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I always get this one and SerendipiTea’s Colonille mixed up because in my pantry I have them labeled as “Vanilla Orchid” (this one) and “Vietnamese Vanilla” (Colonille) and then I have to remember which one is which by reading the descriptions on here. I really should make this easier on myself and label the teas in my pantry correctly. But yeah, I probably won’t.

Ultimately, though, it’s not a bad thing getting these two teas confused because they are both really good. This one has the addition of orchid scenting which softens it just a little, reminding me of Cadbury Creme Egg. Not so much the insane sweet taste of the eggs, but more like that creamy “ah” you get right after you swallow it and right before the super sweet aftertaste of sugar kicks in.

Of course, maybe I am remembering incorrectly since it has been forever since I’ve had one of those eggs because it has corn syrup and I’m allergic to corn products. But to me this tea is my Cadbury Creme Egg.

My mom made this for me once. It was horrible. So I was a bit scared to try this. I did 2.5g/8oz and I think I made it pretty weak, but it kept it from being overpowering and tart. Didn’t even need sugar and that makes me happy. An herbal that doesn’t gross me out! And even better – one I’d drink again!

Thanks to Lena for sharing some of this! I’ve had this before, but it was right when I first started drinking tea and I didn’t appreciated it so I’m glad to have a chance to try this again now that I like Yunnan.

Teance’s Yunnan Gold is the only Yunnan I’ve had recently but I think this one is a little better. It’s still smooth and tastes (what I think of as) peppery. But I think the overall taste of this one is richer than Teance’s version by a hair. I might break out some of the other stuff later today to test for sure.

Okay, I don’t know what I did differently this time (perhaps brewed it longer?) because I liked it today. Still don’t know what a currant is supposed to taste like but I got sort of a light black cherry/berry vibe coming from it today. Of course, lower expectations also might have played a hefty roll in my liking it today. Yay lower expectations!

This is going to sound weird, but I’m having trouble being excited by this tea. It is a really good quality tea – smoky, smooth, great flavor. In fact, it is the only Keemun that hubby has actually said he likes and that’s HUGE.

But I’ve had really good Keemun before. Adagio’s Keemun Rhapsody is my favorite and I think quality-wise the two are very comparable. So having this is just “Mmm, good Keemun”. No angels sing, no epiphanies occur. Just the acknowledgment that yes, this IS damned fine tea.

Part of the reason, too, could be that TS sorta knocked my socks off. Like, a lot. But then, my experience with Assam is very limited and Thomas Sampson was a huge quality jump compared to what I have had before. And I just didn’t get that jump with Jackee but I admit, I was kind of hoping for it even though I acknowledge the expectation was unreasonable.

But the lack of quality jump is not Jackee’s fault. If I hadn’t had Adagio’s Keemun and had just stuck to the ones I’d had from SpecialTea’s and Rishi, I think this one would have knocked my socks of in comparison. As it is, it’s just now competing with Adagio to find out which Keemun reigns supreme. (This needs to be said in a Chairman Kaga voice… Was there ever an Iron Chef tea battle?)

Randomly, am I late to the party in seeing the jac’KEE MUN’tz and thom’AS SAM’pson bit? That’s so neat but I feel like I’m probably the dorky child that takes 20 minutes to get the punchline.

Mmmm, this hits the spot tonight. I’m getting a good butter taste from it and the floral bit is coming through nicely as well – it’s actually pretty strong for a floral flavor. But it isn’t a light, rose floral or anything that would be sickening, but a richer floral flavor. Orchid I assume but can’t say for sure given I’ve never eaten any flowers (my dad once made me eat a cattail but I don’t think that is the same thing – that was more green leaf/stalk, not floral).

This is quite a nice little tea and something I was apparently totally in the mood for tonight. That makes me happy.

Drinking yesterday’s 3rd steep iced. The flavor seems a little milder. Not really weaker, so I don’t think it is the fact that it is the 3rd steep but maybe the extra oolong I added is showing through a tiny bit? Or maybe not. Regardless, it is pleasant and feels very refreshing.

I was kind of in a Fruity Pebbles type of mood tonight, so I decided to give this one another go. I added a bit of Forever Spring oolong in there to see if I could get some actual tea taste in there with the citrus. Don’t think it really worked. I think green oolong has too delicate of a flavor to come through this strong citrus taste.

That being said, since I was expecting and in the mood for an insane sweet citrus smell and taste experience, I’m enjoying this tea tonight. This is certainly something I have to be in the mood for but eh, sometimes you need those types of teas, right?

Thanks to Lena for sharing this with me!

First off, the dry leaves (balls) smell like someone sprinkled cocoa on them… not my cat but rather the baking powder. Really surprising. I had a little trouble getting the right amount for my cup because I weigh my tea. I had to shuffle around a combination of 5 different balls (ahem) to get my 2.3g for 6oz that I wanted. The large and irregular ball size could be a problem for me. Or else I need to relax. (Probably that last one).

Once I got them in the pot, I was good to go. I was also way too entertained by watching the balls open. How do they get the leaves to stick like that? Anyone? Way too easily entertained.

The smell of the tea post-brewing is much earthier than the smell of the dry leaves. And I don’t get the strong cocoa flavor/smell anymore except as a bit of the aftertaste. It does have a little bitterness to it that reminds me of cocoa, though. Not a bad bitterness, just an unsweetened chocolate bitterness. But without the chocolate.

All in all, I like it. It’s smooth and has a good, complex flavor. Not really knock my socks off with flavor or anything but I think this is probably something I’d get to have every so often as part of a black tea rotation. Not a have to have on hand at all times kind of thing but something to bring in occasionally, use up, then move on to a couple more before ordering it again.

And if I haven’t babbled enough – my next door neighbor is trying to start the motor on his sail boat. Yes, it has been raining all day, but it isn’t that bad yet.

I’m a sucker for anything orange, so of course I got some of this to try. I have no clue who makes this tea but after drinking it, I don’t really care.

Maybe I’m just moody because it’s wet and rainy and traffic was a bear. But this tea? Not so great. It brewed up decently dark but had little flavor other than sweet. And not even a good sweet. More of a sickly, artificial sweet. I couldn’t pick out any apricot or orange flavor. (It was kind of like trying to figure out what flavor the Runts candies are as you eat them. You don’t really know because they don’t actually taste like fruit but they are pretending to be some sort of fruit so you just have to go with it.) But if hard pressed, I would have said this tasted like mango. Not good mango, mind you. Runts mango (they do make a candy in that flavor actually).

And if that wasn’t enough, it left a nasty taste in my mouth, not dissimilar to the aftertaste I get when I have something with Splenda or (worse) Sweet n Low.

Bottom line: not a fan.