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drank Luxury by Betjeman and Barton
73 tasting notes

Have had several cups of this now, and I’ve decided it’s a nice black tea base with essence of confusion-to-your-senses. Sorry, candied essence of &tc. I rather doubt the flavouring is all natural, and I feel I should dislike it for that reason, but it is such a happy smell/taste (though smell especially) that I don’t. Certainly not over-perfumey, despite which, I find myself craving an oil blend I could dab on myself and wear around all day. I definitely am craving candied chestnuts, aka marrons glacés! I totally agree with Ysaurella about the slight chestnutty bitterness, which is nutty but different from other types of “nutty” flavour.

Will try to do a closer approximation of a proper tasting note soon! Just for now, adding that yesterday I tried a smidge with my unsweetened almond milk, being afraid of ruining the cup, and it was lovely that way too.
Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
5 comments
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Ysaurella
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I like this blend even if to me B&B used too much essential oils vs other blends but…I like it ! This is a quite recent creation I think and they may try another recipe in the future (as they did for the Cerise Noire blend) – The director of the shop located boulevard Malesherbes in Paris always mentions to only steep the B&B blends for 2 or 2 min and a half…otherwise they would become bitter – I generally follow now this indication and I prefer their liquors like this.
I normally steep my black blends for 4 or 5 min without problem (Dammann Frères, Mariage Frères especially)

Hallieod
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Oh, it’s good to know that about the steeping time, as I would steep my black teas longer too.
I wonder if this could be a slightly different recipe than what you tried? Or is it too new for that? I’ve been put off lately by even very high-quality Earl Greys and the like, just because of the overwhelming essential oil taste, and this is completely different level of flavour to those. Maybe I’ll try it tomorrow and find it over-EOed for me too. :) But it’s also good to know that they’re not using artificial flavourings in their teas.

Ysaurella
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I never saw any French brand saying they use artificial flavourings…It doesn’t mean they don’t…I am now really suspicious with food and beverage regarding all the food scandals we discovered since 15 years now.
For Luxury i had some doubts but the director ensured me there were only natural essences in.I think I should mention the shop the over “perfumy” feeling with this blend- they can improve it as they often revisit their recipes.
I think you may like Pouchkine blend, I am planning to buy some next month, if you like I can share some with you.

Hallieod
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Thank you very much for the offer of Pouchkine-tasting! I’d love that. If you’re interested, I have their Courtisanes (I don’t think it’s on Steepster yet, but will add it soon – it’s a green with lots of fruits), or Hanami, which I haven’t even tried yet!

By next month, it’s entirely possible that I’ll have more to share too. :)

Ysaurella
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that’s great we keep in touch for a next month swap :)

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Comments

Ysaurella
Delete

I like this blend even if to me B&B used too much essential oils vs other blends but…I like it ! This is a quite recent creation I think and they may try another recipe in the future (as they did for the Cerise Noire blend) – The director of the shop located boulevard Malesherbes in Paris always mentions to only steep the B&B blends for 2 or 2 min and a half…otherwise they would become bitter – I generally follow now this indication and I prefer their liquors like this.
I normally steep my black blends for 4 or 5 min without problem (Dammann Frères, Mariage Frères especially)

Hallieod
Delete

Oh, it’s good to know that about the steeping time, as I would steep my black teas longer too.
I wonder if this could be a slightly different recipe than what you tried? Or is it too new for that? I’ve been put off lately by even very high-quality Earl Greys and the like, just because of the overwhelming essential oil taste, and this is completely different level of flavour to those. Maybe I’ll try it tomorrow and find it over-EOed for me too. :) But it’s also good to know that they’re not using artificial flavourings in their teas.

Ysaurella
Delete

I never saw any French brand saying they use artificial flavourings…It doesn’t mean they don’t…I am now really suspicious with food and beverage regarding all the food scandals we discovered since 15 years now.
For Luxury i had some doubts but the director ensured me there were only natural essences in.I think I should mention the shop the over “perfumy” feeling with this blend- they can improve it as they often revisit their recipes.
I think you may like Pouchkine blend, I am planning to buy some next month, if you like I can share some with you.

Hallieod
Delete

Thank you very much for the offer of Pouchkine-tasting! I’d love that. If you’re interested, I have their Courtisanes (I don’t think it’s on Steepster yet, but will add it soon – it’s a green with lots of fruits), or Hanami, which I haven’t even tried yet!

By next month, it’s entirely possible that I’ll have more to share too. :)

Ysaurella
Delete

that’s great we keep in touch for a next month swap :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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Bio

I’ve been drinking tea pretty much all my life, allowing for the fact that there probably was no tea in my baby-bottles. I gave it up twice, once when a then-boyfriend sneered at me for being addicted (okay, I was, but I was also stubborn enough to bear a week of the blinding headaches and overwhelming exhaustion that followed cold-turkey withdrawal), and once on my first pregnancy. Neither experience gave me any reason to believe a life without tea is a good life.

Having spent most of my younger days in Ireland, where tea is everywhere, and mostly it’s decent, I whined my way across the States in the 80s and first half of the 90s. Now back in Dublin, and the tea situation is a bit mixed, but there’s the internet to provide what nearby shops don’t!

I started drinking green and white teas as well as my staple black a good few years ago now, but have recently decided I need to LEARN something more about tea than the little I know.

My likes:
- strong black tea blends; some flavoured blacks, such as Earl Grey and a small (but growing) number of other fruit and flower-flavoured ones; and chai. (For some daft reason, I feel like a tea fraud drinking sweet chai at home, though I’ll happily drink it out.)

- Chinese greens (may update this when I’ve learned enough to be more specific); some flavoured greens, especially if they’re made by the fabulous Yumchaa; Genmaicha; getting to like Sencha, as long as it’s not too bitter.

- White tea, pretty much as long as it’s good quality, I like it. Some flavoured ones are nice, though it’s easy to overpower the more delicate taste of white.

- Rooibos, which I know, I know, isn’t properly ‘tea’. (As above for Yumchaa flavoured rooibos – some of my favourites.)

Dislikes:
- Any black tea made by someone who doesn’t know you need BOILING WATER. (See above about the Whining Years.)

- Hibiscus in fruit-flavoured teas. Looks so pretty! Tastes so awful!

I’m working on trying to like Hojicha, which isn’t going too well yet. Jane Pettigrew describes it as “biscuity”, but unless she’s eaten a lot of cigarette-flavoured biscuits in her time, I don’t get it.

- Aniseed in spiced teas. (Just discovered this one for the dislike list today, in an otherwise-tasty chai. Don’t like the tongue-numbing effect.)

Indecisive, despite being opinionated – okay, very opinionated – so may just add notes rather than rating.

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Dublin, Ireland

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