American Tea Room

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Recent Tasting Notes

98
drank Choco*Latte by American Tea Room
69 tasting notes

As far as chocolate rooibos goes, this is as good as it gets! The cacao husks give off a rich chocolate flavor akin to dark chocolate and the vanilla beans give a delicious back drop that makes this positively delicious. I will be making an order for several ounces soon. YUM!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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93

I really like Vanilla so I ordered a fairly large bag (3.5 ounces) of this from the American Tea Room. Imitating JacquelineM I cut up a fresh Madagascar vanilla bean and allowed it to sit in the bag for about three weeks. The result is a deep, rich vanilla tea. I am certain that the flavor has been well-enhanced but also it may well have been quite strong before my addition.

Because of the strength of the vanilla, my tasting note may be a bit off. The black tea support seems to be excellent but also chosen as a backdrop to promote the vanilla.

If you like vanilla I would highly recommend JacquelineM’s method and get the best vanilla bean you can find and doctor the tea. I did not taste the tea previously, because I put the smallest hole in the bag possible to add my vanilla bean segments. It’s delightful and not the least bit ersatz!

Preparation
4 min, 0 sec
LiberTEAS

That is an excellent alteration idea for vanilla tea lovers. Tea leaves are extraordinarily absorbent of flavors, this is an excellent way to rev up the flavor of a vanilla tea (which is often lacking even in some of the best vanilla blends)

Doulton

I agree. I’ve had another cup and I think that the vanilla taste is fantastic.

Veri-Tea

I make my vanilla tea by chopping up vanilla beans finely and scattering them through the tea, as well as putting a couple of chopped pods in there to infuse… so yummy. Vanilla and tea is just one of the best combinations ever.

Ricky

Where do you recommend purchasing some beans? There are too many companies out there selling madagascar beans :(

JacquelineM

Ricky – I got mine from Williams Sonoma. There are a TON of places online, but I’ve heard good things about http://www.amadeusvanillabeans.com/ from various food bloggers.

Ricky

Ohhh, how is the quality or are they all about the same?

JacquelineM

I like the ones from Williams Sonoma – they are Nielsen Massey – great quality and very delicious! (plus right up the street from where I work!) I think the ones on the internet are high quality and cheaper in the long run – I just didn’t want to mess with a large quantity and shipping when all I needed was 2 vanilla beans :)

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95

I reviewed this one on Teaviews and the Sencha used in the blend is really top notch for a flavored tea blend. It leaves behind a very creamy mouthfeel that I found quite impressive. Add a pinch of German rock cane sugar for a delicous creamy, peachy treat. I added some of this one to my personal stash.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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90

SIPDOWN on this one. Still a goodie! See previous notes!

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90

I Think this is going to be my last Black/Black Flavored Tea of the day…yum.

Sweet and Bake-E sums it up! See my previous review for a more detailed explanation.

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90

This looks and smells like Almond Cookie(s) from The Spice and Tea Exchange and SpecialTeas…oh yea! I’m excited!!!! Another sample from Doulton! Thanks!!!!

I can taste the nuts and pastry and cinnamon and croissant comparison and even a little marmalade!

I think the difference between this and the other too is it’s seems to be smoother all-around. The almond doesn’t jump out as much and it might be a little more sweet than nutty. Regardless I really like it! REALLY like it! YUM!

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97

What an excellent tea! I’ve been off Earl Grey recently because I’ve had too many pallid, callow, and scantily flavored Earl Greys. I ordered a sample from American Tea Room because it sounded good and they have never disappointed me. They’ve become one of the tea vendors from whom I’ve placed multiple orders and their shipping is speedy.

But I digress. I think that the success of this tea is based on two equally important features: the strong Yunnan base and the fact that they were not skimpy with the Earl Grey bergamot. This tea has some natural sweetness and some natural smoke—not enough smoke to scare away those who dislike smoky teas, in my opinion, but enough to anchor the bergamot into a marriage with the Yunnan.

If you love Yunnan, you’ll want to try this. If you love Earl Grey, you’ll want to try this. This tea successfully balances a few flavors and never loses its grasp on any of them. It’s going to be one of those teas I will need to have on hand.

Preparation
5 min, 0 sec
Rabs

Oh I am absolutely intrigued by your description! This goes to the top of companies/teas that I’m trying as soon as June rolls around.

Auggy

Sounds fantastic!

Shanti

This sounds lovely! Thanks for the review :)

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86

This is a fabulous dessert tea. It is almost like and as satisfying as eating a pastry.

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95
drank L' Orangerie by American Tea Room
259 tasting notes

What a wonderful aroma! I opened the bag and felt as if I had been transported to an orange grove. This tea is serious about its flavour.
This basic black with orange tea is so deeply and richly flavored with orange, that it’s the best citrus tea I’ve sampled so far. The taste is delightful. With a big of milk, it tasted that a really high class gourmet Creamsicle—or as if somebody like Todd English or Gorden Ramsay or Ina Garten had decided to create an orange Creamsicle and serve it with the best black tea.

The American Tea Room has become one of my favorite merchants because of their speedy delivery service; because of their sample sizes, and, most of all, because of the high quality of their tea and their flavor combinations.

LiberTEAS

Don’t tell my hubby but I have a crush on Gordon Ramsay.

Doulton

Ohh…you naughty! I think my husband and I BOTH have a crush on him! He does have an…ummm..colorful vocabulary. Did you see him eating casu marzu with the Duchess of Cornwall’s son?

LiberTEAS

No I didn’t watch that, but I bet it was fun to watch. I think his colorful vocabulary is one of the things I find most charming about him. LOL I think it’s his passion for what he does, and his vocabulary is very expressive of that passion.

American Tea Room

So Happy you like our teas.

teaplz

Definitely a company for the wish list! Love your reviews, as always, Doulton!

LENA

lol…I totally have a crush on Gordon too! sigh…I love this tea community.

SoccerMom

I too have a crush on Gordon Ramsey!

Rabs

Alas, I do not have a crush on Ramsey, but man oh man do I love watching him blow his lid. You know, where his voice raises several octaves and he almost loses his voice? Yeah. And great review! I’m bookmarking American Tea Room right now for a future order.

~lauren.

Oh no, Doulton! This is like the 2nd merchant you’ve introduced to me via your posts in 2 days! Okay, will go check out their website … be right back.

~lauren.

Oh, I like Ina – she’s the barefoot contessa, right? She’s always so gracious & warm & welcoming on her TV shows.

LiberTEAS

lauren – yes, I like her too. She always makes these incredibly yummy looking foods and makes it look so fun and easy.

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89
drank Caramel by American Tea Room
259 tasting notes

I was so impressed by the flavor and the quality of other teas that I got from American Tea Room (plus their speedy delivery) that I wanted to try this. I am not disappointed. It is a sweet, rich caramel with a full body and a full taste. I added a bit of sugar mid-way through my first mug, plus some milk. I don’t think that the sugar is needed—it’s naturally sweet on its own. The milk seemed nice. I think that there is a natural milkiness in caramel candies, so it belongs.

All in all, I am not in the least bit disappointed. I keep evolving as a tea drinker and just a few days ago when I ordered this I was all about the sweet, candied teas and have since evolved into a purist. BUT I know that in the course of human events, I will naturally return to a love of the sweet, candied tea.

I came across a tea reference in a poem by WH Auden (Letter to Lord Byron, part III):

“For now we’ve learnt we mustn’t be so bumptious
We find the stars are one big family,
And send out invitations for a scrumptious
Simple, old-fashioned, jolly romp with tea
To any natural objects we can see. "

I like the idea of a “jolly romp with tea”. That’s what my life has been like lately!

__Morgana__

Love Auden!

LadyLondonderry

A lovely sentiment! And I can’t help smiling at the amazingly rapid evolution of your tea sensibilities.:)

Doulton

Poetry is my “thing”—very much so.

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

What I’ve read of Auden, I’ve loved. And I love caramel tea tealogs.

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84

This is a very nice and elegant tea. I like the aroma and taste of melons of all types, and this has a good, true aroma. The taste is excellent as well with the green base being a true showcase for the melon. I did not pick up on the other flavors, but hoped not to.

The American Tea Room has some superb blends and excellent customer service.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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80

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
LiberTEAS

Looks like I am going to have to place an order with American Tea Room soon!

Stephanie

Could it be that SpecialTeas is the supplier for both companies? Maybe Almond Cookie = Brioche = Almond Biscotti. They all look the same from their pictures—even down to the safflower petals!

Erin

Ahh, Italy. I want to go back there before I die!

Ricky

I need to quickly drink more tea so I can make some more tea purchases. I still have way too much.

Haha they very well can be. All these almond teas look the same and taste about the same. It’s crazy!

I need to go back to Italy!

LiberTEAS

Stephanie: It is very possible.

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87

Another sample courtesy of Doulton!!

I thought this tea tasted like french toast with cinnamon, maple syrup and a pat of butter! I brewed it for one minute longer than recommended so I could put in a little sugar and half and half for a dessert tea, and there was no bitterness or astringency. I also liked that the flavorings tasted very natural and were not cloying or heavy handed. Very comforting and indulgent. What a treat!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Kristin

This looks like the same tea as SpecialTeas Almond Cookie. Have you had that one? I’m curious if they really are the same.

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84
drank Milk Oolong by American Tea Room
259 tasting notes

I’m excited to be trying this sample that I purchased from American Tea Room, which offers nicely priced small samplers so that one need not dive deeply into the unknown and the pocketbook.

The aroma of the dry leaf is hard to pin down—floral and sweet is about as far as I can say. The brewed tea is a nice yellow. The taste is naturally creamy and sweet (I added no milk or sweetenter, by the way). This has more vegetal overtones than other oolongs I have sampled, but they are nuanced. In a blind tasting I might say that this is a green tea.

Overall, I anticipate extra steepings. There’s something I cannot quite capture here, but it is something amiable.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 2 min, 0 sec
sygyzy

Is the American Tea Room in Los Angeles?

Doulton

I looked it up and, unbeknownst to me, it is in Beverly Hills. I got my teas by ordering on-line because I had heard good things about them. And they have really come through.

teaplz

I’m dying to try this one! It’s been on my to-buy list for a while now. Glad you enjoyed it!

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97

Absolutely delicious! For the coconut aficiondo, this one is delicious. It reminds me very much of Premium Steap’s Organic Coconut and I am very hard-pressed to select between the two. They both have given me superb coconut experiences. I may need to hold a coconut tea survivor game and sip all of my coconut “contestants” and force myself to vote one “off the island” until just one supreme winner remains.

But such is the speech of nonsense. I don’t want to snuff anyone’s flame. This tea is just as rich, full, and delicious and true to flavor as any other coconut I have had.

I also have to make a plug for the speedy service American Tea Room provides.

I tried more of this—two days in a row because I was having a major jones for it. As Jane Austen might say, “I extend my approbation completely”.

SoccerMom

Would you be willing to let a coconut rooibos compete? LOL Teas Etc Coconut Custard Rooibos deserves to be entered into the competition I can happily vouch for him! :)

Doulton

I’d have to see. I’ve really gone off rooibos of late. I sent a lot of mine away to find new homes. Perhaps the right kind of rooibos that has transcended its saw-dusty traits could compete?

SoccerMom

I’ll let you know when he arrives he is on his way in from Florida (more specifically Teas Etc.) if at that time you are still casting contestants I’d be happy to send you a sneak preview of him in action?

AmazonV

i declare this is best youtube idea ever, mini-episodes of tea being voted out of the cupboard!

Jillian

“You are the weakest link – goodbye!” XD

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81

Mokalbari Estate was my morning black tea today. A strong Indian tea with a heady and delicious taste, I could recommend this as a reliable daily morning brew. The resteep help up and was strong but not bitter, even though I gave it a couple of extra minutes.

In very broad strokes, I tend to think of a new tea in four broad categories: 1) intoxicating and I want to reorder it immediately, 2) very impressive and I’ll keep it on my list to reorder. I want to drink it again, 3) What’s all the fuss about? This tea is OK, but I don’t get the rave reviews or the outpourings of adoration. I can live without it, and finally 4) What fresh hell is this? What travesty has ended up in my mouth?

Mokalbari Estate is certainly a 2. It inspires me to try more Indian tea and to move away from drinking too much tea that has Count Chocula, Froot Loops, and Kiwi Pineapple Breadpudding Wine overtones.

The American Tea Room provides really speedy service. I know that I’ve said it before, but it bears mentioning again.

Marie

I agree Doulton! Sometimes straight, unflavored tea is just what is needed. I’ve been preferring the unflavored robust teas first thing in the morning. Ceylon seems so light and well suited as an afternoon tea these days. Oh how my tastes are changing! Happy Sunday to you. :)

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94
drank Notting Hill by American Tea Room
259 tasting notes

I ordered a sample of this from the American Tea Room because I liked the description. Either because of or in spite of Julia Roberts, Notting Hill remains a nifty neighborhood in London. In my mind, really, Notting Hill is the place where some of Iris Murdoch’s “knottier” and sometimes “naughtier” characters live (in a pre-upscaled world). And yes! We are dressed like Sherlock Holmes with cape and deer-stalker hat.

American Tea Room has provided a perfectly apt description of this tea and I cannot do any better. It seems like a gentleman’s tea brewed in the country estates for those days when you need a really strong brew with your kippers, grilled kidneys, and marmelade.

Delicious!

Until I discovered Steepster I always thought that London was the epicenter for tea. Notting Hill by American Tea Room reminds me of that sense. This is the kind of tea that might be served to the men whilst the women have a lighter blend in a Victorian novel. It tastes of the outdoors. It tastes as if we are marching through somewhat boggy fields on our way to the hunt. Or to fish.

Preparation
4 min, 15 sec
Lori

Aha! Your description of Notting Hill is spot-on and delightful. And hmmm..this American Tea Room definitely sounds appealing…

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95

I decided to place an order with the American Tea Room late Sunday night; on Friday they’ve delivered. I have quite a few of their teas now. I went for “Brioche” first. Their descriptive copy is not an exaggeration. The aroma as I opened the bag was magnificent. It was like entering a “snobby” (i.e. good) bakery and zoning in on the almond croissants.

The brewed tea is very bakey-cakey and the flavors of almond, cinnamon, and vanilla dance about in a nice solid black suspension. I think that it probably has a medium amount of caffeine—perhaps not the strongest brew for first thing in the morning, but great for the rest of the day.

As I near the end of the cup, I long for more already. I feel as if I’ve actually consumed a nice chunk of almond croissant. So far I’m loving the American Tea Room with their wide variety of teas and their speedy delivery service.

In my reviews, you must always keep in mind that I’ve got a sweet tooth and a love of novelty. I love almonds, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors a lot. Indeed, my second son was cursed with the nickname of “Almond Stick” because his older brother called slivered almonds “almond sticks”. It seemed clever at the time.

It is delightful to get great carbohydrate satisfaction without reaching for an actual pastry.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Stephanie

Wow, this sounds amazing! I’m very fond of bakery-flavored teas too. This and SpecialTeas Almond Cookie have made it to the top of my wishlist!

takgoti

Oooh! I’ve been staking their website out for a while now, and this review is pushing me towards an order. This tea is getting added to the list.

Lori

Don’t feel bad Doulton! I think the main reason I drink teas is to get a sweet taste w/minimal calories.

Mel

You review made me put this on my shopping list!

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85

Backlogging and out again…double bummer…

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85

This is nice! And my first tea of the New Year! Have a Happy and Safe one everyone!

This is a semi-floral/semi-tangy/semi-sweet blend with hints of this and hints of that…just enough to keep you guessing!

It’s a medium brown in color and somewhat smooth. The Apricot is a nice touch.

Cofftea

Don’t get me started on apricot tonite, hehe;) The raw leaf looks absolutely gorgeous!

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89

Tried my last cups worth at a cooler temp…maybe around 140 or so…and it was still terrific! I noticed with the cooler the temp the less the murkiness. SO sad to be out of this!

Preparation
140 °F / 60 °C
SoccerMom

LOL it seems like your tea cupboard is running dangerously LOW.

Lori

This is a tea I would like to try as I really like California Tea House’s Melon Yogurt Green Tea…

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89

Melon/Celery taste yet again…very refreshing! See my other notes on this tea…yum

Pat

Wow…. that sounds like quite a combo….Melery…Celeron…haha…

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89

Had this twice this morning! LOVE it!!!! The melony-musky-mix makes this (say that 10 times fast!) LOL

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89

Smell prior to infusion is next to nil…an ever so slight hint of melon nose.
After steep is complete it’s a melon and celery type aroma.
It’s an average looking green tea liquid.
The taste is lovely.
Creative and different. I like it! Melon tones is the way to go with this tea!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Carolyn

That sounds really good.

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