Tin Roof Teas

I am absolutely, positively pooped. I didn’t sleep well last night, probably because I knew it was critical that I wake up on time this morning to get oldest daughter to the airport over an hour away for her flight to N. Ireland.

I am also elated and delighted. I found a new tea shop! It has actually been there for three years but I had never seen it before, and it is a shopping center I have only been to twice that I can recall.
They have a web site, too: www.tinroofteas.com. They had great teaware as well as a big selection of high quality teas. They will also make you a cup of tea, and they have tea flights two weekends a month, with the final tea being paired with chocolate. Oh, joy!

The proprieter was fun to talk with and very sweetly let me sniff dozens of canisters. There were some delectable smelling teas that I hope to try in the future, especially the Fig Formosa. For today’s purchase I chose this Tung Ting as I have never had one before and wanted to try it.

The dry leaf appearance was as expected – tightly rolled and deep dark green in color. The fragrance is excellent! There is a floral headiness that just intoxicated me.

Because I was fall-over tired, I didn’t do my best job steeping this. I didn’t cool my water enough, I didn’t get the timer set on the first pot, and yet the tea forgave me. I am now on the fifth steep and the tea is more floral than ever. The first steeps had a hint of astringency, possibly my error or possibly for palate cleansing. Either way, it was pleasant then and is still gong strong. I am going to go for a couple more steeps. I am enjoying the natural floral taste too much to quit now.

This is one of those oolongs that are the reason I drink oolongs. I am so so glad I got 100 grams.

Edited to add: I just walked past the living room where I made this tea and had the tea set still sitting out. The aroma wafting from that room was so lovely I had to come in and make another steep. This must be six or seven, but the floral loveliness is still going. Wow, I am glad I bought this!

Another sample from Courtney, and another first, because I’ve never knowingly had a rhubarb tea before. Maybe in a blend, but not on its own. The dry leaf smells exactly as I’d expect. There’s a sweet creaminess, and the slightly tangy, fruity scent of rhubarb.

I gave it three minutes in boiling water, and added a splash of milk. This tastes much like it smells. There’s an overriding creaminess, almost like coffee creamer or something of that ilk. Then comes the tangy, slightly sweet-sour rhubarb, and then the cream returns in the aftertaste. It’s quite an intriguing tea, and definitely lives up to its name. If I’d had some actual cream to spare, I would have added a dash, but life isn’t perfectly synchronised. Ultimately, a very enjoyable cup, and another I’d be pleased to sample again in future. Thank you, Courtney!

This is one of the first teas that I tried from Tin Roof Teas. It has a nice fresh flavor of ripe strawberries that is wonderful. The flavor is tangy and fruity, like a ripe strawberry, with a light strawberry and cream aftertaste. There is a little of the green tea noticeable in the flavor, but not too much. Overall, this is just a very light and refreshing tea that I think would be excellent iced! I would have rated this a little higher, but there is a little bitterness even when steeped at the recommended time. It’s not terrible, though, and this is still a great every-once-in-awhile tea!

-Dry blend has a mixture of medium and large green tea leaves with pieces of dried strawberries.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of green tea and fresh strawberries. Tea liquor aroma is of strawberries and sweet vanilla.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Tangy and fruity strawberry flavor and finish. Light strawberry and cream aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Fresh strawberry flavor with a hint of cream. A light and refreshing cup.

I’m procrastinating. I have a whole list of things to do, and while I’ve been mildly productive today, all I want to do now is sit and read for the rest of the afternoon. So one more cup of tea and a few more chapters, and then I’m off to clean out my closet (ugh).

I was sad to see that Tin Roof Teas discontinued this tea. It’s been a while since I’ve had it, but I remember it being so watermelony and delicious. The dry blend looks like a large trail mix, with pieces of dried fruit. It smells like sweet dried fruit, like dried apricots or berries. The tea smells more sweet, but I can detect a little tartness also. The flavor is of lightly tart fruit with a very fresh watermelon finish. There is a lingering aftertaste of watermelon that reminds me a little of watermelon bubblegum, but without any of the fakeness. This tea tastes surprisingly like real watermelon, while still being fresh and not artificial. A little sweetener brings out some more of the sweet watermelon taste, but too much will overshadow the light flavors. This tea is the perfect cup to have before bed during the summer, or for a light caffeine-free treat during the day. I can imagine it would be wonderful iced as well. Why oh why did TRT have to discontinue this one? Sad!

-Dry blend has a mixture of large pieces of dried fruit.
-Dry blend smells like sweet dried fruit. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet and tart fruit.
-Tea liquor is a clear deep orange pink color.
-Lightly tart fruit flavor with a fresh watermelon finish. Lingering watermelon aftertaste.
-Best with the smallest amount of sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light fresh watermelon flavor.

First cup of the morning. I need something strong to wake me up today! Yesterday we had a costume contest in our running group, so I spent a good part of the day gluing feathers, etc. to get ready. My running friend and I ended up winning, so it was worth it. :) We’re keeping one of my mom’s dogs this weekend, so with 3 dogs, our 2 cats, and 5 foster kitties, it was a little busy in the house last night and I didn’t get much sleep. Today is another busy day, but I’m thankful that it’s Friday!

I’ve had this tea for awhile, and I can’t remember anything super special about it, but I haven’t rated it yet. The dry leaves are very pretty, with a mixture of black and green leaves and small pretty blue blossoms. The aroma from the dry leaves is heavily of bergamot. The tea itself smells malty with a hint of sweet citrus. The flavor is floral and malty with an unfortunate slightly bitter bergamot finish. I added a little bit of milk and sugar and that eliminated the bitterness. Overall, this is a very lightly flavored Earl Grey with just a little floral note. It’s nice, but I wouldn’t consider it an exceptional Earl Grey. It did the job nicely this morning, though!

-Dry blend has medium black and green tea leaves and twigs with small blue petals.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of bergamot. Tea liquor aroma is malty with a hint of sweet citrus.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium golden brown color.
-Floral and malty flavor with a slightly bitter bergamot finish. Light citrusy aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Light Earl Grey with a small floral note.

Courtney sent me enough for a cup of this, and I actually quite enjoyed it. It’s not as rhubarb-y or as creamy as the name would imply, but I still thought it was a nice, subtle tea. I enjoyed the tartness that I did get from the rhubarb.

I probably wouldn’t ever order it, but I’m so glad I got a taste!

I’m agreeing with Josie Jade on this one. Needs more coconut flavor. The sencha in this is thick and grassy. Is it really Japanese sencha? Maybe I’m just spoiled from Den’s because this is not what good Japanese sencha tastes like to me. This reminds me more of the cheap Chinese sencha that I really don’t like. It doesn’t seem to get astringent, which is good, but neither is it fresh and springy like a quality sencha should taste like. This is overall, a pretty meh tea.

Unless you’re not picky about green tea quality and don’t mind a weaker coconut flavor.

Thank you Josie Jade for the sample of this. Tonight was clear with a phenomenal sunset but it was still pretty nippy out, enough to where I decided to stay inside with a cup of tea instead of going for a run.

This is a really lovely tea. The green tea has sort of a vegetal, buttery taste to it (not at all astringent) and it blends beautifully with the coconut flavoring. (the coconut isn’t as as sweet as I thought it would be. Instead it lends itself as more of a subtle, smooth, rich element, much like full fat coconut milk, which is fine by me) I kind of wonder what it would taste like if it had actual coconut milk added. Although it may be a while before I decide to try it iced, I am definitely planning on doing so. (as soon as it warms up to at least 60 degrees)

EDIT: as this has cooled down 20-some minutes later, the coconut has taken more of a dominant flavor. so good! I’m going to look into pricing for this one, I think. :D

Yum yum. This tea has me smacking my lips after every sip! My first milk oolong of any sort, I have a sample from Teavivre sitting around as well so I will have compare the two later. They are both flavored I think (not super sure about this one), but that’s no problem.

Creamy and delicious, milky sweet. Just plain delicious! First steep, we’ll see how the others go. I’m glad I got a decent sized back of this!

ETA 75th tasting note!!

Got a sample of this from Josie Jade – thanks!

I honestly didn’t taste a whole lot. A hint of slightly bitter fruit (the rhubarb I suppose….is rhubarb even a fruit??) and a bit of cream. Not super creamy though.

I forgot about the leftovers in my cup and ended up drinking it room temperature (office temperature really, always chilly up in here!!) and the flavours seemed to come out a bit more.

Ultimately I was a bit disappointed with the lack of tastiness with this one!

Ugh, this weather. I suppose I shouldn’t complain since so many Steepsters to the North are still getting snowed in, but this cold weather is just so abnormal for the South at this point in the year. When we went out to dinner last night I saw some older lady in shorts and a tank top and she looked so crazy (and cold)! Now, to her credit, it was in the almost-70’s last week and I think she was just really confused, like the rest of us, bless her heart.

Since we are having such a dreary, wet, cold day I’m having a cup of a little something tropical to warm me up. My tea doesn’t look exactly like the picture, because my coconut pieces are a really bright green color!? I imagine it’s just from being mixed in with the green tea and am hoping it doesn’t kill me :) The tea has that really fresh coconut aroma. The flavor and finish are mostly of green tea and the coconut comes in afterwards. It’s a creamy coconut taste that is more of fresh coconut than sweetened coconut. I tried adding a little sweetener to see if that would bring out the coconut more and it didn’t really help. This tea is alright. I think that I just love coconut a lot, so I like for it to really stand out in a tea. If the flavor of this tea had more of the creamy coconut in it, rather than just the very end aftertaste I think it would be perfect!

-Dry blend has large flat green tea leaves and twigs with small pieces of dried coconut.
-Dry leaves smell like green tea with a hint of coconut. Tea liquor aroma is of fresh coconut.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy bright medium yellow color.
-Vegetal green tea flavor and finish. Light creamy coconut aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. Very subtle fresh coconut flavor.

This is one of those teas that I always wonder why I don’t reach for it more when I do have a cup. It smells really strongly of bergamot. Is there any scent more comforting to an Earl Grey lover? The tea itself tastes much less of bergamot than the smell would lead you to believe. The flavor is a smooth black tea with citrus, mainly lemon. There is a nice, light bergamot finish. The rose is noticeable a very small amount in the aftertaste. If the rose popped out more I think this would be a go-to tea for me. And it’s decaf, so you can drink it right before bed and have Earl-Grey scented dreams!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with pink and yellow rose petals.
-Dry leaves smell heavily of bergamot. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and bergamot with a hint of rose.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Smooth black tea and citrus flavor with a light bergamot finish. Small hint of rose noticeable in the aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A thin delicate tea. Prominent lemony bergamot flavor.

Adding a little festivity to this ordinary Tuesday morning with some Champagne green tea. This tea has large slices of strawberries and white blossoms mixed in with the Sencha tea leaves. It smells fruity, with just a hint of that sharp champagne aroma. The tea itself smells just like champagne. I doubt I would know the difference by smelling it if I was blindfolded. The flavor is strawberry up front, with a champagne finish. There is even a lingering alcohol taste, just like with real champagne. This tea certainly fits it’s name! I will probably keep some of this on hand for those times that calls for a celebration, without the icky after feeling the next morning that comes with real champagne. :)

-Dry blend has long flat green tea leaves and twigs with large slices of dried strawberries and large white blossoms.
-Dry leaves smell fruity with a sharp hint of champagne. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet champagne.
-Tea liquor is a clear pale yellow color.
-Strawberry flavor with a champagne finish. Lingering alcohol aftertaste.
-Best with a small amount of sweetener.
-Excellent tea. A festive cup of celebration! Authentic champagne flavor. Fruity and light.

I really love this tea. This used to be my go-to morning tea, and I still look forward to revisiting it frequently. It’s malty and strong, but with a delicious marzipan aftertaste. It’s just like those pretty little marzipan candies. The flavor of this tea is so true to actual marzipan, nothing artificial about it. I like mixing this one with the Bon Bon tea from Tin Roof Teas – chocolate covered marzipan magic in a cup!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs and pieces of almonds.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of marzipan. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and almonds.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown color.
-Malty almond flavor and finish. Strong marzipan candy aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Authentic marzipan flavor.

I always say that I don’t like rooibos, but then I come across a rooibos blend that is decent. This one isn’t my favorite, mainly because it has a pretty strong rooibos aftertaste that I don’t like. To be fair, that does lessen as it cools. The flavor is completely strawberries and cream, and the tea even feels creamy in my mouth – like really creamy! I added a little milk and sweetener, and it’s not bad for a caffeine free cuppa at night. Probably not an everyday tea for me, but I will keep some on hand for a nice nighttime tea.

-Dry blend has fine red rooibos leaves, yellow petals and pieces of green strawberry leaves.
-Dry blend smells heavily of rooibos with a hint of strawberry. Tea liquor aroma is of strawberry and cream.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark reddish brown color.
-Fresh strawberry flavor with a sweet whipped cream finish. Creamy mouthfeel. Rooibos aftertaste present.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Fresh creamy strawberry flavor with an unfortunate rooibos aftertaste.

Ahhh. . . another favorite from Tin Roof Teas. And a sipdown! There is a tiny bit left in the bag, but I think I will just put it aside to send out with a swap since I just transferred all of my tea to tins and don’t want to use a clean tin for just a small amount of tea. Plus someone else will get to try this wonderful tea!

It’s very fragrant – both the dry leaf and the tea liquor. It smells florally and fruity and sweet. Every time I make this tea it makes me smile just smelling it. The flavor is malty and fruity, with a nice floral finish that you continue to taste for awhile after swallowing. This tea takes milk and sweetener well, and it seems to enhance all of the flavors and meld them together. I will definitely be picking up more of this on my next visit to Tin Roof Teas!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell fragrant and fruity. Tea liquor aroma is sweet and fruity.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Malty and fruity flavor and finish. Light floral perfumey aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Excellent tea. Perfect balance of fruit and black tea. A delicious florally cup!

This tea was one of the first ones that I purchased from Tin Roof Teas, and it’s remained a favorite. I love chocolate and coconut, and this tea has both! It’s a pretty blend with large flakes of dried coconut, cocoa nibs, and small pieces of white and dark chocolate. The tea itself smells of black tea and chocolate. The flavor is nutty, with a sweet chocolatey finish. This tea is really good when mixed with Tin Roof Tea’s Mazipan blend, ah-may-zing!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs, large flakes of dried coconut, cocoa nibs and pieces of white and dark chocolate. Coconut and chocolate float to the top during steeping.
-Dry leaves smell of coconut and chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and chocolate.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Malty coconut flavor with a sweet chocolatey finish. Slightly creamy mouthfeel.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Excellent tea. Perfect chocolate and coconut flavor.

Rhubarb always reminds me of my grandmother’s garden and the delicious rhubarb pies that she used to make. This tea is good, but I really wish that it had more of that sharp, tart rhubarb flavor. It seems that the cream mostly takes over in this tea. I like cream flavors, so it is still enjoyable, but a little more rhubarb and it would be perfect.

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with pieces of dried rhubarb.
-Dry leaves smell like black tea with a little hint of tart rhubarb. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet cream and rhubarb.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium brown color.
-Soft rhubarb and black tea flavor with a sweet cream finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Little rhubarb flavor, mostly cream.

Ugh, another Monday morning. . .This is one of those teas that has been in my cupboard for awhile, and I’ll make a cup of it every once in awhile. The smell reminds me of dried apricots, very sweet and fruity smelling. The flavor is malty (you can taste a strong black tea) and has a light pineapple finish. There is a really strong dried apricot aftertaste. This is a nice tea that is very nicely blended, but not one that I couldn’t live without, especially since there are oh so many other TRT teas that I love so much more. :)

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and small blue petals.
-Dry leaves smell sweetly of apricot. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and dried fruits.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Malty apricot flavor with a light pineapple finish. Strong aftertaste of dried apricots.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Flavor is reminiscent of dried apricots.

I had high hopes for this tea when I discovered it at Tin Roof Teas. I love fruit-flavored black teas and I love this tea store also. The dry leaves smell just like raspberry yogurt and the tea liquor aroma smells like warm, tart and sweet raspberries. In the past I haven’t really loved this tea, but after experimenting I’ve found that I enjoy it with just sweetener added, which enhances the berry flavor. If milk is added it brings out the creamy, yogurt flavors, which I apparently don’t enjoy as much. This tea would probably be excellent iced as well. I am surprised that I don’t love this tea more, especially since other reviews compared it to Tower of London by Harney & Sons, which I love. I think the Tower of London blend has more of a honey flavor to it, while Anna’s is obviously a yogurt flavor and that may explain my non-love for this tea. I like it, it’s enjoyable to drink (maybe just not every day), but it doesn’t compare to Tower of London in my book.

-Dry blend has black tea leaves and pieces of green raspberry leaves.
-Dry leaves smell like creamy raspberry yogurt. Tea liquor aroma is of warm, sweet raspberries.
-Tea liquor is a medium golden brown color.
-Light malty flavor with a hint of fresh raspberries. Nice, tart finish.
-Best with sweetener. (Milk brings out yogurt flavor).
-Very good tea. Nice tart raspberry flavor with the addition of sweetener.

Got a sample of this (thanks Josie Jade) and it is so scrumptious my feelings about this tea can best be expressed in a song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJX7o—G_VM