American Tea Room

(Caveat: The sample I received was labeled “Golden Yunnan” and advised steeping @ 200 for 5 minutes. I hope/assume it’s this tea).

Wow. What a smooth, full-bodied, flavorful cup this is. I brewed it for the full five minutes suggested, all the while worrying it might turn bitter, but such was not the case. No bitterness whatsoever. I did not get the tobacco notes — which is fine with me, because I’m not fond of tobacco or anything smoky — but I did sense honey, dark chocolate, caramel and a hint of fresh-baked bread. The mouth-feel is sort of thick and heavy, in a pleasant way, but there is no aftertaste. The liquor is golden-reddish-brown.

This is robust without being rough. Elegant, even. But not delicate. It’s bursting with smooth, addictive flavor. This is how black tea should taste. I’d love to have more of this.

I can’t remember who sent me this sample with other assorted teas – Meghann M? JoeCool (Nichole)? Sorry guys – too many tea packages! But thanks to whomever shared this from her stash! UPDATE: Thanks, QuiltGuppy!

For something called “extreme” this didn’t really seem so… sure, it tasted like vanilla, but I wasn’t that impressed with the taste. It does taste like vanilla & green tea, and the vanilla is of the regular soft-serve ice-cream variety, not so much in flavor…

I don’t know. But this was just a sample to try, so it’s not like I would never order from American Tea Room again…

Malty, classic Assam. This goes incredibly well with eggs and is the perfect breakfast tea.

Definitely not your usual, manly Earl by any stretch. However, it is a pleasant take on an old hat. I was quite surprised that vanilla, rose, and bergamot could work so well together. One never tried to overpower the other. That and rose didn’t make this taste like bathwater, which is a common complaint I have with petal-blended blacks sometimes. If I had any gripe it’s that the vanilla presence wasn’t strong enough. But then again, I’m spoiled on Cream Earl Greys. More of an afternoon black blend than a morning one but still worth a looksy.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/04/12/review-american-tea-room-organic-victoria-tea-3/

I love the look of green teas, from the vibrancy of their color before steeping, to the surprising ways in which they unfurl and fill the teapot. This tea really amused me this morning. It’s a beautiful, solid green, and it smells divine. It’s a peach scent, but not too sugary, as peach can sometimes be.

165/2.5 min. I dropped the recommended temp and increased the steep time as I didn’t want to cook it. It worked out well. The tea leaves practically hopped around while steeping as there was so much up and down movement in the pot. (Maybe it should be called Frankenstein Tea… it’s ALIVE!) ;) Anyway, the tea retains that peach fragrance which is so pleasant and calming, not monstrous at all. It’s not bitter. It has a bit of a grassy taste to it, which is perfect. It reminds me of a peach tree in a meadow. There is a hint of something floral in the tea, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s delicate and gentle and compliments this tea. As it cools, the fruitiness increases and I’ll bet that this tea is awesome iced, too.

Super chocolatey! If you aren’t a pu’erh fan, this may be a bit too strong, but I’m really enjoying it.

I am a Japanese green tea lover on a mission to sample every gyokuro I can get my hands on. This one, from American Tea Room, is amazing.

I could tell this was going to be a special tea from the moment I opened the packet. The fragrance nearly knocked me over — to say the scent (and for that matter, the flavor) is vegetal is like saying Shakespeare is a competent writer. This is some serious stuff. I brewed it for the suggested 2 minutes, but at a slightly lower temp than suggested, because I am always paranoid when it comes to gyokuros. The liquor is pale green. The flavor? Sublime.

You want to talk umami? This is “swimming in a salty sea of seaweed” umami. I have never tasted anything like it. Other gyokuros I’ve tried pale in comparison. I am getting notes of seaweed, spinach, and very strong vegetal notes. I know some people hesitate when they hear the term “vegetal,” but there is nothing off-putting, bitter or unpleasant. This tea is delicious, strong and flavorful, with a lingering sweet finish. I did not add one grain or drop of sweetener, and that’s rare for me — I tend to sweeten almost every tea I drink, if only a little. But to corrupt this incredible flavor with sweetener would be very wrong.

As far as caffeine goes, this tea has it. I’m suddenly feeling very alert, and maybe I’ll even be productive with my work today instead of slacking off in my typical lazy fashion.

I would drink this every day if I could. Highly recommended!

This is a smooth, fragrant and balanced tea. A refreshing change from typical Earl Greys, and something that I’m probably going to sip a lot of this spring!

Oolongs aren’t usually my thing, but Formosa oolongs have greeted me with quite a surprise. This is the second Bai Hao Oolong I’ve tried, although the first one I did was actually from China. Still confused about that. Anyway, it brewed up gold with a strong fruit presence that made it an absolute pleasure to imbibe. Not usually an oolong guy, but there are exceptions to the rule.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/04/07/review-american-tea-room-oriental-beauty-oolong-3/

The leaves are a brilliant green color. They are slim and long and delicate. I get a freshness in the pre-brew aroma. It’s slightly sweetly scented in a natural way. I really didn’t want a cup of veggie soup today, so I went low on the temp and slightly longer on the steep time. 160/1.5 min. Superb! It did the trick. I am notorious for incorrectly preparing my green teas, but I love them, so I keep trying. It worked this time. The aroma is now a fresh, leaf-like scent. The taste is very lightly sweet, more floral, but most certainly not overwhelmingly floral. I’m not getting any butter flavor, just nice, clean, delicious flavors. It’s slightly grassy, but that’s what I love in a green tea. No bitterness. This is my green tea.

Any of you who’ve seen my other updates regarding Golden Needles, Gold Buds, or – hell – anything with the word “gold” in it will know where this is going. This was the most perfect of the perfect. Smooth and creamy, honey-like, malty, nectarine-rich, and basic Midas-touched excellence. If I have any gripe, it’s that I think I brewed it too light. Even with that personal snag, though, it turned out majestic. This was Christ-on-a-pogo-stick perfect.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/04/04/review-american-tea-room-organic-yunnan-golden-needles-4/

I have tried a few of these and it always sounds good, but I never really like Milk Oolong. I keep thinking that I just haven’t found the right one, so I tried this one after reading such good reviews, but honestly I’m still not liking it. It has a milky flavor, but it really tastes like spoiled milk to me. Am I the only one that feels that way?

Okay, you can’t drink this one. You eat it! This isn’t just a tea, but it’s chocolate with tea in it! It’s a fine dark chocolate, with the bitterness that one would associate with a quality dark chocolate. It has chunks of apricots scattered throughout. Then, it’s sprinkled with Tangier Tea from American Tea Room. This tea is not only amazing when brewed, it’s amazing on this chocolate. It’s a really great chocolate and tea combination and I’d highly recommend giving it a try.

Tried Tangier again. Liking it even more. The flavors are just so juicy and natural. I guess I’ll have to order it.

This is a very good flavored black tea. It’s smooth, forgiving (if it gets steeped a bit too long, it won’t turn bitter), flavorful and uplifting. The scent is as delightful as the taste — brewing a cup of this is a sensory experience. It’s not a rich or malty tea, and I’m not getting much “spice” from it; my impression is that of a well-mannered black tea providing a base for the apricot and saffron flavors to “pop.” As I sip this it brings to mind images of biting into a flaky, buttery, apricot tart…yum!

Anyone who likes flavored black teas ought to try this.

My love for this tea has not dissipated. Today I was making breakfast and brewing tea at the same time. I forgot I had a cup of Milk Oolong brewing, and wound up accidentally steeping it for 10 minutes. Cursing myself, I figured I’d have to dump the overbrewed liquor, but I took a sip just for the heck of it — and it was fine. More than fine, in fact — it tasted good. Maybe just a wee bit of astringency, but I added a pinch of sweetener and was rewarded with a delicious and flavorful cup! Who would have thought this would be a tea that is not fussy about brew times? A very pleasant discovery, indeed!

I’d been wanting to try this tea for some time, but couldn’t justify paying $39 for two ounces of tea that I might or might not like. Then ATR posted a discount code, which allowed me to justify placing an order.

Secretly, I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t like it. Well, my hopes have been shattered, because this tea is amazing. It doesn’t smell all that promising in the bag — but once brewed, it becomes a creamy, milky, sweet delight. I added just a small amount of stevia and it became so sweet and delicious it was like dessert in a cup (although sweet, it is not cloying or heavy, or at all artificial tasting). The green oolong flavor is there as well, but this tea is lacking the floral notes I would expect from an Iron Goddess tea. That’s fine with me, because I don’t like those floral notes. I would not refer to this tea as buttery, but it is mildly vegetal. And it tastes great at any temperature. Even when the tea has cooled to room temp, it still tastes delightful. So pleasing, so creamy, so smooth.

Sigh. I’ve fallen in love with another expensive tea. I guess I’ll have to wait for the next discount code from American Tea Room.

My green rooibos cherry has been broken. ;-)

I love the aroma when you open the package, peaches, mangoes, and a hint of papaya. The dry mix is beautiful! You can see the flower petals and the chunks of fruit. Like a potpourri trail mix!

The tea brews up light, like an oolong, but with a reddish tint to it. Smells like the dry tea. Very fruity.

The taste is fantastic! Rooibos-y, fruity, it does remind me of tropical days, and summery weather. Sweet, but not too sweet. Almost juicy tasting. I don’t really taste the flower petals, but really I’m not sure what marigold tastes like, so maybe I just can’t identify it here. It’s yummy hot and cold! This will be a good one for the warmer days ahead poured over ice. Perhaps a little rum or something else sweet and alcoholic to mix in? Mmm, perhaps….

I gave this one a whirl as I had a sample packet that I had purchased. Seeing as I can actually smell a bit again, this tea smells sweetly when dry. I don’t exactly pick up on the lychee scent, more of an apple to me.

Once brewed, I still smell some of the fruity, sweet aroma, but it is diminished. I only brewed this one for 2 min @ 200. As for the taste, I don’t like strong black teas and very much dislike the vegetal taste some develop. It brewed up nicely. It is a sweet tea. I’m picking up on some of the honey-like tones that lychee fruit has. It doesn’t have that near citrus hint of flavor that real lychees have, but it’s close. It’s a nice tea and I think it’s well-balanced. I’m not so certain I would have liked it as much had I let it steep the recommended 5 minutes that the packet instructs.

Definitely not what I was expecting when I ordered it, I’ve never had milk oolong before, but this tea is very very tasty. I’m actually drinking it after stuffing myself with home made dumplings and this is hitting the sweet tooth spot without filling me up even more (I think I may explode.)

The tea smells wonderfully sweet when you open the bag and keeps the same smell once brewed. The flavor is light and sweet and leaves almost a sweet buttery aftertaste.

This tea is soon to be added to my after dinner and sweet tooth teas!

Wow! Was this tea ever a surprise! Usually peach does nothing for me. It’s too cloyingly sweet and overtakes tea way too easily for me to enjoy. Well, I’m sick and I can’t smell a darn thing. It’s a little later in the evening and I didn’t want a lot of caffeine, so I chose this tea. I could actually smell it when I opened the package… and it’s not just the peach, but also the mango. It smells really nice.

180/3 min – I can still smell it! And so I taste it, and I can taste the flavor, too. It’s nice. Not overly sweet, more fresh and fruity. I can even pick up the mango and imagine that this must be an amazing iced tea. I can’t detect too much of the white tea, but I’m certain that’s not the tea’s fault. It’s delicious!

Lovely. I savoured this tea as my second milk oolong. The scent was heady, milky and rich. I’m still amazed that a tea plant can produce this. First infusion was highly aromatic, and lightly flavoured of creamy milk, sweet vanilla, and a subtle floral. My son, who was tasting this with me, giggled and exclaimed “Wow.” From the 17 year old 6 foot giant, it was a great reaction.

Second infusion and the scent is still coming on strong. The liquor is richer, and the feel on my tongue is heavy, like a light syrup and not a tea.

Third infusion and the floral is coming out more, the cream is subsiding in taste (but not scent, it continues to dominate the scent profile of this tea).

Heaven. This is wonderful complex tea to be savored thoughtfully. Better than dessert!