77
drank Mi Xian Black by Butiki Teas
709 tasting notes

After the tasty but a bit lackluster Ceylon of this morning I wanted to try something that would wow me. I have seen a lot of love for this tea so I figured it was time to give it a go. The leaves are very long, thin and twisty which made measuring some out an experience but I got there in the end.

Steeped, I get another orange cuppa with aromas of citrus and cream. That might be a mental association because of the colour, but that is what my mind gives me! The flavours are a bit of a chameleon, starting rather plain and light, leading me to think I had under steeped it. After cooling a bit though I get some creaminess and a definite natural sweetness that really appeals with some stone fruit flavours. At the end of the sip things morph back to a ‘regular’ OP sort of taste, but with each sip the flavours accumulate. This is not one to have with a snack as you lose the concentration of flavours when you eat or drink something else.

This one is a lot more interesting than some other Butiki Teas for me but at $6.35/.5 ounce (that’s only 14 grams, folks!) I definitely won’t be restocking. Wow, this is probably one of the most expensive teas I have ever drank. I wavered when ordering but hoped that it would be manna from heaven based on the reviews. Alas, not so much. I estimate I will get 4 cups from this .5 ounce, so this is about $1.50 per cup. That is a hard pill to swallow. I think I will try re-steeping later to see what I get. Rating reflects cost and value.

Bonnie

Considering the cost of beverages that have no health benefits, the cost of a small Starbucks coffee or glass of wine…this tea is a good deal. The rating system was never meant to judge cost. I know my comments will sound offensive but I don’t like tea marginalized. I live way below middle income myself, but the tea I purchase carefully is based on taste and quality…not cost per cup.

Uniquity

I don’t happen to be willing to spend my money on Starbucks coffee or wine myself. I have many teas that I infinitely prefer which cost significantly less, even from Butiki. I stand behind rating my teas with an eye to value unless something changes in the Steepster system. Thanks for your points though!

Fjellrev

Sorry this tea isn’t your thing, Uniquity. But I totally get what you’re saying about preference, and personal value too. Reminds me of my perfume collection. I have a couple ultra expensive ones that, according to my personal tastes, pale in comparison to some that only cost half as much. Works for me!

Bonnie

Exactly. I love some less expensive tea’s which probably balances the budget. This isn’t my criteria for purchasing the tea’s, it’s always based on taste and leaf.

Uniquity

Unfortunately, for me this isn’t a stellar tea at any price point. It may have got a 75 from me if it were half the price. At this price, it got a 69. Not a world of difference between the two. It just didn’t have a spark for me. If it did, I too would reorder (within reason.)

Bonnie

I’ll hop off my soap box, I wasn’t trying to pick on you…it’s one of my things…and another is when someone has eaten a food they don’t like then they drink tea and comment that the tea doesn’t taste good because of the food so they rate it low. That is a pet peeve of mine. How is that the fault of the tea? Or when someone is sick and can’t taste the tea…and they say they can’t taste it and rate it low. Arrrr! Drink your so-so tea when sick and tastebuds are gone and save the great tea for when you get well! OK…here I go being an old fart lady again. Sorry!

Ysaurella

Uniquity, it probably just means that you don’t like this tea enough anyway to be ok to pay that price. I can understand that

Fjellrev

That’s a great way to put it, Ysaurella!

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Comments

Bonnie

Considering the cost of beverages that have no health benefits, the cost of a small Starbucks coffee or glass of wine…this tea is a good deal. The rating system was never meant to judge cost. I know my comments will sound offensive but I don’t like tea marginalized. I live way below middle income myself, but the tea I purchase carefully is based on taste and quality…not cost per cup.

Uniquity

I don’t happen to be willing to spend my money on Starbucks coffee or wine myself. I have many teas that I infinitely prefer which cost significantly less, even from Butiki. I stand behind rating my teas with an eye to value unless something changes in the Steepster system. Thanks for your points though!

Fjellrev

Sorry this tea isn’t your thing, Uniquity. But I totally get what you’re saying about preference, and personal value too. Reminds me of my perfume collection. I have a couple ultra expensive ones that, according to my personal tastes, pale in comparison to some that only cost half as much. Works for me!

Bonnie

Exactly. I love some less expensive tea’s which probably balances the budget. This isn’t my criteria for purchasing the tea’s, it’s always based on taste and leaf.

Uniquity

Unfortunately, for me this isn’t a stellar tea at any price point. It may have got a 75 from me if it were half the price. At this price, it got a 69. Not a world of difference between the two. It just didn’t have a spark for me. If it did, I too would reorder (within reason.)

Bonnie

I’ll hop off my soap box, I wasn’t trying to pick on you…it’s one of my things…and another is when someone has eaten a food they don’t like then they drink tea and comment that the tea doesn’t taste good because of the food so they rate it low. That is a pet peeve of mine. How is that the fault of the tea? Or when someone is sick and can’t taste the tea…and they say they can’t taste it and rate it low. Arrrr! Drink your so-so tea when sick and tastebuds are gone and save the great tea for when you get well! OK…here I go being an old fart lady again. Sorry!

Ysaurella

Uniquity, it probably just means that you don’t like this tea enough anyway to be ok to pay that price. I can understand that

Fjellrev

That’s a great way to put it, Ysaurella!

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Profile

Bio

I’ve been drinking loose tea since 2010 and my tastes have changed a lot over those years. For the last few, I’ve been a fan of unflavoured Chinese blacks and shu puerh. I still drink other things, but that’s where I am.

I live in a rural area with my husband, cat, and soon to be firstborn. I love tea, reading, doctor who, knitting, crosswords, board games, the marvel universe, and lots of other things.

I’m not often rating teas numerically any more but I want to leave this to explain my past ratings:
I try to only log teas once or twice because I drink a lot of the same ones repeatedly. My rating is based on my perception of the tea at first tasting and is adjusted if anything notable occurs in subsequent cups. I may also factor in the price and customer service but try to note that when I can.

81 – 100: These are great teas, I love them, regularly stock them or savour them as unique treats.
71 – 80: These are solid. I drink them, I like them, I may or may not keep them on hand regularly. This is still good stuff.
61 – 70: Just okay. I can drink it, but it doesn’t stand out to me. Might be lower quality, not to my taste, or outside my comfort zone.
41 – 60: Not likely to keep drinking…hoping hubby will enjoy!
0 – 40: No thank you, please. Take it away and don’t make me finish the cup.

Location

Canada

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