I ordered during the recent H&S BF/CM sale. To be honest, given the ornate tins, I was really surprised at how low priced H&S teas are.
Anyway, dry, this smells absolutely amazing. Midway through brewing, I took the lid off the tin just to smell it. I brewed 5 minutes per the instructions, but I think next time I’ll try less.
For those of us that usually drink flavored teas, this is very light. I was surprised that the Ceylon base wasn’t astringent. It was very smooth and not overpowering. The vanilla was barely there, though. I took a few sips without sweetening it and it was drinkable but I have a major sweet tooth so I added some. With sweetener, the vanilla comes out a bit more, but it’s not really at the forefront, it’s more of a background.
I’m going to try messing around with the temperature and steeping times. I like it, but it doesn’t seem as groundbreaking as some of the reviews make it appear.