Picked this up at the San Jose Lupicia store (now closed) when we flew out to Cali earlier this year. Since there are no Lupicia retail stores where I live (BOO!), I make it a point to stop by one if I am ever in the vicinity. I take no credit for choosing this tea, it was basically a call of “Hey, you want anything?” over my shoulder to the husband as I went inside, so this was his choice.
I thought I was buying a straight black. Upon sniffing the dry leaves I got a definite sweetness and vanilla scent. Interesting! Then I looked at the ingredients on the package: black tea and vanilla beans. Duh! So now I know my nose works, at least! As I’ve stated before, vanilla blacks can be tricky – too many of them end up with a thin, marshmallow-like flavor which I don’t tend to enjoy. Not so this tea. It’s so smooth and so drinkable, the entire pot of tea disappeared effortlessly. Awesome with breakfast. Added whole milk for extra creaminess. I didn’t get any maltiness from the Assam, just a really nice smooth black tea flavor with a hint of natural vanilla. Delightful! I should have never doubted Lupicia – I find their teas to be generally of high quality. So, kudos to the husband for choosing a nice, solid, very enjoyable tea (beginner’s luck!)!
Flavors: Vanilla
