Babington's

TTB tea! The green base is too thin, and the flavoring is pretty weak too. All around, I didn’t love this tea and didn’t even think it was worth it to finish the cup unfortunately.

This tea always takes me back to my trip to Rome, where I got it. It’s a really sweet and smooth blend of black and oolong teas. The website recommended 2-3g/cup but I have no idea how to convert that to tsp so I’ve just been doing about 1.25 tsp/2cups. I’m really impressed with this tea; it tastes like there’s already milk and sweetener in it even though it seems just to be a mixture of leaves. My only complaint is that the tin in the picture is really hard to get open, and it’s kind of expensive. But this is the best tea I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning<3

Snowed in today. My second steep of Pai Mu Tan tea. I am near the bottom of the tin.

An intriguing blend of Darjeeling, Keemun and Formosa Oolong teas! Thrilling and unexpected!

I found this tea shop at the base of the Spanish steps in Rome. The dry tea looks like a mix of black teas including some assam. The dry leaves smell a bit fruity and like sun-warmed tobacco. The wt leaves still smell fruity and like buttered squash? The brew is an orangy/caramel color. The flavor is similar a little fruity, a little buttery, a bit vegetal. It is a very tea overall.

Vanilla, the queen of flavors in my life. Long live Vanilla in her creamy sweet glory! :) I am still trying any vanilla that crosses in my path in hopes that I will encounter a vanilla tea that truly leaves me in awe.

This is one of the teas that I bought when I went on my Europe trip a few months back. I found it in a nice little tea shop called Babington’s in Rome. It is at the end of the Spanish steps where all of the super expensive shops are, needles to say, these teas were a bit expensive as well. I only bought the minimum to try, but since my cousin lives in Rome, I know that she could always bring me some when she visits. :)

The dry leaves are larger than I am used to seeing in a black flavored tea. The scent is super high on the creamy note and a bit light on the actual vanilla. The vanilla in this tea reminds me a bit of the smell of a birthday cake in the oven, only a bit more relaxed.

Once brewed, the burgundy brown tea smells amazing. It makes my tongue do a happy dance in anticipation. It is shockingly smooth, the vanilla, creaminess and black tea work all together and surround you like a huge wave of vanilla icing!

Unsweetened it tastes delicate and dainty. Smooth and creamy with a dash of astringency from the black tea. The aftertaste tingling on my taste-buds as pure vanilla delight. Sweetened it is decadent. Wow vanilla cream tea! It is like liquid vanilla bean ice cream! It is so tasty that I downed my entire cup so quickly that I immediately needed to make another! My only critique for this tea is that it could use a tiny bit more vanilla over cream in the flavoring… But hey, almost perfect!! One step closer to perfect vanilla black! (I am so happy my cousin is able to bring me some more of this one day, I am going to be sad when I run out!)

Perfect way to start a Sunday, vanilla, Sencha (my dog), cloudy skies, and Dr. Who!! Now, back to Dr.Who on Netflix (and more tea of course!)!

If you love Earl Grey, this is a must! On the top of my E. G. list. This was a gift from a friend who traveled to Rome, if you search it on the internet is a lovely old town corner, the teaware is also lovely. The flavour is AMAZING, has just the right amount of bergamot which I love, not over empowering but strong. If anyone goes to Europe is a must on your visit/tea shopping list.

Rated: 80/100