278 Tasting Notes
I love this tea. I can’t help it.
The flavor is not amazing. If you’ve ever smelled pea flowers, then you’ll be able to picture the flavor. They taste just like they smell.
But the tea is purple! It’s not lavender, or a deep plum that’s almost not purple at all, but electric purple! It’s gorgeous and I’ll be honest, I just like looking at it.
I made this hot, and that was ok, but I love it as a cold brew. I let the flowers steep overnight and it’s ready to take to work in the AM. A little squeeze of agave and it’s just right.
Since I don’t love the flavor all on it’s own, I’ve been planning out ways to incorporate a small amount of flowers into other teas, just for the color.
This tea is just the butterfly pea flowers alone, but Blue Chai does make a blend with lemongrass. More on that soon!
Preparation
Purple tea? That sounds awesome! :O
It’s so fun! If you have a minute, click to the steepster page for this tea, then scroll a little and check out the pics from our community area. The tea really is that color!!!!
That interesting…
Seems like something a TeaFairy would love, doesn’t it? :)
I was really surprised at the color, and that it’s completely natural!
Need.
I could send you some! I also have their Maya Bay blue tea. I got large bags of both. :)
Oh woo! Thank you – that would be awesome :)
Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 205 degrees, 45 seconds, Forlife brew in mug strainer & Dr. Who mug
Dry Leaf Aroma: O. M. G. This is positively sublime. See how it made me use a word like “sublime”? It smells like roasty chocolate, malt, and roses. That’s right. Roses.
Brewing Aroma: Very malty, but with a hint of something interesting that I can’t quite place.
Flavor: This is exceptionally lovely. It’s smooth, with just a hint of astringency on the end. It tastes like slowly roasted, light malts with a little floral note. It’s not sweet, but it certainly doesn’t need any sugar. I think it’s an amazing tea. I received a sample from MzPriss (thank you thank you thank you), and I am on my way to buy more NOW.
Preparation
You are so welcome. I’m glad you love it like I love it
It’s rare that I place an order for more than an ounce of tea, since I really love sampling a huge variety, but this one was definitely a bulk purchase. Can’t wait to get more. :)
Your description makes this seem so up my alley and all of the other reviews rave about it. I wasn’t planning to order more tea this weekend, but oh well…
I really hope you like it. It was just so darn smooth. I am happy that more of this is on the way!
Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 170 degrees, 4 min, French Press
Tea Aroma: Smells like autumn spices!
Flavor: This tastes like pumpkin pie. It’s very lightly sweet on its own, which works for me. I didn’t add anything. It would probably be good with some milk and sugar, as well. This will be one that I go back to when the weather cools and the leaves change. Autumn morning tea!
Preparation
As much as I love fall season, let’s have a summer first please! but i do agree, nothing beats spicy tea on an autumn morning :-)
LOL… I’m not trying to rush summer, I promise! I just sometimes associate my teas with a season, and this one screams AUTUMN!!!!
I got my first Butiki order in today. Got some blacks and puerh, tasting notes on the puerh soon! :))))
Awesome! This was my first order, too. So far, I’ve liked the teas I got for myself, and my boyfriend has liked the teas I got for him. So Butiki is a win!
No worries, I do the same ;-)
Method: 1 tsp, 8 oz, 182 degrees, grandpa style
Dry Leaf Aroma: milky and buttery, with a hint of floral
Brewing Aroma: more floral
Flavor: Solid. It’s not my fave oolong, but I really have no complaints. The flavor is mild, as is the astringency. It has a dry finish, but nothing crazy. I would definitely drink this one again!
Preparation
Method: 2 tsp, 8 oz, 195 degrees, 4 minutes, For life mug strainer & Dr. Who mug
Dry Leaf Aroma: fruit, floral, a little hint of seaweed
Brewing Aroma: sweetness and raisins, other non-specific fruit
Flavor: Yum. This has a lightly fruity taste, and is mildly sweet. This one made me smile. It has a tiny tinge of astringency, nothing drastic, which became more noticeable as it cooled. This also reminded me a little of tobacco. But I think that tobacco smells like raisins, so maybe that’s where it came from. This one was a winner for me!!!!
Preparation
Method: 2 tsp, 8 oz, 212 degrees, 3 minutes, French Press
Dry Leaf Aroma: Nuts and coconut
Flavor: This had a light sweetness on its own, but was better with a little rock sugar. The tea was very smooth and I didn’t find bitterness or astringency. I enjoyed the flavors. It tastes kind of like a cookie! I would like to try it again with a little almond/coconut milk, because that seems like the perfect combo. I can see why this one is so popular. It’s deelish! I wish I could have tasted more coconut, though. Still, I was very happy. :)
Preparation
Method: 1 tsp, 180 degrees, 8 oz, 4 minutes, Forlife brew in mug strainer, Dr. Who mug
Dry Leaf Aroma: Floral and grapey
Brewing Aroma: Grape
Flavor: Wow, excellent. The base tea is a lovely oolong with floral flavors, which blend nicely with the grape flavor. The grape isn’t overwhelming at all, and lets the base tea shine through. I’m really happy with this one, and I think it’s very well done. I have been looking for a good grape tea, and I think I found it!
Preparation
Method: 3/4 tsp, 160 degrees, 8 oz, 5 minutes, Forlife brew in mug strainer, Dr. Who mug
Dry Aroma: Lovely scent of blueberries
Brewing Aroma: Same as above
Flavor: The blueberry is present, which I enjoy, but the tea has a bitterness that I don’t care for. This is my 2nd try today. The first time it was not brewed correctly, and the bitterness was overwhelming. Even using the correct parameters, the bitterness is still prevalent. A little rock sugar definitely helps.
Hint: DO NOT brew this at 208 degrees. My very sweet boyfriend made tea this AM, but did not read the instructions. This is definitely a low-temp tea. Maybe I will try this as a cold brew. I generally find those to be much less bitter!
Update 6/28: Brewed 1/2 tsp exactly, 8 oz, 160 degrees, for 3 minutes. The tea did not have the bitterness from the first attempts, but it also had less blueberry flavor. I definitely prefer it this way to the prior methods, but it’s not a favorite. I’ll try 4 minutes next time.
Preparation
This is actually one that I was very curious about. I’d never heard of purple tea before I saw it. Sucks that you didn’t like it though. :(
Yeah, I was a little bummed, especially because the reviews are so great. I didn’t check them all, but I only saw one other person mention the bitterness as I was scanning the page. I really wanted to like this. My boyfriend thought it was good. Maybe I will try it with a shorter steep!
Hah, it’s funny, every time my boyfriend offers to make tea for me I’m like nah… Too many parameters. Lol.
LOL. Mine is usually very good with the brewing. He makes the AM tea for us every day. He’s gotten pretty accurate. All I can think is that he didn’t read the label and thought it was a black tea, so steeped accordingly. It was definitely better when brewed according to the instructions. No idea where that bitterness is coming from at the low temp though!
Yeah that is odd, especially with such a small amount of tea. Maybe try a shorter time and see how that comes out? Trial and error! For science!
Well, if it’s for science, I hardly see how I could say no. :p
I would recommend trying the tea with 1/2 a teaspoon of tea. Purple tea has a lot of anthocyanin which can be bitter very easily. If it is still too strong, try diluting it with water until the bitterness is gone.
Will do!
I just requested this one as a sample, so I’ll have to keep that in mind! :)
Cameron B-You might want to double check the sample size when you get it. We have a tendency to go heavy on the samples.
I would gong fu this to see how it progresses. I agree with Stacy purple tea very short steeps and lesser amounts to avoid the bitterness being too strong. Almost like a Lao Man’E puerh long steeps will pucker your face up. :)
Although, I do love using boiling water and steeping for 5 minutes. It gives it a very wine-like taste but I don’t think too many people would be able to handle that.
I tried this with less tea and a shorter steep, and it’s better! I just think it’s hard to get the flavor I want without the bitterness. If purple teas tend to be more bitter, maybe they just aren’t my thing. Thanks for the suggestions!
Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 3 minutes, Mug + ForLife Brew in Mug Strainer
Dry Aroma: Peach and hops, just like the name says
Brewing Aroma: Same
Flavor: My perspective was that this did have a nice peachy flavor, but that the hops made the tea too bitter. I did very much enjoy the peach.
My boyfriend thinks this is the greatest tea ever. He was really happy with it, which is awesome, because I bought it for him anyway!
However, I based the review on my own impressions. i think this was a fun idea for a tea, but I am not a big fan of overly hopped drinks, beer or tea (IPAs are my least fave beer). If you like IPAs and other hoppy beers, you will probably really dig this tea. I love the smell of hops, I just don’t like their flavor to be front and center, I guess.
