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Since I just made a note on Vanilla Orchid I felt it was only fair to pay homage to its predecessor: The original Vanilla Oolong. I made both of these together so I could get the full effect of their differences.

Instead of the beautiful green balls of the updated version this oolong has long black wiry leaves that unravel green during steep. They’re also accompanied by a marigold and lemon myrtle tag team. It has more of a boozy bottle kind of vanilla aroma than the milky kind observed in Orchid during dry stage.

Steeped: I can barely smell any vanilla compared to Orchid cup. The taste is also not as smooth- the creamy vegetal Pouchong carrying most of the flavour profile. It’s nowhere as milky sweet as the newer model and the finish has an odd lemon-y flavour too it that makes it a tad sour and more astringent. There’s something a tad artificial about it too.

This is not a bad cup at all but it is in need of some creaminess and cohesion. Vanilla Orchid almost has too much floral cream in comparison- it’s so rich and buttery! The more I drink the Orchid the more the Vanilla ‘O’ tastes weak and watery. I don’t even want to re-steep it (I always feel like a criminal when I don’t re-steep my oolong).

I think taking out some of the additives and changing the type of oolong was a good move. I like flowers and vanilla bean ice cream, and I’m for this upgrade.

Oh, no! I started steeping this around 15 minutes ago and totally forgot about it! I’m so angry with myself- I only have a 8 gram sample of this so I’m going to be drinking this cup even if it’s horrible.

Surprisingly, it’s not too bad. It’s not bitter in the traditional sense and astringency remains minimal. The flavour becomes more akin to banana flavoured dark chocolate than banana pie. Steeped this long, the malty smooth black tea is actually noticeable and I think it pairs well with the dairy notes. I ran out of milk but otherwise I think it would make a nice hot chocolate tea. All in all, not a complete mess up.

So many noms! What an improvement from the bitter Vanilla Oolong; I’m so glad David’s Tea is replacing it with this creamy beauty. It’s like if Quangzhou Milk Oolong decided to frolic in a flower field that had been dosed in vanilla extract. Imagine the oolong balls running along,so carefree, so happy, slowly being covered with vanilla- creamy, milky, floral, and sweet vanilla. I’m glad I left half a pot of this sitting out over night and am gross enough to drink it. It tastes like the soft vanilla in ice cream, and I personally like it cooled or iced.

The vanilla could be overpowering first steep but that’s why oolong is jolly for a second (third, or fourth) steep. You can wash your liberated oolong after that field frolic and feel good about making it clean again(temporarily).

This tea nails velvet cake on the head; it has the smell, the taste, and even the oily and creamy soft texture. It’s a bombardment of dripping buttery icing and sugared chocolate chips.

I can taste the semi-sweet and white chocolate chips distinctly-they remind me of the chocolate chips my mom used to put into her baking. They’re bad straight but are amazing when melted into baked desserts. The black tea is mostly buried beneath layers of cake and chocolate but, despite the oily qualities of the liquid, this tea is leaving my mouth somewhat dry. Maybe that could be attributed to the tea leaves?

I do like this a lot but the richness, coupled with the artificial tone from the sprinkles make it something that, like red velvet cake itself, I cannot eat drink all the time.

Cupcake flavoured tea, tea flavoured cupcakes….this tea would make Pinkie Pie proud!

I couldn’t stand the thought of having to drink another cup of this cinnamon hibiscus symphony to chaoskampf again. I guess I disliked it a lot more than previously thought. I only had a mug’s worth left of it so I ate it, instead. You know what? I think I like it better this way! Tart hibiscus, spicy cinnamon, buttery popcorn, nutty nuts, fruity fruit… Yes, not bad like this.

Maybe this is not so much a tea tasting note…

I love pie.

I love bananas.

I was meant to love this tea.

It tastes like Murchie’s Coconut Cream Banana. (which, coincidently, tastes like banana pie). There are around two types of “sweetness” present: the creamy banana flavour followed by a smooth dessert-sweet cocoa finish. The black base is subtle and melds with the chocolate vibe, which comes out more on second steep. No bitterness, minimal astringency, lots of happy.

I was hoping to like Cookie Dough as much as I did this one but, alas… I think I’ve enjoyed near all the banana flavoured blends David’s Tea has put out, despite the “banana” having very different “textures” in all of them. Ok, maybe the Banana Nut Bread wasn’t a huge win but I did enjoy eating it as a trail mix.

Bananas: a sure way to make me very, very happy.

The first sip of this completely threw me off guard. One moment I was enjoying the lovely flavours that green oolong seems to have, the next moment it felt like I had very sweet smushed bananas pressed against the back of my mouth. I thought it was some kind of weird not-sugar splenda thing but as I continued sipping it became clear that it was all bananas. It’s a little disconcerting how dramatic the bananas are, to be honest. They taste more “real” than the oolong- which makes the transition between the two slightly awkward.

I picked up one of the banana cubes in the wet leaves and they taste like one would expect, although a tad sweeter. Maybe I should steep it longer to bring out more oolong.

Second Steep at six minutes: The liquid smells so good! I have a hard time describing oolong but the aroma is a mixture of that and fresh banana. This is a vast improvement; the banana and oolong flavours no longer feel like their divided by a Pink Floyd-esque wall of social contact. Smooth transition is achieved. The oolong is milky and buttery; the banana is creamy sweet and the liveliest I’ve ever tasted it in tea.

Third steep is my ideal cup. Mostly creamy green oolong with the light banana sweetness faded mostly to the background.

I don’t know what gives with my first steep. If I had based my judgement on that I would have given something around a “70”. As it turns out, repeated steeps make this something I want to keep around.

Guuuuuuuuh!!! This is so amazing! How much is this? Is it a lot? I need to a buy a giant tin of this, and then another tin so the first tin can have a friend! Oh, it’s somewhat expensive… Maybe just one tin, then.

After trying the Kenyan Tinderet tonight, I was wary of getting kicked in the butt by another straight black tea so I steeped it at exactly three minutes. I needn’t have worried, however, as this tea seems much more user friendly.

First impression: hot wet leaves smell even more horrifying than Tinderet or Nepal Black. They’re like dirt, and fallen leaves, and dampness, and strong beer, and (vegetarian) Fenrir’s breath, and… they’re immense! When they’ve cooled down the leaves have a decadently sweet aroma. Very Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- or maybe I’m just crazy.

Second Impression: That is the most amazing creamy sweet finish in the entire solar system!!! The tea is jam-packed with floral honey awesomeness with a dash of something peppery. It also has a bit of that typical black earthy body but I’m too distracted by that end bit to really dissect what’s happening in the first part right now.

I know the list may be short but this has now become my top black tea. That it’s 3:40am right now may be the cause of this reaction but this may be one of the best things to happen to me, tea-wise.

I’m so very glad I ordered some more Yunnan from Verdant the other day. Since I don’t know my straights very well I just picked a bunch of things at random. If the Zhu Rong Yunnan Black, or even the Yunnan White Jasmine, are anything like this one it will be a very good time. I’ll likely be speechless.

There are so many “never hads” about this tea. I’ve never had Amaretto. I’ve never had lapacho. I’ve never had a rose flavoured tea or beverage… etc.

I have had Alpine Punch, though, and this tastes and smells pretty similar! Both remind me of those instant angel food cakes. There are vague hints of creamy sweet marzipan, mostly coming from the nuttiness of the flavour. I don’t know almonds very well but the finish is distinctly full of them.

Hm, I don’t know how I feel about this one. I think I prefer Alpine Punch. Would Amaretto go well with real amaretto? Maybe iced, or as a latte? Altogether, not bad, but I’ll have to try some of the alcohol to see how this holds up.

Eating dry blend: The lapacho is rather bitter tasting. All the dry bits have this artificial sweet cherry taste to them. That same flavour is also noticeable mid-note when it has been steeped.

What a pleasant cup of coffee! A heap of astringency and a smidgen of bitterness… Oh, coffee! I wish I wasn’t a wimp and could drink you straight but I’m just completely incapable- maybe as a double double from Tim Horten’s or with enough syrup and whip cream to sink a buffalo? Ah, There! All better. Now you taste like a “Dark” Hot Chocolate with a little bite at the end!

Um, well, apparently this isn’t coffee but I don’t drink a lot of that stuff, OR black teas, so please forgive me! This is exactly the kind of black tea I hide from. It’s not because it’s “bad” but because I am a weakling and I feel like anything this strong will crush me. I don’t have the stamina to handle such briskness. Maybe I need to train myself up.

The leaves are cool looking! They’re little round balls that give off a malty odour when wet which I found to be a bit intimidating at first, not being able to handle beer very well- on top of my intolerance to coffee.

In reference to where the tea is from, Tinderet apparently means ‘Place of Lightening’. It’s fitting as I do feel like I am being struck by a bolt while sipping on this. Whereas I can’t drink the first steep of this straight yet I can, and do, enjoy the second steep on its own- much more mellow and smooth, but with enough edginess to stay vibrant. There’s even a hint of floral sweetness that I love so much in my white teas. This is a very strong, full bodied tea and I wasn’t expecting such a delicate note to be found underneath all of that force.