Black Orchid

Sipdown 10-2021
There was a bit remaining from Dustin’s advent, so this is a small sipdown…but it still counts! I actually enjoyed this cup more than the first. I didn’t add any honey as I did with the previous cup, and the vanilla is much more prominent.

Divine vanilla malt. Divine. Possibly the slightest bit of toffee too.

I made this to accompany me on a particularly difficult day out in the world. Success! I survived!

Clearly, I need this in my life on a regular basis. I can see why this is your absolute favourite vanilla black.

Thank you for the sample, Sil. If there is a group order list, please count me in.

Ok, so I was totally sold as soon as I saw the name of this one – Black Orchid is a SPECTACULARLY AWFUL two-part Doctor Who serial starring Petey Davison and his gaggle of ducklings. It has a special place in my heart. Plus, I’d just come from interviewing some contemporary Doctor Who luminaries at the BBC and happened to be passing the vicinity of Selfridges, so I thought it would be criminal not to pop in. How serendipitous, or something.

And the tea is gorgeous, too. Similar to Vanilla Shortbread from Whittard, but a touch more caramelised, I think. I’d expected a slightly darker brew than the burnt orange I got in the cup, but it certainly delivered on flavour, and the base plays beautifully with the rich vanilla-ness of it. Nom. This was a good idea.

This tea has been on my wish list for YEARS! So a BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC thank you to TeaBrat for giving me a sample!!

The brewed tea aroma is equal parts vanilla and caramel. Mmmm, this smells like a dream! A decadent, delicious, dessert dream! The flavor is a lot like the aroma but a tad bitter. I added some skim milk and Truvia and now it’s perfect! It’s heavily vanilla and heavily caramel and I am in love! Mmm, yes! This can replace the hole in my heart left by Butiki Teas’ Caramel Vanilla Assam being no longer available since they closed shop.

I’m always on the lookout for a great vanilla tea and caramel is an added bonus. Now I wish I had more! A lot more! But alas, an order will have to wait until I’ve sipped down my overflowing cupboard. I still have two Mariage Frères teas in there: Marco Polo, which I’ve only had probably twice, and Eros, which I have never tried. :P I’m pretty silly, aren’t I? Oh well. I LOVE THIS TEA! Thank you, TeaBrat!

MINE! finally i have some to try and it was worth it :) I REALLY enjoyed this take on vanilla and malty and delicious and YAY! mine. :)

Final Count: 126

From Pass The Stash v2.0

malty, cacao, vanilla, smoke.

This was my big indulgence for the day, I was being spendthrifty, which is not good for someone who’s unemployed but somehow it needed to be done and it was difficult to resist! As I am looking at the website for Market Hall Foods, I see that their price for a tin of this is about 1/3 cheaper than at Chantal Guillon so I don’t think I will be looking at CG for my future tea purchases. Even Dean and Deluca is cheaper. sigh

Generally I have found the MF teas that I’ve tried to be not worth their hefty price tags. I really wanted to try the Plein Lune, which was out of stock. I ended up getting this based on the smell of the dry leaf, and I don’t have a good vanilla tea at the moment.

I don’t know how long this cup steeped for because I forgot to set the timer. I was definitely not disappointed in this one. It has a smooth, almost velvety texture and the flavor is definitely vanilla as well as caramel. This is a really nice tea for the afternoon, or for an after dinner tea. I can drink it plain but it was also nice with a splash of soymilk. Doesn’t need sugar at all in my opinion. It doesn’t seem as “fakey” as a lot of vanilla teas I’ve tried. It’s elegant, even the name is elegant to me. It’s nice that I’ve found something from M.F. that I’m really fond of… but still not sure it was worth the price I paid for it. I will savor this one as an elegant treat. It will go very nicely with cookies, I think. I’m a happy camper! I need another cup of this now…

One of our favorite teas. Mellow, toasty caramel and vanilla aroma, light-bodied with mild tannins. Beautiful, amber color. We often mix this 1:3 with assam for a lightly scented morning pot of tea.

Delicious! I will be the first to admit Black Tea is not my favorite type of tea, however, I have found that most of the Mariage Freres black teas I LOVE. I’m a huge fan of this silky and smooth taste with strong flavors of natural vanilla. A definite repeat :)

I got this in a swap forever ago. I forget from whom. I’m sorry! :(

I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it. The taste is quite nice despite suboptimal storage conditions. The flavor reminds me of that boozy scent you get from vanilla extract. There is a lovely depth from the sweet caramel flavor but a dryness from the astringency. It’s untamed and refined all at once.