Vanilla is one of those flavors that always make a tea sound better. It is a standard flavor note in a lot of dessert teas and can range in flavor from creamy to sweet to fresh to bright and so much more. Tea company after tea company have vanilla tea offerings and yet they can taste world’s apart.
This is The Toni Glass Collection’s take on a vanilla black tea. I steeped the tea sachet for 3 minutes in near-boiling water, despite a recommended steeping time of 5 minutes.
The tea has a great vanilla flavor, like fresh baked cookies. Unfortunately, the vanilla is overshadowed by an astringent black tea base. Every now and again I catch fleeting notes of a french vanilla but that gives way to a bitter and chemical black base.
It’s a shame the base takes over because the scent of the vanilla promised some deliciousness that this tea just did not deliver. I wonder if the steeping parameters played a role in the off-taste so if I were to have this in the future, I think I would brew it low and slow in hopes of taming the base and letting the vanilla flavoring shine.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Toni Glass Collection
Description
A nostalgic Black tea that is infused with all your vanilla memories. This great tea boasts a beautiful natural sweetness and mouth watering flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vanilla Latte Tea from Plum Deluxe. . ..
There was a while there during my tea journey that I was terrified of cardamom. Sometimes it has this overwhelming flavor that can get really old, really fast. When I saw this vanilla latte tea, which was previously named Cardamom Vanilla Creme, I was a little intimidated by the cardamom. I wasn’t sure how it was going to pan out, but i’m definitely glad that I gave it a chance.
The main component here is definitely the vanilla. It smells fluffy and creamy and tastes even more so. The second component is a mixture of the cardamom and black tea. The black tea is strong but smooth. If you’ve never tried cardamom before, the best way to describe it is an herbal-y/citrus-y spice. Its not “hot” or “spicy” per se. To me it is more so herbal/grassy tasting, but it can sometimes make cinnamon and nutmeg taste spicy and it can be overwhelming depending on what it is mixed with. In the case of Vanilla Latte Tea, however, it is spot on!
There is something about vanilla and cardamom together that truly makes me wonder why there aren’t more teas that utilize this brilliant combination. The vanilla is sweet and creamy, and the cardamom is herbal with a slight hint of citrus. It doesn’t need anything else and I love how the blender let the vanilla and cardamom shine on top of the black tea and honeybush. This blend is truly dreamy and is highly recommended by yours truly.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea/Honeybush
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description
Vanilla tea lattes are the comfort food of tea lovers. It’s one of our personal favorites, so we’ve created a tea that is a delightful balance of sweet and spice, perfect for latte time. The base is a fresh black Ceylon tea paired with our favorite nutty honeybush tea, and topped with the lightest touch of creamy, dreamy vanilla extract.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Vanilla Bean from Storehouse Teas. . . . . .
I love vanilla in teas. I feel like if I was a tea-blender, i’d probably add a dash of vanilla to just about everything. I feel like it just gives this yummy warmth and sweetness to the blends and it also goes well with just about everything else! There is a difference between regular old “vanilla” and “vanilla bean”. Vanilla bean, in my experience, tends to be just a tad bit stronger and richer. When I saw this one in my little sample box I immediately scanned the ingredient list. I was wondering whether this would just be plain vanilla flavored tea or if maybe they added a little something-something to it. Well, I saw rose petals on there and I immediately thought to myself “okay, okay this is probably going to be good.”
And yes, it was good. I was right! Definite yum. I liked this blend so much that i transferred it from my tea-tasting cup to my good cup immediately! (it’s all about the mugs, people) I could smell the vanilla bean filling my kitchen and it smelled like cupcakes. The black tea was really mellow and smooth, not overpowering or astringent. The rose petals were not too floral or in-your-face, they were also very mellow and just added a little something on the aftertaste.
This blend was creamy, and I didn’t even add milk or cream to my cup. I did, however, add a spoonful of agave, and that just made it all the more better. I feel like this was cake in a mug. Vanilla cake speckled with rose and calendula petals. So, so, good. I will for sure be finishing my sample and buying some more. This is a perfect tea for mornings and afternoon tea time. I really suggest trying it if you like vanilla.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Storehouse Teas
Description
Our exquisite blend of rich black tea and world class organic orchid grown vanilla bean is smooth, naturally sweet, aromatic and comforting. Wonderful at Breakfast or any time of day to satisfy your sweet tooth, best served hot or chilled as an iced tea latte. Black teas may be helpful in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Butter Beer Black Tea from 52Teas. . . . . .
A few years back, my sister and I went on vacation. A Disney vacation. We went on the Disney Fantasy cruise for a week and then spent a week at Disney World. However, since we were already in Orlando, I insisted that we hit up the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios. In fact, I told my sister I would not go on the trip at all unless she promised me that a visit to Hogwarts was in my future.
I had many plans for our day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one of which was to try frozen butter beer. Of course the day we went to the park it was pouring rain but I was not going to let that come between me and my goal. Apparently others felt the same way because there was a long line of people willing to get drenched in the rain just to get a taste of the little bit less-sickly butterscotch concoction. We waited for 10 minutes until finally it was our turn to place our order at the tiny cart outside.
With frozen butter beers in hand, we decided to head into the Three Broomsticks to take shelter from the rain and get a nice hearty meal to warm us up. Well, I hate to tell you the look of pure hatred I got from my soaking wet sister when she saw “Butterbeer” and “Frozen Butterbeer” displayed prominently on the menu. Oops.
Sipping on this tea now, I am brought back to that moment. This tea is like a memory of that frozen deliciousness I had so many years ago, a bit more subtle and slightly less sweet but still amazing. It’s got a root beer thing going on that is in contrast to the more cream soda-like flavor I recall in the butterbeer I had at the park and yet a hint of butterscotch lingers and I find the two flavors are meshing very well. I also like that the base is present in the flavor but more as a malt that provides body and heft to drink as a whole.
Is it the same as the frozen butterbeer? No. Is that a bad thing? No. This inspires less of a toothache since its not as sweet and with much fewer calories, it can be enjoyed much more often and without the guilt. Plus, when a drink is inspired by a book, whose to say which take on the flavor is right?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
I was really excited when this tea was voted to be the tea of the week for October’s Retro Monday because 1) I loved the original blend of this tea, and; 2) I was the one (or at least, one of the ones) who bugged Frank to create a Butter Beer tea! So I was excited to try blending this one myself.
This is how Frank described the original blend:
I got my recipe directly from The Three Broomsticks: Premium black teas blended with a bit of essence of rootbeer, a bit of butter vapors, some licorice root, chichory root and a touch of magic. Our Butterbeer tea is the beverage of choice for wizards of all ages, and if you have no idea what I’m referring to, please go on about your muggle life, this blend is for Harry Potter fans only. Well, okay, I guess muggles could enjoy it too. It is truly unique and delicious. A blend worthy of the 52teas brand of creative flavored teas. Enjoy!
I started with a base of organic black teas from China and India and added roasted chicory, licorice root, sarsaparilla root and vanilla bean (the original didn’t have sarsaparilla or vanilla bean but I decided that it should have it). Then I added some calendula petals (to make it pretty) and some special magic ingredients (aka organic, natural flavors).
The result is absolute tea drinker bliss!
Taster size is approximately 15g.
organic ingredients: black teas, licorice root, chicory root, sarsaparilla root, vanilla bean, calendula petals and natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
TARDIS Eleven – Geronimo! from Tea and Absinthe. . . . . .
“TARDIS Eleven – Geronimo!” is a classic black with a sweet vanilla kick. I drank this “vanilla cream custard” flavored tea iced, which totally hyped up its sweetness.
It’s got a gentle tastiness that I can readily identify with the Matt Smith Doctor Who.
Classic black tea = the formality of the bow tie. Vanilla = the charm of the fez.
Is that what they were going for? I’m not sure. But I’m going to go ahead and make those associations.
I took notes on this, because I was drinking it away from the computer. Though this IS a Dr Who themed tea, my notes for this don’t say anything about that.
My notes about this say — and I’m not joking — “big and deep and sweet like a Berenstein Bear.” My note has the E, not the A. (The “stein” vs “stain” thing is a long-running Internet conversation about parallel universes: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/the-berensteain-bears-conspiracy-theory-that-has-convinced-the-internet-there-are-parallel-universes )
If I were naming this, I think I’d name it Sister Bear. She was my jam. Her quest to get her ears pierced (does anyone else remember this?) was totally mine. Sister Bear and I were basically the same person. Like her, I just wanted to be cool. I was a big, overthinking doof with a soft underbelly, just like Sister Bear, and just like this tea. And maybe also Doctor Eleven.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea and Absinthe
Description
A delicious black tea with vanilla cream custard flavor. Fish fingers not included. Goes well with TARDIS Self-Destruct Buttons (aka Jammie Dodgers)
Ingredients: black tea -Assam, -China, flavor, vanilla bits
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
