Pistachio Ice Cream

I have been rather desperate to try some of these Butiki blends for quite some time now. They seem to be so unanimously well received and strawberry oolong in particular sounds like something that can’t fail. So when I was in a position to offer Hesper June a sample from my collection of something she was interested in trying and I had the chance to ask, I took the opportunity to ask if she might be able to spare a sample of some of that. She was!

This particular one wasn’t initially one that had made that much of a bleep on my radar. Not until I actually removed it from the box that Hesper June sent me. Then I went all ‘Ooooooooooh!’ and my eyes were like this O.O and now I’m going to try it having just been waiting for a good time to do so since, ooh, Friday.

The leaves definitely smelled like pistacio ice cream. In a sort of way in which the ice cream doesn’t smell cold, which is kind of odd. I imagine if you could freeze dry ice cream, that’s what it would smell like. Powerfully nutty too and almost marcipan-y.

After steeping it’s less of the freeze dried ice cream and more of the pistachio and almost marcipan-y notes. It reminds me of Christmas marcipan sweets, which frankly makes me wonder if I’m going into some specific Christmas mode or something! Second time today I’ve had something that I thought smelled like Christmas.

Oh, that’s very pistachio on the flavour! How intereting! There have been so many different nutty flavoured teas out there, but I’ve never had one with pistachio before and now I honestly can’t think why. It lends it’s flavour beautifully to the base, and I definitely think a green tea was the right choice for the base here.

I’m getting mostly the green base and the pistachios in the flavour, but then it’s a very smooth experience. Long and smooth and thick. I think this is supposed to be the ice cream bit, and although it’s not as sweet as actual ice cream, it does indeed invoke that sort of thought. (If it was as sweet as ice cream, I probably wouldn’t have liked it.)

I’m so glad I asked Hesper June to sample some Butiki, and I’m glad she decided to share some of this one with me. It’s lovely.

Oh my. Oh yum num num num num! So good!

The green tea and flavors of pistachio and cream meld seamlessly together … so sweet and creamy and nutty and GOOD. The green tea is sweet and barely vegetal. I taste hints of vegetation, but, they are very faint. The pistachio tastes sweet and nutty, and adds a delectable toasty note to the cup. The cream tastes … well, creamy. Smooth and rich and offers a sweet vanilla tone.

This one is awesome served hot, and just as delicious served iced. Love this one … absolutely LOVE it.

I’m FINALLY trying this one…special thanks to Liberteas for some of her stash! Woot!

My Grandfather’s FAVE two ice cream flavors were Almond Pistachio as well as Maple Walnut! This one reminds me of him. It is VERY much like Pistachio Ice Cream. It’s creamy and nutty and really quite FAB!

Darn Brilliant Flavoring here! Thanks for this blast from the past!

Thank you so much Azzrian for sharing this blend with me.

I really enjoy it, I find the green tea base very subtle without any astringency nor bitterness even if I over-steeped it a little.

This is my second Butiki teas only and I am really impressed with this brand.
The pistachio flavour is the leading role – it is clearly creamy but cannot really say I get an iced cream flavour, much more a creamy pistachio (which is perfect to me)

As my mug is cooling, the flavours become more interesting : the pistachio is more & more present and the creamy note totally invades the aftertaste. I imagine it could be a very nice iced tea as well.

I really loved it – thanks again Azzrian

Oh wow, pistachio icecream!!! YUMMY!!!!!
Thank you to Bonnie for sharing some with me!
Now this is a white tea I can enjoy. It tastes just like pistachio icecream, it’s spot on! I even get the creaminess. and nuts, I definitely get alot of nutty cream. Mmmmm.
Now, I am not the biggest fan of pistachio icecream, but I wanted so badly to try this one because all the reviews are so enticing. And you know what… this is actually perfect. Since I don’t really like the real dairy version, and I’m not supposed to have it anyhow… well, this is just as good! so no calories or dairy, and all the flavour! ha!
My only wish is that more of the white tea came through. It’s all but hidden.
So off I go to make my third infusion!
EDIT: third steep is amaaaaaaazing. So delicate and nutty!! boosting the rating a few points.
Thanks again Bonnie, you rock!!!

First Review. My Butiki Shipment came in today! Cool! This is my first experience buying from this company and I am impressed! When I ordered online I heard back from the owner, Stacy, and she asked which 2 samples of tea I would like? Really?! OK then, I picked 2 samples that looked interesting and told her that if those 2 were not ok here are 2 alternates that she could subsitute. She sent me all 4 samples and a nice thank you note. She also let me know when the items shipped and when they would arrive. Pretty great service! Both Butiki and Verdant get my vote for A+ customer service!!!

Now to the new tea!
When I saw the Pistachio Ice Cream tea on special…I could not resist. I bought one for me and one for the grandkids. My biggest glass pot is 22 oz. with a stainless mesh infuser which I filled with 1TB. tea and heated my water to 160. The steep went to 2.5 minutes. The smell is….um….so good! I took a sip and was blown away by how naturally sweet this tea is straight up! Creamy, nutty in a pistachio, vanilla, milky and almost almondy way…so interesting and good that it’s hard to pin down all the complex flavors. I think this is wonderful tea! I know that I like to say that when I find tea that I like and you’ve heard it before so this may not be the best tea I’ve ever had but it is pretty unique! Not bitter or too sweet, not overly nutty or sour, really well thought out and delicious.

This is fun tea! Good as Dessert…please add sweetening and WOW! My grandkids are going to love this tea! (no milk…it looks wierd and makes no taste difference whatsoever)

Yum! Creamy, definitely pistachio. Such interesting leaves – thin and long. Looks almost like rosemary rather than tea. More body than I’m used to finding in green tea. This could well make it into my regular rotation. Delicious.

This was another one of the samples that Bonnie kindly sent me. I was very excited to try this as I love pistachio ice cream (well, pistachio anything really). It had a more delicate flavor than I expected, but often times with green teas I’m finding it’s all about appreciating subtlety. The green tea base tastes fantastic, it’s very light and there are delicate flavors of cream and then stronger flavors of pistachio. Very good, it reminds me of Joy’s Teaspoon’s Enchanted Forest (probably because it’s the only other tea I’ve had that used nuts as flavoring). Butiki is definitely going on my list of places to buy from when I get more cash (along with Joy’s Teaspoon, PuerhShop, Den’s Tea, Fusion Tea Room and a slew of other places…).

so let me just say, it’s hot! I’m cleaning and the weather here is hot and I’m drinking hot tea all day lol. I must be insane. Nw I am not a fan of pistachio ice cream, but I am a fan of butiki teas! So when indigobloom asked if I wanted to try it I of course said “more tea?! Ok!”

This is not a tea I’d order again but I’m glad for the chance to taste it. I think I have a few friends who would really love it so I’ll be letting them know. I DO however love the smooth taste of this tea and the nutty flavor. It’s not a bad tea – just not one I’d keep regularly in my cupboard since there are so many others I love more :)

I never thought I really cared about pistachio flavored things until I had a pistachio macaron from Pierre Herme. WOW. (I also had an asparagus/hazelnut one. It was weird.) While this is not toothache-inducing sweet like those, it still very much reminds me of that macaron. And most importantly, it is readily available.

The green tea is nice and subtle. It’s there, but it doesn’t take away from the flavors. Vanilla, pistachio, cream, they are all there. I get the macaron more than ice cream but it’s also hot and I usually have a hard time with typically cold flavors in hot form. It’s still incredible though.

I already made a second steep, and once it cools I will try it iced. Then I’m going to cold steep the leaves for later, I can’t wait to try this iced, clearly!

oh snap i’m probably speaking too soon but think i found my butiki green.
the dry leaves smell super duper. and the taste is cozy nutty and a little vanilla smoothness. it’s like it’s IN the tea leaves though. ya know? just a whole new creature.
i did two steepings of course.

thanks so much Shelley_Lorraine! i have enough for a second cup and very pro packaging too!

Just as I was starting to feel sad about the lack of new Butiki blends to try BoxerMama’s parcel arrived to save the day. Thank you!

Initially, I was worried about over steeping and over leafing this flavoured green. As it turns out, however, the flavour is a mild and smooth one that I prefer being generous with. The milky and sweet body gives a strong impression of melted ice cream, while the green pistachio, backed by a perfectly matched green base, provides a gentle nuttiness. This buttery, creamy, and sweet ice cream tea is enjoyable lukewarm or iced. Butiki teas may potentially be inflating my expectations for flavoured teas.

I emptied my ziplock sample today and this will be the last tea I finish before heading back to school after my extended holiday.. I was supposed to start on the third but I stuck around for a friend’s 21st birthday. Indian Curry smorgasbord trumped syllabus collecting, unfortunately. I’m a bad student.

Hmm, this tea is pretty bland. Not sure what all the hubbub is about. I received this sample from the lovely Kittenna who also sent along a giant assortment of teas (thank you!!!). The entire package smells like a hodge podge of tea aromas. So every time I open a baggie and have a whiff before brewing, there’s no way to tell it apart from the rest. It just smells like hodge podge.

But usually once I steep the tea, the brewed tea aroma is clean and whatever the tea is supposed to smell like. But this one? The brewed tea aroma still smells like hodge podge! Which leads me to believe that maybe this little sample overwhelmed all the other aromas in the package…but then it should be quite flavorful, no? Hmm, I’m perplexed. It’s not a bad flavor per say. Just light and kind of neutral and a tad hodge podge-y like the aroma.

I’ll go for a second steep before calling the verdict though. This time I used less water and let it steep for a full 6 minutes. Hmm, there’s really no nutty pistachio flavor to speak of still. Perhaps I let the sample sit too long in my cupboard…Suffice it to say that this tea is not a winner with me. Sad. It had so much potential.

This was nice. Not as good (in my opinion) as Cantaloupe & Cream from Butiki Teas but definitely one I will enjoy until the last pot! I would re-order this as well. I did not try with sugar and or milk but I will before it is all gone. I am glad I did order it and the others I have tired have also been excellent. I like Butiki Teas as a vendor as well. As another reviewer stated Stacy of Butiki is amazing with the customer service and free samples!
She sent more than I asked for and I thought I had asked for too many!
I can’t wait to try more of her teas and I must say if you have not heard of her Cantaloupe & Cream be sure to add that to your order (its on sale right now) when you get this one!
This is creamy, nutty, and yummy!
I feel bad for those with nut allergies as it does have actual nuts in it.
It is however organic (made with organic green tea) and vegan!

So excited to try this one! I love pistachios.
Green tea is not usually my favourite, but flavoured is usually ok

This is a pretty good green tea. Slightly sweet pistachio with vanilla that tastes creamy. I don’t know if I would really call this flavour ice cream, but it is creamy. There is a slight vegetal aftertaste.

I decided to cold brew the resteep for about 8 hours. This turned out great! A little bit sweeter with a little less vegetal taste. Now I like it even more! I will certainly cold brew the resteep from now on!

Super excited about my upcoming Butiki order! Turns out that shipping to Canada is quite reasonable, after all! I need some retail therapy (lies, I just need therapy, but spending money always feels good).

Can’t say I’ve had pistachio ice cream, but I have had pistachio pudding? You know, the green stuff… that I’m totally craving now that I’m thinking about it…. hello shopping list.

I neglected to sniff the dry tea enough to write about it, and it’s way over there gestures to foot region sooooo later. Later.

Steeped, the smell is creamy and… nutmeggy? Interesting.

Sipping it, I’m getting something familiar from this, although not pistachio ice cream. Is it reminding me a touch of 52teas Cherry Cheesecake Genmaicha? Hmm. I can taste the green tea lurking in the background, tastes like sencha to me.

Uh… I’ve finished the cup, so can’t write anymore. I think this one has promise, but i think I need to use more tea or less water. Or steep it longer. It was just a bit too much on the light side.

Thanks to Azzrian for this sample, and hooking me on Butiki Teas :)

ETA: Second infusion, about 175F for a… while. And in less water. Doesn’t taste like much. I’ll have to try again as described above.

this is a pretty yummy flavored green tea from Butiki!

okay so it doesn’t taste that much like ice cream to me (it is a hot beverage after all)

I think the base of this tea is a Chinese green and I am getting some nutty flavors from that already. I did add a touch of sugar per the recommended suggestions. The pistachio flavor is slight and there is a touch of vanilla and a bit of floral type sweetness. I will need to try this again with soymilk, perhaps as a green tea latte. :)

Very tasty! The first thing I noticed was the full rich creaminess and then the vanilla. There’s also something spicy like cinnamon? Not sure. Can say I’m gettIng much pistachio but it may be the cold brewing. And I used too little leaf. I have some os this left so I can try again later! It definitely reminds me of ice cream, which Is just amazing to me. It some how has that rich yolky custard flavor. I also love that this is not a cheap sencha base like so many flavored greens are. It’s all about the quality here!

Thank you Kittenna for sending a sample of this!

This actually tastes like Pistachio Ice Cream! It’s kind of a weird sensation to be so familiar with that taste and experience it in a different way! It’s VERY good and I’ll definitely be placing an order once it’s restocked.
Thanks to Will Work For Tea for this generous sample!

This was a free sample with my Butiki order – thanks Stacy!

The dry leaf smells very caramel/cream like. Vague nutty scent. Once steeped everything smells roasted. I get a slight vegetal quality that I think is the Mao Jian. I know I’ve had Mao Jian before from Tea Vivre, so let me pull up my notes on that and see..

Yep, spinachy and sweet was how I described that tea, which is true of the base here as well. There is an additional cream undertone with some caramel in the taste. The nutty flavor is blended perfectly with the Mao Jian – so much so that really I just feel like maybe Mao Jian always had pistachio in the flavor profile – it works together that seamlessly. The mouthfeel on this is creamy and I could see how sugar would make this a true ice cream tea, but I like this fine plain.

Not bad! I am glad I got the sample size, though, since usually I just can’t do flavored greens for more than a cup or two. I’ve liked almost everything I’ve tried from Butiki, though, and this is no exception!