Decaf Vanilla Nut Creme

A friend sent me two of these teabags in a card to try. I was telling her about how I drank an entire pot of Harney’s Vanilla Black in the evening, and was up all night, and I think she was worried for me :)

For itty bitty tea bags, this was robust and flavorful. It reminded me of a coffee drink and not tea. The sarsaparilla was an interesting addition to a nutty vanilla blend. I think it helped make it taste rich, but it did register as a little odd or out of place of a flavor.

In short, I’d gladly drink this again if it was offered to me, but it’s not on my to-purchase list. Vanilla Comoro is more to my taste as decaf vanilla teas go. :)

For a bagged tea this isn’t half bad! The vanilla isn’t overpowering and blends well enough with the nut flavour. I picked this and another up, because until I get around to picking up another brew basket, loose tea is too much of a pain in the ass to deal with at work.

I pulled this out of the cabinet tonight as I’ve had far too much caffeine today and will probably be up until the wee hours of the morning. This wasn’t bad for a bagged tea, and I would probably sip it again if it didn’t taste a little too artificial for me. It had a slight bitterness to it that reminded me of coffee, maybe a weak, watered-down coffee. I don’t love coffee, I love tea, so probably won’t be purchasing more of this one after we finish the box.

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells of creamy vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is of vanilla and nuts.
-Tea liquor is a thick dark brown color.
-Strong vanilla flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Nutty aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Fair tea. Slightly artificial and a touch of bitterness reminiscent of coffee. Creamy mouthfeel.

I didn’t expect from the smell of this to like it much. When brewing it has a strong but not entirely savory nutty scent. I recently had a nut flavored tea I didn’t care for and the reminder kind of turned me off.

Surprise! The vanilla and sarsaparilla balanced this tea out and made it far nicer than I expected. A little cream and sweetener made this even more pleasant. I usually take it that way now.

This is not my favorite tea in the cupboard but is an amiable change of pace. The Sarsaparilla makes it an unusual addition to my cupboard and it is a little nutty without being obnoxious. There are other dessert teas I like better though. I’ll hoard and savor whats in the box but probably won’t seek out a replacement package when it’s gone.

The smell reminds me of Starbucks lattes, and while I’m not a fan of drinking coffee, I do love the smell of it. Sadly, the tea itself is bit of a letdown, as is often the case with incredibly smelling teas. I mostly get a light ‘tea’ taste with a nutty flavour that makes me think of hazelnuts and walnuts, and the vanilla only comes in at the very end.

None the less, it’s a nice, easy-drinking tea. I’ve been looking for a decaf tea that doesn’t involve rooibos to drink at night. This isn’t precisely the Holy Grail of decaf, but I’m willing to settle for now. ;)

Oh. I don’t think I can finish this. This tastes like a mix of flat root beer and coffee. And the smell reminds me of stale vanilla coffee that sat out overnight. Yuck.

If I wanted coffee, I would have made a pot of coffee.

Why are black teas tasting fishy to me lately?
Okay look I do not have high expectations for any bagged tea anymore now that I have learned how wonderful loose leaf is.
This tea smells good.
I actually still enjoy one cup of quality coffee each morning.
This tea does taste a bit like a latte and I am okay with that – a really weak latte though. Its colored like watered down coffee too. But then again I drink turkish coffee often so watered down looking to me is normal to most folk.
Still what is with this slightly fishy flavor? This is not the only black tea recently I have tasted this way.
I wish I could find a couple of good decafs for my stash because I really don’t need the caffeine late at night but I don’t feel this is one of them.
I mean its “okay” … but weak – I really am not getting a lot of the flavors coming through – I am sure this is another one of those “its better after it has cooled down some” teas.
So I shall wait.
(time lapse)
Well I waited …still not better.
Sorry this does not get the thumbs up from me.

Edit note: After much time – and another go at the Harney and Son’s Vanilla Comoro – I have noticed that both the black teas I accused of tasting “fishy” are both vanilla flavors and both decaf … hummm – so tomorrow going to try some NON decaf vanilla and then if I can fit it in will have some decaf (if I can find any) of a non vanilla flavor. I am thinking it may be either the flavor or the decaf.

I found a box of this tea in my desk drawer at work (it has to be a good 2 years old, but it was sealed) and remembered liking it. I have a quickly worsening cold today, and I can’t breathe/taste very well, but there is a definite nutty note along with something that vaguely seems like vanilla but is a little “off”. I’ll have to try this again when I’m well to truly review it, but at least for now it’s kind of comforting.

It smelled so good. Tastes amazing – definitely an after dinner tea. Added milk and Splenda and am really enjoying it.

It’s kind of like a cappuccino!

Tied with Stash’s Holiday Chai as my favorite supermarket bagged tea of choice for a quick dessert treat (bonus, little/no caffeine!). I always add milk and a tiny pinch of raw sugar.

Tastes like aspartame-soaked sticks. No tea flavor detectable by me, just a lot of cheap vanilla-y perfume.

With cream it’s almost like drinking coffee. The hazelnut flavor really comes out, more so than the vanilla. Don’t go by smell because the smell of it in the packaging isn’t that appealing, but once it gets brewing it smells wonderful. It’s just a bit too much like coffee to be something I’ll drink all the time, but the fact that it’s decaf is nice.

Love this tea. Smells and taste exquisite!

While this would be an awesome coffee flavour, I find it odd as a tea. But it is keeping my hands warm.