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__Morgana__ drank Oriental Beauty by American Tea Room

2037 tasting notes

Getting to the end of my ATR oolong samples. I have two that I know of after this.

Trying this with short steeps starting at 15 sec in the gaiwan at 195F after rinsing.

I get walnut and cocoa smells out of the packet. Something fruity as well.

It’s a golden color and clear, and definitely smells like walnut. I get a little of the cinnamon, too, but I’m not smelling maple.

The flavor is pleasantly toasty and mild, and it tastes pretty much like it smells.

On the second steep, still no maple, but something that reminds me of cardamom, for sure. I don’t find this particularly sweet, but it remains mild and smooth.

In between the second and third steeps, I found myself playing in my tea stash. I found a lot of the things I was looking for, but not the Castleton darjeeling from Upton. I have to keep looking. It might be a sample?

Anyway, third and fourth steeps are also mild, very much like the second.

Not as toasty as some other darker oolongs. Milder, and pleasant.

I really like this, but as ATR is no more, I will have to savor the remainder.

Flavors: Cocoa, Fruity, Toasty, Walnut

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C

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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