The Secret Garden Tea Company, Children's Hospital Vanilla Black Tea

Sample Packaging

The Secret Garden Tea Company Description:
A playful blend of  baby rosebuds, vanilla, and bergamot that reminds us of childhood tea parties. Proceeds go to BC Children’s Hospital.

Ingredients:
Black tea, rosehip pieces, rose petals, blackberry leaves, natural flavors.

Sample provided by The Secret Garden Tea Company

My Review:
The Secret Garden Tea Company is located in Vancouver Canada. Having successfully run a small tearoom since 1995, they have just ventured into online tea sales. That's where The Everyday Tea Blog comes in. I was asked if I would like to review samples of their offerings. Well, of course I would!

Pretty Leaf

The samples are of very generous size. The bag is a paper exterior with an aluminum interior. To close you fold over the top and restick the seal. The label as you can see has the tea type handwritten. There are no steeping instructions. These can be found in their FAQ section on the website.

The leaf itself is quite colorful and highly aromatic. Rose petals, rosehip, and blue cornflower petals are mixed with the black tea leaves. The aroma is unmistakably rose with less obvious bergamot notes underneath. I am note really able to pick out the vanilla at this time.

Dark spot in the center is a reflection

I used about 3 g (1 1/2 tsp) of leaf with 10 oz of water heated to 205 F. The website calls for boiling. I let it steep for 4 minutes. The result is a bright red/orange cup. The liquor is nicely clear. The aroma is much like the scent of the dry leaf. I am impressed by how much the wet leaf has expanded. I never expected it, so this is a happy surprise.

Taking my first sip, I can tell you, if you don't like rose this may not be the cup for you. It is not perfume water but it is definitely rose.

I can also not so much taste the vanilla as feel its affect on the cup. It just feels creamy. By the name I expected vanilla to be the primary note. I am not too upset that it is not. I quite like it when the vanilla stays back out of the spotlight.

The bergamot is very hard to detect. It comes under the rose to give it fullness. I have never thought of bergamot being used in a support role. It handles the chore well.

The black tea base only makes its presence certain occasionally, and then for mere brief moments. I think I can detect it all the time but at the same time I'm never really sure. It is smooth with no bitterness. This is slightly drying, yet not in a bad way.

Wet Leaf

This was the first tea that I chose from their varied webstore selections. What caught my eye, and makes this blend special, is stated in their product description. All the proceeds from sales go to the BC Children’s Hospital.

Canadian shipping rates are pretty outrageous and that may make it difficult for The Secret Garden Tea Company to develop a big web presence. If the shipping doesn't scare you off, then pick up some of this, if for no other reason than because the cause it supports is worthy.

I have only recently begun to appreciate rose scented teas. I had several cups of this one and enjoyed them all.

You can find Children's Hospital Vanilla Black Tea here.