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Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 195 degrees, grandpa style

Dry Leaf Aroma: Surprisingly non-floral. I didn’t smell much of anything.

Brewing Aroma: Buttery and floral.

Flavor: This is a great oolong! I have found that lightly oxidized oolongs tend to be my faves. I love picking out floral notes when I know the tea has not been scented with petals. I oversteeped this, because I forgot to set a timer and got distracted, but the tea was forgiving. There wasn’t bitterness in the first cup. I added more water, and the floral was there, but there was also fairly pronounced bite. Not the tea’s fault!

Thanks to Angel @ Teavivre, who provided very generous samples. Because of that, I can try this again and steep it properly. I think this may benefit from short steeps and/or gong fu brewing. I’ll update when I try it again!

Method: Tea bag in a mug, temp was approximately 195.

Dry Leaf Aroma: Lemon cake! Yum!

Brewing Aroma: Lemon with a hint of cream

Flavor: This given to me buy a friend. I didn’t expect to like it, but I do. It tastes like lemon cake. I tried it plain, and it was good. Then I added a little rock sugar, and it was better.

I oversteeped this because I am at work doing other things, so it probably went closer to 7 minutes than 5. There’s no bitterness, so the tea is very forgiving. The flavor is pronounced, but they didn’t overdo it. I don’t mind naturally caffeine-free teas, but I’m not a fan of decaffeinated drinks, so that’s probably my only issue, and that’s minor.

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 205 degrees, 5 minutes, Forlife brew in mug steeper, Dr. Who mug (duh)

Dry Leaf Aroma: Smells like earl grey

Brewing Aroma: Bergamot and cream

Flavor: Maybe I just don’t like bergamot in tea anymore. The bergamot is certainly present, but very mild. I expected to like this MORE than regular earl greys, but I just found the bergamot to be off-putting.

I also made this as a cold brew, and liked it much better.

As a tea, a person who likes earl greys should appreciate this one. I didn’t find it to be very River Song-ish. A fandom blend for the notorious River Song should be spicy, IMO!

Method: 3 cones, 8 oz, 185 degrees, grandpa style

Dry Leaf Aroma: Black tea, a little malt

Brewing Aroma: I recognize something, but I’m not sure what it is. Dang it.

Flavor: Smooth, malty, not bitter. I will brew these properly eventually, but I purchased them to take to work specifically for this style of brewing because they are quick and convenient. I think I made a good choice!

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 185 degrees, 6 minutes, French Press

Dry Leaf & Brewing Aroma: Smells like honey. Nothing more, nothing less. LOL

Flavor: This tastes like honey. The tea is also sweet on its own, but I did add a little sweetener about half way through. It’s a pretty tea, with the cornflowers, and it also contains calendula petals, but all I can actually taste is honey. Honeys taste differently depending on the type of flowers. This reminds me most of a wildflower honey.

A small sample was given to me by a friend, and I like this tea, but I am really trying to stay away from artificial flavorings, which this contains. If you don’t care about that kind of thing, this tea is definitely tasty.

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 205 degrees, 1.5 min, Forlife brew in mug strainer

Dry Leaf Aroma: mildly earthy

Brewing Aroma: mushrooms and cinnamon

Flavor: mushrooms and dirt, with a hint of citrus so subdued, you repeatedly ask yourself if it’s really there. The mushrooms and dirt are also mild, but contrary to what you’d think, the tea is good. I’m not ready to trade in all my oolongs and profess my love for pu’erhs, but I thought this was a fun tea.

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 205 degrees, 5 minutes, French Press

Dry Leaf Aroma: Chocolate with a hint of coconut

Flavor: I get some chocolate, but no coconut. The flavor is weak at a 5 min steep. Instructions were 4-7 minutes, so it might be better at 6 or 7 min. I have enough for one cup remaining, so I’ll give that a try and update as needed.

I actually liked this better when it was cool to room temp. The flavor seemed a little more vivid. Maybe this would be good cold!

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 3 minutes, French Press

Dry & Brewing Aromas: Both smell strongly of chocolate and orange. The dry tea is beautiful, with little bits of orange and chocolate chips among the black and golden tea leaves.

Flavor: I pick up the chocolate and orange, which are lovely and very prominent. There’s a light sweetness, which I am guessing comes from the marshmallow. I drank this with no additives a few days ago, and I liked it very much. This AM, I added a little sugar and almond/coconut milk and this makes a lovely breakfast tea. Next time, I will try it with just a little sugar because I usually don’t drink tea with milk.

I’m really happy with this one and I know I’ll get more of this with my next Butiki order. Yum!

Method: 1 tbsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 5 minutes, Forlife brew in mug strainer & Dr. Who mug

Dry Leaf Aroma: Lightly Evergreen

Brewing Aroma: Same as above

Flavor: Fascinating. This was a very mild and lovely tea. It definitely doesn’t look like most teas. The buds are very pretty. This wasn’t sweet, but it didn’t need any additives. It’s really hard for me to describe. I could taste several distinctive flavors, but aside from a lightly evergreen flavor, I couldn’t tell you what the rest of them were!

I think I am going to need to try this one a few more times, paying special attention to the flavors. Maybe over time I will be able to identify more. This one is absolutely worth the effort!

Method: 1/2 tsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 5 minutes, French Press

Dry Leaf Aroma: Smells exactly like a campfire

Flavor: Luckily the flavor is more subdued. I was a little unsure if I could like a tea that smelled so strongly of a campfire. This tea definitely tastes smoky, but it’s mild enough to be pleasant. The tea was a dark amber color, and the campfire aromas wafting up from the mug were very nostalgic.

I don’t think smoky teas will ever be my faves, but I think this one has definite merits. I can see myself drinking this by the fire pit in the summer. Now I just need to buy a fire pit!