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Yay!!! My (very large) Butiki order arrived today!!! Thank you so much to Stacy for providing that awesome Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal that made me pull the trigger on this long awaited purchase. Luckily, I got home before the fiancé. So there was time to hide the new arrivals among my stash. Hehehe.

I really do have too much tea. There’s no room for this giant box!! What to do??! I ended up having to get out the step ladder to reach the highest cupboard in the kitchen. LOL! Well, there’s virtually no chance he’ll find it now. I’m going to dispose of the invoice though, just in case he goes snooping. ;) I’m so bad, but I can’t help myself! It’s tea time! EEEEEEEEEHHH!!!!

I don’t know what to start with first! Maple Pecan Oolong, Pumpkin Crème Brulée, Pistachio Ice Cream. Oh MAN!! Well, Cantaloupe and Cream finally won out the honor of first steeped tea, which you’ve obviously already realized since that’s where this review is logged. So much for suspense. :P

I carefully opened the little package and peered in. Y’all weren’t kidding. These leaves are pretty! Giant clusters of yellow Helichrysum blossoms lay amongst huge whole bai mu dan leaves. I kind of felt bad dunking the flowers in the hot water, watching them shrink up. Poor little things. Ooh, I can’t wait to try this tea! The dry leaf is heavily aromatic with cantaloupe. I swear it smells just like cutting into a big juicy melon!

I followed the suggested steeping parameters by Butiki, even though they’re a little longer than I would normally do a first infusion for a white tea. I also didn’t precisely measure the leaf ‘cause I was afraid of crushing it. So, I just eyeballed it. It’s probably a little more than recommended, but I like strong tea. Ooh, I can hear it beeping! That means it’s done steeping, and I finally get to try it!

Wow!!! The aroma coming off this cup is juicy! This is insane, and I haven’t even had a sip yet! OMG! This tastes just as good if not better than it smells! Holy Butiki! No wonder this won an award! My life is forever changed. Super sweet, super mouthwatering, super delicious! Juicy really is the best word to describe this tea. It’s like drinking sweet warm juice dripping from a melon that’s been left out in the sun. Ohhhhh mmmmmyyy gggggoosshhhhh!!!!!!

Cream? Yes, there’s definitely a creamy element to this tea. And as it cools more, the lovely bai mu dan flavor comes out strong, especially in the aftertaste. There is absolutely nothing about this tea I would change, except I’d probably give it first place instead of third in that tea championship. ;)

Second steep for 4 minutes is just as flavorful as the first. Perhaps the bai mu dan comes through a little more. But that’s the only noticeable difference. Sooo yummy!! The third steep was for 5 minutes. The added flavorings were definitely quieter in this infusion, but it was still a delicious cup of tea. Can I drink this forever? ‘Cause I seriously want to.