618 Tasting Notes
I need a nice afternoon filled with good tea after last night. I stayed up until 4 worrying about a very important quiz. Thankfully, things were sorted out this morning and now it’s all about tea. I’ve had this one for a while and thought that it would be a smooth, interesting choice. The dry leaves aren’t terribly attractive – they look a bit like the leaves you’d crunch on the sidewalk. I’m still excited to give them a try, though.
First Infusion: Very earthy with just a hint of sweetness. It reminds me of wet wood, mild berries and bread. There is a little bit of a tingling finish that lingers on the tongue. It’s not spicy, just a little bubbly and cooling. It is smooth, quite smooth actually.
Second Infusion: I’m still not getting a whole lot of scent from this tea. It’s a little strange because I’m used to tea having a relatively present scent, but this one really makes you search for it. Sipping… hmm.. this one seems to have fallen a little flat. It still has some of the same elements of the first cup, but doesn’t elaborate on any of them. In fact, some of them are a little bit softer and not as interesting.
I think I might move on to a different tea instead of continuing with this one. It’s not terrible, just not that interesting or tasty for me.
I thought that it was about time I wrote a note about this tea. Even though it has quite a bit of spice in it, the appeal of it tasting like cake convinced me to drink it. I made it with a splash of milk and it’s quite tasty. The first thing I taste is carrot – not real carrot flavor, but something like a sweet vegetable. Actually, the more I sip, the more carrot I get. It fades into the spices next, turning the cup into something a little bit like spice cake. The milk is strong enough to cloud up the heavy spices, but they’re still present and warming. The finish is creamy (due to the milk, I think). It leaves your mouth feeling like you’ve eaten a piece of carrot cake, even though the flavor isn’t explicitly carrot cake. I don’t think that I would like this tea as much if I hadn’t added any milk. It’s strange because I prefer rooibos without any additions, but it seems so appropriate here. This is a very nice dessert tea and really hits the spot tonight!
I have enjoyed the cantaloupe and cream blend from Butiki so I thought that I might like the watermelon one as well. Watermelon is a real favorite of mine during the summer and I tend to have good luck with things that are watermelon flavored (well, most of the time). I’ve had a few cups of this tea now with and without sugar and I have to admit that I like the cantaloupe and cream blend more. I can hardly taste the watermelon and I don’t like the idea of needing to add sugar as I typically take all of my teas plain. The tea base is buttery, clean and enjoyable — but I wish that I’d be able to taste more watermelon… it is a watermelon blend, after all. I’ll continue to play around with this tea, but cantaloupe and cream still holds the top place for best melon tea.
[Backlog] – I picked up a box of this tea because I had heard good things. It smells like Christmas right out of the box and seemed so promising! I noticed that it gave up its flavor and color quite fast. The cup was incredibly overwhelming with spice and sweetness. It’s the kind of syrupy sweetness that coats the tongue. I simply couldn’t get past a few sips. My brothers really enjoy this tea, though, so I happily gave them the rest of the box. I can see why this tea is a hit with some, but it’s just too strong for me!
The past few days, I have been embracing autumn’s slow approach. Even though the weather is still a bit warm, I am thinking of the changing seasons more than ever. My lovely mother even brought home a pumpkin loaf from the store and exclaimed, “the first of the season!” She knows how much I adore pumpkin.. so I’m looking forward to having a slice tomorrow morning.
This blend sounded like the perfect thing to have tonight. The hot cup smells strongly of squash, vegetables and rooibos. I can’t smell any sweetness so it almost makes me think of a savory soup. I’m a little nervous to see what this will taste like now.
Sipping… Hmmm.. this rooibos is a bit darker than others I’ve tried. It’s not light and sweet, but is dark and almost tastes burnt. I’m getting a little bit of a starchy flavor in the background and I believe that to be the sweet potato and chestnut. There is a little bit of squash mixed in the aftertaste. This blend tastes like burnt mixed vegetables. I think the combination of rooibos with sweet potato has so much potential, but it’s all lost here. I’m happy to have had a cup and it does bring to mind roasted squash and bonfires, but it’s really too strange for me to finish.
I’m moving through my little pile of SerendipiTea samples. I’m not sure if I’m super eager to, though, because the past blends haven’t been all that tasty. I feel like most of the blends that have fruit in them end up tasting the same… and it gives me the unpleasant image of all of the tea being kept together in the same big barrel in some warehouse.. not really, I know, but the thought lingers!
The dry leaf smells promising in the little pouch. It’s sweet with a bit of orange and a little something that reminds me of Christmas. Once water has been added, I’m getting a very tart orange liquid Motrin scent… eh.
I’m not getting anything creamy, really. It tastes like warm hibiscus and oranges. I wish that this would be more complex, but this is simply a tart tea with a nasty scent. I wonder if I’m just making bad choices with SerendipiTea samples or if my tastes have changed since trying this brand.
Today is Saturday and I have time to focus on a tea and its multiple infusions. I decided on this one because it seemed… just right for today.
First Infusion: The scent of this first cup is of sweet potato, black pepper and sugar. It’s too hot to sip at the moment, but I can’t wait! Sipping… oh, this is nice and smooth! I’m getting a little bit of sweet potato and pepper with something milky as well. It’s slightly astringent at the end of the sip. Very tasty!
Second Infusion: The scent is a bit more flat in this cup than in the first. I can still detect sweet potato, but it’s very toned down. Sipping… the spicy black pepper is the first thing I taste. It’s also not nearly as sweet and milky as the first cup. It’s good, but very spicy! Not sure I like this cup all that much, to be honest. I’m rather sensitive to spicy notes and this one is just so peppery!
Third Infusion: I’m hoping that the pepper is toned down a little in this cup. Sipping… I’m getting a bit more of a milky note – yay! There is still the bite of that pepper, but it’s not as strong as the second cup. Just a hint of sweet potato is left, but it’s enough to make this cup quite nice.
If this tea maintained the flavors of the first infusion, this tea would be brilliant. I am not a fan of the spicy notes in the subsequent cups, so I don’t think I’ll purchase more of this tea. Still a wonderfully unique tea that would be perfect for those who like peppery notes in their tea!
I’ve had this tea for the longest time and have only about 1/2 a bag left out of the two I received from the lovely Indigobloom! I’ve been trying to save this blend because it’s so hard to get. This tea has the nicest blend of vanilla and sugar with a mild rooibos base. It’s very sweet on its own and soothes any sweet tooth or dessert craving! I definitely get the taste of nougat, but it’s more like the individual components of nougat, not nougat paired with chocolate. There is a twinge of something artificial, but it’s not strong enough to stop me from drinking the cup. It does lower the rating a little bit, though. I can’t really describe it — it just interrupts the overall taste of the tea and doesn’t allow for complete smoothness that the vanilla suggests in the beginning. This is a nice dessert tea and I will be sad when the pouch is gone.
I must say that I love the name of this tea – it’s just so cute! I have been wanting to order some more of my favorite creme caramel from Teapigs, but shipping is so expensive! I thought that I would try to find a new alternative that would taste the same, but would be more readily available! This one smells promising: buttery, sugary, woody.
Sipping… It’s a bit different than I expected. This isn’t to say that it’s bad, it’s just not the buttery caramel rooibos tea I’m used to. The rooibos base is good – not medicinal at all. It’s just the caramel flavoring is a bit more burnt tasting, a little bit spicy even. It doesn’t leave the nicest flavor on my tongue. The spicy caramel is paired with a bit of a watery rooibos background. The other blends I’ve had feel a little bit thicker and more buttery. I’m going to finish the amount I have, but then I’ll probably continue the search for other caramel rooibos teas!
You know that if there is any birthday cake (or regular cake) tea, I have to have it! I was really excited to see that Butiki Teas was going to have a birthday cake version of their own so into the shopping cart this went!
The dry leaf of this tea is just adorable – very reminiscent of soft and fluffy confetti. I think that the pretty leaf makes up for the missing sprinkles (I know, I know, but I have a soft spot for sprinkles in tea. They are just so fun!). It smells a bit more like herbs that I expected. There is the familiar scent of Butiki’s egg nog blend, but I’d say that it’s mostly in the background.
Sipping… the marshmallow leaf flavor reminds me a little bit of Sleepytime tea. It has that same sort of cooling effect on my mouth. I do taste something creamy, but it seems to be almost identical to the egg nog flavor. Sadly, I don’t think that I’m tasting much cake at all. To me, this blend is egg nog tea with a different base. It’s not bad, but just wasn’t what I was hoping for in a birthday cake tea. It does have plenty of potential, though – I’d be interested in seeing how this would be with a rooibos base + a bit more cake flavor.
