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“Next to Lapsang Souchongs, this is my youngest daughter’s favorite tea. I wanted to make a pot of tea that everyone in the house would like today. I had just made a batch of sugar cookies based on...” Read full tasting note
“I am not proud to admit this, but I grunted when I tasted this tea. Not a mmmmm or an ahhhh but an absolute grunt like a pig. It touched the primal vanilla loving animal in me (who I have just...” Read full tasting note
“Six hours of sleep last night. Lets just say that it was agony to haul my carcass out of bed this morning. Rewarding myself with this lovely vanilla blend. Day two of waking up totally exsausted....” Read full tasting note
“Oh yeah baby, getting down with my h and s samples before busting open the tins. I still don’t have a system of attack regarding how I’m going to open them-I don’t want to savagely tear into...” Read full tasting note
The natural sweetness and rich flavor makes this an irresistible delight. The aroma will take you back to winter afternoons in the kitchen baking sugar cookies with your grandmother.
Since 1983 Harney & Sons has been the source for fine teas. We travel the globe to find the best teas and accept only the exceptional. We put our years of experience to work to bring you the best Single-Estate teas, and blends beyond compare.
Thanks to SuperStarling! for this tea sample. You are the best (tea) friend ever.
I am brewing this up after a quick morning trip to a local farmers market. We needed to stock up on some essential groceries (bread, milk, fruit, ect). And I did that. But then, on my way out, I saw these huge potted mums of all colors. Big triumphant bastards. Like, they come up to my waste (I"m 5’9" so that is semi impressive. For the flowers, not me) and are wide enough to hide a small child or two toddlers. I bought 4 of them. I like them. My wife loves them. She’ll squeal with delight. Win win.
Back to this tea. This smells nice kind of like a vanilla cupcake. The package says to brew it for 4-5 minutes. Whoa there black tea. I’ve been burned enough times to know that when you creep into the 4 minute territory, you’re gonna have a bad time. Bitterness comes out to play and that isn’t fun for anyone. So I let it go for about 3:30 as a compromise.
Well, I probably could have let it go 4 minutes. As is, it is a nice vanilla black tea with no hint of astringency or bitterness. The vanilla plays in nicely. The mouthfeel is a little thin but it doesn’t really take away from the tea. And it could also have been my fault for not listening to directions. Either way, this is a really nicely done vanilla black tea. It is something one could sip on and not have to think about it too much.
Flavors: Bread, Cake, Vanilla
I actually like this tea without any honey or sugar added. When I added honey it was almost too sweet, but on the second steep without any sugar, it was perfect. Love it. I bought a sample but I think I’ll be buying more of this in the future.
Flavors: Vanilla
It’s tough to find a decent vanilla tea, at least for me. Most of them have a flat sweetness to them, no complexity or richness, kind of like a marshmallow (blech). What I usually do with these teas is blend them with other flavored teas. I find that they round out the other flavors and this way I can still get use out of them.
I wouldn’t do that with this one, though. It’s actually pretty good! The vanilla is a little too subtle, but there’s this hint of smokiness to it which is interesting. Kind of sophisticated. It doesn’t beat my favorite vanilla (Mariage Freres Vanile des Isles), but so far it’s a solid second. Had it with milk, as I tend to do. Can’t wait to try Vanilla Comoro.
Flavors: Smoke, Vanilla
Really disappointed with this one, read the reviews before ordering and what I got wasn’t like any of the reviews.
The tea I got had very little aroma and almost no flavor with no aftertaste. Not much more to say about it.
Would probably get a better vanilla tea experience drinking some hot water with some cheap vanilla extract put into it.
Have to think they have some quality control issues, otherwise my experience really doesn’t make sense given the positive reviews here and on the H&S site.
Was hoping that this would be more flavorful since their Vanilla Comoro is amazing!
But, I am kinda disappointed with this one.
Definitely smells and tastes like vanilla, but it’s really not all that strong and full at all. So that’s a bummer. Don’t understand how they can have such a creamy and rich vanilla tea-and a DECAF one at that. But then they have this one that isn’t strong at all, and is just your basic, lame, vanilla tea. xD
So yeah…disappointed with this one! :(
Flavors: Vanilla
Sipdown.. finally! I know this goes against the general opinion of this tea, but I just don’t find it to be anything to write home about. Honestly, I was disappointed when I first tried this and still even now because I am a lover of all things vanilla and this doesn’t fit the bill. Although the description says vanilla in aroma and taste, it is absolutely not authentic. Not Tahitian, not Madagascar/Bourbon, and not Mexican vanilla either. I would say after slowly working through 4oz, that the closest I can come to is a sugar cookie type blend with some artificial vanilla flavoring.
Sipdown.. finally! I know this goes against the general opinion of this tea, but I just don’t find it to be anything to write home about. Honestly, I was disappointed when I first tried this and still even now because I am a lover of all things vanilla and this doesn’t fit the bill. Although the description says vanilla in aroma and taste, it is absolutely not authentic. Not Tahitian, not Madagascar/Bourbon, and not Mexican vanilla either. I would say after slowly working through 4oz, that the closest I can come to is a sugar cookie type blend with some artificial vanilla flavoring.For what it is worth, my husband actually likes this, but he is not all about the vanilla like I am. He just likes having a sugar-sweet black for breakfast sometimes. Sadly, there are few teas I’ve tried that actually taste vanilla, but GO is my current go-to. Significantly more pricey ($12.50/oz) than the H&S vanilla ($1.75/oz), but actually utilizes real vanilla beans. I can’t afford to drink GO daily like I could with this one, but it makes for a very fulfilling treat when I need my vanilla fix.
Flavors: Artificial, Cookie, Sugar, Sweet
I don’t know why information above is duplicated. It isn’t on my submission page or edit page. I posted in the bug thread about it- sorry!
I’m with ya on this one. It underwhelms me as well.
Have you tried Tippy’s Not So Vanilla yet? Very much a Madagascar vanilla bean tea!
What is the difference between this and the Vanilla Comoro? They sound very similar, if not the same, to me. I like that one a lot, but also get cookie more than vanilla.
I haven’t tried Tippy’s- when I looked before there weren’t very many reviews, but I’m glad to hear it is good! I will be checking it out again today. :)
I think the difference between Vanilla Black and Vanilla Comoro is that the latter is decaf. I personally don’t have any interest in trying it after finding Vanilla Black unsatisfactory. Maybe they will reformulate it at some point to make it more vanilla and less cookie/artificial. I wouldn’t mind if the price went up some, I just love good vanilla and their base is no problem, just the flavoring.
To me, Vanilla Comoro has more intense caramel flavor. Since it is their decaf Ceylon base, which has nice flavor and isn’t too weak like some decaf, I think they added a little extra “oomph” to make up for it being decaf. That said, there is a huge difference to me between the sachets and the loose leaf, the loose leaf being full of bits of vanilla bean seeds and specks. Loose is much more flavorful in Vanilla Comoro. Sachets were just okay by comparison.
Interesting! Is there an ingredient list on the tin or anything? I can’t find it on their website for Vanilla Comoro, but Vanilla Black positively didn’t have any vanilla bean parts- just flavoring agents added to the loose leaf.
I had completely forgotten about the Vanilla Comoro being decaf. That’s definitely a difference! I do enjoy it, but you’re probably right in that if you don’t like this one you likely won’t like the Vanilla Comoro either. You said that GO is your go-to vanilla tea – which company is this? I’m not familiar and now I’m curious. I have the Tippy’s Not So Vanilla on my list, but I would be curious to check into that one as well.
GO= Golden Orchid from Whispering Pines tea. It is the best vanilla black I’ve had so far (and I’ve been on a quest for a few years now). I have to try Tippy’s also now, though. :)
Oh! Gotcha. That one’s on my list too. :)
Last of the sample. I can’t say this is everything I want out of a vanilla tea, but it’s in the right direction. It’s creamy, it DOES have some vanilla flavor (which seems like a given, but really, so many of them don’t), I just want it to be stronger. I don’t know, is vanilla a difficult flavor to infuse in tea? I’ve tried a few different blenders now and they all seem to find it challenging.
The search for the ultimate vanilla tea continues.
I’m a Black Tea Spaz. I totally throw it in my gravity steeper and forget all about it until 5-10 minutes later. Usually this doesn’t seem to bite me in the ass. I’m not sure why not. Perhaps I’m #blessed.
I get really sad when my teas go bitter. I’ve had it happen far too often with blacks and greens so now I’m super on top of steep times.