Butiki Teas

I’m trying to drink more white tea. I’m not a huge white tea fan, I tend more towards bold & beautiful blacks, but I have a pretty good selection of whites here, & in my efforts to start sipping down some things, I’ve decided I need to drink from each of my white teas this week. So one white tea per day is what I’m going for!

This is a pleasant, though un-exciting tea. There is a bit of a ‘cream of wheat with a little vanilla soymilk on it’ taste, & a hint of lime.

At 9am the city water guys came to the door to tell me they’d be turning my water off at 9:45 for 2 – 3 hours, so I jumped in the shower & got cleaned up. Then I realized I needed to hoard some water for my tea!! I filled every available jar, pitcher, measuring cup, etc. I also quickly washed the dished that were basking in the sink. And I filled a couple of buckets in the bathroom so the toilet could be flushed.

I haven’t really drank much tea so far today, as my guts are still a little out of sink from being sick. I tried Tazo’s Wild Sweet Orange, but it quickly became clear that THAT wasn’t going to work out (way too acidic, I don’t even like it on a good day). Down the drain.
I liquidated 2 apples in my vitamix…that was good.
I liquidated a carrot in my vitamix…also good.
I ate 1/2 an avocado & took a few sips of cultured kraut juice to get some healthy bacteria into my guts.
I think I deserve some tea now.
This tea is mild, which is not necessarily what I want, but it is what I need. There is a very small hint of maltiness & roses, & a citrus brightness as well.
They never did turn off the water…so far…

I’m not a huge fan of white teas.
They’re boring.
I have to be in a really zen mind-frame, with time to really sit and breath & open to the subtle qualities that white teas offer.
I’m not really in that mind-frame right now.
I should probably set up an electric kettle in my bedroom (on the 3rd floor), then in the morning after I do my free-style taichi/yoga/quigong, I can drink a cup of white tea while I’m writing in my journal.
Yeah, I’m thinking that’s the time to do it. I’ll be all zen-like, really in my most mindful state of the day (although I try to maintain this practice all the time, like all others who don’t live in a monastery, I get caught up in life).
Fully oxygenated from all that deep breathing, all my chakras wide open and spinning, Reiki flowing…
I think maybe then I will truly appreciate the beauty, the grace, & the intricacies of plain white tea.

I decided to try this tea because it looks awesome! The leaves are huge, and they remind me of the oak leaves in my yard. It is a tea that looks like fall. I got a hint of vanilla & rose.

I’m jaded by Yunnans, I drink so many of them. I love them.
I’m sampling Keemuns now, because a girl needs variety in her life, right?
I’m enjoying them, but still learning…as always…

I got a crazy order from Stacy yesterday, wonderfully packaged, by the way, with her amazing Tetris skills ;)
One word of advice, Stacy, the Watermelon Xylo needs in be encased in a ziploc! Everything smells like it!

So, this tea initially smelled like Watermelon xylo as well, and this is a free sample from Stacy, who is awesome & wonderful, & the Queen of Teas! Thanks Stacy!

I poured it in the cup to let it air out a bit, and it smells mildly of chocolate & malt, and maybe a little sweet. After steeping, it initially had a bitterness, but that quickly dissipated. I didn’t find it to be strong, but substantial, warming, & pleasant. It’s a mildly sweet cup with fruity & malty undertones, and as it cooled the last couple of sips had a floral quality, a hint of rose!

A very enjoyable cup, and a nice start to my tea drinking day!

Continuing my quest for relaxing teas, this will be my last tea of the evening.
It is also the last cup of this in my cupboard: another sip down :)
This really is a flavorful cup, bright with the taste of fresh mango, a little spice. I’m not a huge fan of rooibos, it tends to remind me of tobacco for some reason, but here it gives a caramelized flavor as a backdrop. I sweetened my cup with Stevia, & it is perfect for tonight.

My order from Butiki came! Yeah!
So, I’m getting ready to rush out the door to go play a gig at the St. Louis History Museum from 5:30 – 9:00. Then I’ll have 2 (much needed) days off from playing.

I’m not a big fan of flavored teas, but Nik gave this such a rave review, and I was placing an order anyway, so I figured, “Why not?”.
I’ve never actually had a real Mango Lassi, but it is quite tasty, & I’m definitely getting the Mango flavor (yum), & this was a good tea to try this afternoon, as I’m pretty wired from caffeine consumption at this point, & this is a rooibos blend.

This was a sample — thanks Stacy!

I really enjoyed this one, moreso than I thought I would. Light, crisp, and refreshing. I tasted fresh green beans with a smooth creaminess, and at the suggested 3 mins not a hint of astringency.

I don’t think I’d drink this on a regular basis; it’s not an overly exciting tea (other than the lovely, fuzzy, and obviously carefully crafted leaves!), but it is simple and satisfying. Really pure and fresh tasting.

I think I’m finally ready to explore unflavoured teas a little more, and this was a nice place to start.

I’m loving this tea. I feel like the Organic Huangshan Mao Feng and the eggnog flavor work really well together. They work with each other and neither really overshadows the other. Originally, I had designed this blend to have rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and was going to add a lot to it but after trying just the base and our flavoring mixture it seemed perfect and I didn’t want to change anything. This tea might not look so fancy but to me it’s perfect. From sip to sip, I get slightly different tastes. The vegetal notes are still present but the buttery quality of the tea really adds to eggnog. The eggnog is sweet and tastes of heavy cream with an eggy quality. Some sips, I almost get a cake batter flavor. When I add a little brown crystal sugar, the tea is really creamy, rich, and very much like eggnog. Some vanilla notes become a little more pronounced and so do the egg notes and it really is so delicious that I must get every drop out of the cup. One guilty admission, I added safflower because I thought the red safflower with the green tea leaves was a little more Christmas-y.

This is so amazing! It’s like a 2nd flush Darjeeling meets a Yunnan black. Out of all the black teas I’ve been drinking in the morning, this needed absolutely nothing added to it.

I taste nuttiness, honey, chocolate, and just a nice touch of floral notes to it. Maybe a bit of caramel too! The caramel especially comes out now that the remaining tea has cooled a lot.

It’s a very mild tea, I found myself sipping it very easily, without even thinking about the taste, other than about how good it tastes!

I’d definitely get more of this in the future, I really wanted to take advantage of Butiki’s sale yesterday but I couldn’t justify it, and I tried to get my mom to buy even $15 of it and she just tells me she doesn’t like tea (and 10 minutes later she liked the chocolate tea I had last night when I gave her the mug to try it). Oh well. I’ll have money one day.

Trying this sample from the Awesome STACY at Butiki Teas and man this is great!! I think it would also be great cold :D definitely another winner :D

yay! Thank you so much for sharing, Azzrian! A combination of my two favorite drinks! I had been hoping to get some back when Stacy mentioned it on the boards because I was seriously at the time at a place with a peach IPA on draft.

This being based on a lambic is interesting. I have only had a raspberry one, and they are way too sweet for me. This tea is not too sweet, but it is pretty peachy! I think Georgia would give it a seal of approval just based on that.

I am liking it better now that the cup is cold. I don’t even know what I got distracted doing, probably something with the bird given the feather stuck to the bottle of Chai Cola still on the table. I can taste the hops more now, which definitely makes it taste a bit more like an IPA. I looooove hops. And I imagine the base tea makes it all the better.

I’m going to have to try the guranse on its own at some point definitely.

This makes me especially excited for when I have the money for a custom blend, because I want it to be based on tripel beers I could so go for their flavor without their insane alcohol by volume numbers, as I learned the hard way on Saturday.

Thank you again Azzrian!

I’ve reviewed this previously and am having it again tonight. So delicious. Every time I have it, I like it better and better!

Nice balance of flavors, very subtle on the spice-mildly cinnamony. I used 3 gm/8 oz water and steeped for a little longer than recommended, just under 3 minutes to bring out the flavor more. This produced a smooth, creamy cup without any bitterness. I enjoyed this selection as a delicate dessert type tea. I’m still seeking a pumpkin spice that is a little more bold for when I am in the mood for something more Chai-like. I may get some more of the Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake from 52 Teas and try reducing the temp and steep time-the spicing was perfect, but it got a little bitter for my taste. I think it’s worth another try (oops, just realized it’s sold out. If anyone knows of something else like it, please let me know.)

Recovering from minor surgery and what showed up at my door?! My latest package from Stacy at Butiki. I placed my order 10/30 and am so impressed with how quickly it came, considering the hurricane and all. This is a very intriguing tea-it tastes nothing like any tea or pu-erh I have ever had. It certainly reminds me of coffee in some ways, but I can’t stand black coffee, yet this is not bad straight, and that’s from someone who always sweetens my tea to bring out the flavor. I wish I had the poetic and tasting skills that some of our reviewers have on Steepster, so that I could do it justice. I can’t wait to hear what some of them have to say. My guess is that some folks will love it and others, not so much. It is in your face bold for a tea, that’s for sure. Try it straight first. Then, if you’re not sold, add some milk and/or sweetener. I made lattes with the 2nd and 3rd steeps using an oz of frothed 1/2 and 1/2 and that was my favorite way to drink it. It is strong enough to stand up very well to milk or cream. Would I order it again? Yes, I would, to see how the coffee drinkers in the family like it, and to make lattes for myself. Thanks Stacy!

Mmmm, having a cup right now. Recently, I have been on this kick looking for probiotics and fermented foods. I have a few food intolerances (sorbitol & fructose and maybe a few others too that I haven’t been tested for yet) and have been reading about adding good bacteria to help get rid of those intolerances. I plan on doing a fast at some point as well. I took this puerh course that talked about all the positive bacteria in puerh and showed us what it looked like and the breakdown of the bacteria. A study done in China had claimed that these bacteria could survive the hot water and stomach acid. Whether this is true or not, I’ll take any good bacteria I can get.

The smell of this tea is a strong sweet chestnut. There is also something almost sour in the aroma of the tea. When I sip it the first thing I notice is roasted chestnuts. I’m also getting some sour dough, tabaco, and toasted rice notes. The taste remains long after the sip and becomes drying though in a different way than most teas that are astringent and almost sticks to your mouth. This tea is different than any other tea I have tried but its so delicious. It reminds me a little bit of coffee, though I am certainly no expert on coffee, but it is much gentler.

I was very excited when I first tasted this puerh. I had never seen a Japanese puerh before. After a bit of research, I found out that this is a relatively new type of tea. There are other Japanese fermented teas but I have not been able to find anything that is made in a similar way.

Today was not a very good day. I’m very physically and mentally exhausted and the weather has been so cold and dreary. My arthritis has been acting up and I think driving today seeing the damage in my neighborhood has dragged my mood down a bit. Tonight I went to a viewing of an old best friend. It was very tough. Even though I hadn’t seen him in 10 years, I feel like a chapter of my life has closed and I feel like I had missed out by not reconnecting.

I just needed something to cheer me up and help wake me up so I can catch up on some work. This is definitely my cheer me up guayusa. The smell and the taste of the lemon, creaminess, and earthiness make me smile and the caffeine is helping me make it through this long day and get some work in. Think its time for another cup of Helena’s guayusa.

I love coconut anything, so I this definitely made it into my first order with Stacy.

Dry, it smells very coconutty. There’s a generous amount of coconut pieces in the tea. And I’m a big fan of rooibos so this should be awesome. Brewed, it smells almost caramelly? I drank it with some sugar and soy milk because, well, that’s the way I felt like having tea tonight.

I’m not actually getting the amount of coconut flavour that I would expect from the dry scent. It’s there, but far in the background. Not much creaminess either. Actually, it tastes and feels “watery” if that makes any sense. I put the recommended amount of tea in my steeper. Maybe I have to put more? Or steep it a bit longer? It’s still a pleasant tea, but not quite what I had in mind.

I’m not going to rate this until I give it another chance.

I have been saving this tea that Bonnie sent to me because it is so cool looking that I couldn’t just drink it any old time. I wanted to wind down tonight after doing some more organizing, going grocery shopping, and working a bit at early voting. I am so intrigued by the shape and by the fact that this is a GREEN Ceylon!

There were three rods in the sample and the instructions said to use one or two. I decided to go with one this time and that way I will have two left for a stronger pot if I want it stronger or I can choose to make it with one again and have it twice more.

The package was labeled to steep it for one to two minutes but I see on here that most people are steeping it for three minutes. That almost made me decide to hold my review, but as I read the others I realized that I got pretty much the same impressions, so here goes!

I used my tiny glass pot so I could watch the rod unfurl. I did not fill the pot all the way since I only used one rod, but used only about four ounces of water at a time. The first steep was almost clear and very light in both color and flavor. This reminded me of a white tea, or perhaps Snow Dragon.
Little air bubbles escaped from the rod as it began very slowly to unfurl.

The second steep tasted creamy and very fresh, again the snow melt flavor is there but also light artichoke. Steeps three through six I combined in a pot and sat down with hubby to drink tea and eat Bissingers Chocolates. As my cup sat and cooled, it apparently grew some muscles because one sip went POW! There was a sudden burst of flavor, and immediately the tea went back to being its demure self.

Hubby drank several cups, refilling it himself with no prompting from me. This is becoming a regular thing, as he has grown accustomed to our green and oolong teas sans sugar and milk, and I am delighted!

Thank you, Bonnie, for another special tea treat! Next time I will try two rods for three minutes and see how it changes!

When I placed my order with Butiki, I was invited to pick some samples and was intrigued by this one, as I have not previously had rose-flavored tea. I confess I’m at a disadvantage when describing this tea because I have no idea what violet or calendula taste or smell like, but the rose has a strong presence both in flavor and scent(not overpowering though)and the jasmine is in the background. I prepared it as instructed and had my husband try it first before I added my usual sweetener. Once in awhile I am very much in the mood for a floral tea, and today is one of those days. This is delicate but flavorful, and the floral notes held up to three steepings to my surprise. As usual, I prefer it lightly sweetened, no surprise there, but it is nice unsweetened too. My husband prefers unsweetened tea and he enjoyed it too. So this is a win win for both of us.

I was feeling generous, so when my husband asked what I was drinking, I told him I was preparing Maple Pecan Oolong from a sample and then ended up splitting it with him. He likes his tea unsweetened and told me I should write that this began with a delightful oolong flavor, followed by a burst of maple pecan, with a clean finish. (Sounds like a wine review, but he’s in that business!)I like to sweeten tea, but Stacy is right, it doesn’t take much with this one. I picked up on mostly a natural fresh maple syrup flavor, which since I like maple alot, made this a very enjoyable evening dessert tea. My husband and I both liked it.

I am really liking this! Dominant flavor I pick up on besides the tea is almond. It reminds me of these almond crescent cookies I used to make along time ago when I could eat dozens of home made cookies at a time and not gain weight. I no longer make those cookies, because I can never control myself with good cookies right out of the oven. I lightly sweetened as recommended and brewed it for 4 minutes-didn’t pick up any astringency. A most delicious tea and highly recommended.

My second Butiki for the day. It is a “Ten” weather wise here in Atlanta, and I think I need to move outside for tea tasting this afternoon-perfect tea drinking weather, but then again, there is never a bad day to drink tea. Others have described this excellent Assam very accurately. I am grateful this sample came in my box from Stacy, but I regret not having more because it is a winner. I would say that this is a rich tea that does not have the astringency that I have experienced with the Indian Assams I’ve tried, but I must admit, I haven’t had a lot of Indian ones. I agree with Azzrian, this in not your mother’s Lipton. Until I tried some black teas recommended on Steepster, I didn’t even know I liked black teas because my mom always got Lipton tea bags and it never did much for me. Lately, I’ve been favoring black teas over almost anything else. My first impression is that it is a really good Assam and I plan to put it on my next order. Now, on to Butiki #3-which one will it be…hmmm…

Soooo…last night I bought myself a BIG early birthday present….and it isn’t even tea related! http://www.scrangie.com/2012/10/official-announcement-for-opis-holiday.html All of them. Every single one. I had forgotten how much I love James Bond movies. I think I got through around 1/3 of the older ones once but sadly Netflix Instant is horribly lacking. Out of the new ones I’ve only seen Casino Royale, aka how I found my girl crush. I CAN’T WAIT FOR THEM TO GET HERE.

I actually completely forgot I made this tea and started writing the progress report for my group. And it sucks. So I feel bad but whatever but the entire thing has just been an entire whatever. Thankfully this tea doesn’t really care if you let it cool off because it is still tasty.

This brews up really light but the flavor is so good. It’s a very strong lychee flavor, and I can’t taste any oolong because I feel its floral notes got bumped right into the lychee! I’m going to give it another steep while I try to clean up my place a bit…hopefully find a place to put all these teas!