993 Tasting Notes
I’m guessing this would be better as an iced tea, but I did enjoy it hot. It has a great juicy, natural strawberry flavor. There are papaya pieces in this too, but I really only taste the strawberry. The green base is smooth and sweet with little astringency. Overall, a very nice fruity green tea.
Flavors: Strawberry
Preparation
Thanks to Jenni King for recommending this one on YouTube…it’s lovely! It has a relatively mild pistachio scent in the bag and doesn’t taste like much if you drink it piping hot. But as it cools, the flavors really begin to pop: a wonderful natural pistachio flavor mingled with hints of creamy vanilla. Even unsweetened, it definitely reminded me of ice cream. A delightful treat!
Flavors: Cream, Nuts, Vanilla
Preparation
This is the first gunpowder tea I’ve tried, so I must admit that I’m not quite sure what it is supposed to taste like! It was fun watch those tiny pellets expand into nice big tea leaves as I steeped it and there is an intriguing smoky aroma coming from my cup. There’s definitely quite a bit of smokiness to the flavor too…along with another taste that I can only think to describe as autumn leaves. It’s very robust and flavorful for a green tea and just the slightest astringent bite. Ordinarily, this isn’t the sort of thing I’d go for. But on a cold November day, a cup of tea that tastes like a burning leaf pile is somehow hitting the spot!
Flavors: Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Smoke
Preparation
There was way too much lavender in this sample! It completely overwhelmed whatever bergamot flavor might have been there, so instead of lavender earl grey, it just tasted like lavender-scented black tea. And until I added milk, it was also quite bitter. Not something I would drink again.
Flavors: Bitter, Lavender
Preparation
Butiki’s dessert teas are delicious and this one is no exception! There are whole dried raspberries and mini chocolate chips mixed in with the tea leaves and in the bag it really does smell like a dark chocolate raspberry truffle. Steeped, there is a nice balance of fruit and cocoa flavor with a slightly bitter note at the end. The base of this one is slightly astringent, so I may try it with a splash of milk next time.
Flavors: Dark Bittersweet, Raspberry
Preparation
I didn’t read the description very carefully when I ordered this one…I thought it was just vanilla flavored, so the mint was a surprise! It also has an interesting herbal scent that I don’t really care for. Mint is the predominant flavor in my cup, but the vanilla is definitely present as well. There’s also an interesting earthy undertone which I’m guessing must be coming from the guayusa base. An interesting blend overall, but I don’t think I would re-purchase.
Flavors: Earth, Spearmint, Vanilla
Preparation
I’ve enjoyed the other rooibos blends I’ve tried from Great British Tea Store, but this one was a disappointment. None of the rich, creamy chocolate flavor I was hoping for…instead, I’m tasting mint, which wasn’t in the description at all. This was a disappointment!
Flavors: Mint
Preparation
Another AMAZING tea from Butiki! This one has a fantastic rich, malty base that I’m sure is delicious all by itself. As I sip, I taste smooth, creamy vanilla first. Then there’s a rush of warm caramel that leaves a lingering sweet aftertaste in my mouth. I never drink the same tea twice in a row, but I am so tempted to go and brew another cup of this one right now!
Flavors: Caramel, Malt, Vanilla
Preparation
In the bag, this tea smelled like pure maple syrup. But when I steeped it, the maple flavor was not nearly as heavy as I was expecting it to be. It’s definitely there; it’s just very mild. The pecan flavor is also quite light, which I guess is a good match for the smooth oolong base. It was a tasty combination, but not quite as strong as I would have liked. I would love to try this flavor combination in a black tea!
Flavors: Maple Syrup, Pecan