Ruby Pie

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Bunny Grahams (Vegan), Chocolate Chip, Hibiscus, Khongea Golden Tippy Assam, Organic Cinnamon Chips, Organic Natural Flavors (Vegan), Safflower
Flavors
Berry, Strawberry, Tangy, Tart, Custard, Rhubarb, Berries, Drying, Graham Cracker, Sweet
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Tea Pet
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec 13 oz / 385 ml

From Our Community

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157 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Awe yeah! So this was my “something to look forward to tea” today since the custom blend arrived yesterday from Stacy. In retrospect i probably should have just tried it last night since i made...” Read full tasting note
    84
  • “Ok, confession time! I’ve always enjoyed this tea, but it’s never been a knock me off my socks sorta tea. You know what I mean, right? But I wanted to really like it because I like Sil and...” Read full tasting note
    88
  • “My Butiki order arrived yesterday! I’ve basically been getting packages in the mail all week, and well I know you know how awesome that feels. This was one of the teas I ordered a lot of, because I...” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “Sipdown! 779. I keep craving this one, and lucky for me, based on the facts that a) it (was) stored in a plastic baggie, b) there was only one cup’s worth left in said baggie, and c) I chanced...” Read full tasting note
    85

From Butiki Teas

This tea was created by the winner of our Custom Blend Contest. In October of 2012, we held a contest to send in ideas for a custom blend. A panel of judges chose the 10 best ideas and we created a poll on our site. The concept for this tea won the most votes, so we worked with the winner, Sarah, to create her dream blend. This version has only been slightly modified from the batch of tea that she won. Ruby Pie is designed to taste similar to strawberry rhubarb pie. The pie crust notes are immediately noticeable followed by rhubarb and lingering fresh strawberry and vanilla notes. Hibiscus adds a hint of tartness to supplement the rhubarb notes but does not overwhelm the tea. Adding some sugar will intensify the strawberry and rhubarb notes while still maintaining the pie crust notes. For a short interview on the process of making this tea, please check out: http://butikiteas.blogspot.com/2013/04/custom-blend-contest-winning-tea-now.html

Ingredients: Khongea Golden Tippy Assam (Black Indian Tea), Chocolate Chip Bunny Grahams (Vegan), Organic Cinnamon Chips, Freeze-Dried Strawberries, Hibiscus, Safflower, Organic Natural Flavors (Vegan)

Recommended Brew Time: 3 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1 teaspoon of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 212 F (boiling)

About Butiki Teas View company

Company description not available.

157 Tasting Notes

84
709 tasting notes

Well this is different. I thought I had over-steeped this one today but it came out much sweeter than ever before. Initially it is like berry flavoured cotton candy (so the pink stuff, I guess) and there is a light prickle at the back of the throat that gives me the sense of rhubarb. It is interesting because it feels like a totally different experience but at the same time it is identifiable as Ruby Pie. This was a very happy accident.

Fjellrev

Intriguing, for sure. :)

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91
90 tasting notes

This is one of those teas that I don’t really crave, but it blows my mind every time I have it. I feel like I’m eating a big piece of warm, flakey pie for breakfast. Mmm, what a perfect way to start Friday!

JustJames

sigh. now i want some.

Stephanie

Ditto JustJames

JustJames

when does the whole black friday thing happen?

JustJames

omigod….. stephanie! have you looked at the picture of the blend??!!!!

Stephanie

I’ve tasted a sample this one actually… I need to order some next time! I think officially black friday is 2 weeks from today!!! :D

Alysha

I think Butiki does a pretty good black friday sale…I can’t wait…my list is huge!

Sil

james did you pick any up…if not tell me.. it’s MY blend so i can send some your way sooner rather than later… you goose.

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80
303 tasting notes

So I just took BuddyTV’s ‘Which Buffy the Vampire Slayer character are you?’ quiz, and, to my great surprise, I am Rupert Giles. I will have to somehow process this. Maybe everyone who drinks tea is automatically a Giles?

Anyway, this clearly calls for some (more) tea. This is another sample from Stacy (Happy birthday, by the way! Ha! Just kidding.) and again, I can’t remember if I asked for this or if it was one she chose for me.

Unlike all other Butiki teas I’ve tried, this doesn’t smell good dry to me – I really like the main body of it, but then this metallic note (I’m guessing it’s the hibiscus/rhubarb.) cuts through and kills everything else. Steeped, though, it smells so good – really, really good. Nothing metallic whatsoever remains in the cup.

Flavour wise, there is some hibiscus tartness, but it’s very well-balanced and goes nicely together with the base tea, which I love. There’s also a surprising amount of sweetness, which hits a perfect berry note. And finally a hint of pastry to round it off.

I love how complex this tea is. As usual, I wish for more intensity of flavour, but it’s still one of my Butiki favourites. And gah! I just realized this was the last of it!

[From my Butiki order to Santa Clara, October 2013.]
[Sample polished off in Rome, January 2014.]

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
JustJames

i am not taking the quiz… the only i would be happy being would be spike who was ALSO in torchwood =0) as a very very charming psychopath. with my luck i would wind up as the girl from band camp and i’d swear off tea in annoyance!

i loved this tea. mine came from sil! (2013…. in my mailbox)

Anna

Spike is the ultimate antihero for sure! Haha, now I dare you to take it. Spike would never back down.

And as much as I love Rome, I’m excited about eventually getting to write other place names in my little mnemonic brackets.

Butiki Teas

I got Spike.

Ana

I got Willow.
I’m ok with this.
Now I need to watch Buffy again on Netflix.

JustJames

within the quiz i would be spike…. but i am far more captain jack (torchwood) and tend more towards flagrant irreverence. =0D it’s good to want things ;0) dare away. heh heh.

TeaExplorer

Huh … according to the quiz I’m Tara Maclay. Even though I’m a 50+ year old man, that seems about right to me.

Anna

Haha, I love that. I’ll be Giles and you’ll be Tara, then.

JustJames

this is too much fun…

mpierce87

I’m Willow – which is fine with me, she was my favorite in the series. Now I must see if Buffy is on Netflix…

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66
863 tasting notes

(This is a tasting note of the original version of this blend – from a swap with Sil – thank you!)

This is a backlog from a few days ago… so I’m working on a slightly diluted memory. Mostly I remember the scent of strawberry, the taste of pastry crust, and a prickly sharp texture from the rhubarb. The taste was crust and tart strawberry.

Steeped per the recommended parameters.

I still have enough for more, plus the current reblending of this, so I’ll be trying them both out closer together for comparison sake soon.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
TheTeaFairy

Love sil’s blend :-)

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75
1792 tasting notes

Ohhh, I’m down to the last of the small portion I got with the West Coast group order, yet still haven’t written about this. Needless to say, the dry leaf smells über scrumptious.

I don’t actually get any hibiscus from this, so hibiscus haters, don’t you fret. I mostly get strawberry from this, no rhubarb, and a lingering starchy flavour. Not an obvious graham cracker but, well, starchy. There’s also a slight astringency here.

Oddly enough, the starchiness and subtle spiciness only make me want a cup of Potato Pancakes & Applesauce. Mmm.

Plunkybug

I like this one too. And agree on the hibby bit.

Sil

That’s how we wanted it to be :) you needed just a little hobby to give it the. Rhubarb tartness…otherwise it was just at strawberry pie tea

Sil

this is my tea…for the price of an address, i could send you more lol

Plunkybug

OMG, sil, you are hilarious!

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74
1353 tasting notes

This is a tea that Sil shared with me, and I must admit I’ve been scared of it because it contains hibiscus. I can’t abide hibiscus. It tastes like blood and metal and I can’t drink anything hibiscus heavy without having my face contort itself into all sorts of grimaces. I can barely even persuade it to enter my esophagus. Therefore I was sneaky and tried this the first time in the big pot to share with Husband. That way, if I don’t like it, there’s a chance he might like it and I can foist my cup off on him. And there will also be less leaf left to worry about. On the other hand if I do like it, there’s still enough leaf left for one of my small Roy Kirkhams. Win-win, yes?

It smells like hibiscus. And because hibiscus is on my DNW list, that’s all I can smell. I’m sure there are other notes in there, but try as I might, I can only smell hibiscus.

Sil, what have you done? O.o

I’m comforted by the thought that I seem to recall having seen somewhere Stacey from Butiki admitting that she doesn’t care for hibiscus either, so that would make her a person highly unlikely to drown a tea in the stuff. I feel I can trust her to use it sparingly and discreetly. (That reminds me, I never got around to working out whether Butiki falls into my Out Of Bounds category of tea shops)

Yeah, there’s definitely hibiscus in this. pulls a face Again, for me it becomes a dominant note just for the fact that it’s there, even though I can tell that it does indeed seem to have been added very cautiously to the blend.

There’s fruit in here of some sort. I can taste it, even through the hibiscus, although I’m having difficulties recognising it. It’s the hibiscus distracting me, I think. Given the name of the blend, I’ll assume that it’s probably some sort of red berry. :)

I can also, amazingly, taste the pie crust! Whenever I’ve had any blend before where people talk about tasting crust, or pancake or pastry or what have you, I’ve always wondered if they’ve been drinking the same thing as me, because it’s always eluded me. Here it is though. It’s just… you can’t see it if you’re looking for it, but out the corner of your eye it’s very much there. I know it’s there, I can tell it’s there. But it’s hiding from me all the same. And that feels exactly as peculiar as it sounds.

All in all this tea is going quite well with the last piece of coffee and walnut gateau I made last weekend (gone a bit dry, but still totally nice)

This is the first time that I’ve had a tea containing hibiscus that wasn’t an instant dislike. It has not won me over on hibiscus-y blends though. I still think there’s a metallic blood-like tinge to this cup, even if it’s not as dominating as to forcing me to toss it. This is actually completely drinkable. It’s not even unpleasant.

This blend here is ultimate proof that other companies really are way too heavy-handed with hibiscus, treating it as filler, relying on it producing 95% of the added flavour to a tea, and that there is absolutely no reason to do so. This blend proves that hibiscus can be used for good but that it should be treated with caution. It proves that if you want a good blend with hibiscus in it, let someone who doesn’t care for it make the blend.

Has anybody tried this in a cold brew? I’m thinking it might work and contemplating using the last leaf that way. Would it be worth it to make the experiment? What do the Steepsterites think?

Nxtdoor

I didn’t have enough to cold steep, I only had a sample as well. Once I order some I will do it and can tell you although I’m sure not as eloquently as others may. But I am sure someone else will beat me to it.

Sil

Well I’m sorry the hibby got to you angrboda! Stacy and I tried REALLY hard not to use any but without it, the tartness in rhubarb wasn’t coming across. But we were both SUPER cautious about adding too much. I don’t mind hibiscus but too much is never a good thing.

Chizakura

Yeah, I agree I’m not a fan of hibiscus, but since it’s not one of those ingredients for me (for me it’s ginger) I found it tasted as it intended to, happily.

When I was drinking through my pouch, I found I liked to pair it with dry fruit loops as a snack for some reason.

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68
408 tasting notes

I am upset…my enterprise decided to move outside of Paris, meaning my transport time is more than doubled…
This is my second day on the new site and I had a very bad day : problems with trains I spent 2 hours and a half to come back home tonight…so “just” spent 4 hours today in trains and buses without even doing a tour travel in Cambodia ! rrrr Paris Suburb without car…(anyway with a car you can remain 4 hours in a traffic jam…so I think I prefer train, at least I can sleep or read or laugh while hearing some silly stories from the other travelers)

3 hours /day…for a normal travel 1 hour 1/2 to go and 1 hour 1/2 to come home…too much for me, really…I already sent some candidatures hoping I’ll get soon some interviews. Oh yes really hoping to find another job soon.
Arriving home at 9 PM, while opening my mail box…awwwwww SMILE ! I get my tea swap box from Sil – thanks for being the ray of sun in my dark day !
I decided to try this one first because it was wrapped very carefully with 3 small bags to isolate it from the other samples.
This is because the perfume of dry leaf is soooo beguiling, so captivating.

After steeping, the perfume is really less present and drinking it I get a very natural strawberry taste, really very nice. and some hibiscus, for tartness but not overpowering.Rhubarb is not detectable by my tastebuds
I am just a little disappointed by the tea base, I find it very light, almost weak for my taste.

A very natural tea very different from my favorite tea collection with rhubarb & strawberry (Jardin bleu DF & Thé du Hammam Black leaf PDT)

Thanks for sharing it Sil !

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
Sil

Oh I’m so glad that you had a smile at the end of your day! Stacy and I are finalizing this blend so the official version might be slightly different but I’m glad to get your feedback on this before we finalize it!

Ysaurella

I am drinking the end of my mug cold now and actually i prefer it cold, I get a mellowness I didn’t had while hot

cteresa

good luck with a new job! And a strawberry-rhubarb tea seems like a wonderful pickup.

TheTeaFairy

Pauvre toi, C’est impensable tout ce temps perdu! I really hope you find another job quickly…

Ysaurella

thanks Mlle La fée du Thé and Teresa :) hope soooo ! and quickly !!!

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79
525 tasting notes

I got a sample of this tasty treat from Sil. Thanks for sharing!

This tea is juicy and jammy and yummy. The hibiscus provides a refreshing tartness and nothing more. Balanced and tasty. Great iced!

Lindsey

I’ve been very tempted to try this one, but hesitant to purchase because of the hibiscus. Good to know it isn’t terribly hibiscus-y!

Mercuryhime

It’s a rare example of hibiscus used well.

Sil

haha soo much back and forth on the hibiscus. To the point where i told stacy at one point not to include if she thought it would deter people from buying it…but we both eventually agreed that the amount in here seemed to work for the rhubarb aspect without turning it into one of those teas that we wouldn’t like.

Sil

also, haven’t tried this cold but i should do that :)

Sil

oh and lindsey – we can do a mini swap if you like so that you can try it before purchasing. just send me a pm/note etc..

TeaBrat

Lindsey – PM me if you want some of mine. :)

Mercuryhime

Sil, you’re spamming my inbox! :p And yes, definitely try this chilled! I think I prefer it that way. :)

Sil

mercuryhime – you know that the evil side of me wants to post one word posts in response to your comment…but i won’t grin

Mercuryhime

Remind never to get on your bad side. Haha

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85
523 tasting notes

I am sitting here waiting impatiently for this tea to cool off enough to drink (frequently tempted to risk burned tastebuds). It smells so lovely! Like strawberries mostly. Like real fresh yummy strawberries. Not like a been-sittin-in-a-teabag-for-a-year strawberry that I’ve had before, but fresh from the garden.

And finally, a taste. Flavor is not as strong as it smells, but just as fresh. I can barely detect the base tea. I’m not sure what hibiscus tastes like so I can’t comment on that. And, honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had rhubarb. So the only thing that really stands out for me is the strawberry. But thats ok! And it doesn’t have a nasty aftertaste like many other fruity flavored blacks that I’ve tried. I might just have to stock up on this one. So sad when limited editions turn out to be good!

And one more thing: This goes really good with Biscoff cookies. Yummy!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

so glad you liked it!

Shelley_Lorraine

Ooh, that’s right you’re the famous steepsterite behind this blend. It’s a good one; even most of my family likes it too. (^^)

Sil

LOL i dunno about “famous” but i did help inspire this one..stacy did all the heavy lifting ;) I really need to try the final version – stacy sent along a bit but i haven’t had time to do a taste comparison yet.

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98
4169 tasting notes

I’m happy to try some Butiki samples from my order! I’ve wanted to try this one a while! I love strawberry rhubarb pie (I’ll probably get one for Thanksgiving!) Is it odd that it tastes EXACTLY how I envisioned it?!? I made sure I got pieces of these luscious looking strawberries and cookie in the scoop for this cup!

Steep #1 // a few minutes after boiling // 3 min
The fragrance is so lovely – sweet strawberries and the flavor is the same. Definite strawberry flavor. My favorite tea strawberry flavor is from Butiki! They know how to do it! There is also a slight rhubarb flavor.. I don’t know how they do that though. Not as much “crust” flavor as I would have liked. But the base tea is perfect – pretty mild not to overpower the awesome flavor. The cup is very silky and smooth as well!

Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 min
This cup is very much the same as the first… except CINNAMON has appeared! Cinnamon basically has to be just boiled in order to taste it. I just love this tea though. The flavor is perfect, and I said, exactly as I thought ‘ruby pie’ from Butiki would taste. Got to love the natural Butiki flavors that are never short of amazing magic! And nice idea, Sil!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

YAAAAY!!! so glad you liked it :)

tea-sipper

:D Though I’m still a bit scared as to how I knew exactly how it would taste.

Crowkettle

I’m going to pick up more of this in my next order. It’s one of the few teas that my whole family actually likes :)

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