English Tea Shop Sweet Vanilla Bread Tea Review

English Tea Shop Sweet Vanilla Bread Tea Review

Sweet vanilla bread tea just sounds so good! It sounds like sweet French toast in tea format. But does it live up to its name? This week I’m reviewing English Tea Shop Sweet Vanilla Bread to find out.

By the way, if you haven’t had sourdough bread drizzled in honey, you really should. That was my snack of choice to photograph and eat while taste testing this tea!

Below in my full review, you’ll find out what this tea tastes like, how I brewed it for the best results, and where you can buy it online.

Sweet Vanilla Bread Tea at a Glance

Izzy's Rating
2.5/5
  • Blend: Black tea with spices, apple and vanilla
  • Flavour: Pleasant black tea with subtle spices and honey

Not as great as you’d expect, but still a very comforting and cosy cup of tea. The Ceylon black tea is smooth and the spices are subtle with a nice honey-type sweetness.

sweet vanilla bread teabags

Full Review – ETS Sweet Vanilla Bread

Izzy's Rating
2.5/5
  • Type: Tagged paper filter teabags
  • Tea: Ceylon black tea
  • Additives: Cinnamon pieces, ginger pieces, cardamom pieces, apple pieces, vanilla pods, natural flavouring
  • Flavour Notes: Plain black tea, subtle mixed spices, honey sweetness
  • Aroma: Cinnamon, cloves, spice, bread, malty
  • Milk or Lemon: Milk and/or honey
  • Where to Buy: Amazon (part of the festive collection)

Ripping open the packet, I’m expecting a malty black tea base. This is the best way to create that warm, freshly baked bread aroma. While the loose tea leaf is a bit bready, it’s not very strong. The spices are pleasant though, with notes of cinnamon and cloves instantly detectable.

It brews into a light maple brown tea colour that’s slightly dusty – I’d recommend running English Tea Shop tea made from teabags through a strainer. They’re all a bit dusty and it might catch in your throat.

Once brewed (find timings below) the aroma of the tea is smoother and slightly malty, but those pleasant spices have all but vanished.

Thankfully, they’re still present in the flavour. Overall, this tea tastes comforting and cosy with Christmas-themed spices, but the black tea base isn’t bready in the slightest. There’s no hint of vanilla either, just a subtle sweetness.

How to Brew English Tea Shop Festive Tea Blends

When it comes to English Tea Shop Sweet Vanilla Bread tea, the longer the better. I brewed one teabag (that holds 1.5g) for 6 minutes to get a light and fragrant tea. Don’t be afraid to brew for 10 minutes.

No, I’m not joking.

A really long brew time will draw out more flavour but won’t get too bitter. It’s unusual but true. Once brewed, this tea is really nice with a splash of milk and teaspoon of honey. You can drink it without, however. You won’t be missing out.

Why English Tea Shop Teabags?

I was gifted the festive collection by a friend, as they knew that I have adored English Tea Shop teas in the past. Unfortunately, the tea quality isn’t great. It’s very finely chopped and with less than 2g of tea per bag, you really don’t get much flavour out of it.

organic sweet vanilla bread loose tea

On the other hand, English Tea Shop are Soil Association Certified. That means all the ingredients from the Ceylon tea to the dried spices to the natural flavouring, are all made in a healthy and chemical-free way.

That’s better for the planet and it does you a world of good too.

Summary

This is a really pleasant tea. Maybe it’s not as amazing as sweet vanilla bread sounds, but it’s still lovely to sip in the evenings in front of the fire. I highly recommend you buy the full festive collection and share it with your friends and family over Christmas. There are some real gems hidden inside.

Tea Recommendation

Looking for more Christmas-themed teas? Head to my Tea Review Index. This is where all my tea reviews are logged, so you can sort by ‘cinnamon’ or ‘black tea’ or pick your favourite tea brand to find something tasty to drink.

Isobel Moore

Isobel Moore is a quiet, quirky and creative “human bean” whose favourite pastime is curling up with a cuppa and a good book.

Over the past 5 years, her tea reviews at Immortal Wordsmith have helped thousands of readers choose vibrant tea blends and single origin selections from fine, organic, and responsible tea companies.

As a professional content writer with a qualification in digital marketing, Isobel has worked with market-leading tea brands around the globe to develop their content marketing campaigns and gain exposure. Her professional portfolio can be found on Upwork.

Besides a deep-rooted passion for tea, Isobel writes on topics ranging from food and travel to wellness and literature.

Favourite Quote: “Manuscripts don’t burn” – Mikhail Bulgakov

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