Review: The English Tea Store’s Golden Moon Madagascar Vanilla Black Tea

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The Subject: Golden Moon Madagascar Vanilla Black Tea from The English Tea Store.

Rating:

Water temperature: 212° F

Steeping time: 5 minutes

Tea type: Black

Scents, flavorings, etc.: Vanilla extract, vanilla pieces

Aroma, dry: Strong vanilla, black tea scent come through

Aroma in the cup, plain: Strong vanilla, black tea scent comes through

Taste, plain: Strong vanilla, smooth tea taste, no bitterness, no aftertaste

Aroma in the cup, enhanced: Strong vanilla, black tea scent comes through

Taste, enhanced: Smooth, no bitterness

2nd Infusion: Vanilla very faded, but still no bitterness, not as rich tasting

Chilled: Didn’t try, but my guess is that it would be great

Comments:
Years ago, hubby and I found a great vanilla-flavored black tea at a little tea shop in a little town. We’ve been seeking a similar tasting tea ever since we used up that last of it. As last, Golden Moon Madagascar Vanilla to the rescue. Or so we hoped when we ordered a tin from The English Tea Store. Time to find out.

Popping the top on the Golden Moon premium tea tin with its special design lid that helps seal out air unleashed a wonderful aroma. Vanilla hits the nose first followed by a rich black tea scent. Quality all the way. Now, if the flavor lives up to that absolutely heavenly vanilla/black tea aroma…

We heat water, pour it over tea in the teapot, let it steep, and wait for that timer to go “ding!” The first sip and the smell in the teapot lived up to the expectations given by the dry tea. We smelled the tea and sipped it carefully at first. Ahh… great vanilla flavor, yet no bitterness or nasty aftertaste.

Then, we tried some with a bit of milk and a little sweetener. Even better! The taste was even smoother, and the sweetener brightened the vanilla. Heaven in a teacup!

The 2nd infusion is the drawback here and we had to deduct a half teapot. The vanilla aroma and flavor were mostly gone. Possibly if we steeped the first infusion only about 4 minutes and/or started with a bit extra dry tea in the teapot the vanilla would have come through stronger. That experiment will have to await another day.

Disclaimer: We bought this tea from the company named. Regardless, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.