I often write off vanilla flavored things as too plain, but I forget how much I love the flavor of real vanilla, as in vanilla bean. I ordered a little sample of this with my recent Harneys order to see how it is. The dry leaves smell a little musty and smokey with a wonderful strong aroma of vanilla bean. It kind of reminds me of vanilla icing. The tea itself has a rich vanilla aroma. The flavor is pretty simple, just a sweet malty vanilla flavor and finish. There is a delicate vanilla bean aftertaste that is very nice. Besides the obvious vanilla, I am tasting a little smokiness in the cup, which I am assuming comes from the black tea base. I feel like I’ve tasted the same smokiness in some of Harney’s other black tea blends, namely Black Currant. There is no bitterness at all, but it’s not quite as smooth as I expected. I am enjoying this cup, and would probably order a tin of it. I do wish it were more pure vanilla flavored with a little less smokiness, but it does give a nice complexity to the cup!
-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell slightly musty and smokey with a strong aroma of vanilla bean. Tea liquor aroma is of rich vanilla.
-Tea liquor is a clear orange brown color.
-Sweet malty vanilla flavor and finish. Delicate authentic vanilla bean aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A simple cup with a smokey maltiness and the flavor of rich vanilla bean. No bitterness.
I always underestimate how good vanilla is.
Me too, Cavocorax! I always reach for vanilla if it’s a cupcake or icecream or something. But with tea, I always reach for chocolate over vanilla!