Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
Whether you fancy hot or cold with a spoonful of honey or rock sugar, this French Vanilla Bean creamy tea is great either way. This tea offers an impeccably smooth blend of organic black loose-leaf tea and sweet vanilla bean flavor.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I was excited to try this French Vanilla Bean Black Tea from The Persimmon Tree. I really love vanilla teas – the sweet, creamy notes of the vanilla meld beautifully with the camellia sinensis, and I find this to be particularly true with a black tea such as this one.
The black tea base is a robust and full-flavored black tea. It has some malty notes and a rich, earthy taste. The natural, caramel-y sweetness of the black tea together with the creamy sweetness of the vanilla is really yummy. It’s a very luxurious and cozy kind of flavor.
The tea has some dry, tingly astringency. I’d classify it as a medium astringency.
There are some almond slivers and coconut shreds in the blend, and I’m not sure if these ingredients are present to offer more visual interest to the dry leaf or if they’re there to provide additional flavor to the cup, but, I really don’t taste a lot of almond or coconut in this blend. If I slurp the cup to aerate it, I find that these flavors reveal themselves slightly, but neither the almond nor the coconut are really profound flavors to this blend.
And really, with a name like French Vanilla Bean – one really shouldn’t expect anything but a really rich vanilla flavor with a strong, flavorful black tea base, and that’s exactly what this tea delivers.
I’ve brewed this tea twice now, the first time I brewed it, I think I may have either added too much leaf ~or~ I steeped it a tad too long, because I found that it was not only astringent but a wee bit bitter. The second time I brewed it, I was careful to steep it for only 2 1/2 minutes and keep the leaf at just 1 heaping teaspoon, and this second cup was much better. Some teas are a little more persnickety than others, and this is one of those teas that it’s important to pay attention to the details to get the most out of your cup. And once you taste this tea – brewed properly – you realize it’s really worth the little bit more effort.
It’s a good one!
French Vanilla Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
When anyone wants to partake of a snack that is deliciously sweet, perfectly healthy and unique in flavor, French Vanilla Matcha becomes an obvious choice. This is because, unlike Madagascar Vanilla Matcha, it has a creamier look and texture and is very smooth on any palate.
Learn more about this flavored matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This French Vanilla Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea might just be my favorite flavored Matcha that I’ve yet to try! It is so creamy and delicious! And it makes a divine latte – we’re talking HEAVENLY!
By now, I’ve tried quite a few of the flavored Matcha selections from Red Leaf Tea – although there are still quite a few that I’ve yet to try! So much Matcha … not enough time to drink it all! Ha! And the truth is, I’ve enjoyed most of the ones that I’ve tried (although there have been a few that I haven’t really liked, and some that I just disliked). But every once in a while, I’ll try one that just knocks my socks off. OK, well, my socks are still on (they’re cozy, warm wool socks if you’re interested). But, this is really, really tasty.
I went with my “usual” specifications with this tea: the classic grade of Matcha with a distinctive level of of flavoring. More often than not, I find that these specifications work out well for me, I get enough of that Matcha flavor so that I know I’m drinking Matcha, and the flavoring is not so delicate. (Matcha can sometimes be a pretty strong flavor and a more delicate flavor level is sometimes too subtle for my liking. I want to taste the flavoring too!)
And with these specifications, I was able to taste both the slightly vegetative, creamy, fresh tasting Matcha with hints of cacao and butter, as well as the creamy, decadently sweet notes of French Vanilla. While the rest of my household is eating French Vanilla ice cream at the moment, I instead prepared myself a French Vanilla Matcha – Latte Style using milk instead of water to prepare it.
And the result is an absolute JOY to drink. I didn’t find myself wanting to even sneak a bite of the ice cream … I (and my sweet tooth!) was perfectly satisfied with this Matcha treat from Red Leaf Tea. In fact, I think that this chawan full of Matcha goodness is probably more satisfying than a bowl of ice cream because I don’t want cold ice cream on a chilly night like tonight. My warm latte was cozy and comforting as well as sweet and delicious.
I originally purchased this French Vanilla flavor of Matcha because I was thinking that it would be a good mixer or blender type of Matcha to go with some of my other flavored Matcha teas, but it’s quite good on it’s own. I have a feeling that this Matcha isn’t going to last long in this house!
French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Look ma: No mango this week! Instead, be prepared to be blown away by this new black tea blend. If you love our Pancake Breakfast blend, you’re going to LOVE this. It’s similar to Pancake breakfast, but a little sweeter with some cinnamon, brown sugar, maple syrup and yes, even a touch of butter flavors.
This is like French toast in a cup without the 600 calories you’d expect from some hot French toast drowning in maple syrup and butter. This is a brand new comfort tea and I imagine it’s going to go FAST.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum, yum, yum! I have been looking forward to trying this French Toast Flavored Black Tea Blend from 52Teas! I adored the “Pancake Breakfast” blend 52Teas put out a while back, and I was certain I’d enjoy this one as well. And it certainly is living up to my high expectations.
It is totally YUM!
My one complaint, if one is to get picky … is that there is a tad too much cinnamon in this. I don’t mind cinnamon, not at all, and I personally am enjoying the level of cinnamon in this cup, however, to capture the true essence of French Toast in a teacup, I think that the cinnamon should be a bit more delicate. As it is, this is more like French Toast that has been made using cinnamon swirl bread … which is typically my favorite kind of bread to use for French Toast … although recently, I’ve discovered a Peach Cobbler bread and that stuff is AMAZING as French Toast … but I digress.
My point is this: when using non-cinnamon-y swirly bread, my French Toast doesn’t usually have this much of a cinnamon taste to it.
But the cinnamon rant aside, this is truly delicious. The black tea base is rich and robust. The cinnamon is the strongest note here, but, I also taste maple, butter, and a hint of brown sugar. There is also a sort of bread-y taste that brings all these flavors together and creates a taste that is very much like liquefied cinnamon French Toast breakfast in a teacup … made complete with a cup of tea to go with it.
What can I say? 52Teas does it again! This blend has already sold out, however, you can request a reblend of it by going here and clicking on the big, blue “Please Reblend” badge on the center of the page and fill out the form that follows.
PRODUCT REVIEW: French Plum Indian Black Tea Cold-Brewed Concentrate from Kickstand
Product Information:
Where to Buy: Kickstand
Product Description:
The Organic French Plum Indian Black Tea is a scented-blended tea. This type of black tea is scented with the essence of French plums plucked at their peak.
About Kickstand Tea Concentrate:
You can serve it Hot or Cold, mixed with milk, sugar, alcohol or even adding it to a ice cream or cake mix. Prepare it to your taste, the possibilities are endless.
Taster’s Review:
Before I get started on the product review for this French Plum Indian Black Tea Cold-Brewed Concentrate from Kickstand, I have about how I had heard about this product. I occasionally buy from Fab and as a result I get their emails all the time, and Kickstand cold-brew tea and coffee concentrates were being offered on Fab this week, and I was thinking about ordering some of this tea concentrate to give it a try. That SAME day, I go to the post office, and in my PO Box, waiting for me, is a sample bottle of this tea concentrate, their new “for summer” scented tea to review. Wow! Talk about being in-sync with a tea company!
The bottles of this tea concentrate are very attractive – they’re packaged in dark amber bottles that are reminiscent of “medicine man” type of bottles. They hold 32 ounces of cold-brewed tea concentrate which is to be diluted with a ratio of one part water to one part tea concentrate, and then poured over ice. So, you can make one glass of iced tea, or a whole pitcher if you want.
Since I had a pitcher handy, I decided to just go ahead and prepare the whole bottle of concentrate (that way, I don’t have everyone asking me, “hey, mom, what’s in that bottle in the fridge?”) And the 32 ounce bottle dilutes into a half-gallon pitcher just perfectly (duh, right?). However, this produces a rather strong glass of iced tea if you don’t pour it over ice … so I recommend doing so. And if you prefer not to add ice (or if your iced tea is cold from being in the fridge) you might want to add a little more water to dilute it further, because it’s rather strong.
Since I had just diluted the tea, I went ahead and poured the iced tea over ice, and while my first couple of sips (before the ice started to melt) was strong, now that the ice has melted, I find this to be just right. Strong … but not unappealingly so. The tea is robust. It’s very refreshing and brisk! It has a sweetness to it and a hint of malty undertones. Very flavorful! The concentrate has a citric acid added to it … which I am guessing is meant to help preserve the tea, and this adds a pleasing citrus tone to the tea (like someone squeezed a lemon wedge in my iced tea).
And then there is the very appealing plum note. It is tangy and sweet. It isn’t quite like the flavor of plum that I’m used to (like the plums that I usually purchase in the produce section of my grocery store), instead, it’s more of a savory plum note with a certain sweet-tart taste that I find very enjoyable.
On a side note, I noticed that after pouring the whole bottle of tea concentrate into my pitcher, there were “floaters” that looked a lot like citrus pulp. I don’t know if that’s what it is. I strained the tea into my glass so that I would avoid getting the floaters in my tea, but I didn’t examine these floaters further.
I really like this product! I especially like that the concentrate is NOT sweetened … so often concentrates like this are so overly sweet that you just can’t taste the tea. I like that this product allows me to decide whether or not I want sweetener. I also like that it’s organic! I’m really glad I got a chance to try it.
Chai French Vanilla Black Tea from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
Chai Masala (Spiced Tea) is a tea blend with origins in India. It is traditionally a mix of black tea and spices that is steeped in milk with sweeteners added to it. For this blend, we’ve taken our popular Chai tea blend and added the subtle, creamy flavor of French Vanilla. This tea brews to an amber cup with a spicy aroma and a taste that is creamy with spice notes. Rich and delicious tasting!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Spiced Chai blends are among my favorite … especially this time of year when it’s cold and wet outside. There’s nothing quite as comforting as a nice, warm, chai latte. So cozy and yummy! And I’m absolutely loving this Chai French Vanilla Black Tea from Simpson & Vail!
The black tea base offers a solid background of flavor … it is delicious and strong, with a hint of malt to it (which melds quite nicely with the French Vanilla flavor!)
The spices are very nicely balanced … the cinnamon has that sweet yet spicy taste to it. The cloves and cardamom add a lovely warmth to the cup, and I’m loving the anise in this. It adds just a hint of snappy taste to the cup without tasting too licorice-y. Don’t get me wrong, licorice is one of my favorite flavors and I love it when a tea goes a little overboard with its licorice-y flavor … but here, I wanted to really enjoy the French Vanilla flavor … and this blend allows me to do just that!
The French Vanilla is the main event … but that doesn’t mean that it overwhelms the cup. This is still a chai and it still has the warm, robust flavors of the spices … but the vanilla is front and center. It is sweet and creamy and adds a really nice dimension to the cup. If you didn’t want to go latte with this, you wouldn’t need to, because the vanilla gives it enough creaminess to taste latte without the dairy. However, I was in the mood for a cozy chai latte, so I added some milk … and this really UPPED the creaminess immensely. So decadent … such a cozy, comforting treat.
A wonderful chai from our friends at Simpson & Vail. This is a great company run by some really terrific people. I have had some really great dealings with them and they are very responsive to their customers (and they go out of their way to accommodate special requests too, like if you want to create a special gift bag for someone!) Excellent teas … and an excellent tea company!