The Killer’s Vanilla

Azzrian Thanks for this!
This smells like Snow Peas, Mint, Vanilla, and Lavender.
Not only is this a good quality Guayusa it’s a good flavored Guayusa!

My first sip I could taste the Guayusa and mint with the Lavender. The 2nd sip – I could taste the Vanilla and Mint. The 3rd sip I could pick up that creamy texture because of the vanilla along with the taste of Lavender and Mint.

This does a waltz in your mouth! It’s really quite awesome!

Another guayasa sample from Stacy!

The primary aroma I’m getting from this cup is minty, which would normally not be something I’d enjoy…. but there’s vanilla too (obviously)! And I like vanilla mint!

As suggested on my little sample bag, I added sweetener (again without tasting the tea first, I’m terrible this morning!)

Wow! This is probably the best flavoured guayasa I’ve tried yet! It’s minty, but the vanilla (and possibly lavender) disguises any of the ick aspects I usually find with peppermint in teas. Granted, it is also sweetened, and that probably helps too, but I’m really enjoying the flavouring here! So this is another tea that at the very least, I’d like to do some more experimenting with. Primarily trying it without sweetener (or with a smaller, controlled amount, if I decide something like that would be allowable).

Thanks for another awesome sample, Stacy!

ETA: Nom nom, this re-steeps pretty well! I don’t think I’ll go for a third, but definitely worth a second! I hate that I’m adding both this one and Good Morning Sunshine to my “must purchase” list (although perhaps I’ll force myself to finish off Apricot Guayasa, which was not my fave, first).

Sharing some of this with TeaEqualsBliss since she LOVES mint!
Just got this in today and I sure needed the kick start!
Really delicious with a nice level of vanilla and that kick of mint.
I had forgotten this one had the mint in it – I know exactly what times I want to enjoy this one!
Another win from Stacy! What else would one expect? :)

This was my 1:30 in the morning tea because despite napping all afternoon, I was ready to sleep by the time the Grand Prix rolled around….only one more early race! Grumble grumble it’s in India so it’s at 5:30am in this horrible time limbo. Do you wake up for it? Do you sleep a bit before it and a bit after? Do you have no sense of time zones and become surprised to realize India could be so far from South Korea? Or are they being mean now because all the Brits have had to wake up for 5:30am for the past couple? Questions. (Seoul is 3 1/2 hours ahead of New Delhi so they’re not just being mean to Americans it turns out.)

I find guayusa and mate are the only teas that actually make me feel awake. It doesn’t last long, but a couple hours was all I needed to watch my favorite driver take the championship back, yeeeeees. RED BULL STYLE.

I didn’t realize this tea had lavender in it, so I’d been carrying it around in my travel kit quite fearful of it. If you’re like me and don’t like lavender, but love vanilla, there’s no need to be afraid. It’s a background note and it is not soapy whatsoever.

This is first and foremost vanilla, and it is very smooth and creamy. I feel like this could be an ice cream flavor from a local company because the flavors match like something I expect from them. Surprises lurking in the background, but sweet vanilla all the way.

I didn’t even feel like I was drinking guayusa, it was like drinking some kind of vanilla bean concoction. I didn’t even drink it sweetened so I’m going to have to try that next.

Thank you to Azzrian for sending me some of this tisane. I’ve already had two black teas this morning, so I don’t really need the buzz that Guayusa delivers, but, I randomly selected a tea from Azzrian’s box, and this is what I grabbed, so I’m going with it.

This smells really kind of odd, but, in a very alluring kind of way. It is such a weird smell, but, somehow it is enticing me to sip it. It doesn’t exactly smell like vanilla or lavender or mint … but there are elements of each of these ingredients in the aroma, as well as an earthy/vegetative overtone … like the smell you might experience if you were gardening in the spring, and then somehow a light breeze came over the garden that held notes of vanilla in the air.

But it tastes really good. I am in agreement with TeaEqualsBliss about this one, the flavors sort of jump around. In one sip, I’ll notice the vanilla as the strongest note, and then in the next, the earthy notes of the guayusa and the mint really emerge, and then the next, I notice lavender. It’s like the flavors in here juggle around, and you never know which flavor you’re going to notice next.

I like this a lot. No surprise there, really, since it’s from Butiki Teas!

I’m trying to branch out to more guayusas so I had to splurge on Butiki Tea’s guayusa pack. This was one I would have tried regardless.

Love the packed-vanilla-punch! But even if there’s a loaded vanilla punch I still taste other flavors, namely mint. It’s almost calming too. I didn’t check out the flavors before reviewing because I didn’t want any suggestions or hints, but maybe there’s lavender in there or something like lavender?

This is really good…although I’m not sure calming is what I need at 9:30 am! Time to try the Good Morning Sunshine variety! :)

This is awesome! It’s my second favourite morning tea :D

A new guayusa blend? Yes please! IMO, we need more guayusa blends, it’s quickly becoming my favorite type of tea for it being earthy, creamy and amazing! (and loads of caffeine)

I got lots to do today, so I figure I need to get a caffeine hit of awesome! I have to make curry (yum!), work on some jiu jitsu blogging and get my weight lifting done.

DRY: Slightly creamy smell with a kick to it – lavender and mint? Very interesting smell that was hard to piece together.

STEEPED: Steeps up a dark earthy brown. Smells again like lavender.

TASTE: Smooth, calming – creamyness and vanilla, earthy, a gentle kick of lavender with an aftertaste of mint.

Sweetened with rock sugar KV changes to a stronger creamy and vanilla tea with lavender and mint gently relaxing together in the background. Personally, sweetened is the way to go with this tea.

WHO’D LOVE THIS TEA: Those peeps who drink “calming” teas, but in need of a wakeup caffeine hit.

COMMENTS: Slightly addictive tea. I just kept sipping away experiencing the rocking out of lavender and vanilla.

A similar flavored tea would be DavidsTea’s “Jessie’s Tea” – which has rooibos, coconut and much more lavender. KV’s is much more full bodied with the earthy guayusa, smoother and more creamy. The lavender and mint dance perfectly together.

Overall, best use of lavender in a tea I’ve tried so far. Now I’m all feeling mellow yet alert and sloshy full. Man, I love guayusa!

KV, I think, would be a great tea to have before an exam – keep you calm but energy sparked awake!

Sipdown!

Thanks to the lovely kittenna for a sample of this one. I was pretty sure this wouldn’t be my favourite as I’m starting to realise i’m not overly a fan of guayusa. I don’t hate it but it’s just not a base i can REALLY get behind. When i steep this one, I actually taste more mint than anything while the after sip is where the vanilla is hiding. However, in between the two is the weird earthy/grassiness of the tea that makes my face scrunch up a little.

If you like this tea base and enjoy vanilla, this is likely a great tea for you. The lavender is just a hint in the tea, so floral haters need not fear (i despise floral teas). I really appreciate the chance to give this one a whirl! Thanks Kittenna

Yayy my first order from Butiki came! So excited to try it. Wonderful customer service thus far, and quick shipping. I went for this one first since I am super exhausted tonight. Is it seriously only Wednesday? Sigh. Plus it smells wonderful.

I did a 5min steep, which turned out pretty well for me. I’ve only had one guayusa blend, and I only drink that one iced. I wanted hot tea tonight, so I might as well give hot guayusa a try. I sweetened it just a tad, to hopefully bring out the creamy vanilla.

This is such an interesting blend! When I tried it hot-hot, I could taste mostly earthy guayusa. It’s a nice flavour, but I notice a slightly sour note at the back of my tongue. It’s not entirely off putting, just a little strange. As it cools a bit, the vanilla comes out fully and is just amazing. It’s followed by smooth, sweet mint and just a hint of lavender. The guayusa flavour really holds the whole thing together, and the more it cools, the less I get of the sour note.

I really like this blend! I think I’ll bring it to work to get me through the afternoons. Can’t wait to get into the rest of my order :)

thanks again Butiki for these samples! Always appreciated! Guayusa is usually delicious… well guayusa doesn’t really have much of a flavor, does it? But they are nice energy boosts. I assumed this Killer’s Vanilla would be a bit more “killer”. For some reason it is tasting like cantaloupe… didn’t I say that about the last Butiki I tried? I do have a cantaloupe sample with those, so I hope it didn’t affect the other teas. So I’m getting more of a cantaloupe flavor than vanilla. There is an interesting flavor here from the…. oh wait.. I just looked at the description and it is lavender?? How did I miss that? I did add sugar, which Butiki suggested (and I NEVER do that… I added maple syrup to a tea once.) The sugar to me just made the tea tasting more like splenda. Not what I was going for! The second steep didn’t have sugar, and I preferred that one… but that’s just me. This is a good one from Butiki, but honestly I expected more! Especially since I love vanilla teas. But like I said, I’m really hoping the cantaloupe didn’t affect my other samples. Maybe I just don’t like this flavor combo… but it’s still a delicious tea.. it’s Butiki! I don’t think this was a fair review, seeing as how I wasn’t even aware there was lavender. Where were my tastebuds? Another cup for another day…

I sipped this one yesterday (just writing tasting notes now) and I wanted that energy boost from the guayusa for sitting outside with a book.. in December.. at 65 degrees… in NY. Wow. I must say that hours after I drank this, I was hyper! I felt like I could run a marathon. But then again, that also could have been from enjoying the outdoors!

This guyasa had a lot to live up to, since I had just tried Tangerine Creamsicle and Good Morning Sunshine, also from Butiki Teas. But I thought it was pretty good! To me, the mint was the featured flavor, and the vanilla just added the right amount of creaminess. I didn’t taste the lavender at all—at least I don’t think I did, which is good, since I’m not that fond of lavender. I would certainly recommend this one for a mint tea lover who wants to try something different.

Today was a “I’m just gonna hit the snooze one more time” kind of morning. I still feel like a zombie so I’m trying this sample from Stacy.

Ironically this tastes like a relaxing nighttime herbal tea, which actually works cause you can stay in chill out mode while this gently massages you awake. The mint, guayusa and a trace of lavender are all floating together on a creamy vanilla cloud. This is my first try of guayusa, and based on this blend, I like its earthy, kind of “foresty” flavor.

If this successfully wakes me up, it’s going on my next order. It’s yet another delicious blend by Butiki.

Backlog from last night.

The flu has finally started to subside, only to leave a sinus infection and eye infection in its stead. At least those can be treated! Unfortunately, I needed to appear human for 1.5 hours last night. Enter the Killers Vanilla…

My big kid had her opening night for her middle school play that she has spent the last 3 months rehearsing for on Thursday night. I didn’t stand a chance of making it to that one and was pretty sad to miss it. “I’ll hit it tomorrow night,” I thought. Nope. Then saturday rolled around, my last chance. I wasn’t going to miss it.

I brewed up some killer’s vanilla in hopes of a strong caffeine kick without the jitters. I haven’t had much guayusa before but was hopeful it would do the trick. I can’t say that absolutely love the flavor of guayusa, it’s a little too flowery or something for me, I don’t know, but the flavors mixed in (mint, lavender, & vanilla) give it a smooth, calming herbal tea profile. Kind of a funny combo with high caffeine drink! It was absolutely the perfect choice for the night.

I was wide awake and seemingly human. I waited until the theater darkened, then ran in from the car and sat in the back corner with no one around me. Enjoyed a pretty well done middle school musical, voice cracks and all.

This will definitely be my go to drink when I need a calm pick me up, which will be happening frequently over the next week I’m sure.

I found the look of this tea curious whilst it’s raw, it’s big on minty fragrance while consisting of teeny tiny pieces that resembles mixed herbs. Small pieces are always fun to watch dance and swim around in the boiling water. :)

Once boiled this tea is dark honey in colour and smells like spearmint with after tones of creamy vanilla (almost like mint ice cream).
To follow the instructions given to brew this tea I have added a little sugar for my first taste test so I can drink this as it’s deigned to be drank.

I love mint tea when I’m in the mood for them (which is usually quite late at night) and I expected this to be overpoweringly minty judging by the smell alone but boy was I wrong. First sip highlights the mint AND the vanilla that have blended very well together and are of an equal strength. As for the after taste there is a slight (and I mean very slight) floral taste which must be the lavender.

For me this tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream but of course in tea form. It’s so wonderfully uplifting and suitable to fill the urges for anything minty and sweet. :)

Half way down the cup the vanilla becomes the stronger taste sensation out of the two and it gets creamier and creamier with every sip. I see myself becoming a Butiki Tea fan girl completely unashamedly. Everything I have tried so far has been unique and amazingly tasty.

The basics: Mint = Refreshing. Vanilla = Smooth. Lavender = Sweet. Mix them altogether and you get a cup of heaven. Try if you like any of the above ingredients.

Aha! It all makes sense now. I made a 3oz cup of this as I often do when I’m not brave enough to make more of a new tea. I didn’t know/couldn’t remember what the ingredients were except guayusa, and of course that the name implies “vanilla.” As I took the first few sips, it reminded me of one of the various organic bath products that I have used in the past, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. As it cooled, the guayusa came through stronger, but the aftertaste was like a sort of natural mouthwash. I thought to myself: guess that’s what I get for using natural/organic bath products. It confuses my senses and I forget what is supposed to be edible :p Then I came here and saw that it has lavender and mint! That must be the association I’m making. I didn’t not like it. My feelings are mixed. It’s more a matter of sensory confusion than dislike. (^^)

First off this was my first guayusa. I researched it a little and was pleased to learn of it’s caffeine nature being a little more gentle than coffee but providing high alertness and energy.
I know I remember reading it was a vanilla mint tea when I purchased it but I had forgotten and the sweet minty aroma was a nice surprise! At first I taste the mint then the vanilla comes to play and adds a wonderful creaminess. The guayusa base has a nice earthiness that is not overpowering. I think I taste the lavender but I can’t be sure since I have never tried a lavender tea or guayusa before.
I really like the combination of flavors here and although I do enjoy freshly roasted and ground coffee many mornings, The Killer’s Vanilla will be replacing coffee many mornings!
Thanks Stacy for this “killer” tisane!

Mmmm, thanks for the sample, Stacy! I was eager to try another herbaly caffeine tea that wasn’t yerba mate, which I don’t like at all. I just finished drinking my cup and I’m not feeling much caffeine yet, but I love the taste, which honestly reminded me a lot of Tazo’s chamomile blend, Calm. Low key minty herbal flavor. I’d totally drink this again. But right now….I’m going back to bed before my next class, haha. A potential side effect of guayusa is lucid dreaming. Hm! Maybe I’ll have one.

Never had guayusa before today, so this should be an adventure!

It brews up a muddy grey-greenish brown, like soil. Unusual, and pretty in its own way. Smells quite good and a bit novel—I haven’t been exposed to mint with vanilla before, and the combination is strange to me as mint feels cooling and medicinal while vanilla seems warm and decadent. But you know, it’s pretty nice here! The balance is really evenly struck between them, especially when freshly brewed and still quite hot (as it cools, the vanilla takes over more and everything becomes sweeter and mellower). And it does have both elements’ qualities: the alert, bright, revitalizing feel of mint (it’s the kind of mint I like; I’ve never bothered to figure out which is which, but some mint teas make me feel a lot better and some I find horrid, ditto mint cocktails) with the calming comfort of vanilla (ever present but never harsh or too heavy), fused together to form something I imagine would be ideal for things like dissertation writing, anything where you want to be in a state of flow (working in “the zone”) with a calm, steady level of focused energy sans anxiety or jitters. I think the next time I have a late night painting session I should brew this up.

I got my first Butiki order in the mail today! It came at a perfect time b/c I had a major caffeine headache this afternoon. I decided to try this tea first due to the high caffeine content. To be honest, I didn’t taste much vanilla as the name of this tea suggests. I tasted mint, lots of mint. I like mint, so I was ok with that. I read on the Butiki website to add a little sugar to bring out the vanilla. I usually don’t add anything to the teas I drink. I threw caution to the wind and added a bit of sugar. Whoa! There’s the vanilla I was looking for! All in all, a very enjoyable tea.