Butiki Teas

Another sample from Stacy (thank you!)

I loved how large the leaves were for this tea- I felt like I was steeping something wild and exotic as I poured the water into my teapot.

Once the tea was finished steeping, I poured it into my cup & was greeted by a delicate floral scent with what seemed like hints of hay as well? Very light and inviting.

The flavor of this tea was very smooth, floral (kind of rosy, maybe? I’ve never had any rose teas so I’m just guessing here) with slight hints of what I’d describe as lime zest. Absolutely lovely.

I received this sample from Stacy of Butiki Teas as part of their “new customer appreciation special”. Thank you, very much.

This is nice and surprising. Brewed leaf smells like cinnamon, malt, and oak. Liquor is a light golden color. The most prominent note in the flavor is of sweet potato. This reminds me of a Yun Nan Dian Hong. Very smooth and satisfying-I had no idea Kenyan teas could be so delicate. I hope this re-steeps well.

EDIT – I did get one more nice steep out of this. I had thought this was a breakfast “wake you up” type tea, but it’s more of a relaxing afternoon cup for me. If you like Yun Nan golden tips/needles, you might want to try this tea.

First off I’d like to thank Stacy for sending me this sample!

The first thing I noticed about this tea was how beautiful the leaves/blossoms are, followed by a floral sweetness in the aroma. After steeping, the aroma was green with a lingering creamy sweetness to it.

Tasting this tea, it was so light and delicate. Floral and juicy. Perfect for a hot summer’s afternoon. I added just the tiniest touch of sweetener to my cup and the flavors danced in my mouth. I can definitely see why this tea is a popular one at Butiki!

This was my last flavored tea sampler from the new customer promo Butiki Teas had (Thanks Stacy). This one is really nice. I had never had guayusa before. It does remind me of mate somewhat, but less earthy. The flavor blend is very nice as well. I can’t wait to try the Tangerine Creamsicle guayusa I got on my most recent order!

Mmmm, yum, grape! thanks for the sample Krystaleyn! I’ve been wanting to try some Butiki oolongs for a while. This one tastes just like grape bubble gum. I love grape bubble gum! I love this light oolong base lending its fresh greenness to a candy-like grape flavor that would otherwise be cloying.

This is really tasty! I cold brewed it over night, of course. It’s almost 100 here today! Green oolongs take really well to cold brewing. So do green teas. and white. not sure about dark oolongs. I think I’ll try it out on my mi lan dan cong. :)

Tomorrow’s gonna be another hot day so I’m sticking a few more teas into the fridge. I love my refrigerator. Do we ever really stop to think about how awesome it is? You can take away my electric lights, my clothes dryer, my microwave, even the computer… but not my refrigerator.

Thank you Stacy for this sample!

Dry leaf smells very sweet, citrusy, and earthy.

Wet leaf smells like creamy citrus with a hint of earthiness.
This is similar to the apricot guayusa. I like this one much better though. The citrus flavours tone down the earthiness a little, which makes this tea sweet and delicious. The flavours meld really well together.

I am not getting as many creamy notes as some other Butiki teas, but it is still very smooth.

I might have to order this some time in the future.

As always, the flavors are well balanced in this blend. The tea base is very smooth, and the pistachio comes through nicely.

Thanks for the sample, Stacy!

This one is really tasty. It has a very fresh pineapple taste.

This is something I must have more of!
Now I am not sure why – maybe my palate is just different from others but I get a definitive spicy element in this tea! Chaiapple tea perhaps? I know that the description says nothing about spicy but I was absolutely getting a chaiesque flavor in this tea! The delicate floral oolong base was outstanding and came through loud and clear. The pineapple – superb! Not one artificial flavoring element within this tea whatsoever – perfection!
I ate all the pineapple out of the leaves after the second steep and I do not recall ever having such tasty juicy sweet delicious pineapple before!
I will absolutely get me more of this wonderful stuff!
I still am confused over the spicy element in this tea but I loved it – was a nice surprise!

I was watching Iron Chef the other night and the secret ingredient was… tamarind! I got so excited, I turned to the bf and said “I made a tamarind tea!” I’m pretty proud that he didn’t roll his eyes, since he lives with me and obviously knows all about Tamarind Pop because I talk about it constantly. What can I say, I’m addicted!

Since then I’ve made this three times: twice hot, once iced. I gave two ounces to my dad and he thinks this is best cold, and I do agree (he’s become a cold brewing snob, it’s pretty adorable) but honestly it’s perfection to me either way!

Had this today cold brewed with a pinch of brown sugar. I think I actually like it best iced, since it brings out the soda-y vibe the most. It’s also slightly creamy this way, and the earthy flavors of the guranse pop. Sooo good!

A few weeks ago Azzrian mentioned mixing this with vanilla powder, and Stacy was kind enough to send me a little baggie of it so I could try out the combo myself. Sadly you have to let it sit a week or more, so I actually had to be patient about something tea-related. When it comes to new purchase and teas, I am not exactly a patient person, so this was pretty difficult for me. I just kept thinking “has it been a week yet? How about now?” Of course I lost track of time and let it blend for almost 2. I am both impatient and spazzy it seems!

Anyway, this smells just as good with the vanilla, a little creamier and sweeter. I brewed it with some rock sugar as per usual but I think the vanilla adds some extra sweetness as well (though it still wasn’t too sweet by any means, the guranse kind of prevents that!). This is like a different tea now—a Tamarind Pop Float! The creaminess tempers some of the citrus flavors, and the vanilla really brings out the brown sugar taste. It does mask a bit of the woodsy/tobacco notes from the guranse, so I don’t think I’d say that I like this better than the original blend. I think I do like it about the same though, it’s hard to rank one over the other when they’re so similar. I think the no-vanilla is more of an everyday tea (I do drink it several times a week!) whereas the vanilla blend is an occasional treat. I mixed up about an ounce of it so there’s plenty more to go! I also have leftover vanilla powder and am considering putting it in other things too…

A few months back I started a thread about what unique blends people would like to see, inspired by a sudden craving for tamarind tea—which mysteriously does not seem to exist! The awesome Stacy at Butiki contacted me about a custom blend and I jumped on the chance—I mean, it’s every tea-lover’s dream to have their own custom tea just for them! I was amazed that she liked the finished creation enough to add it to their regular lineup since it means that everyone can try what started as an idle idea and ended up being one of the best teas I’ve ever tasted.

Of course my review is a bit biased since the flavors are pretty much tailored to my palate—the original idea was to replicate the taste of those tamarind-flavored Mexican sodas, and boy does this deliver! The Guranse base adds a nice woodsy/earthy smoothness and there’s that bright pop of malty/sour flavor from the tamarind, followed by delicious brown sugar. But they combine to form something better than the sum of their parts: there are notes of caramel, vanilla, and yes, an almost soda-like fizziness! With just a pinch of rock sugar it’s somehow even better, and it really brings all the flavors together. I’ve had this hot, iced, lukewarm from sitting in the AC too long, and it’s perfect every way. This is definitely my ideal tea, and it’s amazing to actually have it in front of me!

My package from Krystaleyn came today. Yaaaay. This is the first tea I’m trying from that bunch and I am super happy about it! Even though this was way over steeped as I dealt with a cooking emergency, it did not develop that odd sour wood flavor some rooibos tend to. I get a lovely sweet mango flavor with a bit of spice. I don’t really taste anything that might indicate creaminess or yogurt though.

I think the base is excellent and the mango is very realistic. Very nice. And I was just lamenting my lack of fruity caffeine free teas until the package arrived. :D

I love this stuff! Stacy of Butiki Teas sent me a sample a while back that accidentally had some vanilla added to it but I loved it SO MUCH that when I ordered this she included a bag of vanilla powder for me to incorporate into my blend! So I did and let it sit a good long while and now it is bliss!
That is one thing I love about Stacy – she lets you doctor up your blends when possible and is not afraid to divert from her regular blends to suit your taste. Such as the time she left out lemongrass from one of her teas for me since I dislike it so much.
She is working on a special ordered blend for me right now and I am excited to try the first sample run soon!
Thank you Stacy for always being so flexible and inventive!
As for Tamarind Pop with Vanilla. OH YEAH its GOOOOOD
Also a huge thank you to Aplhakitty who inspired this tea!!!

Yup this one is EXACTLY how it is described! I could not give a better review of this one so just read the notes in the listing for this tea!
It DOES have that carbonation soda like fizz to it too!
This is a keeper!
Thank you so much Stacy of Butiki Teas for always creating the most wonderful blends!

I am falling out of love with this tea for some reason. Maybe it is just getting too old, but I don’t find myself reaching for it very often. I still have a couple of cups before I give it the boot.

More nutty today than creamy, but definitely enjoyable!

Even though greens are generally not my fav (other than jasmines), I really enjoy this one, especially with a bit of rock sugar. Today, this tastes creamy and decadent!

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!

As you can see, I’m on a Butiki kick. This one is interesting (in a good way). Since this was my first purple tea, I found the difference in color between the dry and brewed leaves interesting due to the contrast. The Blueberry flavor is just right.

I also got this one in my flavored sample pack. This one was an unexpected delight! I don’t go out of my way to eat actual cantaloupes, but when I sweetened this one with stevia, it tastes like fresh cantaloupe in liquid form. I will be purchasing more of this one!

I got this as a part of the flavored sample pack for new Butiki customers. This one has the perfect amount of Strawberry flavor. I prefer this one over DT’s Sweet Strawberry white tea.

I was most excited for this tea when I got my Butiki order today! The flavor is well-rounded; there’s nothing artificial about it too! Love it!