Vanilla Bean Cream Nilgiri Black Tea

I like flavored black teas when they are done right. Unfortunately, I’ve tasted many inferior flavored teas that have an artificial twang to them, or which have so much flavoring the taste of the black tea is obscured.

I’m happy to report that Vanilla Bean Cream is an example of a flavored black done right. I brewed this for four minutes, and the flavors all came out beautifully. I can taste the tea and the vanilla — the cream note seems to add another layer of richness to the tea drinking experience. This is a rich, flavorful vanilla black. It would make for a delicious ice cream. It’s not overly sweet, though. It’s bold and strong without being harsh or bitter.

I’ll be interested to see how well the flavors hold up through a second steeping, but for now, I am impressed.

Trying my last sample from Chi of Tea this morning. A very nice aroma out of the package. Produces a nice amber liquor. Good vanilla flavor. A nice tea!

A sample of this came in some tea QuiltGuppy sent to me. Nothing really to add to the reviews here. I will say this, I like it. I think the vanilla is just right, the cream effect is perfect
and the tea flavor itself is present in the proper context. Like another reviewer, I had visions of pralines and cream, but then, that should be expected. I am from the South y’all.

Extremely strong scents of vanilla and caramel upon opening the package. Once brewed, it was a lovely golden brown in hue. The tastes were as I was led to expect from the initial scents – almost like a roasted vanilla with strong caramel undertones. Sugar would make this tea far too sweet for my taste – I don’t think it is needed at all. This would make an excellent tea to infuse with cream for a creme brulee.

Also, it is flavorful warm as well as cold.

Wow! The smell was so good, I could have eaten the leaves with a spoon. Exactly cream and vanilla. The black base is gentle, and the vanilla really shines. This tea reminds me of these little vanilla creme pastries sold at a little bakery near my home. Delicious. Made it with soy milk and a touch of sweetener, second infusion with no additives – both were good.

As always, I need to preface this by acknowledging that perfumey teas aren’t my thing. But I love vanilla and caramel, both of which are abundantly present in this tea. Just too abundant for my preference. And I’m not picking up the underlying tea flavor.

Second steep the vanilla arrives at a nicer, subtler level, so as it steamed off the pour I was looking forward to the cup, thinking my strategy next time I pull out this tea will be to give it a quick pre-steep rinse. Unfortunately, along with the perfume, the tea seems to have lost its depth and complexity. It’s got a nice fragrance but it all goes flat and ends with astringency. Tried adding almond milk as an afterthought, but that didn’t help.

I can see how folks who lean toward flavored teas would love this, because the first steep is a nice strong vanilla-caramel, and very true caramel, at that. As for me, I’ll try it again with a quick rinse.

Back after awhile,
This tea is fairly dark with a creamy texture to it. Smells very vanillay, but not so much for taste. Personally i prefer a little more vanilla taste.
The tea is very mild, which would have lended itself to more vanilla flavor in my opinion.