Three Friends (Orange, Marshmallow, Chocolate)

And yet another masterpiece by Stacy! This reminds me of those chocolate oranges you buy at the grocery store. It tastes so good! No artificial taste and the dry leaf is just beautiful!!! And if its like any of her other teas it probably resteeps very well too! Thanks for another flawlessly delicious tea!

Oh this smells so good dry, vividly like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange (memories of Christmas as a kid and getting them in my stocking!), but then at the tail end a fresher, zestier orange aroma too. Steeped the orange smell recedes and the chocolate and marshmallow come out. I really like how the chocolate and marshmallow work together (surprising for me to say that too, as I don’t like candy that has both usually) to form something creamy and sweet, evoking marshmallows coated in a thin glaze of pitch black chocolate. As for the taste, yum! I figured there was no way the flavor would live up to the creamy sweet, gently zesty candy aroma but it does! It’s thick, creamy, mouth-filling, but not too sweet; most of the sweetness stays in the smell and not taste. I like that a lot as it keeps it from being too cloying, and the sweet aroma is so pervasive it suffices. (I have been digging how so many of the teas I’ve been trying lately with chocolate notes are of the bittersweet kind, by the way. As the sort who hates Cadbury’s-type toothache milk chocolate, I definitely approve.) Yum yum yum! I keep thinking I’m going to be let off the hook and find a few Butikis I don’t adore so I won’t feel sad if I don’t reorder them, and it’s not happening at all I must say (husband had my leftover cold steeped Ruby Pie today and made it clear he wants me to order more, a lot more…have a feeling Peach Hoppitea’s going to be the same way). A tea I will drink Christmas midday maybe, to take me down memory lane.

I received this sample with my Butiki order today, and as usual, Stacy doesn’t disappoint with her flavored blends. Sweetened, this makes a delicious dessert tea. The aroma wafting out of the cup is like a juicy orange and the most predominant flavor is orange-it reminds me of the classic Creamsicles from my childhood, but you still know you’re drinking tea. There is a hint of chocolate and the marshmallow is probably in there somewhere, adding to the yumminess, but orange is at the forefront. Some flavored teas leave an unpleasant aftertaste, but not this one. The second steep still packs plenty of flavor too. I give this the thumbs up, especially when sweetened as a dessert tea in the evening.

I’ve finally over my cold and I can try all the Butiki tea samples I received! Thanks for those! This is the one I’ve been most anxious to try, as I keep seeing wonderful reviews.

I steeped this one up, I accidentally forgot to set the timer. I think only about a minute passed before I realized but there may have been some oversteeping. I took a sip and…didn’t really taste much. I tried again, and got some vague black tea flavor. What did I do wrong?? Maybe my tongue is broken. I’m really sad that I couldn’t get all these amazing flavors.

After running to the store with one of the roommates, I came back and had some tea still left in the mug that had gone cold. I decided to try it and actually got some of the flavor I was expecting! There’s definitely orange and dark chocolate. So what’s going on with me and this tea?

This was my requested sample from my last Butiki order. Yay: Three Friends!
I find that I do still enjoy this tea but it’s also so subtle and generally I want more chocolate in my face, or I want something less chocolatey. This is an odd middle flavour level and I’m not sure that I’d crave this one often enough to purchase it.

I don’t think. It’s really tasty though. I’m happy I requested it as a sample. I imagine I’ll buy an oz of it someday.

Another good rainy day tea. :)

I’ve drunk through a pouch or two of Zhen Qu, so I’m pretty familiar with it (even though I always have to double check the spelling…) and with that in mind, I just wanted to say that the flavoring in this tea is incredible. It tastes like a natural extension to the tea. The chocolate brings out the natural cocoa-y taste of Zhen Qu, the marshmallow naturally sweetens the tea without being in your face about it, and the orange comes right at the swallow, a slight citrusy touch that adds a ton of character.

The flavors tone down the peppery nature of the Zhen Qu, but doesn’t hide its identity at all. Zhen Qu is quite a distinctive tea, and I would’ve recognized that as the base at once even if I hadn’t already known.

All in all, this is a super yummy tea that satisfies a sweet tooth while still being a cup of tea. A perfect example of a flavored tea done right. :)

My last ever cup of this tea! (perfect spot for a crying emoji) The orange is gone, the chocolate chips were hairy and haven’t carried much flavor into the cup, but the tea is still holding strong. Those fuzzy little black and tan curls still deliver such a nice smooth malty taste. I’m noticing a hint of orange in the finish, like a ghost. So long, three friends and thanks for all the licorice.

This is one of those teas where I know, objectively, that it is a fine tea, carefully blended and well balanced. But, it isn’t for me. I got it to see how I feel about chocolate and tea and I feel bad. I feel really bad about it.

However, I won’t give it a bad rating, because it doesn’t deserve one. The base is nice, deep and not at all sharp, and the flavors layer nicely. I just prefer chocolate to stick to milk/coffee/cocoa.

Mmmm orange and chocolate (and marshmallow). I can’t really pick out the marshmallow flavour…but that’s ok I was more interested in the chocolate orange flavour anyways. I have tried this with and without added almond milk and I like it both ways. Really nice flavoured black tea :)

Tea with real chocolate? YUM! I got a sample of this from Stacy and I was blown away by the scent right away. Orange, chocolate, tea, and a sweetness I can’t put my finger on make this a fragrant tea.

My sample melted a little in the mailbox (it was a hot day in the bay yesterday) so there were little chocolatey lumps of tea in there today. Sadly, shortly after steeping I dropped my brew basket on the floor sob and all the delicious wet tea leaves fell out on my work carpet. I really wanted to try a resteep on this one!

I was so excited to try this tea I burned my tongue! Waiting a bit… thank goodness I can leave it and do a little work while my thermos keeps it hot. This is a good tea! I’m tasting mostly black tea and chocolate, with a little citrus aftertaste. I wish I had thought to bring my rock sugar to work with me so I could try this sweetened. I’ll just have to use my imagination on that one. I bet it’s wonderful sweet — it probably makes the chocolate flavors pop.

If you like those chocolate “break ’em apart” oranges, then try this tea. It’s like a liquid version of that holiday treat! Yum, yum, yum…