Grapefruit Dragon

As you may know, I am on the quest for the perfect grapefruit tea. There are a lot that I love, but many of them have other flavors added that while they do go well with grapefruit (like Zen’s Orange Grapefruit) prevents them from being the one. You know, the one tea I’ll give my heart to and we’ll run away and live happily ever after in a castle by the sea in France. Uhh I really like grapefruit. And I also love Butiki, so I have been eagerly awaiting this tea for months, as soon as Stacy announced she was working on it! Of course tragedy struck and I shipped my order to the wrong place so I was supposed to get it LAST Tuesday but had to wait until yesterday when I could take a trip up to my parent’s house. Stupid paypal, why do you default to my billing address! Depriving me of tea!

In any case, I was ridiculously excited to open this one up and made everyone around me smell it including… one of my cats. My little girl (well, she’s my mom’s cat, but we handraised a group of kittens from 10 days old so I consider the three of them “mine” haha) LOVES tea leaves and was very fond of this blend. She’s always trying to eat them but I think the citrus prevented her this time, though she did take a big whiff. The smell is delicious, like fresh grapefruit. It’s not as strong as I assumed it would be, very subtle and nice.

I cold brewed this one because, come on, I can’t drink grapefruit warm! It’s like… a travesty against all that is natural. Grapefruit must be ice-cold with just a teeny teeny splash of sugar. I can’t drink sweetened grapefruit juice to be honest, it has to be the regular stuff (which no one else in my family will drink haha), BUT I did put a pinch of sugar in as this was brewing, just to bring out all the flavors.

Oooh man, this is grapefruity heaven. Sweet, tart, citrusy. And nothing else is competing with it, so it’s all grapefruit all the way! Well, of course there’s a lovely dragonwell base which adds some interesting nuttiness and grassy freshness. It’s perfect, sweet grapefruit. Ruby grapefruit! The tartness is right on point, not overpowering but also still there. In my book, grapefruit teas need a little bite. They’re just not right without it! And this is perfection. Oh grapefruit tea, I’ve found you! Never leave me! Thanks so much to Stacy for coming up with this amazing concoction. If you like grapefruit you NEED to try it. But no I won’t put samples of this in a swap, it’s mine, all mine, bwahaha! One of those treasures you guard carefully and savor every last leaf.

Thank you Stacy (Butiki) for this sample tea!

(I’m Whispering…
…..we all know how good Stacy is at creating tea’s that
are…
not nasty and artificially flavored…the really special tea’s that we love! Shhhhh, listen up!…..
…..This one is my favorite Butiki Tea Flavor of all!)

I want a pound of this tea already. I ONLY HAVE A SAMPLE! STACY!

The wet leaves had the softest aroma of green beans and sweet grapefruit as though the clock had been turned back and Spring was here once again.

I had just enough tea leaves for one precious mug full.

I took a sip of the pale yellow liquor and was amazed at the restrained taste of the grapefruit next to the more robust but smooth savory bean flavor. This was a juicy tea.

I added a little sweetening (as Stacy suggested) which brought more of the grapefruit flavor to the forefront, still perfectly complimenting the savory base flavor of the tea.

I used to make a grapefruit salad years ago with ruby grapefruit, carefully removing segments of ice cold fruit from it’s membrane, then mixing it with chopped avacado, salt, olive oil and lemon. The acid and sweetness of the grapefruit with the smooth creamy avacado were perfect compliments to each other. (It was an 1980’s popular California salad.)

This tea embraced that idea of combining crisp grapefruit and the creamy savory tea in a similar way. It worked really well!

There was that Umami thing happening in my mouth when I added some sugar (but without the bitterness, and the sour was just the normal grapefruit tang).

Yes, this was/is the best flavored tea in my Butiki book! It hits all the marks for me! Bravo Stacy!!!

Buttery Dragonwell and citric grapefruit together!? I must be dreaming because this is too good. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for existing! This is my new favourite tea.

The beautiful dry leave scales have a very potent sour grapefruit smell and they initially both excited and worried me. After steeping, the scent becomes less tart and more like a sweet white grapefruit. The flavour is exactly that, with a smooth and delicate and restrained vegetal base. It’d like I’m consuming the most divine grapefruit to ever step foot inside a cup. Yes, I’m aware that grapefruits don’t have feet that we know of… Second steep was equally amazing.

Third steep sees a toning down of the sweet grapefruit and a greater focus on that buttery vegetal Dragonwell that I enjoy most of all. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a tea so dearly. I’m extremely pleased with myself for randomly choosing to go with 1oz of this.

Hmm, perhaps I should have saved that lapsang souchong for last…

Anyways, brewed this sample from Stacy at Butiki up tonight for fear that it would lose its grapefruity flavour… WOW! Definitely not! This tastes like straight up grapefruit juice, alongside a delicious and delicate green. Dragonwell is the perfect base here! Funnily enough, this is making my tongue tingle just like sour grapefruit juice does! Neat!

Grapefruit isn’t reeaaallly my thing, but this is a fabulously done grapefruit green, in my opinion! Another bang on tea!

ETA: So, the second infusion (same parameters, less water) was pretty darn delicious. So much real grapefruit flavour; I can’t get over it! Third infusion, today, still is grapefruity (which is crazy for most flavoured teas, but typical of Butiki’s!), but there’s a bit of a weird flavour lurking in the background. I suspect that that’s more likely due to the length of time the leaves have been sitting than the tea itself… so even though there was still a grapefruity aroma to the leaves, I threw them out. So, so glad I got to sample this one! IMO this would be a perfect substitute for a grapefruit juice addict trying to cut down on calorie-laden juice.

Backlog:

Another tea from the W-O-D.

I am so glad that I decided to order this tea. It is so good. I often mentioned in my grapefruit green tea tasting notes that I was on a quest to find the right grapefruit green to rival my experience at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, I had actually found that ACTUAL tea but somehow it just didn’t taste the same when I got it home. Maybe it’s the water temperature, maybe it’s the water itself … or the amount of leaf they used in the teapot … Who knows? All I know is that somehow, that grapefruit green tasted amazing at Tohono Chul Park but only tasted good, even really good, but not amazing when I brewed it at home.

A couple of months ago, I found a grapefruit tea that finally satisfied me enough to declare the search for the grapefruit green over, but, as I tasted this tea, I realized that it may have been premature to declare the search over … or at least, that I had found another grapefruit tea that was just as good if not BETTER than the grapefruit green – and yes, I think that this one IS better than the grapefruit green – at Tohono Chul Park.

The grapefruit flavor is so true to the fruit, but it has a sweeter flavor. There is definitely the tangy bitterness from the grapefruit too. After I sip this tea, the flavor that is left, tingling in my mouth in the aftertaste, is similar to the sensation I’d experience if I were to have taken a bite of real grapefruit. Amazing!

The Dragon Well works great with the flavor of the grapefruit, it imparts a slight sweetness and vegetative tone that works quite harmoniously with the flavor. Very enjoyable, this is one I’m really glad that I have in my stash now.

Thank you Stacy and Butiki Teas for this very delightful creation – absolutely wonderful! Also, a huge appreciation for you helping me out with this gaiwan. I’m really loving it and this was the tea of choice to celebrate this new teaware treasure.

These terrific Anhui Organic Dragon Well leaves with poppy-red colored safflower petals are just as pleasing to the eyes, as the tea is to the palate. Let me confess first – I LOVE grapefruit! So the obvious is understood immediately, when you find that this tea duplicates with great intensity the characteristics of grapefruit. This understandable would not be enticing to anyone opposed to this type of fruit, but for those that enjoy a delightful citrusy treat – look no further!

There is almost every single phase that you would expect of the real fruit. You will find mellow tartness, then a refreshing and cleansing sweetness. The flavor stays consistent even after multiple infusions.

This is a great anytime tea and I’m pretty sure that it would be a very nice chilled tea as well. I may have to try this in the near future. Until then, I will see how many infusions this tea can deliver! Very nice!

Thank you Sil for this sample.

Night one of being alone is going well so far. I watched a few films to pass the time whilst drinking my milky, sweet teas for comfort and I’m now at the point where the last thing I want to drink is milk. My stomach agrees with me. So for the last hour now I have been thinking of having a pot of fruity green tea, something light and maybe sweet but something I will overall enjoy. So to my tea drawers I go and open my green tea drawer and with a little routing around I came upon this sample. I remember having a sample of this this tea as a gift from Butiki when I placed my first order with them but gave it away instead of trying it myself. Reason being that grapefruit is not one of my favourite fruits.

Well this review is long over due and I regret giving the sample away. At least now I can have some tea closure and see what I have been missing.

In raw form it sweet and citrus (waxy citrus) with grassy notes. Very pleasant and it reminds me of my Grapefruit Body Butter from The Body Shop.

Once steeped the tea liquid is yellow in colour with a sour and very sharp grapefruit aroma. Very natural and pure.

Sweet, buttery, sour, perfumey, green and refreshing. Those are my first things I noticed about this tea as I drink the first small cup of this down. It also starts off quite strong but quickly softens to create a delicate and beautiful array of flavours in the after taste.

Cup two reveals a more grassy taste over time and softens the grapefruit even more. And despite being perfumey it’s not dry or harsh in any way, in fact it’s the exact opposite.

After a while the flavours blend together and it’s hard to differentiate them but you are left with one beautiful cup of tea.

So this is what I missed by giving away that sample. A huge mistake on my part, I just hope whoever received it likes it as much as I do (sorry cannot remember whom I sent this to).

So I’m not going to add a rating to this tea because MY version is not the dragonwell version. Stacy was kind enough to send me a sample with the other base that she was thinking of blending with. It has been a looooooooooooooong wait for anyone that’s been tracking the number of times i’ve harassed stacy about it :) Well it finally arrived with my tea order and let me tell you, this tea is a smelly puppy! lol All of the teas in my order smell vaguely of grapefruit BUT i’m not concerned. First started i LOVE grapefruit and secondly, give it a day or two and i’m sure they’ll be fine.

I had a week and day from hell yesterday what with the insane amounts of work to wrap up before vacation, my other half being sick and unable to help me get the house cleaned, laundry done etc… and vacation plans were still not finalized. I didnt’ get a moment yesterday to sit and have ANY TEA until 7pm. However, the fact that I had this from stacy waiting for me in the kitchen absolutely made up for it.

When i finally got a chance to sit and take 5 mins to myself before continuing with the craziness I of course chose this tea. OPening it, is like being hit in the face with 4 tons of grapefruit juice. REAL grapefruit juice, not grapefruit cocktail which is so prevalent in stores there days. I could barely wait for the steeping to be done before taking my first sip. This is AMAZING! I can’t find the words to describe the wonder of a tea that just IS grapefruit. It sounds a little weird to a lot of people, but what stacy has created here is just perfect. It IS what i have been wanting in a grapefruit tea. I have a few more teas to try from stacy before placing my next order, but the dragonwell version of this will for sure be on my list. Stacy assures me that i’ll love it more than MY version, but i’m not yet convinced…though, i’m sure in the end she’ll be right even if i don’t want to admit it :)

All I can say though is that for ayone who loves grapefruit or citrus in general – THIS is a tea to try. I’m in my happy place with this tea.

This was a sample from my last Butiki order – thank you so much Stacy!

I took it to work with me for some reason – I don’t know why, exactly, because I don’t really have adequate brewing conditions at work. See: generic hot water heater, styrofoam cups. And a flavored green, no less? Clearly I’m ready for that 4 day vacation heading my way starting Thursday morning.

I have to say though, it wasn’t bad. I got the grassy green of a dragon well (besides sencha, that’s my favorite green) and then that acidic citrus note of the grapefruit. It was very light and fresh tasting, and above all, it tasted like what it was supposed to!

I liked this more as it cooled off, and was kind of bummed I didn’t get to try it iced. Even though generally I don’t drink iced greens, I think this would work that way. I can only imagine how tasty it will be when I can fully control every aspect of the steeping process!

1.05 tablespoons for 375 ml of water

The grapefruit and green tea aroma compliment each other nicely. There’s a savoury spice note (almost like an indian spice) in the aroma as well.

The flavour has the broth-y feel of a dragonwell. The grapefruit flavour is present right from the beginning of the sip. The grapefruit and green tea flavours compliment each other very nicely. There is a tartness present from the grapefruit flavour in the middle of the sip but it compliments the taste profile very well. I am getting the strong grassy note of the green tea mostly in the aftertaste. The savoury note from the aroma seems to be faintly present, latched on to the beginning of the dragonwell taste. Buttery mouth-feel.

Along with the aftertaste, my tongue is getting that tingly feeling that I would get from eating an actual grapefruit.

Second infusion at 3 minutes.

Fourth infusion at 4 minutes. Mostly dragonwell flavour. Still retains a buttery mouth-feel. Grapefruit flavour still present in the background. Still a pleasing experience. Getting a bit of a white tea taste as the cup cools.

Thanks to Sil for sharing some of this with me!

Loose
Appearance: large longjing leaf., bits of bright safflower
Aroma when Dry: yellow grapefruit
After water is first poured: light yellow grapefruit
At end of first steep: tart, juicy white grapefruit
Tea liquor:
At end of first steep: clear
Staple? possible summer staple
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first ?: grapefruit zest, cream textured close
As it cools?:tea lightens, bean notes surface, veggie textures linger
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, fuzzy, velvety citrus notes

Second Steep (4min):
At first: grapefruit sour tang
As it cools?: gets very heavy bean, cloying vegital notes

Well, I’m not sure what I can add to these tasting notes that others haven’t already said…apparently I was of the last to try this one on Steepster! teehee…anyhow…

Thanks Stacy for this one! It’s greatly appreciated!!!!

This is a fabulous twist on a “dragon”. I think it’s wonderful! The grapefruit is PERFECT!!! I don’t know why more companies don’t do a flavored “dragon”!!!!

LOVE this!

Backlog!! I swear I wrote a note for this, but it was during the Steepster blackouts so it must have been eaten. Oh well.
Anyhow, hullo grapefruit! Yep, it’s all there. That tangy citrus note, the bitter aftertaste, and that delicious rindy aroma! The citrus plays well on the green tea, picking up on the sweet dragonwell mid note. A tad bit harsh on the tongue.
This was yummy. Not something I’d crave often though. Mucho thanks to Sil for sharing!

So. My first dragonwell and my first grapefruit tea, courtesy of CrowKettle.

I was warned to be careful with this tea (and a few others) since I don’t like bitter, so I only did a 2 minute steep, and I used much cooler water than suggested.

When steeping, this doesn’t smell much like grapefruit, but now that I’m sitting at my desk with my nose in the mug, I can smell the flavour. It’s much more delicate than I was expecting, but then again, the other flavoured tea company I’ve targeted is Della Terra, and they do extremely flavoured blends!

Sipping this? Yum. I think it’ll get even better as it cools. The flavour is how grapefruit essential oil smells, but from a distance and in low quantity. The tea provides a really nice background, even though I’m not sure I would love a dragonwell tea on its own – I tend to be rather picky with plain green teas.

I look forward to drinking this iced (maybe I’ll do that tonight, and bring it with me tomorrow!), and finishing what I received.

Yay! Tea!

Edit: Even more grapefruity as I sip while eating caramel corn! I have to try this with a little sugar. Mmm.

Ooh. Very nice. It really really tastes like grapefruit. All fresh!

I bet this would be great in the summer. Also if it were iced. I’ll have to get this again sometime.

Because seriously, it really tastes like grapefruit!

Last sipdown for tonight.

The smell of the leaves is strong! Like a very juicy grapefruit with a very slight grassy, meadow-like scent. It’s a really powerful smell, so I have this guy separated off from my other tea in fear of him scenting the others.

Brewed, the grapefruit smell tones down a lot and more of the green comes out. It smells to me like a really smooth grapefruit bread might! On the first sip I kind of got that too – almost a baked good sort of taste, reminds me of a very green meadow, creamy and nicely sweet on its own with a light grapefruit aftertaste and tart.

There’s an excellent balance between the Dragonwell and the grapefruit flavor (I was initially a little wary it might be as full-on juice-like as the dry smell was). This feels like a really natural sort of drink – something you’d want by your side whenever you’re surrounded by expansive gardens and greenery.

With my last Butiki order, I had to try this tea, sounds delicious! I’ve had onle 1 grapefruit tea (officially) which I enjoy despite it being rooibos (ESP brand passionfruit/grapefruit).

DRY: tarty grapefruit! Big chunky green tea leaves with a pretty spattering of red/pink.
STEEPED: Pale yellow, smells like pink grapefruit.

TASTE: Crisp grapefruit, and I’m talking real grapefruit! Juicy! All that grapefruit taste over a background of mellow green tea. I would almost call the after taste tart, but more of a tingly citrus sensation that tickles my tongue and throat. What kind of magic is this?!?! I was too lazy to try this sweetened.

COMMENTS: Am I weird imagining theres a happy yellow and pink dragon tickling my throat with its back spines while I drink this tea?

I’m thinking iced tea with Grapefruit Dragon. Seriously that would be amazing! However, not sure if the tickle throat effects stays iced, I’m finishing up my cup which as cooled and it is not as tingly. Would be killer with a little sweetener and slices of grapefruit!

On another note, SHAWL OF DOOM is FINISHED! I was blogging about it, why my grapefruit dragon got cold, boo!
lace detail http://awkwardsoul.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/img_1838.jpg
blog entry http://awkwardsoul.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/cloudy-tea-shawl/

Ugg. Now what to do? I guess knit some socks.

Sipdown, 197. This sample comes to me thanks to Stephanie!

I had a big meatball sub for late lunch, which influenced my tea choice this afternoon. I didn’t want anything too delicate, so I decided that a citrusy grapefruit would be a good palate cleanser. When the water hit this tea I was immediately somewhat surprised by the aroma that wafted up from the cup… very savory and buttery scented! After steeping the allotted time, it has a definite scent of grapefruit but not just the fruit, also the scent of the peel, the pith, and the leaves. It smells like a grapefruit tree!

The texture on this is really interesting and kind of weird! My mouth has gone kind of tingly. The first flavor I get I slightly buttery dragonwell, followed by a light but authentic grapefruit. Then the savory dragonwell comes back around and gives it a slightly roasted note, almost like a broiled grapefruit, before the numbing sensation takes over my mouth and I taste nothing. The sensation really reminds me of these particular greens we sometimes eat in Madagascar that we call “numb greens” because they numb your mouth when you eat them.

I have to say, my mouth doesn’t tingle or go numb when I eat a grapefruit, unlike apparently some other people who commented on this. I enjoy it other than the odd tingling, which is really strong enough for me that it masks any aftertaste of actual tea. I think I prefer the fresh, sweet greenness of Lupicia’s Grapefruit Green (sencha base) over the buttery, savory dragonwell here.

I’ve never had dragonwell before and this my first grapefruit tea as well.

I was expecting more grapefruit flavour but I get it both on dry leaf and in the liquor while sipping.

As many Butiki green teas, I find it better as it cools. The flavour is much more revealed.Really much more present !
I realize I never tried any BT iced…I think I should.

I really enjoy this one almost cold.

Thank you for sharing Sil !

Backlog:

I’m truly in awe of this tea – truly a treat to drink! The tart taste of the grapefruit and the dragon well base were meant to be together. Love that hit of tartness on the tongue at the end of the sip, yet it has a sweetness to it that just goes perfectly with everything else. Another tea with a beautiful colour when steeped.