I did a double take when I saw the ingredient list on the sample – cacao nibs? In a vanilla tea?
I admit that annoyed me – mostly because I didn’t spot the error before I bought it. I LOVE vanilla. It’s one of my favorite things. Chocolate in tea is not one of my favorite things. I’ll admit – the White Chocolate sample I had last night was pretty good but an anomaly since chocolate teas are normally a no go. That one I’d probably get again because it managed to hold its own so well without additives, and simulate hot chocolate so perfectly.
This? Well, the dry leaf smell mostly smells of chocolate. BOO. It has me thinking wistfully about my French Vanilla black from 52teas, and reminds me that yes, I need another vanilla black staple in my cupboard.
Once its steeped up and I try a sip plain, I notice a lot of similarities in texture between this blend and the White chocolate. The cacao nibs must be used predominantly for this purpose. And while I try I few sips plain, I have to admit that vanilla is the main flavor – which surprises me. It is a smooth, sweet vanilla, more like a creamy custard. The tea itself isn’t astringent at all – I remember reading that it was Ceylon, and that works for me – ceylons are my ideal black tea. They are bright and a touch citrusy but tend to walk the balance between flavor and boldness without being too light, or too tannic.
The problem with me and this tea is that while it’s good plain, when I want a breakfast tea I usually want it with milk and sugar. I added some creamer after I got a good idea of the flavor plain and… well, I’m sure you can guess what that brought out of hiding.
Yeah, this is now a chocolate tea.
Bummer. I have a 0.5 oz. sample that I need to use but I will just remember that this one is best served plain. Texture wise it really didn’t need anything to thicken it up – I do have to give it good marks for having such a rich mouthfeel on its own- and sugar brings out the chocolate rather than vanilla notes.
Sigh – I need to read some of Angrboda’s old notes because she devoted much time and effort to finding her ideal vanilla black. And if I remember she also liked the 52Teas Vanilla black a lot so clearly she has excellent taste – or at the very least, she likes the same sort of vanilla that I do. :)
Flavors: Chocolate, Cream
