Another Butiki tea for the day. I wanted something out of the box so I grabbed this to try. It’s so dark and tightly curled, and after reading the other reviews here, I knew I’d probly be drinking this awhile. So I actually had started this a few hours ago and just got around now to putting the log in.
The dry leaves had a roasty and faintly fishy sort of smell, but I didn’t let that deter me.
1st Steeping – 4min/182* – The leaves are still tightly curled but I’m not really surprised by that. The brew itself has a heavy roasted/burnt coffee smell which nearly makes me not want to drink it. I dislike the smell of coffee intensely, but I’ve made it so I might as well try it. Definitely surprised by the taste which is woody and rich taste. There’s a very faint burnt coffee taste, but not as heavy/strong as it smells (also might be a taste association carryover from the smell). Slight grassy notes that I find if I think about it for a moment.
For as strong as the brew smells, it’s overall a very delicate, light sort of taste.
2nd Steeping – 5min/182* – Same sort of scent to the brew but lighter. Definitely has a greener sort of taste to it. Still roasty/burn-y tasting, but I’m also getting a vaguely fishy sort of taste to it now. Bleh. I didn’t even want to finish the cup.
The leaves are still pretty tightly curled and I bet I could get another couple steeps out of them. But honestly I just want a different tea. This one was good to try but it’s definitely not my thing. At least not past the first steeping. Unfortunate but it’s the swap bin for this one.
Extra note – I tossed the leaves into a jar with some water and stuck it in the fridge to cold brew for the night. So I’ll be interesting to see what comes of it.
