Butterscotch & Hazelnut Mocha Candies

This is such a unique tea! Much stronger and more flavorful than any white tea I’ve had before. The name is definitely spot-on, because even unsweetened it tastes like melted candy in a cup…super rich and creamy with wonderful butterscotch flavor. I don’t really notice the hazelnut, but there is just a hint of mocha adding some depth. I may have to give the new version of this one a try when I place my next Butiki order!

Nice, sip down! I’m finally back in Alberta but waiting for my stuff to arrive from the moving company. But luckily, there’s a kettle in this household, and I get to enjoy a nice hot cup of tea from my own collection for the first time in a while. It’s also snowing today. SNOWING. April Fools’, eh, Mother Nature?

I’m sharing the last of this with my mom. This last cup is, of course, the most butterscotchy of all due to the flavour dust on the bottom. Not really going to miss it since I would have liked a little more flavour.

A sample with my order! I ADORE the White Rhino… it must be my favorite white tea. Honestly, it’s such an amazing tea that it certainly doesn’t need additional flavors. It’s odd this one is recommended to use boiling water as it is a while tea. It’s the one that looks like a longer Yunnan with gold and black leaves. I’m not sure if I’d describe the flavors as butterscotch, hazelnut or mocha but there is definitely a candy like flavor of some kind. Pairs very well with the Rhino. The Rhino is like honey though – the smoothest a white tea can get while still having a little bit more substance than a delicate white tea. The White Rhino itself is a rarity. Searching for other Kenyan white teas, the only types I can find are the sickle shaped leaf. I wonder why no one else has found this one?
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // 6 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3-4 min

The first sip of this tea is thick on the tongue. It brings to mind pouring honey from a jar. The main flavor I get is of butterscotch candies, particularly the hard ones that stick to your teeth when you try to chew them. The rest of the sip is where flavors become a little muddled for me. I’m picking up on the white tea, some very light floral notes and something similar to toffee. I can’t seem to taste any of the hazelnut or mocha flavors. The finish is brisk and quite astringent.

I like the butterscotch flavor, but there’s something a little too artificial about it for me. I’m not wild about the base either, but I think it’s because I’m generally not a white tea person.

I’ve enjoyed this one a few times, but never got around to writing a note. To be honest, this tea didn’t smell or taste like I was expecting, but it’s really grown on me. Don’t expect it to taste like the usual white tea. It brews up darker, almost like a light black or oolong, and yet, it is lighter in texture and flavor. I think all the flavor notes in the name are there, but overall, it’s probably more butterscotch-y than anything else. I really like it in the afternoon. I haven’t brewed it in a glass steeper, but I have a feeling it would be very pretty served that way.

Got this as a sample &…whoa. It’ll be on my next order for sure. The butterscotch is strong but blends so well with everything else. I put too much creamer in, but I don’t care. This is sinful.

Aww…

Steepster’s telling me that I never entered this one into my cupboard when I received it which just makes me sad, ‘cause number’s going up again instead of damn. Damn.

Anyway, I made this in my timolino yesterday for work but didn’t drink it until hours after I had gotten home already. Shockingly, it was still kinda hot eleven hours after it had originally been steeped up. Damn timolino; you done did good. I was expecting ice cold, not better than luke warm temperatures!

The butterscotch flavouring in this is really quite exceptional and on point; so sweet and satisfying, perfect for curbing those feelings of “I should eat the entire box of cookies I just bought”, which I may have been experiencing yesterday. And the base is great (much love to White Rhino, forever and always). Actually did taste the mocha yesterday which I think was my biggest complaint last time having this one; it was more on the end sip, trailing behind the sweet butterscotch flavour. Pretty good! Complimented the butterscotch well.

And I finished the last few sips as I was putting in my very first Whispering Pines order! Holy hell did I rush to do that one; I’ve been cart building all weekend in anticipation. While mostly everything I got is totally new to me, I’m excited – I’ve never not enjoyed a WP blend.

Yeah, double negative. My bad.

I bought this one during Stacy’s birthday sale, and it’s been sitting in my cupboard, waiting to be tried, ever since. Now that I’ve reached my cupboard goal of under 100 teas, I’ve been going a bit crazy with drinking Butiki teas for the past couple of days… :P Butterscotch is one of my absolute favorite flavors, so this one was a no-brainer when I was making my order. The White Rhino buds are huge and beautiful, half golden and half dark. There are also a lot of flower petals mixed in, I assume for visual interest? Dry scent is very sweet and candylike, primarily butterscotch but I can smell a hint of mocha too. I imagine Stacy giggling with mischievous glee when writing some of these instructions… “level teaspoons” for this tea… not exactly possible. :P I just kind of guestimated what two teaspoons would look like.

Yum! Brewed, this tea smells very similar to the butterscotch disc candies that I love so much. I can also smell the hazelnut and a bit of coffee. I must say, the flavor was much lighter than I was expecting, since I had heard White Rhino described as somewhere between white and black teas. The butterscotch is definitely the main attraction, and it’s perfectly dead-on for butterscotch candies. The texture is very creamy and smooth, and I attribute that to the nuttiness from the hazelnut flavor. I must say, I don’t really detect any coffee or chocolate, but I definitely don’t miss it. The base tea itself is rather silent as well, though I do catch a bit of grain and I’m sure it contributes to the creamy texture.

I can imagine this being delicious and decadent with a bit of sugar or even a bit of soy milk, but I’m currently trying to abstain from adding things to tea. Still delicious au naturel!

On a side note, this is my 400th tasting note! Woo!

MMMmmmmm good.
AND seriously spot on with the candy flavour. Lately, I haven’t been so much into white teas but this here is a wonderful exception. Oh yes it is!
I love how complex the notes are. Mocha, a touch of caramel, white, shu, and that candy sweetness that pushes everything over the top. I kinda wish there was a tad more caramel depth. As for the hazelnut, I am not sure, but I think I can detect that as well? I can’t be sure.
That said, this is definitely something to pull out once in awhile. I can see myself enjoying this when company comes over or when my sweet tooth demands a little something :P
Thanks Stacy!!

Having had the White Rhino by itself, I can now appreciate the deliciousness of this tea. It’s still a bit lighter than I’d like, but mmmm, delicious butterscotchy goodness. Really not tasting any mocha, but there might be a teensy bit of hazelnut peeking out. I’m content with my half ounce, though, especially since I have a half ounce of the new-base version incoming at some point.