Black Orchid

I think I’m getting excited about tea again….

I had a sample of this from a local fancy tea shop last spring which has since closed down, I decided to brew some up to take to the movies with me this afternoon (hubster and I went to see the new Captain America flick)

I brewed it close to boiling and for about 3 minutes, and sealed it in my Contigo mug hoping it would remain hot, it did.

So I brought a few snacks to the movie, I’m trying to eat healthier and avoid popcorn….but I got a date cookie and was eating that and when I went for the first sip of tea I was like “WHOA!!” This tea is so delicious, you guys! (For the record, I had added a splash of milk)

I don’t know what it is, there’s something besides the vanilla, maybe just that the black base is tasty and adds to the whole thing. But everytime I took a sip I couldn’t believe how yummy it was.

There really is something to be said for a quality flavored tea vs the cheap, synthetic tasting blends, this isn’t that, not at all. It’s delicate but tasty and not overly sweet, so it’s easy to drink while eating sweets.

Remember I said I was eating a date cookie? Well you’d think that compared to a cookie, a subtly flavored tea wouldn’t taste like much, but you would be wrong! It was very complimentary and still managed to be sweet enough and flavorful enough to hold its own beside a cookie. But subtly. I wish I could figure out what else I was picking up besides vanilla.

I was looking forward to coming home to log this.

I’m actually drinking my second steep now, but it doesn’t quite hold up, it’s much weaker, especially with the milk. But in trying to stretch out my stash I probably under leafed this, good enough for one steep but obviously not two.

MF why you gotta be so hard to get?!

Ooooh, this smells just like the small container of vanilla pods I have downstairs. The beautiful vanilla aroma sort of spills out of the package when I open it; it’s really nice.

Once steeped up, this offers a rich vanilla flavor, with some malt from the black base. It feels smooth and almost creamy like a good vanilla tea seems to. A tiny touch of Truvia woke up more vanilla flavor and seems to round out the base (which had just the tiniest twinge of bitterness), and made the aftertaste like a vanilla milk candy.

I still haven’t really found a vanilla black tea that has blown me away yet. Even so, this one is very good.

Thank you so much Dustin!

The extraordinary chocolate aroma is covered by the black tea sents after steeping, but the vanilla persists making it a smooth and enjoyable morning-afternoon tea. Gently spices the tongue.