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This tea was a disappointment, which surprised me because I’ve loved almost everything I’ve ever tried from Butiki. The dry leaf had only the faintest sweet aroma and I only found 2 white chocolate chips in the whole 1-ounce bag (though, to be fair, I bought this in a stash sale and the previous owner may have used up some of the chocolate when they sampled it). And all I taste is the base; not even a hint of chocolate. Fortunately, the base is delightfully malty and full-bodied, so I’ll still enjoy this tea. I just wish I could actually taste the white chocolate!

This is another winner from Butiki! It smells amazing and looks really pretty with the dark purple leaves and red and blue flowers. The base is nice and smooth and just slightly sweet. I don’t really taste the cheesecake, but I do get lots of plum and a hint of brandy. Very rich and decadent!

This was an okay pumpkin tea. Unfortunately, I’m comparing it to Butiki’s Pumking Creme Brulee (which is AMAZING!) and this one just doesn’t measure up. It has a nice blend of pumpkin pie spices that don’t come across as overly spicy and there is a bit of creaminess from the white chocolate, but I just don’t taste that rich pumpkin flavor that I’m craving.

This is one of the best chocolate teas I’ve tried! It’s rich and creamy and sweet without added sugar. The coconut and pecan flavors blend nicely with the chocolate. This is the kind of dessert tea that I can drink instead of eating a treat and not feel like I’m depriving myself. I will definitely be re-purchasing this one!

QueenofTarts was kind enough to send along a bonus sample of this in a recent stash sale package. From the description, I was expecting to love this one and I wasn’t disappointed! While it was steeping my kitchen smelled like candied pineapple…this is one of the strongest scented teas I’ve had recently! The flavor was smooth and sweet and very tropical: pineapple, mango and papaya seemed like the main notes to me. The base seems very mild; I didn’t notice any of the vegetal or grassy flavor I might expect from a green tea. No bitterness or astringency either, even though I accidentally overheated my water. No two ways about it, I’m going to be placing a Lupicia order very soon!

Cooking TTB #20

This was my very last sample from the Cooking TTB, as I sent it off to The Cookie Lady today. There were so many teas in this box that I loved! Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. I found it to be very grassy, which is my least favorite flavor profile for green tea. There was a little bit of fruity flavor, but it didn’t really come across as fig. This isn’t something I’d ever care to drink again, but I still enjoyed the opportunity to try so many teas I had never heard of from companies I’ve never ordered from!

Cooking TTB #19

This tea had such a unique combination of flavors, I couldn’t resist trying it. But honestly, I was also a bit afraid of it. There are so many ways it could have gone wrong…too much mint, a woody flavor from the base, or an intensely tart/sour flavor from the grapefruit. But I was pleasantly surprised: this is a delicious, refreshing tea! I chose to drank it cold and I couldn’t believe how smooth and creamy the flavor was. The mint and grapefruit blend seamlessly and the base doesn’t poke through at all. This would be an amazing summer iced tea!

Cooking TTB #18

Despite the name, this didn’t taste like pomegranates to me at all! It was quite floral with a tart aftertaste that I found unpleasant. Really not a fan of this one.

Cooking TTB #17

Up to this point, all of the chocolate mint teas I’ve tried have had a rooibos base. I like this one so much better! It smells like you just melted Andes Candies into your cup and brews up to a beautiful deep chocolatey brown. The base is very smooth and provides a nice foundation for the sweet mint and chocolate flavors. My only complaint is that the mint flavor overwhelms the chocolate for me. I want to try this one with milk and see if that brings out the creaminess of the chocolate a bit more. Another keeper!

Cooking TTB #16

This is a very smooth black tea with a strong floral flavor. There was a bit of astringency at the end of the sip. Not my favorite…but there have been so many winners in this box, I really can’t complain!