Vanilla

Welp, I’m back in the monthly “Better Tea Club”. I really want to branch out into other, actual better tea clubs. But, until then, here we are. This tea is part of the March box. I figured I’d brew it up to see just how bad it is. For the record, it smells like vanilla body spray in the package, so my hopes are not too high for this one.
Brewed Western Style, 1.5 tsp, 16 oz, 3 min, 212 f.

Taste plain is… well it isn’t the worst thing I ever tasted. It’s definitely vanilla, and definitely black tea base. It isn’t sweet or anything, just a basic vanilla black tea. I’m going to try and add a Single Splenda. Oh geez, maybe I should have only done half a splenda. It’s syrupy sweet super vanilla now. I mean, I don’t know what is better/worse. Either way, I really can’t recommend this. It’s not well done. The vanilla is just too artificial. Sorry, Adagio, this is a miss for me.

I like this. Added a splash of half and half with a little sugar, and it’s perfect. Smokier, but also definitely sweet on its own. I wanted more of a dessert tea anyway, so this is exactly what I wanted. Trying to ease back into tea.

A little too vanialla-ey, as many of the Adagio flavored teas tend to be

I got this one from meowster a few months ago. I love vanilla black tea. I drank Harney’s Vanilla Comoro every day until my tin was gone, and today I tried this as a replacement. Man, I hope Adagio’s decaf version of this is as good because I love this tea. It tastes so much smoother than what I’m used to. Not a hint of an unpleasant undertone. Admittedly, I do add a teaspoon of vanilla and some sugar whenever I make vanilla black tea…but it tastes even better like that, so why not?

While the vanilla flavor isn’t incredibly strong, it works wonderfully in blends. In particular, I really like a blend of Adagio’s summer rose, almond, and vanilla; it makes a very good dessert tea like that! Another good blend is vanilla and peppermint.

I am really not sure what to make of this tea. I feel like I really should love it. I’m a big fan of so many of these Adagio flavored blacks, like Cream, and Chocolate Chip, and Caramel. And there’s certainly nothing WRONG with it – it’s a pretty nice, smooth, vanilla-flavored tea. Good black base, takes milk and sugar well. Maybe I’m just in a mood. But this just seems rather plain. Rather, if you’ll forgive the pun, vanilla. It would probably combine excellently with other teas. But for whatever reason, it leaves me wanting more.

Finishing this sample packet off. Made an all right work tea. Nothing amazing.
I am not through the spice sampler. Need to find a new work tea!

Bought on a whim during an Adagio buying binge. I thought it would be nice to have to pair with some of the fruity teas I have, but this is really lovely by itself with some half and half and sugar.

Okay, this is pretty decent. I’m still not a huge fan of Adagio’s black base, but it’s not too bitter here, and this has a pleasant vanilla flavor and is somewhat sweet, which is nice. I feel like it could be brewed a little longer actually, which is rare for me with a black tea. I suspect if I actually did brew it longer, it would get bitter, though. Still, not a bad tea at all, and I bet my husband will really like it (he loves vanilla).

Nope. And I’ll give this the benefit of doubt in that it’s another older sample. BUT. I’ve noticed in quite a few flavored teas that have an almost “rubbing alcohol” taste to them. I don’t know what the deal is, but I guess it’s part of the process of adding some flavors. If a tea has it in it, then it’s very hard for me to ignore. It’s one of the reasons I’ve moved away from the more “flavorful” and creative tea blends. That aroma just spoiled this tea for me. M