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teataku drank Vanilla by Royale Tea

226 tasting notes

I bought this tea at a Renaissance Fair in late August, but I’m only just now getting around to reviewing it… The place is local (well, sort of—they’re a little over an hour from me), and apparently they have a little shop and deliver lunch to people on business days. (I only learned this after going to their website. They didn’t tell me all that at the Ren Fair.)

Anyway, I was very excited by this tea, as I’ve not before tried a tea that was just black tea and vanilla beans. The smell of the loose leaf is quite heavy and sweet, which promised good things for the vanilla flavor.

As it turns out, the vanilla DEFINITELY delivers. It’s almost cloying, but only because it’s such a rich flavor. I really, really, really like it. I will never tolerate an inferior vanilla flavor ever again. THIS is the real deal. As for the black tea, it’s a pretty light one, perhaps a Ceylon? It makes a nice couple with the vanilla, although I must say, the black tea is more like the man in the tuxedo escorting the ravishing femme fatale. I’m okay with that. They don’t both need to be front and center.

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 9 OZ / 266 ML

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Bio

I very clearly remember my first experience with tea. It was in a Target near my house, and my best friend handed me a cup of chai from the Starbucks inside the store and said, “Try this.” I believe I was about 12 at the time, and from then on, I was completely hooked.

Anyway, as my increasingly weirded out family will tell you, my obsession with tea has (almost) steadily escalated since then. I discovered the world of tea slowly, first with just chai, and then with bagged teas I could get from supermarkets and specialty stores, and then with loose leaf teas. I mostly shop for tea at Teavana, but I also patronize other local shops that I’ve discovered within the last couple of years. I’ve ordered a smattering of teas from a few online places, but I’m always leery of buying tea online, since most of how I select teas in person is by smell… unless I’m at The English Tea Room.

My favorite types of tea are blacks and flavored blacks. And oolongs. Right underneath that are rooiboses and whites, and then greens and herbals, and then mates. I’m always looking for a new favorite, but I appreciate rediscovering old favorites. I like to blend teas, but I never store them that way, mostly because I like to leave myself options.

I prefer nutty/sweet/rich teas to fruity/light-flavored teas or bold/full-bodied teas, but I do try to drink some of everything to widen my palate. I’m always willing to try any tea at least once (except this one tea that Teavana mercifully discontinued… the loose leaf smelled like cheese, I swear). I do perhaps rate teas a little leniently… because I’m not very picky. I will try a tea at least three times before I pronounce that I hate it, and I will always focus on the good aspects of a tea rather than the bad. That’s just how I roll. :3

Location

Colorado, USA

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