Vanilla Plantation

My friend drove us down to a nearby DavidsTea after class, and after I picked up a couple of their new ones, we headed down to Silk Road. I picked out a couple, and when I introduced him to the Lapsang Souchong, he sprang for a mini tin of that, plus some Japanese Sour Cherry. Yay!

This was actually my first Silk Road purchase. Loving all things vanilla, I wanted to try this first. My friend commented on the overwhelmingly sweet aroma wafting from the huge canister. And he’s right, I wasn’t expecting that. But it’s sweet in a good way.

Ever smell something one moment and revisit the scent not too long after, only for it to smell completely different? That’s what’s going on now. The dry leaf in my tin smells nothing like it did in the store, where it was an obvious vanilla bean. Now it smells like stewed tomatoes. That’s right. Stewed. Tomatoes.

Once steeped, the stewed tomatoes confusion disappears and it’s back to vanilla bean.

The vanilla is lovely, really. Velvety, almost like vanilla whipped cream. The base is a little too brisk for my liking. Detracts from the smoothness of the vanilla. It makes me want 52teas French Vanilla Assam. I’ve hereby decided that Assam is a better choice than Ceylon when we’re dealing with vanilla.

But if that’s what you are looking for, a Ceylon-based vanilla, this one is very well blended and it’s worth trying.

Sometimes, I just want something predictable to wind down with. No crazy ingredients, funky aromas, or overwhelming flavours- just a nice and simple tea.

Vanilla Plantation is a flavoured tea but it’s a straightforward and honest one. The vanilla here is not overwhelming enough to cause a headache, like some jasmine and vanilla teas. Instead, it maintains its simple Ceylon base with only enough vanilla bean to create a mellow and creamy sweet cloud.

There has never been even a hint of bitterness in all the times I’ve had this although there is a slight pleasant pungency which keeps the tea from being too soft and dull. Undoubtedly, there are better vanilla blacks out there but this is the nicest I’ve had so far. It’s so rich it tastes like it already has milk. It’s similar to Silk Road’s London Fog, with a creamy start than a pointy black base to skim through it.

The dry leaves smell of vanilla with something vaguely citrus-like. The liquor is a bright gold. Wet leaves are brown and fragrant and hold up well for two steeps.

I’ve also had this iced with chocolate soy milk which is very tasty. I’m glad my friend convinced me to buy this- it’s become one of my favourite Silk Road teas.

I’m not a huge black tea drinker, but this one just smelled so good I had to pick up a small tin. It smells so sweet and vanilla-y.
It also tastes very sweet, somewhat of vanilla, but also of something almost like strawberries. Very nice and not bitter or strong like some blacks.

The smell is intoxicating but I find the vanilla to be heavy that mutes the character of the ceylon base. It is heavy to a point of tasting artificial.

Simple, fragrant and pleasant. Love the little blossoms.

I forgot that I have a little tin of this tea and found it while digging through my tea stash. I bought it on a whim because it smells so good!

I absolutely love this :-) It just may end up being my favourite black tea. Very smooth, no bitterness, just the right hint of vanilla. I could drink this all day and not get tired of it. Now I wish I could remember where I got this little tin because I need to go get more ASAP.