I was hoping this one would be in the box! I’ve been on a bit of a vanilla quest since I had that awesome vanilla Nilgiri from Chi of Tea, but I never tried this one before. First of all, it came out before my interest in something vanilla flavoured really took off. Second, I was a bit concerned about the Assam base. I’m rather ambivalent when it comes to Assam, you see. When done right they can be very pleasant, but when done wrong… It’s not a pretty picture.
More and more though, I became interested in trying this one after all, Assam base be damned, but of course by then it was much too late. So yeah, I was putting some hope into this Christmas box! I know Frank is reblending everything in the box for sale, but as I’m way ahead of you as I’m writing this and will be in England by the time the rest of you get to opening this one and it becomes available on the site… If I like this one, I’ll just have to cross my fingers and hope there’s still some available when we get home.
IF I enjoy it.
The aroma of the leaves were strongly vanilla-y and also very Assam-y. All malty and strong and stuff. It seemed an even mix of the two aromas. After steeping, it’s mostly vanilla, and it’s a creamy sort of caramel-y vanilla. It’s almost honeyed. I think it’s the sweet, malty note in Assam and the sweetness of the vanilla that are interacting to create this extremely candy-y note. The aroma is definitely a win. (Could it be…?)
In the flavour, I’m not getting an overwhelming vanilla note. At first it’s generally clean Assam, and then the vanilla comes swooping in on the aftertaste, practically filling my mouth with vanilla. Oh. Oh dear. I was afraid this would happen. I do so hope that when I get back from England there will still be some available of this. This is exactly what I want from a vanilla flavoured tea. It’s my perfect vanilla black, and it’s limited edition. How bloody typical!
