Vanilla Orchid

This tea can be fickle: sometimes it tastes immensely artificial and other times it is divine. Perhaps there is more than one version.

This batch was awesome, that much I remember.

And it’s a belatedly posted sipdown!

#long time ago internet hiatus sipdown

I picked up this tea a while ago and had a cup and just thought… eh. After trying many other Oolong teas moving from flavored to straight and I suppose “acquiring the taste for it” I brewed myself a cup recently and found it delightful! The vanilla is a lot more natural than I am used to, but the subtle flavor really adds something to the tea. I also enjoy how many times I can re-steep without loosing the flavor. It is easy to drink all day, but it is not something I go to grab when I want a sweet treat or something a little crazy, better for drinking a whole pot or two while studying or reading.

Today, I decided to drink “Vanilla orchid” from David’s Tea. It’s interesting because I have a lot flavoured black tea and this one it’s an oolong. So, I tested it.

In the aroma, the vanilla dominates with a little touch of floral. It’s delicate and sweet. In taste, well… in the beginning, the oolong (a cheap oolong in my opinion) are here but not strong in my mouth. The vanilla and orchid are in aftertaste. But the more I take sips, the more they tend to want to take place in my mouth. Still, it’s not so pervasive.

So I think this blend is well balanced: I taste the tea but it does not invade the other ingredients and vice versa. It’s like fresh air in Spring!

One of my favorite teas from David’s Tea. Slightly sweet and buttery, but not artificial tasting, and holds up well to multiple steeps.

I have not been drinking tea lately as I apparently turned into a wine fanatic over the summer and have been learning as much as I can about different wines from different parts of the world.

Luckily for me my coworker only cared about the ever so popular cream of earl grey and I got to pick the other teas. So of course I went back to my favourite vanilla oolong. I realized quite quickly oolongs are my absolute favourite tea, and this one especially with its creamy vanilla scent and flavour. It tastes almost exactly as it smells (maybe a bit grassier) which is absolutely enchanting.

10/10 thanks davids tea!

Just a quick note on my first try at this one. I’ll be back to update, I’m sure. I tend to prefer straight teas, but a hint of flavor is ok so long as it accompanies well. And the vanilla in this tea does do that. I agree with others who mentioned that the vanilla and creamy notes come out more as the tea cools. The package said to steep at 185 degrees F, but I steeped at 190 degrees F. The dry leaves smelled wonderful - strong vanilla. But the wet leaves and tea itself did not have such a strong vanilla scent; in fact the wet leaves smelled a little like formaldehyde. Thankfully the tea did not smell, or taste, like that :) The tea itself was not very strong, a bit watery, but the hint of creamy vanilla was nice.

I still prefer a good straight tea, but I can see myself reaching for this one out of the cupboard, especially for a light dessert tea.

2018-07-04 Just tried this tea again with a little vanilla almond milk to make a latte — not too bad.

If you like Milk Oolong, give this tea a try as well.

This tea reminds me of sweet desserts and best for me when I have a sweet tooth craving. I will be stocking this in a tin for sure.

Yeah, I already rated this tea…but it is saving me at the moment. So much sickness at my workplace. It’s been a battleground for this nurse all week. Fingers crossed I stay well. It’s a bad flu season my friends…take good care teaples!

This was my morning cup, and I really enjoyed its creaminess. It has a French vanilla note, honey, condensed milk/cream, floral, buttery oolong. While I would have preferred something less artificial/flavoured and more oolong-y, this tastes like a french vanilla steamed milk, and I’m very ok with that.