This is a really beautiful tea with delicate pink rose petals scattered throughout the black tea leaves.  The petals do not impart any flavor or fragrance to the tea, but they certainly make it visually appealing!

The fragrance is equally as appealing, with delightful hints of vanilla and caramel enticing me as I open the package.  Upon brewing, I noticed that the aroma became less distinct, although at this point, more of the earthy notes of the black tea were notably present.

The tea used in this blend offers a nice base, it is rich and medium-bodied with a fair amount of astringency.  I can detect a slight malty tone to this tea; however, I am unsure if the maltiness is delivered by the tea itself or the flavors added to the tea.  Either way, it adds a pleasant characteristic.

Neither the caramel nor the vanilla are significantly pronounced here, yet they work together quite harmoniously to provide a flavor that is very unified along with the aforementioned malty tone.  This unified profile represents itself solidly — that is to say, it tastes like “tea” rather than a “vanilla tea” or a “caramel tea” — it tastes like a tea with an allusion of vanilla, caramel and malty notes.  The flavors add complexity and depth the tea, rather than the tea showcasing the flavors.

Cha Cha tea describes this tea as:

Transport yourself to a sidewalk café in Paris with this luxurious, full-bodied cup. Destined to become a classic, French Breakfast is a rich black tea with notes of vanilla & caramel.

I think this tea is best served hot with just a little agave nectar (or other sweetener of your choice).  As it cools the flavors become less prominent, and the tea loses some of its depth.  It is also quite good without a sweetener, but I think that the sweetener allows some of the complexities of this tea to come through.  I do discourage the use of milk or cream to this tea, however, because it tends to wipe out the more delicate flavors of this tea that I find so delightful.

This is the first tea I’ve tried from Cha Cha Tea, and it is a good one.  It is deemed a “breakfast” tea, and although it is not as vigorous as some breakfast teas I’ve tasted, I think it would make a very good breakfast tea for someone who prefers their tea to be a little less brisk.

For me, I think I would deem this one an excellent “slow morning” tea — one to enjoy when I am not in need of a jump start to my morning.  Instead, I think that this would be a perfect tea to sip while enjoying a leisurely breakfast of croissants and marmalade, which when I think about it, would be quite a lovely French breakfast… indeed!