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__Morgana__ drank Lady Grey Tea by American Tea Room

2037 tasting notes

I just did a “sort by company” of my notes and was really surprised to see that I’ve only logged two American Tea Room teas. I really liked both of those, so I should probably apply myself to the task of tasting more of their wares! (And btw, the ATR people are psychic, apparently. As I typed that, an email with a 20% off coupon arrived in my mailbox.)

This is a very pretty tea. The violet and mallow petals make the dry leaf lovely to look at. The aroma from the sample packet is so wonderfully inviting. A very mellow blend of bergamot and vanilla, which reminds me of lemon cake icing.

After steeping, the sweetness of the aroma flattens out some. The liquor is a peachy amber.

I’m not getting as much flavor from this as I’d expected. It could have something to do with how I steeped. I used the same settings as I did for St. Petersburg (200 degrees for 4 minutes) but I noticed that the sample packet suggests 195 degrees for 5 minutes. I will try that next time. It could also have something to do with the age of the sample, though it was in a sealed packet that had never been opened and judging by the aroma in the packet it seemed to have retained its freshness and strength.

I’m not convinced I did this one justice, so I’m going to reserve my rating until I’ve had a chance to try steeping it differently. It seems too promising from the aroma for what I got out of it.

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes