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“Sipdown, 233. I am using this opportunity (sickness) to drink down some old samples that I wasn’t super into. My abilities to smell are in and out, so I don’t want to sample any of my good teas...” Read full tasting note
“Thanks to American Tea Room for this sample! I am getting to it a little late, but I am happy I got to it now! This is my first tea from American Tea Room. I loved the little sample packet! Only...” Read full tasting note
“Try as hard as I may to not touch this tea since it was nearly finished. I decided to have my last cup of this most amazing tea. I brew almost all teas for no less than three minutes and closest to...” Read full tasting note
“My sample came today. So naturally I had to try it out. I wasn’t impressed with the packaging only because I had to find something to keep it in. I wish they had a zip locked sample bag. But that...” Read full tasting note
Pink Christmas is the American Tea Room 2011 Holiday blend – a seasonal blend of candied cranberries, pomegranate arils, cinnamon sticks, star anise, linden blossoms, orange peel and peony petals. The light pink brew is a delight to behold and taste, naturally caffeine free with a slightly sweet and tart flavor with hints of spice. Pink Christmas is specially packaged in our signature white canister and is beautifully wrapped in our signature cello wrap with gold signature ribbon and easy to prepare prep guide.
Brewing time:
Temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Infusion time: 5 minutes
Company description not available.
Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)
Experience buying from American Tea Room: < More later, but positive overall >
Age of leaf: This is what I believe is called a fruit tea, and seems to have been blended at the end of 2011.
Packaging: I got this sample for free by ‘liking’ their post of this tea on Facebook (thank you American Tea Room!). The one ounce sample came in a very professional-looking package: colorfully labeled with lots of useful information about the tea displayed on it.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: A beautiful potpourri of different colors and shapes; unbelievably aromatic: reminds me of a flavor of bubble-gum when I was a child.
Brewing guidelines: In ceramic 16 oz cup, covered with a ceramic lid while steeping. Tea in metal steeping basket. Stevia added.
……….1st: Just off the boil (cup mildly warmed); 2’
……….2nd: Boiling (cup warmed); 5’
Color and aroma of tea liquor: Light peach color; smells fruity and like licorice.
Flavor of tea liquor: fun fruit flavors, and sweet, but it has an odd finish (even at room temp): possibly too much orange for my tastes (it reminds me somewhat of the taste of children’s aspirin. Anyone remember that stuff? blech).
Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: lots of great looking bits of fruits and spices.
Value: Currently on sale: $10 for 3.5 OZ.
Overall: This seems to be a classic case of the tea wow-ING me in appearance and aroma, then disappointing me with flavor. Lots of potential here, but I suggest going back to the drawing board with this one.
Thank you for the sample, ATR! I enjoy this more than I thought I would. I could barely taste the spices in there, perhaps because the sample size didn’t contain as much. Maybe a touch of cinnamon but it’s not like your typical fruity spicy tisanes you see floating around, you know, with hibiscus. This doesn’t contain any hibiscus, which also sets it apart from them. I would have liked to have tasted more of the pomegranate, as I get mostly apple and cranberries. I wouldn’t buy any but it was nice to try this out.
A.T.R. sent me this sample in my recent order. It smells amazing, like cranberry orange muffins straight out of the oven. The flavor is comparatively weak though. I used a heaping teaspoon, but may have needed more, as this is a really chunky tea, and steeped up it doesn’t look like all that much, nor is it anywhere near as pink as it appears in the online picture.
There wasn’t all that much in the sample pouch though, so next time I guess I’ll just dump in all I have left.
Even though it’s not the Christmas season (September) I got this from the Here’s Hoping TTB so I thought I’d try it. It doesn’t seem particularly Christmas-y. Fruity with a bit of vanilla, a bit of star anise. Quite pleasant but I’m really not getting the Christmas part of it.
’Here’s Hoping’ Teabox Round #4 – Tea #24
Many big pieces in this blend, including giant pieces of cinnamon and star anise. After seeing the blend it looks a lot like Fusion’s Winter Solstice. The flavor is fine, surprisingly light (no cinnamon!)… seems like a creamsicle more than anything. There is a tanginess that I don’t love, but somehow it isn’t hibiscus tangy. I think the color of the cup is as close to “pink” as it can be. I thought I liked this one better before… I’ve possibly had too many awesome herbals since then.
Steep #1 // just boiled // few minute steep
