Anna's No. 905 Tea by Tin Roof Teas

One of those lovely close-to-perfect days where you want to push “pause” and leave it there. Slow, steady rain all day; temps in upper 60’s. Took a travel mug of this with me on a trek to North Arkansas (Google “Crystal Bridges Museum” … it was great!).

If you put this, Marco Polo, and H&S Tower of London Blend in front of me without telling which was which, I would be hard put to tell the difference. This is berry-creamy sweet, has a great quality tea base, didn’t need a bit of sweetener. Thanks to ashmanra for the treat!

2012-09-14 18:23:50 -0400

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ashmanra 4 tasting notes

I finally got to Raleigh today to go to my favorite local (well, a little over an hour but close enough!) tea shop. I was supposed to go in and just buy some Fuzzy Navel to compare to Madame Butterfly, but my bestie mentioned that she wanted some greens for her cupboard so I had to look for a green I thought she would like, and the owner is evil evil evil – no, wait, he was just trying to make me happy – and made me smell the Ti Kuan Yin and I had to buy that, and I finally caved and bought this one! I really HAD to because one of my daughters is named Anna.

They were gracious enough to sell me the tea split into two bags so I can send half of it to her boyfriend in N. Ireland. AND they offered to do a special blend for me to replicate a tea I can’t get anymore, so I am pretty excited about that!

Isn’t it great when you buy something for a silly reason and discover that you love it? I steeped this for 3 minutes, right in the middle of their recommended steep time, and it is delicious. It is not bitter at all, there is no astringency, you can taste the black tea base just fine, and the raspberries are so sweet and fruity, with the yogurt lending a creaminess so the raspberries are never tart. This is quite a winner!

Want to save a fortune on buying Marco Polo? Try this. It is smoother. It is less fussy to make. You won’t be missing a thing, and the price is great – about half the price of Marco. And it is absolutely perfect without sugar or milk. If you were inclined to add those, I think this could probably handle it just fine.

2012-08-10 21:22:40 -0400

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As I mentioned in last night’s note on Marco Polo, I usually only steep that one for 2 1/2 minutes. It is fussy, but it is worth the trouble because you get a really amazing cup of tea. But hubby was a little disappointed in last night’s pot of tea because it went for about four minutes before I got the leaves out. I told him I would try to make it up to him soon by making this one, Anna’s from Tin Roof Teas. It has a similar taste but the base is more forgiving and a bit smoother, without being a generic Ceylon base. I am pretty sure there is some Keemun in this base and possibly a little Darjeeling.

He tried it tonight and said he liked it better than Marco Polo! At first he said he thought it was more floral, which I thought strange because there is no floral flavor at all in Anna’s, yet there is in Marco Polo. He adds milk and sugar to both, I take them plain. The bottom line was that he likes this one better, and that is great because it is less expensive.

The bag I sent to my oldest daughter’s BF in Ireland reached him today and he has already tried it. He liked it as well, and commented on the fresh berry taste. So it is a hit in general, and is somewhat comparable to Marco Polo, Paris by H&S, and Tower of London.

2012-09-17 22:32:09 -0400

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I can’t believe we finished this pouch of tea tonight. And I can’t believe that I immediately thought, “Oh no! I have to get to Raleigh to get some more!” I NEED to sip down a bunch of tea without buying replacements! But I will be getting this one, because it is one of the few flavored black teas hubby likes. This is his replacement for Marco Polo, as he finds this one smoother, less fussy, and tastier.

Tonight was Writers’ Group night at my house and as usual tea was requested. I was shocked to realize that only three of us were drinking tea, yet we finished four pots this evening!

This is a nice black tea base with a fruity raspberry scent and a distinct sharp tang that is referred to as yogurt but that reminds me of that wonderful fruit topping made of sour cream and a bit of sugar, like Jason’s Deli serves. (The actual recipe is sour cream, a touch of orange juice concentrate or a bit of orange juice, and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly, then use for dipping or topping strawberries, cantaloupe, etc.)

My friends and I take it plain, hubby likes it with a wee bit of sugar and some milk.

2013-02-01 00:41:57 -0500

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This was the first tea of tea party today and it was my guest’s favorite tea of the bunch! We served it with home made pound cake made from freshly ground soft white wheat and topped with sugared strawberries.

The aroma of this tea is lovely, and the neatest thing about it is how the yogurt aspect of it comes across. When you sniff the tea, there is a nice black tea base well-balanced with the raspberry flavor, and then the yogurt adds this creamy tang, even in the scent. It is smooth and good! Definitely a keeper.

2012-08-15 16:18:18 -0400

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Josie Jade

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.

2013-01-20 13:45:15 -0500

Boiling

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