Vanilla Comoro

Thank you Meghann for sending me this wonderful tea amoung the others in my surprise package from you. :-)

I have been wanting to try this forever and I am so glad I finally tried it. It is yummy, yum, yum! I can’t believe it is decaf. I haven’t had too many decaf teas because I have not liked them all so much but this makes me think I like a decaf tea. I just have to hunt for the right one.

Deliciously vanilla!

Let me start with a heartfelt Thank You to TeaNSympathy for the sachet samples you sent me, and for giving me a new perspective on decaffeinated teas!

I’m not really a fan of decaffeinated teas. My experiences with them (few that they are), have been bland, nearly tasteless cups of tea with almost no aroma. I have avoided them like the plague…….until now.

I was eager to try this until I saw it was decaffeinated, and I wasn’t expecting much. When I smelled the sachet, I couldn’t believe my nose, so I inhaled even deeper. AAAHHH! What an amazing smell! I’m not even a fan of vanilla teas, because they smell and taste artificial to me. Not the case here…….the vanilla smells so naturally sweet and fresh. I don’t even know if this is an ingredient in the blend, but I was picking up caramel notes as well!

The cup was a medium brown, with a sweet, smooth vanilla aroma. The flavor was a good balance between the black tea base, and the sweet vanilla. What I really like is that the vanilla didn’t overpower the tea, and it tasted so naturally sweet. I was picking up on a lighter caramel flavor as well. A really delicious, sweet dessert tea, and that says alot from someone who loathes decaffeinated teas! :))

I’m so glad I’ve experieced a delicious decaffeinated tea! Now I have at least this ONE tea to drink late at night when I don’t want the caffeine, and when I’m not in the mood for herbals. This tea is great at any hour of the day or night! Thanks again TeaNSympathy. :))

Cupped: Friday, March 9, 2012.

Reviewed: Saturday, March 10, 2012.

I have been looking forward to trying this sample given the love that this tea has on Steepster, and what with a good decaf being hard to find and all. I had had such a bad experience with the only other decaf vanilla black tea I’ve had, the Numi, that I was a little afraid despite my eagerness.

The leaves in the sample packet are lighter colored than I would have expected, and initially they give off a very very intense, creamy, vanilla smell. Once you get under the cream, though, the vanilla is pretty rich, with a hint of beany-ness. The 6 year old was persuaded to give them a sniff and went “MMMMM-MM!”

The tea doesn’t have a very strong aroma. I don’t get a lot of vanilla after steeping. Perhaps this is because I didn’t hear the Breville beep, so the tea had started to cool a bit by the time I got to it. There is a sort of disappointing wet blotter paper, or maybe cardboard, smell to the tea, which is generally what I smell and taste in most decafs.

But fortunately I’m not getting much of that in the taste at all. This is a smooth, mild vanilla tea, with no false steps. The vanilla is integrated nicely into the tea, and provides a sweet, creamy, flavor.

I can’t say that this would be a stand out for me compared to some of the really wonderful non-decaf vanilla black teas I have had. There’s still less to it, like it has been de-somethinged, but by comparison to other decafs it is so much more somethinged.

I’m rating this compared to other decafs, not to other teas generally. On a decaf scale, it’s definitely up there with the Harney Midsummer Peach. I’m going to say it’s slightly better just because it is such a success as a decaf black vanilla compared to the Numi.

Miss Sweet sent me a sample of this one as well! Thanks Miss Sweet!

This smells terrifically-pure vanilla with a little extra something I can’t quite put my finger on…

Regardless…first sip…

a bit mellower than I thought it would be but very smooth and very relaxing and a treat!!! No one taste is over powering and there is no funky aftertaste…it’s a good tea day!

I was in the mood for something decaf, and I remembered I had a Vanilla Comoro sample from Harney!

I have to say, this has moved up to the pantheon of my favorite decaf teas. But I was a bit skeptical at first. I opened the little packet, took a big whiff, and went, “Hrm.” This one kind of smells a bit artificial. The vanilla isn’t as soft as SerendipiTEA’s Colonille. It’s kind of a candied vanilla smell. The leaves range from somewhat broken to pretty big and wiry, and you can clearly pick out the vanilla bits.

I steeped this one up anyway, and poured. The infusion is dark. Very dark. And the wet leaves smell like black tea. The infusion itself though… smelled like baked vanilla goods! I was actually quite surprised, but there is a really strong, bake-y element to this one’s aroma. So I began to feel a bit more confident…

The first sip of this one, and I’m content. It’s better than the Madagascar Vanilla by Golden Moon, even though it’s decaf. I can’t identify the black base, but it’s pretty robust and brisk. The vanilla is pretty creamy in this one. Not as soft as Colonille, and a bit more assertive, but it’s actually pretty natural-tasting, and leaves a pleasant sweetness on the tongue. The bake-y doesn’t really come out in the taste, which is a bit of a disappointment, but the tea itself is really nice to drink.

I was also happy that the tea didn’t get heavier as the cup cooled. The balance stayed pretty much on target.

Very comforting, especially as a late-night drink! Is this the best vanilla? Nah, Colonille still holds the top spot. But it’s a very good vanilla black, especially for something decaffeinated.

So, I tried three steeps of this tea. One with milk and sugar, one without, and tonight, one steeped for less time (3 minutes). My mom gave me a sample of this tea, because I was really interested in having a delicious tea in the evening that had all the characteristics of my favorite black dessert teas without the caffeine. This tea isn’t it. Bummer.

There are a couple of reasons. First, the vanilla is not my kind of vanilla, although it’s not terrible. Second, the astringency is too much. Even the 3-minute steep had astringency. Blech. It’s really too bad, but I’m glad I didn’t just go for it and buy a tin of this. I guess I’m stuck with naturally caffeine-free teas for the evening.

I got to try this lovely tea in a swap with Lariel. Thank you Lariel for allowing me to try this tea!

Like many other tasters I was hesitant to try this because it was decaf. However, I must say this tea is VERY tasty!

I am super picky about vanilla flavors – if vanilla tastes artificial-y or has a slight chemical tastes I can not eat it. This goes for flavored coffee, yogurt, candy, etc.

Having said ALL OF THAT, I was super surprised that I really like this one! (In fact, it is the second vanilla tea I have liked lately with the first being Davids Tea Vanilla Orchid oolong). The vanilla flavor is slightly sweet without being overpowering. The base tea is kinda basic with no major distinguishing characteristics. HOWEVER, together there is something magic about the combo.

I always am on the lookout for teas to drink after 6 or 7 at night which is my caffeine end point unless I am working late, out for the night, etc. I have stuck with tisane blends because often decaf teas have a weird taste. This tea completely avoids that weird taste!

This tea is a great late night sipper. Even the soft muted flavor is perfect for evening relaxing!

Thanks to Uniquity, I finally get to try this tea. It’s been on my shopping list since forever! I know I just wrote a post about how I’m not the hugest fan of black tea, but this one sounds so fantastically flavored and everyone likes it! I’m weak for hype, I guess.

So this tea is malty, sweet and caramelly. I feel like the vanilla is really there as a support for the caramel. I did add some milk and sugar, but I feel like it was better without. While I really enjoyed the flavor, I think I’m the only person in the world who’s not a fan of Harney’s black tea base. I can’t detect anything wrong with it, but somehow, I’m just not a fan. It’s smooth. It doesn’t get bitter. It’s rich but not too bold. It’s pretty mellow and comforting. Maybe I’m just crazy. Maybe I have to train my palate for black tea. Maybe it’s a subconscious fear of caffeine even though I know this one is decaf. I still keep expecting the jitters and the pressure behind my eyeballs.

Any how! Love the flavor! Love that it’s decaf! I’m sure the tea base and I will get along over time. :)

I love tea (bet you didn’t know that). I also love my sleep. Sometimes these two passions do not get along so well. I generally don’t consume any caffeine after noon, so I’m always on the hunt for decaf blends (as well as rooibos and herbal blends). I kept seeing reviews of this one, and thinking that I had to try it. The lovely JacquelineM sent me a little tin full of it, and it arrived today (thank you soooo much)!!

The smell of the dry leaf is amazing…it smells like pull candy while it’s cooking!! So good. The smell of the tea after brewing is incredible; more like a vanilla poundcake baking.

Oh, my, is this good. Rich, creamy, and no chemically this-is-decaf taste. Seriously, are we absolutely sure this is decaf? I suppose I’ll know a definite answer to that later tonight!! It is starting to border on bitter, so I think next time I’ll reduce it to a 4 minute steep and see what happens. But I’m thinking this could end up being a regularly scheduled nighttime blend at my house!!

My Harney & Sons order arrived on Saturday!!!! I find it hard to log on over the weekend, so I’m backlogging a bit today.

This is a simply lovely dessert tea! I had a few friends over for dinner on Saturday night, and one of them is let’s say “particular”. This is “particular” friend is my plain green tea drinker. Always plain green tea after supper, no exceptions! Well, much to my delight she was willing to give Vanilla Comoro a try after I forced her to smmmeeeelll it. Who could resist this amazing tea after they’ve inhaled it’s vanilla goodness???

The vanilla aroma of this tea dry is just like a hug from an old friend. At first sip, this tea is creamy vanilla deliciousness. The body is a smooth, high quality black tea that has all of the flavor of fully caffeinated black tea without the worry of being up all night. The finish is warm, lovely, rich vanilla. Aaahhhh, so wonderful!

Vanilla. Yep, that pretty much says it all. From first opening the tin, to initial steeping through final sip it’s all about the vanilla.

What I really like about this tea is that the vanilla was more creamy, somehow more genuine, than your typical vanilla flavored food. It also develops a completely different character as it cools. My final sip was from a cold cup and I picked up a distinct bourbon note which has me thinking about including this in an iced tea mix or possibly infusing a bag or two into some gin.

Not bad for a bag tea.

LOVE this tea!! I received my order in three days… amazingly fast! I love the vanilla in this tea, tastes like REAL vanilla not the imitation vanilla like some wanna be vanilla teas! And this is DECAF!!! Completely unbelievable! I just ordered a tin of 20 sachets and am already contemplating just ordering the pound of loose tea :) I will definitely be going through this tin quickly! I think this tea is going to be a new “constant” in my tea cupboard!

I finally ordered some of this. I am surprised it took me so long. I made this last night, so I am backlogging. I have to say that this might be the best smelling thing ever. I opened the tin and smelled it and then thought about it until later that evening when I could make tea.

It tastes pretty good, but sadly not as amazing as it smells. Even brewed, the tea smells better than it tastes. I smell the caramelly goodness, but mostly taste a mild black tea. It’s still fantastic, but I really really wish it tasted like it smelled. Perhaps a smidge more sugar next time?

It smells delightful in the package, like some sort of sweet maple cream candy. Once drenched in hot water the smell begins to include the typical tea fragrance. It darkens very fast, turning a coffee-black so I remove it from the water before the three minutes are up. There is a slight astringency to the taste but no bitterness. Mostly it tastes of warm, cozy vanilla or like marshmallows with a bit of tea. I like it. I’ll probably be ordering some since it is a very nice, undemanding decaffeinated tea I can have anytime in the evening to calm after a difficult work day.

It is, of course, not a Dawn replacement since it’s decaf, but I like to try a company’s decaf tea in hopes of finding the perfect tea for night drinking and this one is definitely worth spending more time with.

Update: Now that I’ve spent more time with it (have almost finished the cup) I find that I need to upgrade the rating a bit. It really is comfort in a cup. All the emotional pain of the week has been bandaged up and kissed away with this tea. I will need to order more, but not until I finish the rest of my Harney & Son’s samples. At least waiting would be the responsible thing to do….

I’m not sure why it is that I hadn’t rated this tea before. Tonight is completely the wrong night to do it for multiple reasons, but here we go.

There are some nights that I come home and I’m so tired that I can hardly function properly. This is one of those nights. I am…exhausted. Completely depleted. The last three days have, as I mentioned earlier, been a gauntlet of geekdom at PAX, capped off every night with dinner out with friends, at which much bacchanalia took place, meaning I’ve consumed more alcohol in the last three days than I have in the last three months altogether, and that includes St. Patrick’s day. (I am not, admittedly, really a drinker…but clearly, I do nothing in half-steps.)

Tonight, dinner with a friend having her 29th birthday at a tapas place. Tapas was eaten. Pitchers of sangria were demolished.

I managed to remember to make a decaf/uncaf cup of tea…

But I made it at 175.

Sigh.

The good news is that it’s still pretty good. It’s not the weak and watery mess I expected once I realized what I had done.

Taken on its own merits, I’m sure this tea would get a less generous rating from me…not because it isn’t good (it is) but because it isn’t enough to get me excited.

What is exciting about it is the fact that it tastes this cozy and good, and is clearly black tea, and yet it’s decaf, and I can have it at 10pm without worrying about not being able to fall asleep…which is a big deal, as I have yet to locate too many teas other than some whites that seem capable of being satisfying, sans caffeine.

That alone is worth a handful or two of rating points. This will definitely go on my list of teas to reorder.

What? No way. I haven’t reviewed this yet?!
I’ve only got 5 bags left! I could have sworn I reviewed this.
I’ve mad it for many friends and my mom – all have loved it. It reminds me of caramel brule.. vanilla caramel brule. Delicious and perfect for a late night cuppa.
mmm I need more!

Thanks again to Will Work For Tea for the awesome package of tea you sent me to try. ALL of them have been delicious so far. Vanilla teas are my favooorriittee. This one is so silky smooth good! The vanilla flavor is consistent throughout the entire cup. The black tea base isn’t too strong so it really lets the vanilla shine. It’s a pretty tough vanilla: I could hardly taste the black tea at all. And really, it’s all this blend needs: vanilla vanilla vanilla. Unlike a couple other Harney teas I’ve tried lately, this one doesn’t get more astringent as it cools. That vanilla flavor just keeps going. I might have to buy more of this whenever my tea stash decreases a bit. I just noticed my tea this morning was chocolate – it’s fitting the tea I had tonight was vanilla!

This richly flavored black decaffeinated tea.
It is a sachet tea, which can be nice in the evening for a quick cuppa.
For some reason this tea reminded me of Honeybush Caramel Tea from Revolution Tea.
Not quite sure why, since both are very different from each other.
However, I think this is a very nice tea to have after dinner to accompany a good book.

Thanks to QueenofTarts for a sample of this!

I am enjoying this as my after lunch tea. I like the fact that it’s decaf so I can enjoy it anytime. The vanilla is good in this blend, subtle but not artificial tasting. I steeped mine in an infuser mug for about 3 minutes and then added some plain soymilk. It’s dark and rich, and not bitter, it definitely did not need sugar. I quite liked this as a dessert tea and I think it WILL go on my list of things to order from Harney and Sons.

tea friend   /tee/frend/
–noun
a person who gives assistance, support, advice, samples, camaraderie and anything else needed, all for the betterment and sharing of tea experiences.

I have been fortunate to make some good friends on Steepster, in he last two weeks, friends have allowed me to try some amazing rare teas, and some more common teas that get high marks from the membership here. I was so glad to get to try “The Jane Austen Maffia” a while back and now, I am in the “Vanilla Comoro” Club a last! Thanks to QuiltGuppy, last night, late, after a cup of Vanilla Bean Nilgiri, I ended my day with VC.

Simple, sensible, and elegant are the words that come to mind. For me, the tea was a perfect balance of two complimentary factors. The vanilla was not creamy, not carmelly, not overdone or perfumy in any way. It was just right. To top it off, the black tea (although decaffinated :( came through as well. Nothing else. Simply elegant. I felt the urge to repour the tea from a trusty home cabinet mug to a nice china cup and saucer.
If the loose caffeinated version is this good, I am about to become a Harney customer.