Vanilla Black

The vanilla flavor in this tea was not as good as Numi Vanilla Decaf; it was less intense, less vanilla-y. It tasted more artificial, like a second-rate vanilla ice cream, rather than like a premium ice cream. I’m sure that Harney and Sons uses real vanilla, so I wonder if they used less vanilla, or the tea base didn’t blend well with the vanilla. Or perhaps decaf tea works better with vanilla than regular tea, since others seem to like Harney’s decaf Vanilla Comoro.

After really liking the vanilla notes in Harney’s Wedding Tea, I decided to go all the way and get the Vanilla black. The vanilla aroma is intoxicating but it doesn’t overpower the tea. It’s still black tea and can have a bit of an ugly aftertaste if you brew too strong or too long. That being said, I am ordering more. It’s great.

This tastes a little like raisins. I enjoy it more after it cools. I taste the vanilla, but I don’t love the black tea. It’s a little drying and not malty or delicious. Sweetened enough, it starts to taste kind of chocolatey. I like it cold. I wouldn’t order it, but I enjoyed the evolution of the flavor in this TTB sample.

I have friends who go wild in regards to Vanilla teas, so I thought I would go a head and give one a try.

Verdict, I’m just not wild about them. Or maybe I’m just not wild about this one. It just seems to be lacking something or, for that matter, everything. I can’t really get a sense of the base. The scent of vanilla is there but flavor wise, it doesn’t have much of a punch I guess. Like everything has been watered down. And I keep returning my steeping basket to my cup, thinking it needs more time. But its not helping much.

What vanilla I am getting just doesn’t seem to taste right, kind of artificial.

Its ok I guess, but I really just don’t see myself reaching for this one again.

Binge-watched all of Castlevania season 3. Time well-spent, I say.

I really like this one. In both scent and flavor it’s creamy and vanilla-y. It’s one of my go-to teas in the morning, whether by itself or mixed with a berry or floral tea. Or a chocolate tea for added creaminess. That works too.

It’s ok. The vanilla doesn’t come off genuine. It’s an ok black tea base. I prefer the vanilla black tea from Golden Moon which tastes like actual vanilla.

Pretty good, that’s all. I think it smells better than it tastes.

It’s not the best vanilla black tea I’ve had in recent memory, but it’s not a bad cuppa. It’s got pleasant vanilla (bean) flavor, and the black tea base is really quite nice and mild. As with most vanilla black teas, it’s comforting and reminds you of baked goods. It takes sweetener and milk quite nicely too. I don’t know that this is one I’d be racing out to add to my collection, but it’s certainly a nice option (especially for the price).

Hmm. Well, I like that I can actually taste some tea in here…..the dry leaves smell like the alcohol whiff you get from your general grocery store vanilla extract. Made a nice strong dark brew in the pot, and smelled more like vanilla when I poured it. I didn’t get strong bakery or cookie notes, just a mild suggestion of vanilla. A bit boring, but it doesn’t advertise any bells and whistles so I wasn’t expecting more that a basic vanilla tea. Okay, but will keep exploring vanillas and I’m sure there are better than this but it fills the bill for a quick cup.

My wife surprised me with a massive package of Harney & Sons tea samplers today: I had never tasted this brand, but always wanted to! So, my first job was to add all of those teas to Steepster and read the reviews. It had me at “cookie”.

So, the aroma upon opening this package was indeed that of vanilla sugar cookies: it reminded me of brown sugar biscotti. After it was brewed, I could smell more of that black tea. I am a little put off by how small the tea leaves looked? Maybe my package got knocked around in shipping, but it seemed like the tea leaves were incomplete (verging on the size of fannings?).

The flavor was heavenly. I’m a sucker for dessert teas with cream and sugar, and boy did I find it. My first cup was overly sweet, I was not anticipating the vanilla punch that this tea packed! My second cup had more milk but less sugar – perfect. I tried a little bit of double strength concentration in a tea latte – also heavenly. Overall, a very nice cup! Very smooth, not mild…but smooth.