them to adoption in the swap discussion area.

This one is not the kind of tea I can ever get enough. That’s very funny because this Theodor one and the Grand Fancy Oolong (MF) are among my favourites and I didn’t really choice them -the sales persons in shop did by deciding me to buy these ones even if, the scent, in both cases,didn’t really please me…
Sometimes you must forget about your nose…

Yesterday I went to the Theodor shop in Paris to buy a tin of J.E Oolong Milky. In addition I wanted a black tea and the charming saleswoman proposes me this black Oolong. She said it was coming from a very great Garden and she made me smell the dry leaf. It was a very earthy smell (which is not what I prefer) but I decided to go for it because the leaves were very long and I do really trust Theodor’s selections and creations.

I am clearly not regretting my choice as this is a very mellow and smooth Oolong with distinct tastes of cocoa and somehow some chestnut as well.

I really enjoy it and this is for sure a tea to keep in cupboard

Very fragrant, the caramel flavour stays in your mouth for a while. It’s a light tea. Next time will add some milk.

This is my first Milky Oolong.cteresa sent me a sample of this J.E.Milky oolong a long time ago and she insisted for me to taste it. You were so right Teresa, this is really an unique tea.

I was in hurry when I brewed it and just forgot to smell the dry leaves…so cannot say anything about ! But I smell now the liquor and this is an unbelievable rich and buttery smell.

Its colour is unbelievable as well : so light ! I was suspiscious at the beginning as I thought I made a mistake with the temperature or with the steeping time due to this very very light colour. But it wasn’t any mistake.

The taste is fantastic : so buttery with a hint of vanilla and a kind of sweet milk aftertaste.
This is so mellow, so smooth, it’s incredible !

You were so right to push me to have it cteresa thank you again for this fantastic tea, it goes in the shoppping list for sure.

travelling tea box A!

oh god. this smells…uh gross. I’m fairly certain it’s the bergamot that’s inflicting this pain on my nose..or rather the blend of bergamot and passion fruit, which smells distinct on it’s own and is now coupled with bergamot. blech.

As for the taste? It’s really not too bad. The base blends quite nicely with the rest of the flavouring, leaving a cup that is actually pretty decent…except i can’t get past that smell. To which my other half has declared – “it smells like bad weed” not that i’d know what that smells like lol but his roomate at one point was too cheap to smoke good stuff…which apparently doesn’t smell as bad haha.

The first time I heard of this was in the THE O DOR shop in Paris, near the Eiffel tower — gobsmacked that one of my favourite tea companies would make a tea based off my favourite dessert, a pistachio macaron, I snapped it up in an instant.

The first time I brewed this was with @Carianin, who came over for a little tea-party. Possibly I was so overwhelmed and surprised by the taste sensation that arose from adding almond milk – almonds, yes, the base of macarons! – to this brew that it completely slipped my mind to ever make a tasting note. (I really recommend a hint of almond milk, you won’t regret it)

Even brewed strong, you can find all the lighter pistachio notes AND the stronger marzipan flavour. Strangely enough the black tea base always seems to marry the added flavours perfectly, for me, so that I can’t taste “ceylon” or “china black tea”, but a rich, woody-scented, marzipan and nut dessert. The dry leaves and the brew have such a strong candied scent but don’t let that put you off – it evens out when it’s brewed!

Being a fan of milky oolongs I so, so dearly wanted to try the THE O DOR one… such a pity it’s so expensive, but I imagine that’s only representative of the quality! I managed to purchase 25g of this from a lovely tearoom in Perpignan (the only amount I could afford at the time!) which I’m hoping will last me a little while.

First off, it’s a lovely vibrant light gold, and the leaves seem more… folded, than crushed, in comparison to other milky oolongs I’ve tried. They’ve expanded, yes, but a little limp when I think of the oolong leaves of Whittard, which turned out to be artificially flavoured. I wonder if these tender, smaller leaves are indicative of not being artificially flavoured. The aroma is different, too, more softly aromatic like vanilla or cream than a rich buttery scent.

And it certainly has a beautiful flavour! It’s light (perhaps due to the brewing time) and somewhat reminiscent of a dessert. Instead of a heavy dairy-like flavour, like butter, I’m getting light vanilla notes, even slightly biscuit or cake-ish, in between the overall fresh and mild flavour. There’s only the very slightest hint of astringency that builds up after each sip, and it’s so pleasant.. rather than getting addicted to the flavour I’m feeling more like this will make one good round cup of tea.

Next time I’ll change the brewing time or amount of leaves, I think!

I think this’ll be my last tasting note for a while as I don’t have any new-to-me teas in my stash. This is lovely. Thanks again Ysaurella for the generous sample.
It’s very creamy – you’d think the base was milk instead of tea leaves. I get the hazelnut instantly and the chocolate as an aftertaste. I can’t pick up the vanilla at all but it doesn’t bother me, the cup is very well-rounded as it is.

I had a very interesting dessert tea orgy this week and I’m happy it’s ended on such a positive note. I’ll definitely purchase a full bag to keep in my permanent rotation.

PERFECTION. The search for the ultimate almond tea is over for me. I’ve found it. This is it. I cannot be more grateful to Ysaurella for sending me a sample. I imagine this is what you’d get if you poured lots of almond extract on tea leaves and crushed some marzipan on top. I had this with almond milk for extra creaminess and it’s so blissful. The smell of the dry tea sent me into raptures. It’s very strong, almost overpowering. Almond, almond, almond. I’ve tried the Mariage almond but this Théodor is really superior.
Definitely a staple in my cupboard. What a beautiful, beautiful tea.

I am sipping it right now and it is so good…It comes from a sample I had with my Theodor order.
I wouldn’t have ordered it by myself because it contains mango but I can reconsider because the main notes are much rose and lemon to me and the mango comes delicately.
I am very surprised how these 3 flavours work lovely together. The green tea base is smooth and with absolutely none astringency except a small pleasant note on the aftertaste which adds somme seriousness to the blend, I am very impressed by Theodor’s greens until now.

To me Theodor is really a very very very high tea merchant and creator, I think I’m going to consider buying their straight teas to develop my palate because if they are picking the right straight teas as they blend their flavoured teas I can find easily the way to drink more staights.

It seems I am the very first to review this tea.
It comes from a sample I had with my Theodor order in may. Never have taken the time to taste it until now.

I am on holidays since this morning and this is just so pleasant to take the time to have breakfast or brunch properly without hurrying and worrying about trains, buses and timings.

The brewing instructions of Theodor are always surprinsing but I have the habit to strictly respect what they request and it is always for the best.

This Earl grey supérieur (pointes blanches) has been brewed at 85°c (185°F) only and it is perfect.
The bergamot is subtile here and isn’t overpowering at all. The tea base is very delicate without any acridness. It’s a medium bodied tea.
It’s not a sweet tea neither,it’s not so smooth nor mellow.
It’s abslotutely a very present tea with a specific personnality.

I’am happy to have found another Earl Grey so different and I love.
It’s a pity the sample was only for one mug.

Thanks to cteresa for the sample – my first green mate/maté (in memory, at any rate!) I drank this a few days ago, but didn’t get a chance to make a note at the time. I liked it! I didn’t immediately become fired with the desire to find more mate teas and become one with them, but I liked the flavouring a lot and it all worked together well. Big fan of lemongrass here.

Funny thing though – I’d caffeinated up with my usual two strong cups of afternoon black tea before drinking this, and about 30 minutes later, was hit by a wave of sleepiness I found hard to fight. What was that about?

Thanks cteresa for sending this one my way.

There is certainly that signature rooibos medicinal taste here, but it’s not the worst I’ve had. The baked apple I’m getting as well. I’m not so sure about the toffee, though there is a subtle sweetness to it that could be the toffee? Overall a smooth tea, even with that rooibos taste!

I’m glad I got the chance to try this one out :)