It’s the vanilla that hits you first when you open up a packet of Smith Tea’s latest creation; Oolong Ice Cream. In collaboration between Smith’s head teamaker Tony Tellen and Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw (who supplied us their product for this review), it’s the first in the teahouse’s newly minted “Maker’s Series.”

According to a press release, the Maker’s Series blends are set to “deliver surprising flavor mashups in a cup and will delight tea wonks and casual sippers alike.” This first experiment was supposed to deliver vanilla ice cream in a cup right down to the butterfat, mimicked by Taiwanese cream oolong tea.

Each sachet contains sasparilla root, Oregon sea salt, hand-cut marcona almonds, white Jasmine blossoms, Salt & Straw sugar candy and Madagascar vanilla bean, a mixture Tellin admits during a recent phone call had him “a little nervous” before its release today.

He recommends steeping the tea for four minutes in 195 degree water and drinking hot, but says it’s also delicious cold.

So how does it taste? Quite a bit different than it smells actually—and that’s a good thing. While the vanilla smacks you in the face pre-steep, it fades to the background once brewed, allowing the slightly floral oolong to shine through. The most surprising part of the cup is the faint taste of salt that only appears after licking your lips—just like when scarfing down a Salt & Straw double fold vanilla cone.

Of course, it might seem counterintuitive to sip on a hot cuppa while the temps outside are approaching triple digits, but with only 200 boxes of this tea available at Smith Tea shops and online, I’ll be putting the kettle on.