Vanilla Oolong

Ok so first time trying this tea, what first hit me was the smell, it’s se fragrant and soothing, I can almost smell strawberries for some reason lol. I like the taste and buttery feeling i get in my mouth this tea is great all around! love the way the leaves practically explode in my glass tea bottle very pretty to look at. Also side note, an inexpensive tea because it’s so light on weight you get more quantity than with other teas.

4-7 minutes seems like an /awful long/ steeping parameter for an oolong. I did four minutes anyhow, and just as expected, the tea came out tasting a tad stewed. It was a strong, slightly cloudy yellow.

But the hint of vanilla is very nice. I’m not quite sure what the lemon myrtle adds… I don’t taste a citrus, although the vanilla is almost zesty?

A bit like buttercream frosting. And pouchong.

Second Steep, Five Minutes: Less creamy vanilla, and I’m definitely getting citrus in this. Lemony oolong. It’s present in the smell as well. Pouchong’s less stewed tasting, as it’s weaker overall, but still strong enough to back up the lemon citrus. Very Pledgy.

Third Steep, ~10 Minutes: Let this one get away from me. Forgot about it for a bit. Ten minutes, I think. Got a strong citrus taste, tea, a bit too astringent. My fault.

The smell of the tea after the first steep is intoxicating and divine, with a creamy, sweet, and buttery scent that just makes you want to inhale the liquid through your nostrils (painful as that may be). Initial sips were delicious and filled with vanilla and a light citrus note, but as I reached the bottom of my cup, the tea began to turn more watery and bitter. My feelings about this tea are similar to the Buddha’s Blend—smells better than it tastes. Based on reviews, it seems like I may enjoy DavidTea’s vanilla orchid oolong more, so that’s been added to my shopping list.

EDIT: I was able to resteep this oolong in my Teavana perfect tea maker three times, and it still retained a light, vanilla flavor. The subsequent steepings were done at lower temperatures (around 180-190F) with longer times (5-8 minutes), and it did make the tea taste more mellow and even from start to finish.

Smells of really good quality vanilla, honey, grass and citrus. Sweet and delicate, this tea has a pleasant and non-overpowering vanilla taste. Vegetal afternotes with a slight citrus end and for some reason I’m getting a sort of smokiness, but it’s nice! I really enjoyed the simplicity of the flavours and how they mold together perfectly. As it cools, the vanilla continues to linger with more vegetal notes!

8 down – 492 to go!

I’m a sucker for vanilla. Love the stuff. Whether it’s vanilla perfume, vanilla ice cream, or vanilla toothpaste, it catches my eye. When DavidsTea came to town, all my co-workers were raving about this one and I thought I’d buy 50g right off the bat.

The dry leaves are actually quite impressive. Long and curly, they really fluff up the pouch. The employee had to grab a larger pouch for this one. The smell, while very obviously vanilla-y, is on the artificial side.

The taste is also artificial. It’s a little on the caramel-y side, actually, but still leaves a weird taste in the mouth. Perhaps it makes me think of caramel because it has a burnt quality to it, no matter how I steep this. After a couple steeps, it gets a little better. The vanilla isn’t as sharp, but it just doesn’t do it for me.

Honestly, I think this is a little overrated. I never understood why my co-workers always wanted a cup of this, and only this, and refused to give anything else a try. There are definitely better teas out there. If you have a chance to visit a store, I’d suggest trying a cup of this first before investing in a pouch of this.

I didn’t steep this for too long so maybe I was in luck, but this is incredibly thick and creamy and buttery and… smooth! The vanilla comes in nicely. Which type of vanilla, I don’t know. What is the green background aroma I taste, I don’t quite know either… Go figure.
I don’t hate it :) ! Might try it iced next.

My favourite tea from DavidsTea hands down.

Although for an Oolong, it has very little resteep value, the vanilla really adds a new dimension to this traditional tea. The sweetness of the aroma creates a smoothness and creaminess that is unparalelled by other variations of Oolong.

If you love a simple tea that doesn’t require sweetener, cream, or any other types of ‘additions’ and if you like the sweetness of vanilla without having to go the dessert route, this tea is a great addition to your collection.

Many prefer the Milk Oolong, but I find that the Quangzhou Milk Oolong smells better than it tastes (and in my opinion, smells better pre-steeped than when wet), while the Vanilla Oolong has an aroma that lasts through the entire steep to sip process.

I think teas that can stand on their own are the best. The only thing that could improve this tea in my books, is if it had more resteep value.

Otherwise, it’s the closest thing to perfection. A great every day tea, or a nice “comfort tea”. What more could I ask for?

This is one of my favorite. I like the little vanilla taste.

On the first sip I thought this fell a bit flat, but a couple seconds later in came this lovely full vanilla taste! Yes, this is quite vanilla indeed, and I love vanilla. This is creamy but not as creamy as I thought it would be, I’d give it like a 6.5 on the creaminess scale. As the tea cools I get more creaminess coming out. The smell of this tea right after it’s steeped is oh-so-yummy, it is the smell of contentment. I feel like this is a pretty simple tea, so I’d like to try mixing it with other teas too (the David’s site suggests mixing it with fruity teas).
Edit: By the third steep the smell was a bit off and the vanilla taste had significantly decreased. Gonna try this with more tea and shorter steeps to see if I can get more out of it!