Butiki Teas

I’m the first to review this? Wow. I don’t know much about champagne, but this is a great tea. Its a bit hard for me to describe though. A subtle flavor that really stays on your tongue after you’ve sipped. It is a bit flowery. Very very good. Other darjeelings I’ve tried don’t even compare. I’m not describing it well at all. Try it for yourself! :D I must say, Butiki really does their samples well, listing the temp and steep time right on the bag. Which means there is less of a chance I will steep it wrong!

Finally getting around to this sample…Not a fault of Butiki Teas, just a lack of time on my own, and far too many options!! Steeped a pot of this while waiting for homemade pizza dough to rise, was enticed by the sweet creamy smell. Had a rich smell, for a honeybush. Steeped, the liquor is a deep reddish brown and the vanilla aroma is wafting through the apartment. It continues to be a rich vanilla smell, more reminiscent of a vanilla cake than of artificial vanilla, if that makes sense.

First sips are as rich as they smell…wonderfully delicious, shockingly thick mouth-feel for a honeybush as I find it to be thinner, much like rooibos. I am really impressed with this tea. I know that everyone has a vanilla tea, but this one really stands out for me. I think I like the natural smoothness and sweetness of the honeybush base to complement the vanilla. This is a success, for me! : )

num num! Chai is my favorite! And wow this is good. A nice strong black tea with spices. I could be wrong, but it seems there is some of the other Butiki tea I’ve tried in this one – their roasted yerba mate? It tastes like it a bit anyway. I loved that one too. And I must say that the pre-steeped leaves of this looked like the most delicious tea I’ve ever seen! I’ve tried a bunch of Butiki teas and all of them have been fantastic. You really can’t go wrong with Butiki! I really am thankful I’ve been able to try these.

Wow! This is a fantastic Oolong – so much better than I anticipated. I love floral teas as it is, but, I really didn’t expect such a beautiful harmony of flowery flavors with this tea. It is so soft and beautiful. Such a delight!

Flowers! Paired with oolong, these flowers taste fantastic. And of course it smells great too. It seems like a tea from another time. I want to say Victorian, but that would make tea sound too stuffy. This seems similar to a white tea, to me.

Now this is goood! WOW. The scent and flavor is amazing. I can’t imagine it being any stronger, even with resteeping. This is very delicious. You can’t have a jasmine tea better than this, I’m sure. I really haven’t sipped a Butiki tea that isn’t very very good. They know what they are doing! You can’t go wrong with Butiki!

Sipdown, 218. This one is extra coconutty today! And creamy. I have definitely decided that rooibos is not amongst my favorites, but this is pretty tasty nonetheless. Guess I will have to figure out a different type of tisane for my evenings, although I still have a lot of other herbals to drink through first.

I had a small sample of this waaaaaaaay back when Butiki was first starting out and Stacy offered a few free samples to some Steepsters. Guess that makes me old, in Steepster terms.

But now I have a new pouch of this, which has probably changed since I last had it, thanks to Azzrian! I haven’t been the biggest fan of rooibos, in the past, but I have to say this one is pretty delicious. Coconutty and creamy, with a hint of bright fruitiness from the rooibos. Not sure how old this is, but it seems like it might have benefitted from an even longer steep, since it is a bit less flavorful than I would have expected. Nonetheless, it is still very tasty and a nice evening drink.

It took me a while to get around to sampling my last tea from Butiki; thanks again to Stacy for the samples to review! Apparently it’s a coconut tea day for me. Brewed up, this one smells very coconutty, though it’s a ‘brighter’ coconut than my earlier tea, if that makes any sense. I think it’s partly the slightly fruity, slightly nutty flavor of the rooibos, and it’s giving the tea a pretty tropical aroma. The taste confirms this aroma; the flavor of the rooibos is definitely present in this one, with a lovely coconut note. It is fairly creamy and overall the flavors meld well together. Quite a tasty tea and a great one for coconut lovers.

I love a nice black tea. This one is simple and delicious. The hearty yet not-too-strong flavor pairs well with the chocolate chip muffin I had for breakfast. (The tea was better than the muffin!) The flavor stays with you (the tea, not the muffin). Maybe I picked this one to drink today because of the Irish movie I watched yesterday…

I received this and my other samples from Butiki Teas a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had the time until now to properly sit down, steep and review them so I forced myself to put them to the side until they could be paid attention to. I’d like to thank Stacy right away for sending these teas to me – They are all exciting smelling! When I first unpacked the teas, they all smelled strongly of mint, so I separated them to avoid any contamination in smell or flavour. Since I’ve taken so long to get to them, they are all cleared up, and now the only smells I get from this dry leaf are sweet grape and oolong. Its reminiscent of David’s Tea’s Through The Grapevine in grape smell – Surprisingly strong, but you still know you are smelling a tea. The grape flavour is more of a ripe purple grape, if you can picture that.

For steeping, I used all of my two cup sample, since the beau wanted to try it alongside me. I ended up using my new glasses, so it was approximately 1 tsp tea to an 11 oz glass, but I figure that is close enough. I am terrible at water temps, so we boiled it and then let it cool for about 5 minutes. The instructions suggested a steep time of 4 minutes, so that’s what we went with for the first steep.

The leaves expanded very rapidly…they’ve taken up the better part of the pot in only a few minutes. It looks like someone threw a bunch of spinach in my tea! The liquor is a warm yellow with a hint of green, and the smell is lightly grape with a strong oolong/vegetal tea smell. I smell a sweetness as well, but definitely a vegetal odor. Goes well with the spinach association! : )

First sips provide a hint of a spicy sweet taste, reminiscent almost of a mild cinnamon sugar, with grape in there somewhere. I might be saying grape because I know it’s there.. The vegetal smell is there in taste, but it’s sort of hiding. I notice it, but it seems to move around on the tongue, so it’s never strongly vegetal. It is balanced nicely with the sweet grape flavour. The initial taste is unusual, not something I’ve encountered before. I definitely enjoy it, but it’s a little confusing.

I’ve saved the leaves for further steeps, I will try to update this post with my thoughts on further steeps as I have them later on. As the cup cools, the strange cinnamon sugar grape smell becomes stronger at the beginning of the sip. It is almost floral…but I am terrible with identifying floral flavours. We have a flowering tea that was a semi sweet/spicy flavour that is similar to this. Maybe jasmine-esque? Don’t get me wrong, the grape is still the dominant taste in this, it just isn’t like eating a bunch of grapes straight up, it’s as if they’ve been sweetened or are maybe a bit over-ripe. Really yummy, if you’re interested in sweeter teas. I’m sad that my sample is gone, but looking forward to future steeps!

EDIT: Second steep retained the depth of flavour…Really enjoyable, thoguh the grape has muted slightly, it is still there in all of it’s sweet glory. I gave this steep about 4 minutes as well.

The third steep sat for about 7 or 8 minutes and still had some of that sweet grape flavour, but had lost most of the distinctive flavours. I could probably keep going on with smaller cups, but I think I’ve pushed this to it’s lovely end. Thanks again, Butiki Teas!

I got this as a free sample in my first order.

First, let me mention that I am not normally an oolong drinker, but more of a wannabe oolong drinker. I really liked this, and the second steep was just as good. The peach is subtle, and the flavor of the tea is light and more crisp than the blacks I usually drink. I see a serious relationship developing between oolongs and me for the summer tea season….. And shockingly, I drank this one straght up…no sweetener!

This tea smells lovely, and brews up promising. The liquor is golden yellow. Upon sipping the tea, one is greeted with a very pleasing, sweet, fruity flavor. However, the aftertaste — sharp and artificial-tasting — is a deal-breaker for me. It leaves a lingering stickiness/taste in the back of my throat, and I have to use another tea to get rid of the taste.

I’m sorry Butiki Teas; I really wanted to love this but it was not to be.

This is definitely creamy and lemony smelling and tasting. Much like a lemon meringue pie! It is just like it. Very yummy! These Butiki teas are amazing. I haven’t tried one I didn’t like yet. I love rooibos and it is interesting the marigold will give it this flavor. It really is just like a lemon meringue pie! It’s great if you want a zero calorie craving buster!

This is definitely grape, all right. Make no mistake about that — the scent is strong in the bag, even before it is opened. Steeped, it produces a yellow liquor. A little bit of sweetener is needed. The oolong flavor is present, but is greatly overshadowed by the grape flavoring. This is grape not like biting into a grape, but like grape Kool-Aid or grape jelly. Not that that’s a bad thing. I have two young daughters with whom I sometimes have tea parties — this flavored tea would be perfect for a child. It would also be good iced on a hot day, or maybe even blended with a mild green or white tea. I might consider getting this just for the novelty of it.

I’d describe this as ‘light’. It’s a sweet mild lemony flavor. Maybe drink this one when you don’t want a ton of flavor, but a boost of energy from the mate. I don’t think caffiene usually fazes me, but my brain did feel a bit sharper after drinking this. I think it would make a perfect summer sip.

I enjoyed this tea. It was what I expect from a gyokuro.

Alas! This is my last sample from the lovely Butiki teas. This is one dark brew! It smells strongly of cinnamon. The flavor is quite nice. It reminds me vaguely of cinnamon and apple sauce. In a very nice, spicy way. I really enjoyed this sample and wish I had more! I drank this without milk and I think that it would make a great latte type drink.

Thanks to Butiki for sending me these amazing samples! This tea is so beautiful. I’m not a prime source on white teas, but these leaves are covered in downy, soft, white fluffs. Which is just amazing. The brew reminds me of green veggies and almost like hay. The flavor is very soft and relaxing. It’s much more vegetal than most teas that I drink. But as I’m eating watermelon with it, it stands out beautifully. I didn’t plan on this pairing of drink/food but it’s surprising how well they match flavor wise! The only reason I’m lowering the score on this one is I don’t think it would be a good everyday tea for me personally.

Stacy was so smart to send free samples to everyone….the reviews on this one got me, and made me order. Her service on a regular order is very quick, in case you are curious! I love places that make it easy to order small amounts of tea as I have a cupboard full of it…..until one of those teas makes it necessary to order a whole bunch!

I really enjoyed this one. Light on the vanilla and lemon notes wich makes the cookie, and the almond is light, but maybe slightly more intense than the cookie part. I am so glad I ordered.

I enjoyed this tea. I would agree that it had a subtle flavor. I tasted buttery notes, and a very small hint of smokiness. I would surly recommend this tea.

Interesting! I had never heard of Genmaicha before. Toasted rice! Popped corn! With a green tea? What a surprise! It has a toasty flavor. I’m learning to appreciate a nice green tea because the green tea knows how to bring out the other flavors included. The smell of the toasted rice reminds me of a certain cereal from my childhood, but I’m not sure which. And I doubt the cereal was even made of toasted rice. You can smell and taste the popcorn, and there was only a couple little pieces in my sample. I wonder what a tea would be like with mostly popcorn? And would you add butter to it? :D

I picked this tea tonight for something light and refreshing. It sure fit the bill! I want to thank Butiki teas for sending me this sample. I was at first worried about the tea because it was close to my jasmine pearls and a lot of the smell rubbed off on it. But after steeping, it really didn’t change the flavor. The taste is not really “spicy” to me as much as minty. It’s an interesting mint because it’s not necessarily in the foreground of the taste. But it’s tasty nonetheless! I’m really digging the mint and the oolong flavors together and enjoy this a lot as a combination!

I’m finally getting around to the rooibos samples from Butiki (thanks again!), and I decided to have this one tonight. I don’t have a lot of plain vanilla teas, but that’s not because I don’t like them! I think I get too swept up in trying all the more complicated blends, and I forget how nice just a simple vanilla is.

The aroma of this one is primarily vanilla (no surprise there), but there’s an underlying ‘bright’ sweetness that almost seems like a fruit note. The taste is very true to the name: it’s all vanilla creaminess, with a hint of sweetness. I get a faint, almost almond note that I think is coming from the rooibos. This is a delicious, and it makes a nice evening dessert tea.