Vanilla Bean Black Tea - Organic - Fair Trade
40
Percentile
4 ratings |
|
Commercial Description
This organic, Fair Trade Certified tea offers a delicious synergy between excellent North Indian tea and rich, creamy vanilla. Organic vanilla beans were added in the Fall of 2008 to make this blend even more decadent than before! ...
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 4 reviews
60 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5Kelsey (142 reviews) on Feb. 26th, 2013
I can see how some people would like this tea if they are into vanilla. It had a strong vanilla aroma that smelled a little too sweet for me, reminiscent of the vanilla extract I use when baking. With the smell being so strong, surprisingly, it had barely a hint of vanilla in its flavor. I only tasted vanilla toward the end of my cup, with the rest of the tea tasting like a typical black.
63 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5GDG (5 reviews) on Feb. 17th, 2013
The dry leaves have a distinct aroma similar to vanilla extract, as would be expected but also an underlying chocolate aroma that sneaks in later. The teas leaves are small and have a very dark brown color.
After brewing, I couldn't really detect the vanilla aroma in the leaves. Instead, they gave off an earthy scent.
The tea itself is dark, somewhat bitter at first but there's a vanilla aftertaste that coats your tongue and lingers there for quite awhile. The aroma is very similar to that of the dry leaves, but with a more pronounced extract type scent (i.e., alcohol). A bit of sugar added offsets but doesn't hide the slight bitterness. Add some milk on top of that and the tea becomes very smooth and, surprisingly, brings out a hint of chocolate flavor.
60 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 3/5Sylvia (215 reviews) on Jan. 8th, 2013
This tea has a notable aroma and flavor of rum. It tastes weak to me no matter how I brew it, just like most of the teas from this brand that I've tried. It tastes a little too bitter if I brew it for a long time. I usually like vanilla teas but this one is a little weird. It has a slight bitter aftertaste. I added cream and sugar.
80 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5Alex Zorach (1453 reviews) on Jan. 7th, 2013
Wow. I wasn't expecting to like this tea as much as I did. Unlike any vanilla-flavored tea I have ever had.
Dry leaf has an intoxicating aroma, suggestive of high-quality vanilla extract, and rum.
The aroma of the cup is just as potent upon brewing, and is quite rum-like. There are tones of spice that come out in the brewed cup that are not evident in the dried leaf.
The base tea has a distinct character, with rich cocoa-like tones. The cocoa-like qualities of the base tea blend with the vanilla to create a character reminiscent of hot chocolate, but with a fresher, brisker character. A moderately bitter up-front flavor blends into a sweet aftertaste.
Moderately full-bodied.
I really liked this one. I love high-quality vanilla extract, but I tire of the fleeting artificial vanilla used to flavor most vanilla-flavored black teas. The high-quality and fully natural nature of the flavoring in this tea really shines through, resulting in a brew that captures what I like about vanilla, and retains great complexity. I also think the base tea is very well chosen.
Also, as a final note, this is quite different from Rishi's vanilla tea, the only other vanilla-flavored tea that I have enjoyed. I like that other tea very much, but I prefer this one. It is also markedly lower in price, and still fair-trade and organic certified.
Page 1 of 1 page with 4 reviews
More Tea Blends from Arbor Teas
English Breakfast Black Tea
| Style: | English Breakfast |
| Region: | Blend |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Loose |
2 Ratings
