Vanilla Orchid

well this was my first oolong tea and well dry it smelled sweet but funky and I was seriously scared about trying it, but I steeped it and thankfully the taste wasnt as funky as the smell! my boyfriend tasted it and said he liked it the best! he said it put him in the mind of marshmallows! and then there it clicked thats what it tasted like!! like the tea alot! it wouldnt be my first to rush and stock up on but def a keeper! I dont think this would be very good cold!

Finally having this sample from my Christmas order. So yummy! Undertones of the oolong with a big, cake like vanilla as the prominent flavour. A nice cuppa.

Compensating for my pile of stupid from this morning. I leaped over my shoes to sit down and put socks on prior to riding to my barre class, but hit my knee cap on the pointy edge of the coffee table. Nice liney bruise with the need for icing and rest. But I do have the oolong.

I’ve had a lot of coconut oolongs lately, so decided to switch to vanilla today. Maybe my tastebuds have changed, but I think I enjoyed it a lot more than I did the first time I had it. Enough that when I finish off the small sample I bought (I have 1 cup’s worth left), I’ll likely replenish.

I preferred the first steep to the second this time. It was creamier, and the vanilla was more apparent.

Backlog:

So glad I popped into DAVID’s last evening and gave this a try. It is a really lovely tea. Creamy and not too floral. This cuppa hit the spot at work this morning so I will make sure my work tea drawer is stocked with this!

Can’t remember if I wrote a note for this before, but this is the last of it, so I’d better do so now.

This is a definite improvement on Davidteas’ now-discontinued “Vanilla Oolong”. This oolong is nice and subtle, and the vanilla goes well with it, I think. There isn’t the muddled, harsh citrus like the other blend. The vanilla in this is a tad strong, masking the oolong a bit, but Davidstea is more about “flavoured teas” than “flavours paired artfully with teas”.

Still, the oolong comes through. It’s a different base than the original blend, I believe. Tad floral. Adds to the creamy vanilla.

Steeped at 2 minutes this time (I seem to alternate between two and three), so the vanilla isn’t quite as strong. Also keeps the oolong from stewing.

Day 21 of the 24 Days of Tea

At first sniff: This smells very lovely. But that’s without a doubt because vanilla is part of the orchid family. I only smell the teensiest hint of artificial at the very end but it is not offensive at all.

At first steep: I was scared of over-steeping this one and also over-leafing, so I played it pretty safe. I steeped the first round at 2:30 and then the second steep at 4:00. The first steep was a tad weak, but I’d rather than than bitter and I think I preferred the second steep because it was a bit stronger. This was my first REAL experience with oolong. When I opened the basket, I saw all the leaves had unwrapped and that was very neat to me. It reminds me of a more delicate green tea. I still don’t understand all the hype about oolong yet, but I am starting to get it a little bit.

I would probably try other oolongs first before I restocked any.

Okay, this is becoming my go to tea for when I want something lighter than a black.

This morning I didn’t want to get out of bed. After I did, I wanted to get right back in it again. Then I had a cup of tea, and it made everything better. =]

Blech. Not a huge fan. Smells too much like booze in the bag, and literally only gets one good steep before it starts to taste like rubber. Davids Tea oolongs aren’t anything to write home about anymore.

This is a perfect oolong! The vanilla is fresh and authentic, like real vanilla beans! I accidentally left it to steep too long (about 15 minutes) and it still tastes great! The oolong is silky and smooth, it lingers just right on my tongue. could drink this all day and never get sick of it!

When I tried this as the tea of the day, I fell in love. It was everything that I wanted Vanilla Oolong to be. Excited I bought myself a 100g tin, but somehow between the store and home, it lost its magic! I found the vanilla taste to be much more artificial than Vanilla Oolong (one of my favourites), and when oversteeped, it creates a bitter, almost tar-like aftertaste.

Overall, still a nice every day tea, but considering that there are cheaper every day teas, I likely won’t be refilling this one.