A sample from Miss B – I’m still working through the very generous (and seemingly bottomless!) box she sent me. At first I thought this one was mainly black tea, and wondered why it looked so…shiny. At this point I realised that it actually contains a very high proportion of vanilla pod pieces – maybe as much as 50% now that I’ve taken a closer look. This clearly explains the name. I gave 1.5 tsp of leaf approximately 3.5 minutes in boiling water. I added a splash of milk.
I’m pretty impressed with the flavour. I wasn’t sure how a tea with such a high proportion of vanilla would come across – whether it would taste thin because there’s not too much actual “tea”, whether the vanilla pods would even infuse well in only a few minutes. I was wrong on both counts – the black tea base is nicely malty and pairs amazingly well with the sweet, rich, creamy, fudge-like vanilla. This one reminds me a little of Whispering Pines Golden Orchid – it’s not as intense or chocolatey, but the vanilla gives it a similar dessert-like vibe. It’s definitely a pleasant tea to sip on – very enjoyable.
