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Double-sacheted this one and poured way too much milk in it, but it still manages to be very tasty. It’s definitely genuine vanilla bean— has a bit of a bitter earthy edge to it. It actually kind of smells like a pu-erh, even though I know it’s not. I added some honey to play up the sweeter side of the vanilla and it worked out nicely. Very nice mid-afternoon sweet treat.

Mighty Leaf teas don’t tend to get great reviews on Steepster, and I think it’s because they are VERY pricey bagged teas. I understand why they cost a lot though; they use plastic silken sachets instead of paper, and they weave the string and tag into the sachet instead of cheaply gluing it (looking at YOU, Lipton and H & S), so there is a lot of materials, time, and labor involved. It’s also whole-leaf loose tea inside the sachets, not CTC dust. But when you’re paying $9-$12 for a box of 14 sachets, you expect pleasant surprises and perfect artistry. Or at the very least, multiple steeps per sachet. To be completely honest, these teas are not surprising or overly finely crafted, and they don’t lend themselves well to multiple steepings. I was lucky enough to get this box for half-price (liquidation sale; Shaw’s is not stocking this tea on their shelves anymore), so I am able to review it without the price point affecting my experience too much.

Vanilla is one of my very favorite things in the world; in addition to conserving my supply of this tea treat, I’m currently mourning the discontinuation of my favorite scent from Bath & Body Works, Wild Madagascar Vanilla. I’ve stocked up on the full line of products before they start stocking it in body lotion and fragrance mist only, and relegate them to the “online exclusive” group.

Why do all my favorite vanilla things leave me??