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__Morgana__ drank L' Orangerie by American Tea Room

2036 tasting notes

An as yet untested sample, and what a really wonderful surprise.

Orange is a flavor I love, but find iffy in so many foods and teas that aren’t in and of themselves made of oranges. Since I’m a huge fan of ATR fruity teas, it should perhaps not be surprising that I thought this one was well done. But it isn’t just well done, it’s one of the most pleasant orange flavored teas I’ve tried. So of course, I can no longer find it on the ATR web site. Such luck I have.

Yes, orange is the dominant aroma and flavor, from a really succulent and juicy smell in the sample packet to a mellower and more spread out aroma in the steeped tea, to a somewhat tart, somewhat sweet, flavor with a tinge of peel-like bitterness; just enough to give the flavor a fruity authenticity without undermining the pleasing non-fakey character of the tea. The tea base is a truly a bass note here, a low rumble of accompaniment to the higher orange notes. I think it is a Ceylon but I’m not sure. In any case, it does its job exceptionally well.

I would buy this again if it were available.

Flavors: Molasses, Orange, Orange Blossom, Orange Zest

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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2 comments

American Tea Room
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We are sorry we had to discontinue L’Orangerie – but we have several new and different teas – Romanoff might come closest.

Fjellrev
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Too bad this one isn’t still available since I’d prefer orange with the base they used here, it seems.

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Comments

American Tea Room
Delete

We are sorry we had to discontinue L’Orangerie – but we have several new and different teas – Romanoff might come closest.

Fjellrev
Delete

Too bad this one isn’t still available since I’d prefer orange with the base they used here, it seems.

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Bio

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