Vanilla Blackberry Sage

I tried brewing this again today, using a slightly lower temperature (195°F) and it has made all the difference in the world in the taste! The sage is not bitter now, only savory and distinctly sage, and this is a much tastier cup.

While measuring out this tea, I was surprised to see big pieces of the actual vanilla pod in the tea! Singing Dog Vanilla is a vanilla company that offers several vanilla products including a few teas, and it’s clear that they want the vanilla EXPERIENCED in this tea.

The vanilla is strong, sweet and absolutely creamy. I love how creamy it tastes and the texture of it too, it’s almost like I made a latte but with no milk! The black tea is also quite strong, and while the website does not indicate what type of tea it is – it only says “organic black tea” … as does the packaging … I suspect that this is an Assam because it is a sturdy, bold black tea with a hint of malt, and there is a fair amount of astringency to the cup as well, so I’m going with Assam … although I could be wrong. My taste buds tell me it’s an Assam, though.

The sage and blackberry are more of accent notes rather than strong flavors of the cup … although if the water is too hot, the sage becomes much more dominating, as I mentioned in my first tasting note of this tea. The blackberry becomes more obvious as I continue to sip, and now that I’m nearly finished with this cup, the blackberry is quite THERE … especially in the aftertaste. I have a delicious blackberry taste lingering on my palate and it’s quite lovely.

A very enjoyable tea. I think I may have to seek out more of the Singing Dog Vanilla products.

My cupboard currently lists 104 teas, 3 of which are actually teaware and don’t count. But it’s still more than I want so I am in sipdown mode! I’d like to get closer to 80.

I’d like to get closer to having 15-20 staple teas that I always “need” to have on hand, and maybe another 20-30 little sample sizes to play around with. That’s probably not ever going to heppen but…

SIPDOWN!

No 15 from Another Travelling Tea Box.

This is a fairly subtle flavored tea. I was expecting a fairly strong vanilla flavor, based on the company name, but for both the aroma and taste the various flavors were somewhat less obvious than the tea. They added complexity to the natural tea flavor without being dominant. This really worked for me: very harmonious.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it re-steeped very well, not just once but twice. Not only did the third steep still have good strength, but the balance of the different flavors was consistent.

There’s only about 6 grams left, but I took it out of the box. Sorry.

OMGsrsly also sent along this one (#0!), and I thank you, but this is a big NOPE for me. I don’t even like sage that much to begin with, and one sip gave me an intense “bleh!” reaction. Could not take any more. Super bitter and super sagey. I even steeped it cooler and shorter than I normally would have because I looked at reviews here before and people said it could go bitter. I don’t even want to know what it would taste like at boiling and 3 minutes.

Not bad, but needs more sage. :)

It’s not quite what I was expecting, as the black tea is front-and-centre. Following it, I get some vanilla and sweetness from the blackberry leaves, and finally some sage.

I think I’d like it better with a little honey added, as the black base is somewhat astringent. And sage tea is better with honey anyways.

I’m glad I picked this up to try, but probably won’t get any more.