Vanilla Almond Black Tea Loose Leaf

So, in Ark there are bosses (because every game has them) specifically a giant spider, a massive gorilla, and a dragon that looks like Spyro on steroids. The dragon has a fun mechanic where you can tame it and basically become a server god for 20 minutes and then poof, it disintegrates. In single player the only thing I want a dragon for is…well…it is a giant fire breathing, flying, death machine…I just want one. However I was sad that they always go poof, but I think I found a way to keep it around, now if only I could figure out how to keep the Titanosaurs from vanishing thing will be great!

Today’s tea is from Nelson’s Tea, their Vanilla Almond Black Tea, a blend of Black Tea, Almonds, and Natural Flavorings for a flavor combo I am notoriously fond of. What can I say, if I am going to drink a black tea that is flavored, chances are it is going to be either vanilla or almond, extra points for being both! Something about the blend of flavors reminds me of almond shortbread…which happens to be a favorite cookie, so no real surprise why I seek this out. The aroma is sweet, starchy, and nutty with strong notes of almond shortbread cookies, seriously the resemblance is a bit uncanny! Liquid cookies incoming!

The one complaint I ever have with almond (nutty in general really) teas is it makes the liquid cloudy due to the oily nature of nuts, but seriously that complaint is so minor. For the brewed leaves, the aroma is malty and a sweet, more like a cup of black tea sitting next to freshly baked almond shortbread cookies rather than just straight up cookies. The liquid is sweet, blending vanilla, malt, and almond in a shortbread cookie dance inside my cup.

This is not one of those teas that reaches up and smacks you in the face with intensity or briskness, no this is a black tea that shows its lighter, sweeter side. This is good, if you are like me, and only want to add a tempering splash of cream to Masala Chai or Ostfriesen Tea. The start of the taste is sweet and malty with a burst of vanilla that segues into almond for the back half of the tasting. I found myself very glad that I drank this in the evening, as it seemed to fit as a late day tea more so than a morning one, but as someone who drinks all day and is resistant to caffeine I am bad at advising times to drink based on that, this was a taste based assumption. Plus this tea tastes like cookies, and that is always a win in my book.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/07/nelsons-tea-vanilla-almond-black-tea.html