Not So Vanilla

I bought some of this in Ost’s sale. (Thank you Ost!) It’s one of those teas I’ve always wanted to try. And I am keeping aware that these teas that Ost is selling aren’t brand new fresh teas, but whoa, the vanilla is really lacking in this one. I can’t taste any. At all. I’ve always wondered at the name… ‘not so vanilla’? So maybe the trick is that vanilla isn’t in this tea at all. Haha. But the ingredients actually list actual vanilla beans, which I love when it’s included in a blend. I thought the black tea itself would be this very chocolate flavor, but the flavor was really just a middle of the road golden monkey. I wish I could try it fresh. I thought it would remind me of the French Breakfast blend from Octavia I wanted to buy for Black Friday this year. I didn’t expect magic from an older blend, but I did expect more than this… It’s almost like this is a completely different tea than most of the tasting notes mention. Sadly, it looks like Tippy’s is long gone so I suppose I’ll never try this tea fresh.
Steep #1 // 1 1/4 teaspoon // 18 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep

My rating of 67 actually made the Steepster rating go down a point, so I will raise it until it was the same. Eh, actually I had to make the rating too high to change it back. So I will remain at a neutral 71.

This is an old sample from Cavocorax. Thank you!

TBH, even though it’s an old sample, when I opened it up it smelled really good. And I must say I really enjoyed the tea! The base is lovely, and the vanilla came through nicely.

I think I might still prefer Vanilla Comoro from H&S, but only because that one’s a decaf, and sometimes I just want a black tea in the evening.

This is a lovely, full bodied tea. Deep, rich and smooth. The first thing I noticed was the smell when the bag was steeping in my mug. The scent was sweet and alluring. The chocolate and vanilla notes were the most prominent for me. I added a little agave nectar and milk and it made for a satisfying cup. I will have no trouble getting through my stash.

Not My Cup O’ Tea TTB

I’ve seen Tippy’s Tea quite a bit around Steepster, but this was my first opportunity to sample one of their blends. I have to say, I’m impressed! This is quite possibly the best vanilla tea I have ever tried. The base tea is a lovely chocolatey golden-tipped black that mingles perfectly with the rich vanilla flavor to create a truly decadent treat. I would definitely consider purchasing this one in the future!

Not my Cup TTB

A very nice vanilla.

Not a fan TTB. This doesn’t pair well with mac and cheese. Really a unique vanilla tea. for some reason I keep thinking of bourbon. Something about the woodiness of the base. The vanilla flavor doesn’t really hit until the after taste.

Very excited to arrive home and find my April Fools Day order patiently waiting for me on the dining room table! I couldn’t wait and threw my suitcase on the floor and immediately put the kettle on and tore into the Not So vanilla. First of all, I have to admit that I love the tea labels! Backwards and upsidedown little birdy fish with Googly eyes!! So cute!! Second of all, I love the tea!! This has a nice subtle malty chocolate flavor which blends nicely with the vanilla bean and I got those amazing black specks floating in the top of my teacup that I love so much so you know it’s real vanilla bean! Best of all the price point doesn’t make me feel like I need to hoard this tea for special occasions and pick me ups only! I think I just found my everyday drinking vanilla tea!

Sipdown! Trying to finish teas off before more come in over the next few weeks. Although, really, I should be finishing off older stuff since this is one of the freshest ones I have. Doing things backwards!

I like this one. It’s got a good, solid vanilla but it doesn’t taste chemical or fake and the Golden Monkey comes through quite nicely. I think this and Minted Monkey are the only non-straight GMs I’ve had. While overall I still prefer them straight, these two from Tippy’s are really solid offerings. I think this tea also settles for me that I like Madagascar vanilla but not Bourbon vanilla.

Thank you for sharing some of this Cavocorax!

My recollection of this tea was that it reminded me somewhat of the two vanilla teas I picked up from Whispering Pines, in that I had difficulty picking up the vanilla specifically, though it was a tasty tea, and I could tell it wasn’t just a straight tea. I think it’s because I’m looking for a more “french vanilla” sort of flavour? Which it isn’t really. Either way, I did enjoy it, and again, the base tea quality was quite apparent. I’d like to do a side-by-side with WP’s Golden Orchid and see how they stack up, if I ever have the time.

Overall, I was happy. Would probably buy this myself to have around as an alternative to straight black tea, without terrible artificial flavouring-ness.