Sultan's Delight

More sample finishing in the lead-up to my drink-through-every-tea-in-my-cupboard-from-oldest-to-newest marathon (I need some snappier name for that, haha). I am thinking that will start Monday.

I like this one pretty, but I don’t think it will be a reorder for me as I just don’t really find myself super excited about it. When I drink it, it’s good, but the smell of the dry leaf (and somewhat the steeped tea) is a little smokier than I prefer. It doesn’t really translate to the flavor (I have a low tolerance for smokiness) but all the same, it diminishes my enjoyment ever so slightly. But otherwise its a nice nutty, figgy tea that successfully gives off a middle-eastern/north african vibe.

I’m finishing off this sample that arrived a while ago. You really get a lot of fig flavor in this blend, much more than sesame or even tea flavor! It’s quite a bit on the sweet side and very interesting to try, I just don’t think it’s something I would bother to keep on hand for myself. It definitely makes a nice afternoon tea, or perhaps after dinner with a few cookies for dunking.

my American Tea Room order arrived whooo, and dudes, this tea is kinda mind blowing. it’s waggling it’s eyebrows at me. idek.

i have SO MANY samples to try.
it’s nuttiness is really something to behold. fig spread on sesame crackers.

i can’t wait to try all the samples. what else is new.

This tea smells unbelievable dry and steeping—it has hints of the same intense treatiness as Brioche (though less yeasty bakery, granted), with this roasted nuttiness (sesame, yum) and smokiness and fig mix that is just heavenly (kinda like part Toasted Fig and part Coco-Loco), and that “Chinese tea perfume” element. Also, I must be imagining it but somehow I also get a faint impression of fennel/anise/licorice root, very subtle. Dang. I keep thinking I should be able to get by with only one or maybe two of ATR’s decadent flavored blends but the list of “must restock”s just keeps growing (Brioche, Coco-Loco, Tangier, Toasted Fig, Romanoff, now this…and that doesn’t include Nirvana Green, Coconut Oolong, and the floral EG takes like Victoria and Anastasia, or the Earl Grey Rooibos and Choco-late, ack). The taste isn’t as good as the smell, which happens a lot with ATR flavored teas hot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it grows on me (I was initially disappointed with Tangier and Toasted Fig for not tasting as intense as the smell, but then adjusted my expectations and now I really enjoy them). I like how the fruit flavor once the tea cools a little really has that dimension figs and dates uniquely possess of tasting intensely/“narrowly” jammy/sugary, honeyish, but somehow in a puckery sort of way. It captures the mouthfeel of figs, that eventual mouth-drying aspect. Like tannins in wine. I think for many Steepsters this unusual astringency might not be welcome, so heads up.

I wish I liked fig because I taste a lot of fig and toasted nuts. Figs have never interested me; they always remind me of “healthy” cookies my grandmother would make. This tea has helped confirm that. I think next time I will make sure there is no dry fig and see how that goes. Thanks moraiwe for the sample, I’m glad I got a chance to try this.

I have to join the chorus of love for this blend. It’s crazy delicious, nutty, buttery, toasty, fruity. It reminds me of my early love for Celestial Seasonings Almond Sunset – but better! But here’s the thing. If you’re looking for tea taste, there isn’t too much of it here. This is a GREAT tea for beginning tea drinkers or those not sure how they feel about tea. But still very enjoyable for everyone else too.

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.

The toasted sesame and warm fruity smell just took my breadth away wen I opened the bag. Flavored teas always tend to have issues with not tasting as good as it smells but this one smells so good that I didn’t have any problem with not tasting much at all! The warm smell of fig blends well with the nutty flavor of this tea. I bet that’s what liquefied nuts taste like….

I was so close to making another order with ATR yesterday to take advantage of their sale, but decided to postpone it until next time so I can catch up with these other samples, plus I’ve been moving around a lot and not even sure where I should send it. And who knows, maybe our Canadian dollar will strengthen a little bit by then. Fingers crossed, eh?

Intentionally saving this as one of the last ones, it smells very desserty, like Brioche-level desserty, but despite having figs and sesame, I actually get cherry almond out of this more than anything else, perhaps due to the slivered almonds in the dry leaf. It’s toasty and sweet at the same time, but not an artificial or overwhelming sweet.

It definitely delivers in the flavour. I get cherry almond notes but not figs nor sesame. I’ll shake the packet next time I have a cup to see if it’ll help. But the base is smooth and the flavour profile goes well with light cream. This tea kind of reminds me of Rainbow rooibos, but in a way, this is even better since I’m personally a fan of black teas more so than rooibos. That said, I can see myself getting more of this. Well done, ATR!

This is unlike anything I’ve tried before. There’s a lot of nuttiness and the sesame is surprisingly dark (maybe roasted?) and reminds me almost of coffee beans. The fruit is subtle but adds a richness to the whole thing—I wouldn’t call this fruity or sweet at all, but it’s still noticeable. A very interesting cup! I’m glad I opened this sample first of the ones I have left.