I packed up 6 samples to go out to various members of the Steepster community and still have a couple to go…in the meantime, I decided to reward myself by steeping Napoleon.
I really cannot say that I am disappointed at all but my expectations get very high for some tea brands. If this were a TeaVana or an Adagio I would probably rank it close to 100. Keeping that in mind, the brew smells and looks rich, honest, and sincere. The predominate flavor that I get is a great solid black tea with generous vanilla overtones. As a lover of vanilla, I am certainly pleased. There’s nothing synthetic here, nothing cheap or cheesy.
Overall, I’m delighted and will almost certainly reorder unless I find a better black vanilla. TWG stands for “The Wellness Group,” by the way. I can most certainly see this tea promoting wellness. Named in honor of Napoleon, this tea makes me feel a bit more successful and a bit European!
ICED TEA: I put this on ice last night and the results are very pleasing. The appearance is cloudy (does not bother me but I might not serve it to guests) but the taste is delicious—the vanilla comes through loud and clear. Very nice!
I’m looking for a good (no, an exceptional) vanilla black tea! I wish TWG’s site would enable online ordering. I tweeted them to ask when it would happen, but they, so far, have ignored me!
Stephanie- You can order TWG tea online at deandeluca.com :)
I’m also in search of The Best Vanilla Black Tea! But I’m very very happy with Lupicia’s vanilla. :) I’ll have to give this a try, too!! The description sounds yummy! :)
Most of the people whose tealogs I’ve read have sworn by SerendipiTea’s Colonille. I’ve got a sample and it’s pretty decent, but I think it really depends on what you’re looking for, and everybody’s taste-buds are different!
JacquelineM seems to have had a smashing success making her own vanilla tea, for anyone curious about how-tos.