Nina's Tea - Jamais Vu, Grand Amour and Scorpio

Nina's Tea has just been launched in the US and Canada. Nina's Tea is pretty popular in France so it's exciting to get a chance to try their tea. I contacted them through the Facebook page, was sent a catalog and got to pick out three teas for free samples, Jamais Vu, Grand Amour and Scorpio. They shipped fast, even with the bad snowstorm we had I got the teas within only a few days.

Nice big piece of orange peel

I tried the Jamais Vu first. In French jamais vu means "Never seen", but it is also a psychology term when someone experiences something they recognize but it seems unfamiliar, like the opposite of deja vu. Hmm. Anyways Jamais Vu is a black tea that has pineapple, orange, mandarin and safflower. I made a short tasting note on Steepster:

Very citrus, fruity, and slightly floral. I could not taste the pineapple but I could taste the orange and mandarin well enough. Tart but not too tart. I like it with a little sugar.
On the second steeping the orange taste is even stronger.

 It is a very strong tea but not bitter, I steeped the same leaves four times (3 minutes for the first steeping, slightly longer for later steepings) before it started to weaken.

I tried the Grand Amour next, but I did not like it as much. It's also a black tea, flavored raspberry, redcurrant,caramel and vanilla. My Steepster review:

Fruity, incredibly fruity. Maybe too fruity if that is possible. Since I opened the sample all I can smell or taste is raspberry and red currant. I am starting to panic for fear I will never taste anything else ever again.
I let the tea cool to room temperature while I ran some errands. The fruityness is not so overwhelming now. I think this might make a good iced tea. I do not taste any caramel or vanilla though.

 I tried steeping the leaves, it was a little better but I still did not like it and all I could taste was berries. Someone who loved this tea suggested that I try a shorter steeping time ( steeped for about 3 and a half minutes) and slightly lower temperature and she might be right, but I think I just do not like this tea. I think there are two kinds of raspberry teas, the kind I like and the kind I just don't like.

Nina's Tea has a collection of Zodiac themed rooibos teas. I was choosing teas based on their descriptions rather than names, and the Scorpio's peach, apricot and cream attracted me more than my sign. This tea has a pleasant peachy smell. My Steepster review:

This is my favorite sample from Nina’s. I can taste the rooibos, slightly woody. The apricot flavor comes through strong but not too strong, hints of peach and it is very creamy. The tea is fine on its own but I added just a few drops of cream, no sugar needed. This is a good dessert tea for the evening, and because there is no caffeine I do not have to worry about it keeping me up all night.

My first steeping was for about 3 minutes, sadly the second steeping was a little weak even though I steeped it for at least 5 minutes. I have about half a teaspoon left and think I'll add it to my used leaves for a third steeping.

Nina's Tea USA website is still under construction but some Nina's Teas are available on Amazon.