247 Tasting Notes

84

Here is another ATR sample I’m tasting this morning.

It smells interesting. ATR calls it a “beguiling mélange” and I guess I could agree with that. I couldn’t pick out any individual scents, just a big mix. But, an interesting big mix.

This tea is not light. It is strong, bold, and fascinating. It’s not a perfumed taste, but a well-done mix of black tea and floral additives. The tea smells as if it has vanilla, too, but I don’t recall seeing that on the ingredients list. It is not bitter, even though it was brewed for 4 minutes.

Overall, it’s very nice. It is a sweeter tasting tea, which is nice. Very interesting tea!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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91
drank Marco Polo by Mariage Frères
247 tasting notes

I had this for the first time this morning. It’s wonderful! I went lightly on the steeping time as I don’t add milk or sweetener. It smells like black tea with strawberries and cream. It’s heavenly!

Brewed with the Breville at 200 degrees for 2 minutes.

Once made, it still smells wonderfully! It’s fruity and creamy. The taste is nice. Slightly bitter, but not outrageously so. The strawberries are pleasant tasting and not overly sweet. It tastes creamy, but doesn’t feel heavy. It does have a slight drying effect in my mouth afterward. I really like this tea and had been looking forward to trying it. I’m so glad I found it yesterday! It didn’t let me down.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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82

“This tea smells really good, you know?”

Ah, the innocent words of a not-so-innocent 5 year old who just knocked over my cup of tea.

Ruby Black is indeed a nice-smelling tea. It smells like tea. I really do like the way it smells. When I opened the package, as usual, I held it to my nose and sniffed. Very nice. It’s a nice toasty scent. The tea’s color… beautiful! Like a reddish-black. Love it! I appreciate the aesthetics of tea, the whole experience.

I followed the instructions and used the Breville at 200 degrees for two minutes.

The scent when brewed changed, but it’s still very nice. It has developed into a more vegetal scent, but still with that hint at toastiness.

Now, for the taste. It’s definitely a black tea and I’m not (in general) a black tea lover. I don’t add milk or sweetener to tea. It’s bold, but an understated, not so in-your-face bold. It’s like an underlying strength. It tastes very vegetal. So much so that I almost feel like it could be something on my plate. (That’s not a plus in my book.) Still, it’s a mysterious taste with a hint at spiciness, but not really. Just a tiny touch. It’s almost a thick taste, without the feeling of weight. There is a maltiness to it.

Overall, it’s nice. I do like it, but it hasn’t converted me to black tea. (I’ll keep trying them all, though!)

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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92
drank Coco*Loco by American Tea Room
247 tasting notes

This snowy morning, I decided to try yet another one of my ATR samples, Coco Loco. Upon opening the package, I smell almost a rich, vanilla-ish scent of baking cookie dough. It’s sweet, but deep, too.

I used the Breville at 200 degrees for 5 minutes.

Wow! It smells wonderful! Like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies with coconut, but not that overly sweet smell. The taste is really unique. I can taste chocolate and a slight bit of coconut. I don’t taste pepper at all, but there is a slight spiciness to it that is pleasant and piques my interest. It has an earthy, sweetish finish to it. It’s really good. I’ve never tried pu-er before and I’m guessing that this is what is creating the grounding effect and prevents it from going over the top, even thought it’s a mixture of other tea, too. It’s lovely!

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

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51

I’m really iffy on this one. First, though, it smells heavenly! It evokes memories of the Caribbean with the tropical fruits and I can imagine myself there once again.

I used the Breville 200 degrees for 5 minutes as indicated on the package.

The taste. Strong something. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is I taste, but it’s strong. Almost medicinal. I barely taste the fruitiness I can smell. I can’t taste the floral notes. It’s a strange experience and I’m feeling a bit let down. I had really hoped I’d love this tea. It was so promising in the package. If I ever try this one again, I might try it iced.

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

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96

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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84

Tried another oolong today, hoping for another homerun. This one is pretty good. At first, I steeped according to the directions on the side of the canister. 195 for 30 sec in the Breville. Either I didn’t add enough tea, or the time wasn’t right because it was weak, weak, weak. So, I plunked it down for an additional 30 seconds and the color improved significantly.

Okay, aroma… nice, clean, promising. Kind of toasty smelling. After brewing, it smells woodsy, roasted, somewhat vegetal. Taste… enjoyable. I can taste the roasted, vegetal scent that I had been smelling. It’s pleasant, but not creamy and not buttery.. I was hoping for a fuller taste in my mouth. Still, it’s very nice and very light.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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96

Wow! Another extraordinary Formosa Silk Oolong! This one may be even better than I’m rating it, though, due to my own fault. I neglected to open the box this came in, so for the last two weeks, I’ve had it in my break down pile for recycling. It came packaged wrapped in tissue, but not in a moisture-proof bag or container. It has been outside in Michigan’s freezing weather, so perhaps the cold preserved it? Who knows?

At any rate, this tea didn’t smell powerfully of anything. A bit buttery, perhaps, but kind of muted. Once brewed, I could literally smell the creaminess of the tea and tasting it… sublime! It is creamy and smooth and delicious. It has a nuttiness to it, too, which I adore. Every mouthful was the same, consistent silkiness. It’s a beautiful tea and I promise never to forget it in the box again!!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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91

This tea smells great. It’s almost foresty. Once brewed, the deep golden liquor picks up a vague spiced scent, but upon tasting, it’s back to a foresty taste. It’s very nice and very smooth. There’s no bitterness. It’s a beautiful tea for all of the senses.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec

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Profile

Bio

I’m a middle school teacher of French, Spanish, ESL and reading intervention. I’m also a mom to two young children.

I’ve always been a tea lover. When I lived in France during college, I really loved the tisanes. Over the past couple of years, I’ve branched off into loose teas. I’m not very knowledgeable about teas, but I’m really loving the learning process!

Location

Michigan

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