THANK YOU STACY FROM BUTIKI FOR THIS PRE-RELEASE SAMPLE!
So I got this as a free sample from Butiki in my recent order…a handwritten note from Stacy said:
«brand new Watermelon Xylophone which has not yet hit our website!»
How cool is that???
Made me feel so special! I asked her if she would want me to add it in order to review it or wait for it’s official release. She graciously provided the ingredients so I can do a proper review.
The tea is pretty, what isn’t pretty about silver needles? Also, blended in are some cute pinkish purple Globe Amaranth petals. Now I had to google that! Call me ignorant, but I had no clue what they were;
«an all-time flower-gardening favorite. It seems to have it all — it thrives in hot conditions, it blooms nearly nonstop, the interesting pom-pom flowers are great for cutting and drying, and it attracts butterflies. Plant globe amaranth and then step back to watch it thrive and add continual beauty until frost.». Well I need to get me some of those!
She had also written on the note some thoughtful recommendation for brewing instructions: « we highly recommend adding sugar to that tea or waiting until the tea has cooled down significantly»
Hummm… I rarely add any sugar to anything. And not trying the tea while it’s hot? Ask a girl NOT to do something and what will she do?…
…I had it hot, with no sugar… Common, I didn’t intend to have it all this way, just have a sip out of curiosity!
It was very delicate, as a good silver needle. But not much flavoring going on, I could barely detect any watermelon. A slight flowery taste emerging, but that’s about it.
Conclusion: got to listen to the maker and add sugar. I added about 1/2 tsp of pure coconut sugar and I let it cool down for a while. The taste: she knew what she was talking about… Watermelon? Oh yeah! Just like magic, the sugar brought that flavor out, all of a sudden, it’s juicy and luscious. Not in a bold in your face kind of way, but as a real watermelon squeezed juice, as if you just did that, squeezed a large wedge of watermelon over a fresh cup of silver needle. There’s also that flowery taste that lingers in your mouth…Feels like a summer reminder, already taking a step back and inviting autumn to take over…
I’m in love with Butiki, I feel as if I never had «real» flavored teas before!
Now why is it called Watermelon Xylophone? I know it’s most probably far from the truth, but here’s my interpretation: first, the needles do remind me of the long keys of a xylophone. And just like a xylophone, the taste escalates and explodes in a beautiful ascent!
I feel so honored I got to try this!
