292 Tasting Notes

65

A very unusual tea. It has a lot of green in it, and brews and tastes to me more like a green tea than a black, as the other reviewer mentioned. It also has a small unpleasant bitterness. I think the next time I brew it, I will make it like a green tea with a lower temperature.

The smell is vegetal and aromatic. The taste is grassy, vegetal, and earthy. I like it, I just don’t like bitter aftertaste, so will have to experiment with it and do another tasting note. Ordered more than a sample of this, so will have to experiment with it in different ways.

Flavors: Bitter, Grass, Green, Vegetal

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML

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100

Oh, so yummy! I wasn’t sure what I would think of this one because of the unusual sounding combination. The smell out of the bag was rich with cheesecake and a small sniff of plum – the tea was dark and with flecks of purple and colors. A happy looking tea.

At first sip I didn’t get much but more came clear with further sipping. The brandy isn’t a typical brandy taste and I almost missed it, even though it’s listed as the first note. I tasted the plum in bursts at time, particularly at the bottom of the cup, very good. The cheesecake in the background loaned a creaminess. The black tea by itself seemed a bit flat but this worked to bring the subtle nuances of flavor out of the tea.

Unique and very good – would definitely order more later if Butiki was not closing its doors.

Flavors: Brandy, Cheesecake, Creamy, Plum, Smooth

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML

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35
drank Lavender Nirvana by Zen Tea
292 tasting notes

This…isn’t pleasant. I’m a big fan of Zen Tea but not of lavender. It doesn’t do anything for me – the same can be said for Jasmine. I’ve had worse, but this isn’t my thing. The rooibos has a nice sweetness and this tea is a dark color. Smooth flavor, tad of sweetness, the floral isn’t overpowering but layers.

Flavors: Lavender, Rooibos

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML
TheLastDodo

Oh noes, I just picked this one up with my last Zen tea order… I don’t usually like drinking lavender. what was I thinking?

Lupiressmoon

Hopefully you’ll like it more than me, floral really isn’t my thing.

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61

Not for me. I’m not a straight vanilla in tea fan anyway so I had doubts I’d like this. It’s not the worst thing but not something I can keep drinking or will drink again.

The smell is slightly artificial but kind of pleasant. The taste is…well, not good for me since I don’t like vanilla teas. People who do like a Vanilla extract taste in their tea (which is what this seems like to me) should dig it.

It’s like blending a pleasant Roobios with a ¼ tsp. of Vanilla Extract.

Not my cup of tea.

Flavors: Rooibos, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML

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78

This tea is from my local tea shop. I haven’t been impressed with everything I’ve tried from there, but love the place – so cute and cozy. They are moving right now to a bigger location.

This pumpkin rooibos has pumkin seeds and flecks of all kinds of goodies. This is the first Roobios I have tried – I was hesitant to try it because the smell of Roobios kind of repels me. I am surprised – it’s very good. And actually is very sweet without any flavorings having to be added.

For this one, the taste is more of a pumpkin spice out of a can rather than the fruit pumpkin or anything like pumpkin pie. Have the cinnamon dabbled in there for sure, can taste it richer the more I sip. I can almost picture a dab of whipped cream on top.
It works – and works well. There’s something else it reminds me of, but I just can’t place it.

Thankfully I have more of this left. I also have their carrot cake roobios to try.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Pumpkin Spice, Rooibos

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML

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85

I was so curious about The Black Lotus. Even the name is awesome. The reviews are great. It arrived here fast – loving the design of the bag. So sad Butiki is closing right when I am discovering them.

I brewed this twice – the first time I must have done it too hot a steep and too little as it wasn’t quite strong enough. I resteeped at a cooler temperature, added in some more leaves, and more of the flavor came out.

Both steeps had flavor and were pleasant. I agree with some of the reviewers who said it is more of an afternoon treat tea. It has the blends of a morning breakfast but typically I see breakfast blends as more robust. This is creamier and smoother, and perfect for an early evening on the porch or an afternoon pick-up.

There are a lot of flavors described in this mix – what I taste, with my weak buds, is an earthy, smooth black tea with a bit of mushroom. Very nice. The mushroom shouldn’t turn off anyone who doesn’t like mushrooms either, it’s just pleasant, earthy, hard to describe. Even the coating of my mouth and tongue seem to feel smoother after frequent sips.

There is absolutely no bitterness or astringency – thankfully. I steeped it a long time the second time (forgot about it for a second) and still no bitterness. A great quality tea that really tastes great quality.

When I think of breakfast blends, I think of waking up – with this blend, I think of relaxing and mentally stimulating at the same time.

Flavors: Mushrooms

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML
Zack S.

Hi! Just wondering if you have any of this tea available to swap? Its one of my all-time favs and I’m trying to get my hands on more of it since it has become unavailable =(

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85

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85

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85

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Profile

Bio

I have a drink obsession in general – daily lattes and coffees, and of course teas of many varieties. I mainly drink hot tea in Florida, but still enjoy the occasional southern sweet iced.

My preference is black tea, although I’m open to trial and error with others. I like the old fashioned English style tea cups, tea parties, food pair-ups, mini desserts and pies, cubes of sugar, small collection of Rose Red tea pets, you get the idea. I will always have an old fashioned tea kettle on the stove, but have recently purchased an electric tea kettle that I absolutely adore. I’m lazy by nature, so I have switched to stuffing tea bags for the loose teas to save on clean-up and disposal with other strainers.

I love smokey teas, non-bitter, not overly astringent, strong tea background mixed with flavored teas, no artificial sweetener tastes, balanced florals IF there must be a floral. I used to love spice, but it has to be done right. A former chai fan – now it reminds me of colored pencils. Cinnamon sounds good but so many teas have it artificial or odd tasting. Same goes for chocolate, some things have to be done just right to work.

Primary Tea Companies currently in 2022 – Harney and Sons, August Uncommon, Simpson & Vail, Fusion, Tea Spot, English Tea Store for odds and ends, The Tea Table

Most missed tea place and tea: Plum Brandy Cheesecake by Butiki

Very picky with anything Roobios, and Darjeeling/Oolong are hit or miss depending on the blend and my taste buds. Mint works in a mood but I’m not a big fan. Gravitate toward good name blends and fall themes when doing yet more sampler orders.

I like adding a cube of sugar to almost all teas, not usually milks. I don’t like stevia or any artificial sweetener taste. I adore honey, but to me it doesn’t suit tea unless I have a sore throat as both the tea and the honey change their flavor profile quite a bit if I mix them.

Location

Lakeland, Florida, United States

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