Advent Day #13

Tea #13 - "Black Tea with Vanilla"

Friday the 13^th… I finally drew a non-infusion tea from the 13^th door of the advent calendar. That was lucky! The tea is a black tea (my favorite). However, it is advised that it should be taken without milk. Hmm… unlucky. But, today is my last day of work, having decided several months ago to retire and enjoy some leisure after a fraught couple of years: UBER LUCKY! So, I am entering this review of Fortnum & Mason’s Black tea with vanilla on the positive side of lucky.

I was running late this morning, so I opted to prepare my tea at work. This worked out since I would need no milk.  I turned on my office kettle for the last time (I am leaving this one here… perhaps fodder for another blog entry: review of electric kettles) and prepared my travel cup: 2 packets of white sugar from the office coffee caddy. As soon as the kettle shut off, I pour my cup and put on the lid: time set for 3 minutes.

Since I was using my Yeti, it took an absurdly long time to cool enough to drink. But, I removed the tea bag after 3 minutes (it is given a suggested brew time of 1-3 minutes) and set my cup aside to cool. I finished my last morning check in meeting and the tea was suitably cooled off to drink. As I brought the cup to my nose, I could smell the black tea. It is described as “strong” by F&M. I can attest that there is a very strong tea taste, but it is a mellow strong. It is not bitter or earthy. The addition of vanilla gives it a very traditional taste. If you are looking for a tea that tastes like tea, this should be your choice. I do miss my milk, and I half wonder what adding a splash (if not the usual glug) would do to the overall impression I have of the tea.

Since we are rating these, I leave my number here: 8.5/10. Perhaps with a splash of skim, it would be a 10/10. I may actually buy a box and test it out. Stay tuned!