This does have quite a powerful vanilla aroma. It doesn’t smell like a whiff out of a vanilla extract bottle, but it is close. At first, before I opened the bag, I could smell the vanilla. It reminded me of vanilla milk – but that was before I opened the bag. The tea is actually much stronger than that. I brewed it for a long time the first time I tried it, because I was brewing a large to-go cup of it. It didn’t get bitter, and the vanilla was still quite strong. I think it could hold up to milk and sugar with no problems.