Vanilla Bean Cream Nilgiri Black Tea

This was the second choice for my recent Chi of Tea order. I seem to have an odd relationship with vanilla flavoured teas. I really want to like them. Like, really really want to, but the ones I’ve tried so far in my life have all been good, but rather on the somewhat too sweet side of things. I want something a little more subtle than that, so apparently this means that I’ll be trying out vanilla blacks as I come across them.

The leaves and the tea after steeping smell really nice. Radically different from my vanilla black from Whittards of Chelsea. This is darker, more robust, more powerful. More… everything, really. The Whittards positively pales in comparison. The aroma of this one, though, is strongly vanilla. Sweet and sort of raw in smell. I can actually sort of sense the rubber-y, leather-y texture and smell of a fresh vanilla pod (or as fresh as they can get from a Danish supermarket anyway). There’s a funny darkish sweetly side note as well, that is somewhat sharper than the sweet parts of the vanilla aroma. It actually reminds me of a particular sort of licorice sweeties that you can get here in Denmark, in spite of the fact that said sweeties have, to my knowledge, nothing to do with vanilla at all. But they smell exactly like this!

Yes! This is the sort of vanilla tea I want! I’m not getting a mouthful of something super-sweet and relatively artificial; I’m getting a mouthful of tea that tastes like vanilla. It’s… It’s strongly flavoured, strong enough that I wouldn’t be able to point out the origin of the base if I didn’t know what it was, but it doesn’t overpower the tea. It’s more vanilla pod than vanilla-y, really. I think that’s what appeals to me so much.

The cream aspect is there as well. Each sip feels much thicker than it is, as if there has actually been added some sort of dairy product to the cup. Which is something I do only very rarely indeed. It doesn’t really give a flavour on its own that I can find, but it adds significantly to the bigger picture and the experience of the cup.

This is definitely beating Whittards’ vanilla black spectacularly into the ground. I’m very impressed with this, it’s a definite re-purchase. And so far, it’s also my Perfect Vanilla candidate.

Wow, first vanilla tea I have has that has a natural vanilla flavor and creaminess all in one. I believe steeping it at lower temperature brought out all it’s subtle flavors. This is the first straight vanilla tea I have tasted and ever really liked. Yummy!

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp (entire sample)
Water: 2 c boiling water
Tool: my grandmother’s Bee House Ceramic Round Teapot
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vanilla
Steeped Tea Smell: vanilla
Flavor: lightly vanilla, full black tea
Body: Full
Aftertaste: astringent, a little bitter
Liquor: opaque dark brown

A basic flavored black tea, I got the vanilla but not really the cream flavor.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/02/chi-of-tea-company-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

This is pretty nice – a good flavored tea. Comes out really caramel-y. The aroma was intense, and the flavor didn’t disappoint. Smooth and flavorful.

This tea has one of the best scents. It’s not at all artificial and seems to have many layers to it. I can smell vanilla, caramel (one scent I have never smelled clearly in a tea before) and nice black tea in the background. It has a smooth taste in the sip with just the nicest bit of sweetness. The flavors blend well together to make a very yummy cup. I bet that this would be an amazing dessert tea with milk and a touch of sugar! The only thing that bothers me is the drying effect that it leaves in my mouth. I don’t think this is something that can be helped, but I would have liked a smoother finish. Otherwise, this is a very delicious blend.

Creamy vanilla taste, with a nice bold black tasting base. This was a nice way to wake up this morning. It made the kitchen smell wonderful too!

I like flavored black teas when they are done right. Unfortunately, I’ve tasted many inferior flavored teas that have an artificial twang to them, or which have so much flavoring the taste of the black tea is obscured.

I’m happy to report that Vanilla Bean Cream is an example of a flavored black done right. I brewed this for four minutes, and the flavors all came out beautifully. I can taste the tea and the vanilla — the cream note seems to add another layer of richness to the tea drinking experience. This is a rich, flavorful vanilla black. It would make for a delicious ice cream. It’s not overly sweet, though. It’s bold and strong without being harsh or bitter.

I’ll be interested to see how well the flavors hold up through a second steeping, but for now, I am impressed.

I love vanilla teas, so when I saw this on the Chi of Tea website, I knew I had to order some (hooray for flat rate international shipping!).

As soon as I open the package, I can smell a lovely creamy vanilla-y scent. I’m in heaven! The tea leaves themselves are very attractive – small, sort of rolled and dark.

I can’t wait for this one to steep! The scent as it steeps is sooo good – I can smell the black tea base as well as the flavourings.

I love this. It is so tasty. Even more creamy than I expected, with lovely vanilla notes and a good tea base. I am kicking myself now – why didn’t I order more?! Definitely one to purchase again, I think.

Trying my last sample from Chi of Tea this morning. A very nice aroma out of the package. Produces a nice amber liquor. Good vanilla flavor. A nice tea!

This might be one of the best smelling teas ever. I opened the package and smelled a strong candy-like smell of vanilla and caramel. It smelled so good that I was very skimpy with the tea leaves so I could make sure that I had at least two cups of it. Once brewed it still smells pretty good and has a nice real vanilla flavor. It reminds me a lot of Harney’s Vanilla Comoro but maybe a bit better. This is a really nice tea.

Thanks much JoeCool (Nichole) for sending me a sample of this.

1 tsp/10 oz.

A sample of this came in some tea QuiltGuppy sent to me. Nothing really to add to the reviews here. I will say this, I like it. I think the vanilla is just right, the cream effect is perfect
and the tea flavor itself is present in the proper context. Like another reviewer, I had visions of pralines and cream, but then, that should be expected. I am from the South y’all.

Extremely strong scents of vanilla and caramel upon opening the package. Once brewed, it was a lovely golden brown in hue. The tastes were as I was led to expect from the initial scents – almost like a roasted vanilla with strong caramel undertones. Sugar would make this tea far too sweet for my taste – I don’t think it is needed at all. This would make an excellent tea to infuse with cream for a creme brulee.

Also, it is flavorful warm as well as cold.

Wow, this is lovely.

I wasn’t sure on my first few sips, or even while making it. My boyfriend and I both independently concluded that it smelled like coffee in the bag, and neither of us is a coffee drinker. But the sweet yet earthy vanilla scent convinced me to try this one first.

I added milk and it’s very rich. Creamy, a hint of caramel, and the nicest vanilla flavour I’ve tasted in a tea. I think this will be a re-order.

We’ve decided it smells like Pralines and Cream and tastes like a really nice homemade ice cream.

Yum, this tea is a good one. The smell alone could have told me that – it was a real, raw-vanilla scent rather than something artificial. The tea itself is wonderfully flavourful and the creamy vanilla is nothing short of delicious. The tea is full-flavoured without being bitter or astringent and I have no problem drinking this cup without milk.

Wow! The smell was so good, I could have eaten the leaves with a spoon. Exactly cream and vanilla. The black base is gentle, and the vanilla really shines. This tea reminds me of these little vanilla creme pastries sold at a little bakery near my home. Delicious. Made it with soy milk and a touch of sweetener, second infusion with no additives – both were good.

As always, I need to preface this by acknowledging that perfumey teas aren’t my thing. But I love vanilla and caramel, both of which are abundantly present in this tea. Just too abundant for my preference. And I’m not picking up the underlying tea flavor.

Second steep the vanilla arrives at a nicer, subtler level, so as it steamed off the pour I was looking forward to the cup, thinking my strategy next time I pull out this tea will be to give it a quick pre-steep rinse. Unfortunately, along with the perfume, the tea seems to have lost its depth and complexity. It’s got a nice fragrance but it all goes flat and ends with astringency. Tried adding almond milk as an afterthought, but that didn’t help.

I can see how folks who lean toward flavored teas would love this, because the first steep is a nice strong vanilla-caramel, and very true caramel, at that. As for me, I’ll try it again with a quick rinse.

Back after awhile,
This tea is fairly dark with a creamy texture to it. Smells very vanillay, but not so much for taste. Personally i prefer a little more vanilla taste.
The tea is very mild, which would have lended itself to more vanilla flavor in my opinion.