Vanilla is amazing! I buy my beans 1lb at a time and add to things as simple as Rice Crispy squares to make my treats extra special. I make my own vanilla extract out of various liquors, which gives great flavor to my cookies. Vanilla teas are awesome – and a real popular one is Whispering Pines Tea Co’s Golden Orchid tea. I kept hearing so much about it, I snagged an ounce not too long ago to see for myself.
Golden Orchid tea is a blend of Dian Hong and Fujian Xiao Zhong Black Tea with Hand Cut Grade A Madagascar Vanilla Beans. Ooohh yeah, real vanilla bean in tea is a treat!
Dry Leaf
Golden Orchid tea smells like high end vanilla ice cream – sweet and creamy! My body is expecting a sugar guilt rush like that sneaking a spoonful of ice cream out of the freezer at 11pm. Pretty grey leaf with twists of tea with the odd golden strand. I know there’s vanilla in there, but the colour blends in with the tea.
Steeping Instructions
The instructions calls for 1/2 Tablespoon of tea and it was impossible for me to get a measure with Golden Orchids’ long wiry leaf. I gave up with the spoon measure and ended up using about 2.5 grams of tea. I steeped the tea in an in-mug infuser, with 200f water for 3 minutes.
I always forget that Whispering Pines Tea Co has gong fu instructions for their teas. I simply assumed tea blend = western long infusion.
Tasting of Whispering Pines Tea Co’s Golden Orchid Tea
Steeped up, Golden Orchid tea is a pretty amber gold (that looks red on camera) with a sweet vanilla bready scent.
First Infusion: Golden Orchid tea sips in creamy and sweet. The texture is smooth with a hint of a dry finish. Lots of different notes – getting toasted Asian milk bread, chocolate, real vanilla and a bit of fruity. Some sips taste like straight up cream.. I looked down to ensure I didn’t add milk. Nope, the tea is still an amber gold.
Second Infusion: Wow, still lots of flavor. The tea sips in malty and plums with a finish of vanilla cream – very nice! Very smooth and sweet. Can I have this tea as whipped cream on a layered cake?
Third Infusion: Still going strong with the malt, chocolate, fruit and loads of cream, though with a dry finish, 2/10 on the Astringent Meter. I’m surprised how well the creamy vanilla is lasting – often with flavored teas you only get one infusion of vanilla, however with Golden Orchid the flavor is still here! One could probably get a fourth, maybe fifth infusion out of this tea.
Comments
Whispering Pines Tea Co’s Golden Orchid is that tea that you never never ever need to add milk to. If you add milk to you teas and want one that tastes great without – this is the tea for you!
The flavoring in this tea is great as you get much of the black tea base and the vanilla is natural tasting (it’s real vanilla!) – not that overly sweet or have an alcohol burn. With that said, this is a neat tea blend to try for those unflavored tea drinkers out there, showing the powers of a good tea blend.
Golden Orchid tea is a really easy tea to drink and would be perfect to serve to non-tea drinking friends. It is a little pricey and weighty, so this is a tea to share with someone special. I have been also told Whispering Pines Tea Co’s Cocoa Amore is another good vanilla blend. Both teas, since I purchased mine, have been on and off sold out – so if you see it in stock, grab it while you can!
