Vanilla Rose

So there’s this magical place in the city called Doughnut Plant that makes the best donuts in the world. Seriously, there is nothing better than their creme brulee donut. It has actual caramelized sugar on top! But my favorite of theirs is the rose donut, filled with floral pastry cream. It’s so good!

And, happily, that’s what this tea reminds me of. Rose pastries! Rose cupcakes! Creamy, smooth, floral but not too strong with just the right hint of rose. I noticed a lot of reviews complain about it being weak but I cold brewed my cup and it came out quite strong! Kind of sad I only got a sample of this one.

Yesterday afternoon I completely reorganized my tea drawers. Yes, I used to have only one (these are very large, deep drawers), but my tea collection has rapidly expanded. It’s a good thing I have an office with a lot of space! Now I have one drawer for large pouches and tins, and one for samples. Anyway, as I was going through things I realized that I hadn’t yet tried this sample that was sent to me by SimplyJenW, which clearly got lost in my jumble because a vanilla rose tea is definitely something I want to try. Thanks Jen!

I never realized that vanilla and rose would combine to form some aroma that is both evocative of both but also distinct in its own right. It’s an interesting combo, and I guess one I’ve never experienced before! This tea is an Assam, and I don’t know how much I like Assams (though I suspect they are not on my list of faves), so I’m interested to see how it plays out in this tea. Overall it’s pretty nice, but there’s something about this rose, or perhaps the rose combo with vanilla, or perhaps both with the Assam, that is throwing me off a bit. This is the first rose tea I’ve had that I really think tastes a bit perfumy. To addess the Assam, well for me even at this low temp it is bitter and too strong for me. I’m pretty sure at this point that I dislike Assams in general. C’est la vie, they are not for me who has a sensativity to bitterness. Maybe I can brew them really weak and see how that goes, heh.

A weak, but pleasant tea. This says to steep for only 3 minutes, which has kept the bitterness that I often experience with Assams away. The vanilla is creamy but not too sweet; unfortunately I can’t taste much in the way of roses, but I do get a slight floral smell from my cup. I’d try steeping longer but I’d be scared it would get bitter.

My tea of the afternoon….

Smooth base, light vanilla, and then the rose. If I could change one thing, it might be to have a slightly more intense vanilla, but the rest is very good. It is very much a tea party tea. The rosebuds are whole and beautiful, even after steeping.

24 oz teapot, 5 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly Sweetened.

This tea came today courtesy of SimplyJenW, many thanks!

This is indeed a beautiful tea to look at, even after steeping. The deep pink roses are beautiful. I steeped this one for three and a half minutes and do not find it too strong or bitter. The Assam base has a brightness that is reminding me of some Ceylons I’ve had. I taste more rose than vanilla. I really feel like I am drinking a French tea. The marzipan or honey flavors so common in French teas seem to be making an appearance here, though these flavors are not mentioned in the description. This reminds me of a fuller bodied version of Harney’s lychee. This tea is sophisticated enough for any tea party you could throw its way.

This is one of my new favorites, many layers of flavor to it- earthy black, smokey vanilla notes floating on top, with a nice floral finish from the rose.

Definitely a lot of layers, the rose comes out on top – a very dark, almost peppery black tea. The vanilla is pretty subtle, but it comes out nicely with the rose.