Vanilla Black

Vanilla, the queen of flavors in my life. Long live Vanilla in her creamy sweet glory! :) I am still trying any vanilla that crosses in my path in hopes that I will encounter a vanilla tea that truly leaves me in awe.

This is one of the teas that I bought when I went on my Europe trip a few months back. I found it in a nice little tea shop called Babington’s in Rome. It is at the end of the Spanish steps where all of the super expensive shops are, needles to say, these teas were a bit expensive as well. I only bought the minimum to try, but since my cousin lives in Rome, I know that she could always bring me some when she visits. :)

The dry leaves are larger than I am used to seeing in a black flavored tea. The scent is super high on the creamy note and a bit light on the actual vanilla. The vanilla in this tea reminds me a bit of the smell of a birthday cake in the oven, only a bit more relaxed.

Once brewed, the burgundy brown tea smells amazing. It makes my tongue do a happy dance in anticipation. It is shockingly smooth, the vanilla, creaminess and black tea work all together and surround you like a huge wave of vanilla icing!

Unsweetened it tastes delicate and dainty. Smooth and creamy with a dash of astringency from the black tea. The aftertaste tingling on my taste-buds as pure vanilla delight. Sweetened it is decadent. Wow vanilla cream tea! It is like liquid vanilla bean ice cream! It is so tasty that I downed my entire cup so quickly that I immediately needed to make another! My only critique for this tea is that it could use a tiny bit more vanilla over cream in the flavoring… But hey, almost perfect!! One step closer to perfect vanilla black! (I am so happy my cousin is able to bring me some more of this one day, I am going to be sad when I run out!)

Perfect way to start a Sunday, vanilla, Sencha (my dog), cloudy skies, and Dr. Who!! Now, back to Dr.Who on Netflix (and more tea of course!)!