American Tea Room

My weekend was far more exciting than it had any right to be.

I learned I’m still extremely allergic to Wild Cherry Pepsi. We’re talking angioedema, anaphylaxis, the whole thing. But I can drink Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. I think I took five years off Fiance’s life in the process of accidentally rediscovering this, though.

So! This tea is my current iced tea obsession. When it’s cold steeped, it tastes just like dried apricots (which I love, but get tummy aches from). There’s a very small amount of black tea flavor, but really it’s all apricots all the time and better for it. It also tastes really good half-and-half with lemonade.

Fiance has dictated we need a large bag of this for summer (yay!)

Sample sipdown! It feels really good to have even one less little baggy floating around my kitchen, although there are about a million still left and another million or so on the way, so I take it all with a grain of salt.

My cup this morning was still quite tasty, although there was something a bit overwhelming about it. Partway through the cup I began to feel really hot, and maybe that affected my desire to finish it. It tasted exactly the same as it did yesterday—rich, nutty, buttery—but somehow didn’t hit the spot in the same way. I’m glad I’ve got a bit more coming my way so I can really test the waters, but am also glad I haven’t gone out and purchased a huge quantity of it.

Caught up on sleep last night, which will hopefully propel me through yet another workday.

Thanks again, VariaTea, for sending this to me!

I woke with a start that only the truly anxiety-ridden are familiar with, and checked the clock only to learn that it was 4:00 AM. There are times when you wake with a start but can nevertheless calm yourself down until you fall asleep again, and then there are others when you know that any efforts to stave off your anxiety and actually get back to sleep will be fruitless. Sadly, this night fell into the latter category. Not to worry though, as I quickly slipped out of bed and headed to play on the computer in the living room. What on earth did people do with their anxiety in the middle of the night before the internet?

And what better cure for needless anxiety than a steaming mug of tea and settling down with a cozy book. And I really picked a most cozy and delicious tea to accompany me! This very generous sample comes to me from the extremely kind-hearted VariaTea, who sneakily rummaged around on my wishlist and sent me like all of it. This tea was wonderful!

The people who rave on and on about the aroma of the dry leaf aren’t kidding: it smells like a baker’s kitchen, nutty and sweet. I don’t know that I would identify the nutty smell as almond right away, or perhaps it is—and it isn’t of the marzipan dessert variety. I steeped this up for four minutes with milk and sugar, and the sip was thick, buttery, and nutty, with a hint of sweet breadiness. I’ve had brioche before (although it was from Cora’s, and I can’t attest to its quality, necessarily, and I imagine French chefs would scoff), and actually found it a bit underwhelming as a bread, but again, it was at Cora’s so there’s that. But this tea was excellent, and manages to feel simultaneously decadent and mainstream, so that I could easily imagine having it as a breakfast tea. The flavours work very harmoniously with the base, and this tea will indeed remain on my wishlist. It’s one of those thick, buttery teas that makes you want to slide your tongue around the roof of your mouth to lap up all the buttery cream. Mmm.

Sipdown no. 121 of the year 2014. I almost typed 212. LOL. Wishful thinking.

My very generous teaspoon from DAVIDSTea polished this one off in two tastings. An equivalent of about four cups. Before, I was getting more out of the ATR samples, but in this case, I think going heavy on the leaf can only have helped.

It’s not something I’m going to buy, but I’m glad I got a chance to see what a decaf Earl Grey is like. I’ll be sticking to the caf versions.

I’ve been meaning to try this sample for a while. I’m actually not sure what possessed me to buy it, as I don’t usually have any urge at all to drink Earl Grey except in the morning. I’m pretty sure it was one of those TRY ALL THE TEA moments that compelled me to stick this in the shopping basket.

The dry leaves smell strongly of a floral bergamot. After steeping, the bergamot note is much more of a citrus-y one but I can’t really discern the underlying tea. There’s a “decaf” aroma though. Something that smells like decaf. It reminds me vaguely of the smell you get from laundry detergent when you open the washer while it’s running. Not soapy but vaguely chlorine-y. Fortunately, that’s secondary to the bergamot aroma. The liquor is an amazing red. Garnet. Really gorgeous.

The flavor is about what I expected. It tastes like a rather watered down version of the
Earl Grey Sterling. It doesn’t have the maltiness of the Shanghai, which is why I picked on the Sterling. Being a decaf, though, this one doesn’t have nearly the fullness of flavor of the Sterling. It’s like an Earl Grey that’s been scrubbed against a washboard over and over until it grew thin and faded. Fortunately, the chlorine-y note in the aroma doesn’t show up in the flavor.

I’m pretty sure I haven’t had another Earl Grey decaf, so as far as I know, this is a strong example of the type. It’s not something I feel the need to keep in my cabinet, though. More because I don’t really feel like drinking Earl Grey when I’d want something decaf than because of this tea, though it does have that “less than” quality that so many decaf blacks have.

I won’t have trouble sipping this one down, but for reasons already explained, it’s a miss for me.

This… THIS TEA!

If I had said anything about other dessert teas being delicious, I kind of halfway take it back, because this is truly delicious. This tea defines delicious.

I have been intoxicated by the aroma of dry leaf. And also the way it looks – I absolutely adore the almond pieces! I was also very pleased with how the brewed tea was clear, ruby-red and beautiful with no chicken-soup greasy blotches that flavored teas’ brews sometimes result in. Then I let it cool slightly… And had a sip, then another one… I totally fell in love.

It’s not the cinnamon, it’s not even the almonds, it’s this lovely baked-goods buttery note that I absolutely adore. It is kind of like a cookie, perhaps a biscotti? I have never tasted anything like it.

I want this tea to be made for forever, so I can always re-stock it.

okay, i am upping my rating on this tea as of today. i prepared it in more of a gongfu or however you spell that style, and i am quite enjoying it. the flavors have much more depth and are much more layered than prior sessions. this time, main difference is a nice hot awakening/rinsing of the leaves before actual brewing, a shorter brewing time, and more leaf per oz of water. as i learn, tea just gets better and better! love it!

well, i haven’t really liked most of the Da Hong Paos i’ve ever tried, but i like this one a bit better. mind you i’m only on the first steep, and it tastes smoky and dusty and dry, just like the others i’ve tried, but this one at least has some depth to it, am looking forwarded to future steepings….

I love it when free samples expand my horizons. I would not have tried this – I don’t love smoky teas and don’t keep many blacks around at all. I happen to have just reviewed yesterday Shang Tea’s Tangerine Blossom though, so this is perfect timing for a comparison. The base tea here really only has a slight smoke, despite the description, and it’s at a level that makes the tea more interesting for me but doesn’t overwhelm. And I have to agree with another reviewer that the citrus notes are more like dried orange than fresh – with just a slight spice to it. Where the tangerine blossom is more delicate bright citrus floral, this has a slight smoky, spicy, fruity flavor. This one is actually quite a bit closer to the Constant Comment profile, though with subtler flavors. I actually really like both this and the Tangerine Blossom, I suppose depending on whether you’re having a winter night by the fire (Romanoff) or breakfast on the balcony (Tangerine Blossom).

Oh my, I haven’t reviewed in awhile ;-;

Well, here goes. moraiwe felt comfortable giving me a small sample of this since shmiracles increased her supply. So thanks (directly and indirectly) to both of you because I’m a fan. :)

I’m all ouchy and shaky and just noticed I got herbal salve all over my keyboard so I won’t say much.

Bottom line: Really nice tea. Light to medium body with delightful fruity flavors that don’t overwhelm the palate. Mainly apricot with very subtle peach.
Bad news: I may have another reason to order from American Tea Room :P

Tea & Cards TTB

Had to sip this quick before my orthodontist appointment earlier, so I’m doing this one from memory; we’ll have to see if it turns out okay.

There’s a great black tea base paired up with a definite yeasty/pastry note. It doesn’t quite hit what I remember brioche being like, but as far as a sturdy sweet breakfasty type tea goes this one is a total hit.

It’s along the same lines as the Blueberry Crumble by Della Terra, but without the fruit notes…more like a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon? Eh, you get what I mean. Tasty tea and one I would eagerly drink again (and may buy as a result of trying it in the TTB).

Well it is official, aside from Brioche, I am not an American Tea Room fan. I find their coconut a touch like sunscreen. It is not as bad as it sounds but not anything I want to have again. Oh well, can’t like them all!

This is a sample from ifjuly – thank you!
First time i tried it didnt turned out good. It was just boring. As I remember it was at evening time, i had some cups of different tea through out the day. in other words, my taste buds did not work.
I was in a mood for EG today so I brew it according to ATR parameters. 1tsp 8oz 205F 5min. this cup turned out delicious. it was just right. Bergamot didn’t taste artificial perfumey and Yunnan base is great for this tea. i think I’m going to buy some today ,they have free shipping on any order

Sipdown (200/202)

Hooray for never ending backlog…

This is part of the set of teas I was trying to log yesterday but couldn’t finish because I had to go for my interview, which by the way didn’t turn out too well. I knew it wouldn’t as soon as I got there though: I clearly didn’t fit the “type”. All the employees were East Indian and very slender/thin with super high end fashionable clothing and the other eight candidates there were also East Indian with the same appearance… And, the all seemed to know each other. And there I was, not really ‘fitting in’ at all, and in my opinion at quite a disadvantage. Oh well – I did take the opportunity to distribute some resumes at other stores in the mall.

And I have another interview on Tuesday, as well!

This tea was made in a timolino because that was an appropriate size to use up the whole sample from VariaTEA. It’s another “Forever Nuts” type tea, and I think the last one I have left to try/finish off other than Forever Nuts itself. But you know, taste wise this one (just like Tealish’s Toasty Almond or Toasted Almond, whichever it was) tastes identical to Forever Nuts which I guess means it was an enjoyable enough cup but I’m just going to keep defaulting back to Forever Nuts because it’s the most convenient to get a hold of.

This is the best balance of bergamot and green tea flavor I’ve found, and the tea is quite tasty. If only I liked the bergamot better. There’s something odd about it – it tastes like it was cut in half. I mean with part of the flavor just missing, not like it’s weak. My favorite Earl Green yet, but it’s not a terribly successful category for me to start with, which makes me sad. There is so much potential here.

My only comparison is Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong, which didn’t suit me at all. All I tasted there was a perfumey, inescapable coconut that lingered on my cup, measuring spoon, and I think entire kitchen all day. This is quite different. I taste a green, floral oolong with a light, warm, coconut overlay. I’m still not sure how I feel about flavored oolongs, but if I’m going to own one, it will be this one. It’s a light, balanced, complex cup, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit! UPDATE: I received this again as a sample and am really enjoying it. I went to review it (as better than the others I’ve tasted) when I discovered I already had. I suspect I like it better because the first sip was immediately after a bite of yogurt with honey, which works really well with it. Maybe I should consider stocking this after all.

Well, that’s disappointing. Just very little jasmine – or even tea – flavor here. I much prefer their Jasmine Gold Dragon, which is quite brisk and a much more aggressive tea. Not for me.

It’s lovely. I don’t get much bergamot, but it’s a nice, slightly floral vanilla tea. I think I have a general disappointment in floral teas because I want to really taste those flowers, and aside from jasmine, I almost never do – it’s nearly always trapped in the scent and aftertaste. That’s true here as well. It’s still delicious, but I don’t know if it’s a keeper for me.

I decided to try this now because I had a few sips of my husband’s sweetened Samurai Chai/Lemon Drop. (Normally it’s Hot Lips, but I did not want to open my last pack). It was so good and for the first time I could see how lemon could be good with chai, I wanted to drink it all and not share.

Since it was already out I decided to try Lemon Drop on its own. I can’t say what it tasted like without sugar this time only that after my first sip I added sugar and then more sugar and then, it tasted like a “creamy” lemon drop. I was surprised to notice the creaminess Dinosara mentioned, it was very tasty. I don’t normally like lemon tea but that may be cause I don’t want to add a lot of sugar. I need to learn to like stevia again so I can drink this more often.

I will save the rest of the sample for my husbands chai, he really enjoyed it. If I ever get more I will try a shorter steeping time than ATR suggests (4min) and then maybe I will not need as much sugar.

This smells like roasted almonds and it’s making me crave Bearclaw pastries! I really like the rich fig and toasted nut flavor. I added sugar (of course) it’s what I call “salt for tea” in that it always seems to enhance the flavors. It’s just the sweet desert tea that I was craving!

Thank you Moraiwe for sharing this with me!

This is only my second Bi Luo, so I can only compare it with Golden Moon’s. Obviously, they’re similar, but this one is on the grassier side, with none of the burnt sugar note of Golden Moon’s. That note, along with the grassy/woody taste that they both have, gave the Golden Moon version a complexity right up there with my favorite oolongs. They are both just lovely, but I slightly prefer the Golden Moon for that reason.

The dry leaves smell like full-on granny style potpourri…and I LOVE that! The rosiness has faded quite a bit in the brewed tea, leaving a delicate rose aftertaste from a generally unremarkable white. To be fair, I’ve had only a very few remarkable whites and wouldn’t have expected a special one here. Still, I just love rose so much, and this is such a fresh, full rose, it may just stay in the collection.