I picked this tea up during Black Friday sale. I quite literally purchased the last ounce available at the time. You may notice that this review is very similar to my Golden Orchid review; I comment on that below.
Opening the bag and taking a whiff is a real treat! A rush of cocoa and vanilla, with nice maltiness to back it up. A bit like fresh brownies.
The tea steeps a nice dark brown, and retains the lovely aroma.
The taste is exceptional! Smooth and full, lots of flavors. No need for sugar, as the vanilla beans give plenty of sweetness. The black tea blend is excellent, and would stand up well on its own without the vanilla. No corners were cut in putting this blend together. I should note that this tea is flavored with actual beans, which gives it a nice smoothness versus a typical “flavored” tea using extract or other processed flavoring.
A second steeping holds up well, but I find that I need to about double the concentration to maintain the same strength as a first steeping. (In other words, I use half as much water in the second steeping.)
Overall, a superb black tea! It works well as a morning wake-up or an after-dinner dessert companion. This is going on my must-buy list. I don’t usually enjoy “flavored” teas, but this one is done very well. If you prefer “straight” black tea like me, and you’re looking for something with a fuller flavor profile, don’t hesitate to pick this up!
I tried this side by side with Whispering Pines’s Golden Orchid. If you’re wondering, this tea uses Tahitian vanilla beans, while Golden Orchid uses Madagascar beans. I think the difference between the two is that Ambrosia has a more pronounced vanilla flavor. Other than that, they are identical in my opinion, so their reviews will be very similar. Whether Ambrosia is worth the additional price over Golden Orchid depends on how much you like a stronger vanilla flavor. I give both the same rating.
Flavors: Cocoa, Vanilla
