American Tea Room

Tastes more like a rooibos than a puerh, I think because the sweeter notes mask the earthy flavor the of the puerh, which I never imagined could happen! Still, a nice sweet flavor, coconutty, not tasting fennel. Sometimes I get a “wine” kind of note to it, like the assam cabernet tea I have, so like a nice red wine note. Good iced! It’s been a good tea to come home to and have a big glass iced, and it hasn’t been keeping me up at night. Almost like a dessert tea!

Thanks to ATR for the generously sized free sample!

Smells great (unsurprising given its predecessor!) but alas, has apple and that hot pink hue beetroot-nut-and-apple blends often have that tells me what I’m in for is likely not going to be my thing. (There’s a Joy’s Teaspoon blend that psyched me out by smelling divine and then being tart, with this exact same color; I believe David’s has one too…Forever Nuts IIRC. It’s funny how certain tea blend components are always found together.) If you don’t mind apple tartness in tea (I almost always do), this is a nicely done version of that aforementioned blend type. It’s not much like Brioche except a bit in the smell (it’s got a nuttier aroma though) so I wouldn’t recommend ordering it expecting anything like that; if on the other hand you’ve had those David’s Forever Nuts type teas before and like them, it could be a winner. Since apple is really not my thing, and this general blend type which I’ve tried 3 or so times from different companies never works for me (usually sent as free samples; I know not to pick it myself usually), I’ll pass. But again, as these things go it’s a well done version.

Drank this late last night waiting for and finally watching the series finale of Breaking Bad (which, ugh don’t get me started). I wanted something dessert-y comforting but also peppy to keep me going.

This was ok. Not amazing not terrible. I think when I want chocolate and mint together, I want it creamy and rich, dessert-like a la grasshopper ice cream, and in that vein for me Persimmon Tree Mint Chocolate Chop Rooibos is more my speed (I had a similar feeling when I tried Zen Tea, which tastes similar to this one…leans more toward refreshing mint, lighter on the creamy chocolate sweetness).

sipdown! uh 224. I was enjoying this…immensely as i made it as a latte today – steeped in milk. as i was contemplating my tasting note though, someone shared news with me about an old “friend” of mine. For those that don’t know, i used to play world of warcraft pretty heavily and regularly. (story time now..no more tea comments, move on if you’re looking for those). started when the game launched etc..yadda yadda, was an officer in a guild, pulled 40 ppl through molten core etc but at a casual level i was proud to have gone through things with. None of this raiding 20 hours a week for me. long story short, one of my friends from wow passed away last weekend and the news has trickled over to me tonight. I haven’t talked to “runabout” in a while, but we kept in touch over the years. I honestly didn’t expect news of his death to hit me quite as hard as it has. One of those random internet friends….we met in person a couple times with the florida crew, but mostly we chatted in game and through email, trying to coordinate things. So right now, i’m waxing poetic about the good times we had, drinking my tea and smiling at internet friends. something my parents don’t understand as they didn’t grow up in this generation, but something i whole heartedly understand as our world has become more and more connected through our ability to share with one another. A silly game, yes but one that allowed me to meet some FABULOUS people, that i’m still friends with…i’ve shared weddings and births and other such events…and tonight….the first death. And it’s floored me. good night.

this smells divine! I haven’t had the cacao tea from herbal infusions in a long time but i think this is very similar. I’m at 226 now but i wanted a delicious non caffeinated tea so i thought i’d try this one. Terri is mia, and i’m sure she’ll come out of nowhere and show me like 12 sipdowns lol

I’d like to do a comparison of this one and the one from herbal infusions to see which i like better, but i am really digging the delicious chocolatey taste of this. It’s a little watery but still flavourful..i think that’s largely because i keep expecting this to be hot chocolate lol

sipdown! this was a free sample with my american tea room order and not something i would have chosen for myself given that i strongly dislike coconut in 90% of all teas.

I can’t rate this tea, because i could barely drink it. the coconut smell was too overpowering, so i managed a sip before having to give up. What i will say, is that this DOES taste like macaroons. If that’s your thing, it’s worth trying out :)

SIPDOWN! the rest of this sample is in to the swap box for the girls here to try if they are so inclined the next time they come over. I’ve promised to hold back some of all my american tea room samples so in they go. I opted to try this one as a cold brew, and while it’s not a terrible tea, i’d rather have della terra’s lemon chiffon any day.

this is also a backlog from last night. I’m going to have to agree with ifjuly…while this is lovely, i’d take della terra’s lemon chiffon first due to it’s creamier notes that hide the rooibos taste better. In lemoncello, i can still taste the rooibos fairly well through the lemon flavours. I wonder though, if this wouldn’t make a really nice iced tea with a splash of honey to make the lemon pop! I’ll have to try that next. that being said, this is still a decent enough tea :)

This was a free sample in my order with American Tea Room. I picked up a bag of Brioche with that order and absolutely fell in love so I was eager to compare. If I don’t compare this tea with Brioche, I like it. It’s very similar to Teavana’s Caramel Almond Amaretti in ingredients, but the flavor is smoother.

If I compare this to Brioche, Brioche wins hands down each time. This blend misses the flaky pastry taste of the original, which is a huge reason why I fell in love with it.

When I heard that there would be a caffeine-free version of the Brioche tea, I became very excited! I have enjoyed the original and knew that I would like the ability to drink it in the evening. For some reason, I thought that it would be a caffeine-free black tea brioche blend, so I was surprised to see that it’s completely herbal. The dry blend smells identical to DavidsTeas’ Forever Nuts.

It looks like they have the same ingredients: apple pieces, beetroot, almonds and cinnamon… perhaps in different amounts. Darn, I feel like I know what this is going to taste like even before sipping. Still, I am very much a fan of Forever Nuts, but can’t buy it regularly as I need quite a bit of the blend to make a tasty cup… and simply don’t find it to be a good value. That being said, it looks like this version from American Tea Room is slightly.. and I mean ever-so-slightly cheaper.

I used about two teaspoons for an 8 oz cup.. which makes the whole sample good for about two cups of tea. Sipping… yep. It’s Forever Nuts, though perhaps not as tart and with a better aftertaste. Sweet, a tiny bit tart, with nice touch of cinnamon. Yummy! I definitely prefer this blend to Forever Nuts. I can see myself adding a pouch of this to my next order if I can get beyond the large (and therefore pricey) amount of blend I have to use for each cup.

So it seems I’m a big sucker for coconut bao zhongs/pouchongs as I love this in a guilty pleasure lap-it-up kind of way exactly as I did for Golden Moon’s. I think I possibly prefer Golden Moon’s slightly—should do a side-by-side at some point perhaps—but they’re both tasty treats. This one seems slightly sweeter/dessert-ier maybe while Golden Moon’s tastes more like fresh coconut water. I’d definitely reorder either.

Seems another case of, “really nice, but Butiki’s has an edge, not that I’d say no to either if offered of course”. I really like paper wrapped oolongs it seems, which is kind of surprising given I usually shy away from delicate “girly” floral teas in favor of smoky or roasty or thick ones. Definitely wouldn’t satisfy one of my classic “jonesing for strong black tea” moods, but on a sunny work afternoon as a little light lovely breather I welcome these kinds of oolongs.

This is delicious. The tea has a slight smokey flavor. The dates, figs, seseme, and almonds blend together subtly, and while I can sometimes pick out an individual flavor, the blended flavor is what underlies this tea.

This tea is a bit dry, but not unpleasantly. It seems to fit the smokiness.

This tea is lovely, and very evocative of an Arabian Nights-esque setting. Drinking this, the picture that forms in my mind is a smoky room, somewhere in the Middle East. Smoke from decanters floats in the air.

This smells like cherry liqueur, which I found a bit unpleasant. I added some sugar because the initial taste was a but underwhelming.

The first sip with sugar… OH WOW. I literally just said, “Oh wow” in an awed voice. Please feel free to laugh at me. The sugar brought out all the flavors to play and this is absolutely delicious. It’s like the filling of a cherry cordial, but toned down so it’s not so nauseatingly sweet.

So much love for this tea.

I may have to try mixing this with some almond rooibos I have that was a bit bland. I’m thinking the two will go very well together.

I had looked forward to sitting down with a cup of this tea on Friday. I got the email notification that my package from American Tea Room had been delivered by FedEx. Only, when I got home, the package that was propped up at my door was not mine.

I deduced that the FedEx driver got a smidge confused. I live in building 11510. The package I received was for 11512, the same condo unit number as mine. Obviously, the driver carried them out of the truck at the same time and delivered 11512 to my door. So, Saturday morning I walked the package over to 11512 and gave it to my neighbor – who had refused the package the FedEx driver attempted to deliver because it wasn’t for her.

I gotta say, when I called FedEx customer support, they bent over backwards to fix everything. I got a case number and an agent assigned to my case, who called me today to make sure I had actually gotten the package. The package upon which which someone had hilariously taped a print out of the Google street view of my address, to help the driver ID the correct building.

Anyway, I finally got my tea and I immediately tore into the Brioche. It was the sole reason I placed the order in the first place. I’ll work my way through the other teas but this was the one I wanted. I’m a giant almond nut (ha ha).

The dried tea smelled amazing. I visited Paris once and my hostel was next door to a little bakery. This tea smelled almost like that bakery (almost because there really is something about fresh-baked bread you cannot replicate).

This tea is amazing. No cream or sugar needed. I can picture the flaky French pastry I’m drinking in tea form. Absolutely divine. I can taste the bread. I don’t know how they did it!

This may become my new favorite tea. It was well worth the wait.

Tried some of this on the weekend thanks to Sil! The flavour (and aroma) made me think of freshly baked, doughy cinnamon buns… it was pretty good. It also reminded me of S&V’s Almond Sugar Cookie, although perhaps a touch better? I’ll have to have a bit more of the S&V version soon while I still remember how Brioche tasted.

Anyhow, while it was good and I would happily drink it again, I don’t feel the need to purchase it – which is great, because it was on my shopping list on here based on all the rave reviews! Thanks for sharing a bit with me, Sil :)

Finally had this on its own instead of in milk. Yeah nope. It was much improved when I added a splash of toasted caramel liquor but not by much. Tis is for sure a milk type latte tea!

I had this one last night in latte form, which appears to be the way that i really love this tea. I don’t fancy it as much when it’s steeped in water. Still though, it was a tasty treat!

I really enjoy this as a latte. Had a giant mug of this after getting home from work while waiting on dinner. I don’t like it straight, but as a latte there’s enough creamy deliciousness to make this a whole lot better!

soooo i figured out that this needs the longer steep, and as a latte, it’s totally worth it. I’ll have to try it again without milk, but this morning’s latte was exactly what i wanted :)

I’m going to have to try this one again. Today though, i remember being less than impressed given that brioche is my other happy place with american tea room.

I spent yesterday afternoon organizing and cleaning out my tea cupboard. Amazing what motivation a little bit of grief can get you! My brother used to be into tea and is getting back into it, so I sent pretty much all oolongs and other straight teas I don’t love his way. I also have a ton of flavored teas I’ll be posting in the take it away thread. But in the process of my purge and cleanse, I found this tea hiding behind something else. There is only enough for a few mugfuls, but I was super happy to find it. There is a great rich maltiness to it that takes my cream and honey well. Next time I reorder Brioche, I’ll probably add a small bag of this to my order.

I have a lot of new teas and samples I need to be sipping through and writing notes on, but I was craving this one today. Sometimes you just gotta drink what you are in the mood for you know? And today it is flavored blacks :)

Weird timing that I chose this tea this morning, and then saw *boychik*’s post under Misc Sales that they are doing free shipping right now with a coupon code. I only have one serving left! TEMPTING!!! I love this tea’s almond-pastry goodness, but…I really need to continue to sip down what I’ve already got in my stash before it gets out of control. Anyway, if YOU love this tea and want more you might want to get some today!