Vanilla Frosted Carrot Cake (Limited Edition)

This is really quite good. I’m sad that it’s limited edition.

I do not like carrot cake. . .“so gee, Shelley, why’d you get this tea?” Well one, because my husband like carrot cake and two, because the only thing I hate about it is that nasty cheese frosting. yuck. I hate red velvet cakes for the same reason. cheese does not belong in my dessert. It’s the weirdest paring ever. Who came up with the idea? (it must have been a pregnant woman lol), but for some reason, everyone else seems to like it. Me, always the minority :( But yay for “vanilla frosted” carrot cake.

Like other reviewers on this page, I was really disappointed by the Carrot Cake Oolong from DavidsTea… And that prompted me to try various carrot cake teas from other sellers. This is probably the 4th carrot cake tea I have tried?

This tea has a nutty, malty taste that, unsweetened, deliciously features the carrot flavor. Initially, I don’t really notice any spiciness. Once I add a bit of sugar, the spice and frosting of the carrot cake come out really nicely.

Very satisfying sipdown, woohoo! This is by FAR the best cup I’ve had of this tea, not to mention the fact that I thought I was already out of it and found one last sample buried somewhere. Yay for surprise Butiki!

I can taste the carrots!!! And the warm spices which are coming across as sweet spiced bread more than cake – probably from the base tea which is quite malty – but I don’t care. I’m not getting the vanilla frosting so much, but I added a pinch of sugar and it’s there in the background. This is nowhere near as weak and watery as I remember it being. I’m happily upping the rating from a measley 61 because yay tea!! (:

Second Butiki of the morning! I followed the recommendation again with this one, and gave 1 tsp of leaf 3 minutes in boiling water. While brewing, the scent is distinctively bready. It reminds me of an assam in some ways, although not as sweet or malty.

The bready flavour is retained quite strongly in the initial sip. There’s a cake-like aspect to it also, but it’s more reminiscent of banana loaf than traditional sponge. Flavours of walnut and cinnamon emerge in the mid sip, rounded off with a vanilla sweetness that really does make me think of frosting. The base tea is the perfect choice – it’s not too obtrusive, but I suspect that it’s responsible for the bread/cake flavour, which is such an essential and integral part of the tea as a whole.

I’ve only tried a couple of carrot cake flavoured teas before, but if I’d never tried any I’d still have said that this one is spot on. It’s as close to carrot cake as it should be possible to get in liquid form, and I particularly enjoy the progression between flavours; bread/cake, walnut, cinnamon, vanilla. Just like eating an actual slice, I suppose!

I really admire Stacy’s ability to create flavoured tea like this, and I’ll certainly miss this one when it’s gone. I’d actually like to have tried it with a cream cheese frosting flavour – if any company could pull that off, Butiki could have. Since that’s not going to happen, I’ll content myself with vanilla. Either way, it’s sheer brilliance.

Since the Nutmeg Cream wasn’t a big hit, and I didn’t really feel like something unflavored, I grabbed this out to try. I’ve had it long enough, so to speak, so I figured I’d better get to it eventually.
The dry is cute little Zhen Qu curls with chunks of carrot. I shook it slightly in the bag to mix everything up and got a puff of golden dust in thanks. Lol!
The brew definitely smells of carrot, with a faint hint of vanilla. Sipping at it I get some spice and a perfume-y taste/sensation, but I don’t get carrot cake. The perfume isn’t heavy or cloying. It’s like breathing a mellow, spicy blended potpourri, but in liquid form. (Alright, so maybe not the best description. Lol). It’s not unpleasant to drink, but it’s certainly not what I would expect from something that’s supposed to be modeled after/inspired by carrot cake.
Overall, it’s surprising that this wasn’t spot on like most of Stacy’s blends usually are. Maybe I have a skewed idea of what carrot cake should be? Dunno.
It’s still good and I’d drink it, but it’s not something I’d reach for often.

This tea has a nutty spicy dough scent that references carrot cake and that Indian carrot pudding served at weddings or at breakfast on special occassions, but is a little bit deeper and not as bright. I smell a little bit of brown sugar and a little bit of frosting.

The flavouring is subtle. I get nutty, bready and fruity elements from the base tea, mixed with brown sugar, spice, a sweet tone of carrot, and elements of icing. It is subtle at this stage but pleasant. the flavouring intensifies a bit as the tea cools. The base tea is smooth and has a deeper, lightly bitter element that balances the other flavourings.

It is a nice effort. I think I prefer a slightly spicier carrot cake, but I like how this tea has not been allowed to be dominated by either vanilla or spice elements that often happens with fall themed teas.

Thanks CrowKettle for this sample. I think it has held up pretty nicely!

TTBC2 #12

Aaah, yeah. What a beautiful tea! I don’t know what kind these curly beige-brown leaves of tea are because I was too lazy to read the description, but they look uber-cool! The steep came out orange (how appropriate) and clear, and smelling exactly like its name!

It tastes so sweet, too! I detect vanilla and carot notes. A little bit of spiciness. What a treat! I would probably prefer a bit stronger base, but perhaps that can be fixed with steeping longer? Either way, I really enjoyed it. It seems to have fixed my tummy that was kind of disturbed by David’s Tea Lapsang Souchong fiasco.

(Pssst, okay, the cute leaves are Zhen Qu!)

And here’s my carrot song for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G53DW71BlNk