Butiki Teas: Mystery Teas Revealed!!! Herbs & Spices?
I just put in an order for 2 teas. Sorry I never tried you before, recently got back into buying new teas, your reputation here is impressive.
We have a facebook thread going on here: https://www.facebook.com/butikiteas/photos/a.245329835615089.1073741827.245329755615097/435795456568525/?type=1&theater
“Now that we have sold over half of our teas, we could use a few more flavored teas to add to the mix. We are open to suggestions.”
Please feel free to add any suggestions or let us know if any suggestions from others sound good.
Here is a list of our flavorings left: banana (but just barely), coconut, butterscotch, cantaloupe, irish cream, strawberry, pumpkin, licorice, praline, champagne, rhubarb, cheesecake, cashew, pecan, bergamot, espresso, hot cinnamon, mango, apple, orange, brandy, grapefruit, hazelnut, walnut, waffle, tangerine, cider, blueberry.
Here is a list of our teas we can flavor: 1989 Suncha Blend (puerh), Sansia Black (nice honey notes), Taiwanese Bi Luo Chun, Organic Spring Twist, Kenya Obsidian, Oriental Beauty, Organic Bai Mu Dan, Hand Rolled Giddapahar, Glenburn Silver Needles, Crimson Horizon, 1994 Aged Bai Hao.
I think a sort of “tropical” one could be interesting… I’ve never tried one like that. Maybe something with coconut/mango/strawberry in it, perhaps with a white tea base?
I probably won’t be able to buy the blend, but I like the idea of a mango chutney tea. I’ve never really tried a chutney before, but I know they are fruity and spicy. What about the mango, hot cinnamon, a little bit of cayenne, maybe some pineapple if you have any left… maybe something nutty, some other spices/ savory things.. tulsi?? Not sure the base. Maybe Kenyan Obsidian mixed with the Crimson Horizon? A little ripe pu-erh might be interesting too. No idea how that would taste.
mylittlegoobi-love the idea of doing something tropical, especially now that is getting pretty cold. :)
TeaSipper-I am a big fan of chutneys. You should definitely try a chutney the first chance you get. We have a lot of Indian restaurants in our area, so I have gotten to try some really creative chutneys. That is definitely a possibility. Unfortunately, we don’t have any tulsi or just ripe puerh but we do have a loose puerh blend.
Oh I wish there were Indian restaurants around here! You’d definitely have a better idea how to perfect a chutney blend better than I could.
Pecan Waffle (Sansia Black or Oriental Beauty or Crimson Horizon or 1994 Bai Hao?)
Tangerine (or Mango or Strawberry) + Coconut
Blueberry Champagne
Cantaloupe Champagne
I would also love to see the Handrolled Gidd matched with some fruit, and the Espresso in a deep savory base, and Mango in something that can really bring out that natural “mango-ey” flavor.
I don’t know how much Banana you have, but Butterscotch Banana would be good. 52Teas tried it, it was okay, but I have a feeling that you could make an incredible blend with those two flavors. Or maybe Pecan Cheesecake. I don’t know. xD
DavidsTea seem to use coconut in everything – it isn’t a favourite ingredient for me these days. What about champagne and orange – like a mimosa? Perhaps with a white tea base?
Tea Sipper-I must admit, I am a bit spoiled. There are at least 10 amazing Indian restaurants by my within 25 minutes. I’m so lucky.
Zack-Great suggestions! I especially love your champagne ideas and will definitely be trying espresso with the Giddapahar.
Ost-I’m a bit set on trying to make the banana/walnut/baked ali shan happen but if it doesn’t turn out to my liking, a banana butterscotch sounds delicious. Pecan Cheesecake sounds awesome!
Lilysmom-I did try making a mimosa puerh. It turned out like orange bubblegum but I have a feeling the puerh was really interfering. I’ll see how it tastes with a white tea. :)
Brandy banana puerh or black.
Banana praline oriental beauty.
This is a fun imagination game… I can see why you enjoyed this part of the business.
Keep us posted on your tasting impressions of the blends you try! Can’t wait to see whats next. Also glad you liked the idea of an oolong for the banana, and I’m definitely looking forward to hearing how those tastings are shaping up!
Jude-Thanks for the ideas! It is a lot fun! :)
Zack-So that was you with the banana tea idea! I would be happy to update brief tasting notes here if it’s not a bother to the community. Since our stock of teas is much smaller now, I have a lot more time to focus on blending. We will be coming out with new small batches of teas regularly.
The teas that were made today were (we can’t test them for 24-48 hours though):
Cantaloupe Champagne
Strawberry Rubarb Cheesecake
Bergamot Cheesecake
Bergamot/tangerine/grapefruit
Strawberry Coconut Praline
Praline
Brandy Apple Pecan
Banana Walnut
Blueberry Champagne
Espresso cantaloupe
At the moment our top priorities are to flavor Kenyan Obsidian & 1989 Suncha Blend. I’ve been drinking them all day to figure out what to pair them with.
^Also, the flavors we tested out are just the beginning. We collected a lot of ideas and will be testing them out in waves.
Apple cinnamon cider
Pumpkin cinnamon cider with Bai Mu Dan
Apple pear( if you have any) walnut I had a pie like this and it was amazing!
Apple and pumpkin? I’ve never had them together I’m curious if they would work well with other
Krystal-I love your apple pear walnut and apple pumpkin suggestions. They sound interesting.
adagio breeze-it’s a combo of Zack’s idea mixed with my idea. He suggested giddapahar/espresso+fruit. I added the cantaloupe. This will either be amazing or completely awful. Can’t wait to find out.
Actually the sentence when I referred to both the fruity giddapahar and espresso was meant to be two separate suggestions, not in the same tea lol… So I cant take credit for suggesting a fruity espresso. The combo sounds pretty odd, but who knows… Maybe it was meant to be =)
Zack S.-Oops, I see what you meant. I guess my mind just wanted to read it as a fruity espresso.
What about a Grapefruit Sidecar? Sansia black with brandy, orange, and grapefruit flavors.
Kaylee-Espresso Cheesecake sounds amazing but unfortunately, we don’t have enough cheesecake flavoring left. The Grapefruit Sidecar sounds interesting. I’ll add it to the list to test out.
I think a banana praline would be good—though as there’s not a whole lot left, that is probably not the best suggestion. ;) Coconut-praline might be tasty as well (I sort of like praline, though).
Love the idea of coconut praline. I’m thinking of taking that one step further and maybe doing coconut, strawberry, praline. Maybe a white tea base?
Jen & Tea Pet-Glad you guys like the idea. I’m crossing my fingers that it turns out good. :)
I really liked the way that your rhubarb flavouring came out when cold brewed and I didn’t nab the Rhubarb Vanilla Ale again when I had the chance so I’d be interested in seeing something Rhubarb related, maybe on a white base.
Rhubarb/Champagne would kind of be cool I think, but most of the fruit flavours like Mango or Cider or what have you would be interesting too.
Rhubarb Champagne sounds wonderful. Maybe adding a little hibiscus (just a touch) to bring out the tartness of the rhubarb.
You know how many of us are wary of hibiscus ;) But I think you’re right that a small amount would probably work (especially for cold brewing)! I’d definitely jump on Rhubarb Champagne, though.
We only use like 10-15 grams of hibiscus for a pound of tea (453 grams). Just a slight bit to add a tiny tartness. I’m a hibiscus hater but it does add a nice light touch of tartness.
I want to see Stacy change her mind and decide to keep on blending teas.
Heh, right? :P Think we are all holding onto that little bit of hope. Probably false hope, but hope nevertheless. XD
Awww, you guys. :) Unfortunately, my mind is definitely made up. I’m really excited to be moving on. I will be missing the blending though and my customers.
Having now tried the Sansia Black and really enjoying that honey note – I think I’d like to see what an Earl Grey would taste like with it. Maybe Earl Grey on a Florida Holiday with bergamot, tangerine and grapefruit.
Or just the bergamot. I’m really intrigued to see how the Sansia would taste with the bergamot.
The Sansia Black makes such a wonderful base. Hmmm, maybe I will try the bergamot cheesecake on both the Kenya Obsidian and the Sansia Black. Oooh, I love the idea of a real citrusy tangerine, bergamot, and grapefruit mix. Will definitely be trying that.
J Atkinson do a spectacular grapefruit and bergamot Earl Grey (they call it their Blue Sky Blend – definitely one of my favourite teas), so it’s deffo something that works really well. If you add tangerine, too, it could be really mouthwatering! I think I’d have to treat myself to an ounce or two ;)
Red Fennekin-Glad to hear you like that combination. We did test that one out today. :)
Red Fennekin-I think it went well but it’s usually very difficult to tell by smell. Everything usually smells great but taste is a completely different story.
So many good flavor ideas you guys! :-O
You listed a baked alishan tea on the facebook page? Is there only enough baked alishan for that one tea option?
I think there really is only enough for one tea but I would still be open to suggestions.
Irish Cream baked alishan would be nice – if the alishan has a creaminess to it. Also, if you have any mint, a mint tea with the puerh would be good for when you are feeling sick. And a mint tea with marshmallow leaves and a vegetal green tea base, would be amazing! I’ve found that mint and marshmallow (and cream!) go really, really well together!!
I’m really loving the mint and puerh idea. I don’t think we will have enough marshmallow left but I’m hoping I can work mint and puerh together with something else. Maybe cheesecake? Or perhaps a fruit?
PRALINE? (I didn’t mean to put that in caps. Will keep.)
I really like that idea. I wouldn’t mind seeing that mango chutney idea from upthread, either.
Stacy, I’d just like to say the last two orders I’ve ordered from you have had amazing service. The first has amazing tea. (I haven’t gotten the second, obviously.)
I’m glad I got to order before you closed shop, and I’ll be sad to see you go. (And RIP Tamarind Gui Fei. You were/are amazing and are already missed.)
Replying to myself like a creep: banana praline sounds amazing. When I lived in NoLa, I always tried to seek out flavored pralines, as other flavors tended to temper the aggressive sweetness of the caramel and milk some but not too much. The best praline I ever had was a sweet potato praline. There’s no way to blend a similar flavor, right? I would be so into that.
So glad you are enjoying the tea and our service! New Orleans is my absolute favorite city. We had a sweet potato flavoring at one point and we still have left over freeze-dried sweet potatoes but unfortunately, we won’t be able to do a sweet potato flavor. Sorry. We will definitely be doing something praline though.
Serious Question: Would anyone buy Coffee & Cigarettes tea? It’s 2/3 puerh, 1/3 Taiwanese Lapsang. Also, coffee and sugar flavoring. I thought it was gross but my friend thought it was amazing. I would only make this if there is enough serious interest.
Not sure if I could purchase anymore now, been buying a lot, but it sounds interesting. I recently tried a Lapsang and loved the smokiness of it. Also love coffee (well, lattes)/sugar, so it sounds up my alley.
Thanks for the feedback!
Tea Pet-Well, when I was talking with my friend about an SP blend, she immediately suggested coffee & cigarettes as a joke. Though, clove cigarettes would be more appropriate.
If the tea was simply a smokey coffee then yes I’d be interested! If there was actually a ciggarrette-like taste then I’d pass.
As an ex-smoker, I would so try a coffee and cigarette tea! Not because it would make me crave a cig lol. I think the clove cigarette idea is waaay better than just cig though. Perhaps the coffee and would taste even more amazing with the pu and lapsang if there was a hint of clove as well. That tea sounds good!
Zack S.-It doesn’t taste like cigarette, just smoked tea.
TheLastDodo-My friend who suggested the tea is an ex-smoker. She loves it. I don’t know if the clove would work with the tea. It sounds interesting but I don’t think it would turn out the way I would like it to. I might add a little clove to a sample batch and see if it does anything for the tea.
adagio breeze-I will test a small section with clove in it but I don’t know if I would add it to an entire batch since smoke and coffee flavors are already unpopular, I’m not sure if adding clove will make it more unpopular but I could always post a recipe for people who want to try it with clove.
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