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__Morgana__ drank Organic Vanilla Noir by American Tea Room

2036 tasting notes

A never before opened sample packet.

There’s an intense aroma from the packet. It’s a dark smell, a strong vanilla smell. On the continuum, it’s so vanilla it’s almost chocolate. I’m pretty sure the name is intended to refer to this being a black tea, but it’s a fitting name also because of the dark quality of the vanilla.

The aroma levels out in the steeping. There’s still a darkness to it, but that’s the Yunnan. The vanilla becomes creamy. Floral, really. The tea is a medium amber color.

In flavor, the vanilla has both beany and creamy qualities. The Yunnan gives the tea a depth that makes it more interesting than it might be otherwise. If this base were a Ceylon, the flavor would probably sit on top of the tea. In this, the vanilla sifts down into the depths of the tea and becomes one with it.

I’m not sure how to rate this because I really like it, but I am not sure I’m tasting it on a pure palate. I had raspberry yogurt fairly recently.

Sticking it in the upper 80s for now.

Flavors: Vanilla

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 17 OZ / 500 ML

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I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes