Anastasia Tea

when cold steeped with ATR Yunnan Gold, 5/5 (see my bio for more info on my new pared down scale) and probably the best cold tea I’ve ever had

Cold steeped this with a touch of ATR’s Yunnan Gold (I know, how extravagant…I just didn’t care for it hot though, and it was a sample size so I didn’t have much left) for 4 days (! not on purpose, just forgot about it in the back of the fridge…). It is incredible. Super refreshing and light, crisp feeling, yet smooth, rounded, with deep complex floral (true-floral, not perfume-floral) flavor I feel like hot water destroyed (or maybe intensified to the point it became perfume-floral…looking back on my previous note I apparently thought it was so floral as to signal “inedible” to my brain). Using time instead of heat seems to allow the floral element to develop complexity and nuance without becoming sledgehammer-heavy and thus one-note. Maybe that Upton guy who swore by cold steeping black teas for 4 days was onto something, especially with good Chinese tea. A gorgeous bright gold hue, beautiful in my new Duralex Picardie tumblers. So good I might order both again—teas I wasn’t much excited about hot—just for icing on days I really deserve something awesome, ha.

G’ah, the more I drink this the more my certainty grows that this is the best iced tea I’ve ever had, and one of the best teas period. Nuts how much steeping method can change one’s perception!

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!

Trying this again and I like it much better than last time. I think I steeped it slightly less with maybe a lower temperature water? At least, I walked back to my desk before putting in the infuser whereas I normally have the infuser in the mug when I add hot water.

This is really really nice. It’s like a flowery Earl Grey, and with a touch of natural sweetness. I take back my earlier comment about adding milk and sugar – none needed!

I have explored a lot of Earl Grey teas, and this is not one… However, this tea tastes very similar to my favorite Earl Grey Creme by Art of Tea. Though there is no evidence it should be creamy, it has a warm, earthy flavor and a blend of floral notes that suggest the bergamot and vanilla found in earl grey creme. It is more crisp, more defined than a creme tea, and doesn’t seem to oversteep, which is convenient. Like most American Tea Room teas, I don’t prefer it with cream or sweetener; that seems to ruin the complexity of their teas. One of my favorites, I drink it many times a week. And when someone asks what kind of tea I want, and I simply don’t want to have to think about it, I always default to Anastasia.

My mom helped me sip this one down. In her words: “This is what tea should taste like.” And she also thinks that it’s classy. It indeed has a refined flavour. Still not sure if I would get more. Maybe if I feel like making an order more worthwhile.

Floral tea lovers ought to try this one.