French Vanilla Bean

A very nice vanilla bean tea! A good black base that is fairly strong with a lovely french vanilla flavor! I really do love The Persimmon Tree Tea Company. I have only sampled a few flavors that are not my style but that is a personal taste thing. Most of their teas have been very satisfying. You have to try their Mandarin Silk! This one is no exception. I am choosy when it comes to both chocolate and vanilla flavorings and I really do like this one! It is great on its own but I have added a little German Rock Sugar because I have a sweet tooth right now (always).

Thank you Azzrian for your awesome kindness in the holiday tea package you sent me! This was the first tea I tried.
Interestingly, it reminds me of coffee. Which is not a bad thing because I have been kind of craving coffee lately… it feels so wrong to say that haha but I really don’t need it. Its just I miss the creaminess of a cup of coffee. And that’s only because I have to put so much cream in to mask the awful taste of the coffee itself. Mostly its the amazing smell that gets me..
Anyway, this tea is pretty good with milk and sugar. If I get a stupid coffee craving, I’d go for this one. Its quite strong as well.

Vanilla is probably one of the most basic tea flavors, but surprisingly I’ve tried almost no vanilla teas! In fact, my first was Della Terra’s Cafe Vanilla in the 12 days of Christmas swap. I don’t know why I’ve kind of avoided vanilla, maybe because it’s just so basic I always get drawn to fancier and more exotic blends. But sometimes you want a cup of simple comfort!

Dry, this tea smells so scrumptious. Like baking! There are big chunks of vanilla pod in there which is a good sign, along with some almond slivers. Steeped it tastes, unsurprisingly, like vanilla bean ice cream. The vanilla is light though, not overpowering in fact I expected it to be a lot stronger. There’s a nice toasty, nutty flavor from the almonds and it makes me think of sugar cookies for some reason while I sip this. The black base comes through nicely, I think this would be an excellent evening blend! Thanks to The Persimmon Tree for this sample.

azzrian Thanks!

I’ve had this twice now and there are vanilla bean flavors in there but it seems like MORE than just that. I agree with some of the other tasting notes mentioning coffee hints and I also picked up on Nuttiness. Overall it was good but I feel it should have a name that is either more creative or has additional wordage because I picked up on different flavors in addition to the Vanilla. Not sure. Maybe it’s just me. I also could taste a sweet-wood, barky type flavor on the tongue, too, more-so when infusing a bit too long. I could pick up MORE on the vanilla/bean in the 2nd infusion.

Pretty good, tho!

Thank you Dhart1214 for this sample tea!

Oh well now. I have tried all along to look for the good in every tea I drink.
Looking, Looking, Looking…

I won’t rate this tea. I can’t. For some reason the black tea makes my mouth feel like cat fur and the vanilla tastes strange.

I’m so sorry. I’ve failed to find anything good other than the temperature of the tea.

This is a sweet treat of a tea! The black tea base is bold but not bitter (always appreciated). The vanilla flavor shines through heavenly. Also great iced! :)

Full review is on my blog:
http://keenteathyme.blogspot.com/2013/02/french-vanilla-bean-black-tea-by.html

I picked up a sample of this one from Persimmon Tree a while back, and was looking for something different to take to work this morning, and there was enough in my sample to allow a full thermos of this plus an additional cup (or more) under more ideal brewing conditions!

There’s essentially no aroma to my cup of tea… and the flavour is absurdly light! Believe it or not, I could hardly tell this and 52teas’ Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal apart. Both just tasted like generic, sweetish but mostly flavourless black teas. As this one cooled, though I could catch the french vanilla notes a bit more. However… way, way too weak. I guess I’ll have to try this one again!

Loose
Appearance: Deep black tea, bright vanilla bits
Aroma when Dry: desserty sweet (western), nutty, earthy
After water is first poured: vanilla pound cake
At end of first steep: creamy vanilla
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: light meadow brown
Staple? No, but would drink again
Preferred time of day: afternoon, evening
Taste:
At first?: light crisp creamy vanilla notes
As it cools?: Vanilla notes open up greatly, tea gets bodied
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, buttery crisp vanilla, no sweetness in aftertaste

Another tea sample day! So many still to sipdown.

This is a great morning tea. Very strong black base with a light vanilla flavor and a few spices thrown in too. In a way I like that it does not just taste like vanilla without the black tea taste, some teas lose the tea flavor and become dominated by the flavoring instead. Once again thanks Azzrian for a yummy sample.

I received this sample from the Persimmon Tree today and figured I’d get right down to business with checking it out. I love a good black and rather enjoy vanilla teas as well these days!

I steeped this one for 4 mins – and there is no real sense of the coconut in this one which makes me a happy camper. Instead what develops as I sip this one is a black tea with a subtle vanilla flavour to it. This is not a vanilla tea, rather is it a black tea with vanilla notes to it. I quite enjoy that change as I’m used to OMG vanilla teas that lose the actual taste of the tea.

In other news…I’m trying this whole blogging thing out. I’m TRYING to get around to writing something every day, though that’s certainly not really happening yet. someday though…someday. I might even manage to figure out where i’m going with it.

I received this in a swap a little while ago. I forgot who sent this to me but thank you!!
The aroma of this one is sooo nice. I over steeped it a little bit.. but the vanilla flavor is still there and it’s nice. I enjoyed this.

I’m amazingly tired out. I had all these plans with a couple cold-steep teas to review and savor this morning, but instead I had an early start to take my rabbit to the vet. So instead, on the drive to the vet I inhaled all that cold-steeped tea without thought or noticing taste, booo!

So drinking black tea, now later in this morning. I would prefer mate but I got an order from The Persimmon Tree yesterday and another package from another place coming today so I need to try these out!

On that note, shout out to the Persimmon Tree for great customer service. There was a mix up on my order and they emailed me back right away and were fast in fixing it. Plus upped my Coconut Cacao to 6oz in apology. /love love love. All I need now is to get my post lady to stop brutalizing my tea packages – not sure theres some post challenge to see if they can cram packages through a mail slot, ripping the package open and spilling tea samplers out. GRRR!

Onto: French Vanilla Bean (FVB)

DRY: Sweet vanilla smell, kinda nutty. Lots of big mystery chunks… almonds? But isn’t listed on their website – Just tea + vanilla beans.

STEEPED: Sweet again and slightly vanillay. Steeps up a dark brown.

TASTE: Creamy smooth taste right up front with a delicious black tea in the background. Starting to get bitter – I should of steeped it to 3 minutes, not 4.
I added rock sugar and soymilk halfway through which upped the ante making FVB very smooth and ultra creamy.

WHO’D LIKE THIS TEA: Black tea drinkers and vanilla lovers. Especially someone who likes adding cream and sugar to tea.

COMMENTS: My first sip I was brought to that similar creamy reminder of their other creamy teas but this one is for the black tea drinker. Very nicely balanced creamyness. FVB is the bomb with milk and sugar added.

I was hoping I would get vanilla punched to the face, but instead got an amazing sweet creamy tea. FVB would make a killer vanilla latte. A nice tea to show off to fellow black tea drinkers. I personally like more crazyness in my teas, but this is delicious, best straight up vanilla tea I’ve had in awhile.

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Water: 750ml 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 4 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell:
AmazonV: vanilla bean ice cream
MilitiaJim: Yup, vanilla, a bit of bean in there
Steeped Tea Smell:
AmazonV: vanilla bean ice cream
MilitiaJim: tea with some vanilla
Flavor:
AmazonV: vanilla, black tea
MilitiaJim: Wow. Oversteeped bitter. Nice vanilla flavor though.
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: astringent
Liquor: translucent dark brown

Next time it needs to be steeped on the lower end of the parameters.

Post-Steep Additives: cream, sugar

Much better, less astringent, more of the vanilla flavor comes out as well.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/01/persimmon-tree-tea-company-loose-leaf.html

Thanks for the sample Azzrian. I like vanilla quite a bit in foods, but I don’t tend to favor it in teas unless it’s part of a more complex tea, such as vanilla caramel. So, for my taste, this is nothing special. I was a little put off by the dry leaf smell. For most teas, other than chais, I don’t add dairy, but based on other’s tasting notes, I added some cream and stevia which made it acceptable, but nothing I’d go out of my way to have again. For those that like vanilla teas, this may hit the spot nicely.

Very disappointed with this one. I couldn’t taste any vanilla whatsoever :(
The tea itself is okay but nothing to write home about.

I steeped this tea in my single serving cup that has a built in infuser. I put about 1.5 tsp of the leaves into it and let it steep for 5 minutes so I can get the maximum of flavours.

Packaging: The tea arrived in a tall and skinny air tight container. Great to keep the tea fresh for a longer period of time. I actually prefer this style tin over others because it doesn’t take up too much room in when storing it away. From what I saw, it doesn’t have the size on the label, but after looking it up online I believe it is 2.5 oz. It’s a standard label with a very appealing look to it. Standard steeping instructions are on the back as well.

Smell: Strong but not overpowering for both – before steep and after. The scent fills the air the moment you open the air tight container. I can distinguish the sweet vanilla aroma from the the beans, as well as the hint of coconuts. Definitely filled my kitchen with an awakening scent.

Taste: I would say this blend had a great smooth and calming flavour. Again, the vanilla bean hints are a perfect touch. It wasn’t too bold, which I was surprised about because I expected it to be for sure. It’s hard to not dislike this creamy blend. The flavours all taste real, and not artificial. I also especially enjoyed that the tea leaves weren’t too small. A great size that was able to not sneak through my infuser. For those that enjoy vanilla blends, this will hit the spot nicely. I had this tea in the late afternoon with a bit of milk and sugar as a dessert tea but I would definitely recommend this for a perfect wake up brew in the morning (minus the milk + sugar).

First Sip Thought: “I must make this into a latte next time!”

I can’t not give this tea a perfect score…I’m in love!!

www.theteacupoflife.blogspot.ca

smooth smooth smooth! This is an absolutely creamy dreamy vanilla black tea. Despite the almonds, I didn’t pick up much nuttiness, maybe because my little sample didn’t have many. This isn’t an in-your-face vanilla, but rather blends thoughtfully with the medium strength black tea base. I brewed up some to drink before going to work and some to drink on my way to work and I’ve been enjoying my mugfull right now but we’ll see how well it stands up to a travel mug. I added milk and sugar and it made the tea even better! Brought out more vanilla notes and creaminess, as one would expect.

Subtle vanilla taste with a black tea base. For some reason this tea left me wanting more vanilla – but then again I always want more vanilla!