Stephanie select Send Message

Bear with me guys, this will be a long tasting note!

I was lucky enough to be one of the first to try this fine new puerh offering from Butiki. Not sure I’ve ever had a blend of sheng/shu before! Also this tea is from when I was 8 years old. WOW!

I took time today to steep it gongfu style, and took notes on each steeping! Puerhs can be so subjective, really, so take my notes with a grain of salt. 1 tablespoon of tea, 4oz gaiwan.

Steep 1- Only about 15 second steep. I didn’t rinse it, this puerh is so old and precious I didn’t want to waste a drop! The wet leaves immediately smelled a tiny bit smokey, with faint damp earth, pine and cedar notes. I can tell there is some sheng in here.

Steep 2- 20 seconds. The smoke is already almost completely gone. It is richer, and almost creamy now. The shu elements are starting to emerge and take over.

Steep 3- 20 seconds. The leaves are really “opening up” now. There is a distinct pleasant woody flavor. Maybe like if tea could be made from a freshly carved branch of oak? The taste is round, and very open. Mild and gentle sweetness.

Steep 3- 1 min. This very much makes me think about the forest, but there is zero dirt or moss. It is like the essence of a tree. I’m drinking a tree! :D

Steep 4- I think the leaves are getting tired, but there is a wonderful energy about this tea and I don’t want it to quit. I think after this steep I’ll leave them in some boiling water for several minutes and walk away and see if anything happens, haha…

Anyway, to sum up- This is wonderfully woody! Not a single off flavor or dirty vibe. Very sweet and good! I’d consider purchasing more for special occasions.

In case you didn’t see my note in the “what did you get in the mail today thread” this tea was the BEST surprise! Stacy liked my idea from the custom blend contest so much that she made it even though it didn’t win! I got an ounce of it in the mail yesterday and I had no idea it was coming <3

So, clearly I’m the happiest Tea Nerd in the world :)

And it just turned out perfect! The creamy earthy guayusa pairs perfectly the the fruity natural blackberry flavor and hint of tart lime. It is wonderful straight but I also really like it with just a touch of sugar. It really boosts the sweet blackberry flavor. I have only drank it hot so far, but it seems to be even tastier as it cools, so I’m excited to try it iced soon.

This will be for sale on Butikiteas.com later this week! I can’t wait to hear what everyone else things about it! :D

Thanks again, Stacy!

Thanks to Single Origin teas who provided a sample for review!

This is a nice green oolong! A little nuttier than I am used to. I am enjoying the nutty flavor but I tend to prefer brighter greener oolongs, I think. Ones with a tangy note. This one has a gentle floral element that I like though!

This one is nice and pretty sweet though! I steeped it western style.

It has been way too long since I drank my first and favorite sheng. SO GOOD! I need to drink this more often. I also need to order another cake before they are gone! Guess I need to work on another Mandala order soon :)

Crazy day at work…oversteeped this and it is super astringent now but I still LOVE IT! YUM! hahaha :)

Extremely simple yet very satisfying :)

Thanks again Jennkay

WOWIE! This is good shu! Thank you boychik! I can’t believe how many amazing teas you sent me.

This shu is great. So smooth and creamy. I haven’t the words to describe it, but it is very enjoyable. Not very earthy and definitely not a trace of “dirty” flavor here. Very balanced.

More shu for my belleh! Thanks boychik!!!

This one is REALLY GOOD! Super smooth, and smells just like basmati rice, which I love. Then I got to read about how both are scented with pandan leaves and geek out about it. Fun tea all around! :D

Another awesome puerh from boychik! I’m so grateful to have had all these really excellent samples to try :)

My guts are still recovering from my crazy weekend so shu is in order again today. This one started out very earthy/woodsy. Later steeps became a lot sweeter and almost fruity with some earthiness left over in the background. I love experiencing how these develop into different flavors as they go.

Also I know lots of people on Steepster have been saying that shu really helps with belly issues, but yesterday was the first time I’d experienced it first hand! I’ve been drinking shu for a while but generally my tummy is pretty tough so I’ve never tried to use it sort of medicinally like that. It really seems to help though! No more rumbly guts :)

Thanks so much Amanda Wilson for sending me a very generous sample of this tea!

I had an AMAZING day yesterday you guys! HUGE all day outdoor art fair with incredibly beautiful weather, and then a gallery opening in the evening. The theme of the gallery show was a movie mashup- The Big Lebowski in Little China, LOL. Anyway both went great, and my Lebowski piece sold within an hour of the opening starting and I’ve already taken two reprint orders! WOO!

ANYWAY, yesterday was long and good but I reached for this tea because I may have had a little TOO much fun at the gallery opening (it was at a bar/cafe) so I reached for this one assuming the cute little compressed heart was some kind of puerh…

I’m not totally sure it is! It sure tastes more like a black tea to me. Nice and dark and malty. Also I think the rose adds a nice subtle sweetness but is not too overpowering. Very nice tea. I will enjoy drinking the rest of this sample packet for sure, whatever it is :)