Cameron B. select Send Message

350 Followers / 246 Following

Not Recommended

Cameron B. drank French Vanilla Bean by The Persimmon Tree Tea Company

4330 tasting notes

Another sample from Starfevre! I am a vanilla fiend, so of course I had to give this one a try. I must say, I am unsure why there is shredded coconut in this tea, it has nothing to do with French vanilla (neither do almonds, but oh well). The base tea is much darker than the picture, it almost black, and there are some stems included. It smells vaguely vanilla-esque, perhaps with a bit of a custard note.

The steeped tea smells sort of like vanilla custard as well, but the aroma is not as strong as I would like. This is definitely a light-bodied and lightly flavored vanilla tea. I do enjoy the vanilla that’s here, and it does remind me of vanilla bean, which is nice. However, I feel this needs more, either in the vanilla flavor or in the base tea’s flavor. It just falls a little flat as-is, with a lack of dimension.

Flavors: Malt, Vanilla, Wood

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

I Like This

9 likes

1 comments

Fjellrev
Delete

That’s too bad! I love vanilla too and was wondering how strong it was in here.

People who liked this

Comments

Fjellrev
Delete

That’s too bad! I love vanilla too and was wondering how strong it was in here.

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- February sipdowns: 5
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 39

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing