612 Tasting Notes
Backlogged from memory as I had this a few days ago late at night (yes I am nuts) and forgot to log it then. I always feel so sad when I don’t give a tea its proper due in my logs due to timing of things; I was sifting through my cupboard and kept going “I haven’t logged that one?!” to the point it’d be quite a project to backlog all of them, ack.
But anyway. This was delicious, as I’ve come to expect from A&D. My tea buddy loves it and has been saying so for like over a month now, but I had this block where I didn’t want to open the tin, feel like I need to sip down stuff that isn’t packaged so well to begin with. But it was calling to me last Friday or whenever it was, and I’m glad I gave in. So good. I can’t get into specifics right now alas, but hopefully next time I drink it at a more decent hour. I will say it’s unbelievably smooth while being bold, much like my beloved Double Knit (probably bolder, with a sharper/deeper flavor though). Definitely one of the best straight assams I’ve had, maybe even THE best. Given Mount Gray’s been the only disappointing A&D tea for me, looks like I know now which combo pack to get when/if (since there’s so much!) I ever restock. I’ve been a little curious about blending my own chai and if/when I try that I might use this as the base, both because it’s so smooth and strong and delicious and because I have plenty of it to mess around with.
Preparation
I thought it would be fun to do a side-by-side, haven’t done one of those in a long time (and I had my alphabetized “control group-standard” tea cups out anyway). And I’m wired from all the pu erh (Yowza! Definitely a “one serving resteeped all morning’ll do ya” thing) so no-cafs are the only option. So here we go. This versus Butiki Root Beer Float Honeybush, as Stacy was kind enough to give me a sample with my last order. It’s not entirely a fair comparison in that Utopia’s is rooibos and Butiki’s is honeybush (a less distracting base, I find), and Butiki’s is meant to be a float and Utopia’s is simply labeled root beer. But! I will just try to keep those factors in mind.
Dry, Utopia has a much stronger root beer, barky/rooty-soda (think birch beer, sarsaparilla, sassafras)-type smell. Steeping, it’s spicier smelling upfront too, though that dwindles the longer it steeps. Even though it doesn’t aim to be like a float, it has a lot of vanilla, as root beer tends to anyway. Butiki’s steeping aroma, while more subdued, has a specific black pepper-y note I dig though.
Onto the taste! Since I’m guessing Butiki’s is going to be subtler, I’ll start with that one. It tastes good and smells even better. It is surprisingly a bit thick on the tongue for a no-caf, which I like. After a couple sips I added a little sugar as recommended (I just about always find the precise recommendations for Butiki’s teas dead-on helpful, so I always follow them). That brings out the soda quality more, somehow making it taste a little fizzy. The creamy float quality comes in at the end of the sip; it’s subtle, but the vanilla is a delicious one. As it cools, it gets much creamier and is really yummy.
Utopia’s is a lot stronger and spicier, still surprisingly thick and a tad creamy, and sweeter in a chemical-y way. It has a hard to describe aftertaste, first chemical-y and a little unwelcome but eventually seguing into licorice root sweetness. I have to say I’m really impressed with how little I taste the rooibos (I don’t mind rooibos really, but I’ve noticed it can be hard to tamp down enough to keep from distracting from intended flavorings…it’s a very distinct thing that, once you notice is hard to ignore). The spiciness and strength of Utopia’s evokes the aforementioned more unusual rooty beers, stuff like sassafras and sarsaparilla.
I’m not terribly surprised at the results here—Butiki’s being softer, subtler, but delicious; Utopia’s being sharper, very bold and kind of spicy if a little chemical—but am pleased to learn I like both and would drink either or both again happily. Good to know as it saves me some sugar, as I’m unwilling to drink diet root beer. (:
Preparation
I thought it would be fun to do a side-by-side, haven’t done one of those in a long time (and I had my alphabetized “control group-standard” tea cups out anyway). And I’m wired from all the pu erh (Yowza! Definitely a “one serving resteeped all morning’ll do ya” thing) so no-cafs are the only option. Aaaaand once again this is a generous sample from Stacy. (I feel a little bad because I mentioned the top 3 picks for samples in the “note to seller” box meaning any 1 would be great, and I got all 3. Super nice!) So here we go. This versus Utopia Rooibos Root Beer. It’s not entirely a fair comparison in that this is honeybush (a less distracting base than rooibos, I find) and Utopia’s is rooibos, and this is meant to be a float and Utopia’s is simply labeled root beer. But! I will just try to keep those factors in mind.
Dry, Utopia has a much stronger root beer, barky/rooty-soda (think birch beer, sarsaparilla, sassafras)-type smell. Steeping, it’s spicier smelling upfront too, though that dwindles the longer it steeps. Even though it doesn’t aim to be like a float, it has a lot of vanilla, as root beer tends to anyway. Butiki’s steeping aroma, while more subdued, has a specific black pepper-y note I dig though.
Onto the taste! Since I’m guessing Butiki’s is going to be subtler, I’ll start with that one. It tastes good and smells even better. It is surprisingly a bit thick on the tongue for a no-caf, which I like. After a couple sips I added a little sugar as recommended (I just about always find the precise recommendations for Butiki’s teas dead-on helpful, so I always follow them). That brings out the soda quality more, somehow making it taste a little fizzy. The creamy float quality comes in at the end of the sip; it’s subtle, but the vanilla is a delicious one. As it cools, it gets much creamier and is really yummy.
Utopia’s is a lot stronger and spicier, still surprisingly thick and a tad creamy, and sweeter in a chemical-y way. It has a hard to describe aftertaste, first chemical-y and a little unwelcome but eventually seguing into licorice root sweetness. I have to say I’m really impressed with how little I taste the rooibos (I don’t mind rooibos really, but I’ve noticed it can be hard to tamp down enough to keep from distracting from intended flavorings…it’s a very distinct thing that, once you notice is hard to ignore). The spiciness and strength of Utopia’s evokes the aforementioned more unusual rooty beers, stuff like sassafras and sarsaparilla.
I’m not terribly surprised at the results here—Butiki’s being softer, subtler, but delicious; Utopia’s being sharper, very bold and kind of spicy if a little chemical—but am pleased to learn I like both and would drink either or both again happily. Good to know as it saves me some sugar, as I’m unwilling to drink diet root beer. (:
Preparation
This is one intensely chocolate (like, so intense it’s bitter as much as sweet, almost like burnt chocolate) tea. Dang. Also a revelation. Again, that initial fishy thing is there (weirdly, for this one it’s not at all in the dry leaf, only once steeped, at the beginning of the sip), but it’s faint and immediately eclipsed by the intense chocolate and roasty coffee-like aroma. It adds an earthiness, a slight soil quality. This is like a really good cup of incredibly potent espresso enjoyed with a square of super dark chocolate in a bustling Italian square market where they sell fish and mushrooms and bread nearby. Complex but also instantly gratifying, satisfying. I really, really like it! I think next time I will try it with a little milk just because it’s SO intense.
Preparation
You get fishy from this one??? Whoa, not me! Other than the fishy thing I’d say our opinions in it are very similar :)
It’s really light, and disappears almost immediately, but yeah. I bet once I’m used to drinking pu erh more often I won’t even notice anymore. I can sense how it’d be one of those acclimation type things, like learning to like wine or beer.
Whoamygosh this is amazing. It smells so good dry—the mint sets it apart, it isn’t strong or overpowering but just there enough to keep the earthiness in check. There’s the usual earthy, almost mushroomy aroma, but also a bit of chocolate (starts out like bittersweet chocolate, then at the end of the sip there’s a lingering sweetness), some leather, and even a bit of tobacco—if you know me you know these are all smells I adore. There is still what I’d call a faint fishiness initially but it’s much softer here and recedes almost immediately upon smelling the other things. Either that or I’m just getting used to it, ha. Anyway, I rinsed this time and made sure everything stayed hothot. Brews up deep dark. Steeped the aroma is very leathery while the flavor has that wonderful, odd mintiness that clears the air a bit of the more expected pu erh flavors. Makes me feel like I’m in an old private library full of leatherbound books and furniture, one with a window open next to a forest that just got rained on. Cleaned up but still full of all those mysterious things like soil and leather. I love how complex the interaction between that subtle but ever-present mint and everything else is—the mint both contrasts with everything but also somehow sharpens it all, makes the earthy elements more distinct. Wow. This is precisely the group of aromas I seek out when I buy little vials of rare, unusual perfume. The kind I buy so that sometimes, after dinner and before bedtime in the dark cold months, I can pop one open alone in my warmly lit bedroom and just take in the fragrance and be transported, writing in my perfume diary. A full-on experience. It’s dare I say it masculine, and clean, and well, sexy. Wow!
Preparation
Yes, pu-erhs can be very masculine, but not in a bad way! I think the mint element is what I don’t find appealing about this one. I’ve tended to prefer pu-erhs without the minty vibe. shrug to each his own :)
I love “masculine” scents and flavors, so yeah, for sure. I can definitely see how the minty vibe could be unwelcome to some, but I think for me it’s a good transitional easing into pu erh’s full on earthy funkiness. Ha.
I think it would be kind of neat to do a cheesy sort of “yin and yang” tea tasting sometime with so-called feminine profiled teas—light, with roses or lavender and fruit, say—and masculine ones too, and then maybe ones I think bridge the gap.
I love that idea! I also love the range of flavored tea has to offer us :)
You could go feminine with a delicate straight white tea, or a light and fruity oolong. Wouldn’t even have to go the floral scented route necessarily :)
Yes, white for sure! And maybe flowering even. I think Flowery Pineapple Oolong would be good, and/or Champagne Rose and Cream. American Tea Room’s Victoria. White Jasmine would be a no brainer except I don’t really like jasmine much…
So many teas, so little time, ha!
Another generous sample from Stacy, whee. Had this one for afternoon tea with my husband while he had Della Terra Blueberry Crumble (which I also enjoy for its coffee cake qualities, but I’m trying to let him have the most straightforwardly sweet bakery type teas as I know he likes those and might be pickier about other ones). Unfortunately I think the powerful aroma of his took over a bit and maybe I missed some of this tea’s nuance. I was nervous about this one anyway—hence the sample request as opposed to ordering a small amount—because, confession: I am a bit leery of tamarind! It is not like me, and I always wonder if I should get over it and just try all the fantastic Mexican candies with it in spades, but the couple of times I’ve cooked with tamarind paste it has been so intensely mouth puckering (and I’m someone who loves lemon overkill in Moroccan cooking and cocktails, thinks vinegar is delicious, and prefers foods pickled) I nearly threw out dinner. I know the soda isn’t really like that—my husband loves trying all the exotic flavors of soda at the international grocer’s so I’m no stranger to it—but I still got nervous. But this is not painfully tart at all. It’s got a little astringency, as it should (it gives it a very slight fizzy pop feel), but it’s surprisingly full of rich round sweet flavors like vanilla. This is a subtle tea. I worry some of its charms might have been lost in the din of sandwiches and chatter, but it was pleasant even so.
Preparation
Another generous sample Stacy packed in with my last order, yay.
I wasn’t sure this would be as good as the others I’ve been raving about all week because (aside from just feeling like, hey! They can’t all be winners, right? Ha) steeping the smell wasn’t as mouthwatering—some mango for sure, but also the rooibos. But then sipping it, and sipping some more, here I am impressed again. This really tastes like creamy fresh mango lassi, yum. And as it cools you get ALL the nuance of fresh mango—that stringy-musky-floral aspect (a friend who’s not a fan used to say mango tasted like hair to her; I think that’s what she was getting at, and I love it), not just the initial juicy fruitiness. Someone mentioned banana in their notes and I do totally agree, it’s not just the flavor of banana but also the fuzzy mouthfeel somehow. And that texture contributes to the “lassi-ness”. The cardamom makes it smell good and also adds to the feeling it’s really lassi, not just standard mango or tropical fruit tea. The rooibos is relativey subdued; you can taste and smell it if you look for it, but it’s only in background, not screaming upfront like in so many blends. Really good. It’s exciting to have so many treat options before bed now that aren’t just, you know, pretty good and fairly sweet, but taste truly, specifically like yummy things. I’d definitely order more of this.
Preparation
More fangirling. I made a few ladyfinger sandwiches with elderberry jam and cream cheese to go with my rose tea (I picked up the jam when we got our pumpkins for jack o’lanterns this week, on a whim hoping maybe it’d help our immune systems and be good for our new afternoon tea ritual), and it was all “if you give a mouse a cookie” chain reactions where the finger sandwiches made my husband want some, and then that made him want his own tea, and then he mentioned he wanted something dessert-y but with no caf and hey, this just arrived today (yay). So he had the cup really, but I smelled it dry, steeping, and in the cup and slurped a little of it.
And I’m as usual impressed and wondering how Butiki does that, makes it so eerily like the inside goo of a peppermint patty. I was kind of expecting this one to be disappointing honestly, because I’ve tried a handful of choco-mint teas from other good companies and only one has ever evoked dessert more than just straight up medicinal mint, and even the successful one did so by tasting overwhelmingly of cream (so you get grasshopper chip). Really was not expecting that genuine specific candy thing, but it’s there. Dry and steeping the aroma is mouthwatering milk chocolate, which I’ve experienced before but always followed by the flavor just being mint with a little sweetness at the end. Nope. Here the mint is stronger in taste than aroma as usual, but it is truly that gooey patty filling mint (like a junior mint!), not just mint leaves. Yum! Resteeped it becomes a nice if normal/standard sweet mint tea.
Preparation
You know me and roses—picky as all get out and more often than not I’m just like to hell with ‘em—but I’ve had this weird informal project of trying as many Butiki flavors and blends as possible because they impress me so much (and they’re so unique too), including flavors and scents I normally dislike. And people have been talking about how good this one is, so I thought I’d give it a shot. And lo. It is really good! It is definitely WHOA ROSES when you open the package (visually too, just loaded with stunning vibrantly hued rose buds—what a gorgeous tea, my gosh), full on, but it’s not musty at all. It is perfume-y granted, but it smells fresher than normal, heady and lush. Most importantly, once steeped and tasted, it’s the champagne that gets me—it does not TASTE at all like perfume; the aroma sort of wilts you in flower steam such that it’s like taking a scented bubble bath, but the flavor is a wonderful tart-yet-somehow-also-smooth thing that somehow evokes fizzy, crisp champagne (including champagne’s aftertaste, that transition of flavors…how does it do that?!). A lot of “romantic” teas end up tasting and smelling too weirdly sickly sweet, just…off. This is bright and fizzy and fresh and wonderful. As it cools it gets creamy and sweet. It really is like a genuine rose petal-strewn hot bath and champagne and creamy sweets. And it could not have come at a better time; I had a crappy blah day (nothing majorly catastrophic, just lots of grueling mundane toil and feeling grumpy and edgy and tired, you know?). This was exactly what I needed to relax and get my hackles un-raised. I can barely believe I truly dig a rose tea full on now.
I must seem like such a Butiki shill lately, eh? In case anyone’s curious, my binge Butiki drinking was brought on by my tea buddy mentioning she’d ordered a bunch of the fall flavored ones and was really digging them, which lead me to placing an order…stumbling upon a handful that made me go whoamygoshthisisincredible-mustreorderimmediately, and realizing that, looking back, I’ve had tons of perfect teas from them and now that I’m kind of “settling down” and phasing out of the “try every company ever” exploratory newbie phase, deciding which handful of tea vendors I want to regularly do business with, Butiki’s definitely going to be on the list. So it’s kind of made me want to just go through all the ones I’ve got around but haven’t tried yet. Hence the Butiki tealog fest. Sorry guys. I tend to get obsessive fangirl about some things (I was the same way with Verdant when I first joined here). Sheepish me.
Preparation
It’s really delicious! I like it more than the Rose Violet Calendula Oolong, which surprises me (as I like violet and calendula a lot more than rose usually). If you like champagne and/or rose bubble baths you will probably like it!
I’m the same way. My TRY ALL THE TEAS obsession switched to TRY ALL THE BUTIKI TEAS after my first order there. xD Haha. I imagine she doesn’t mind too terribly :)
Lately I’ve been dabbling with Verdant, but I have an order almost ready to go for Butiki that I’ll be placing really soon with some new ones~~
Oh, I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way! Verdant was definitely like that for me, and I think it’s a small mercy most of my favorite there are sold out right now, ha.
I made this a while back and forgot to log it, oops. It was an awesome sample Stacy generously packed into my last order (I love samples!).
It was quite tasty both hot and then cold steeped. Very smooth, a little sweet so the green flavor doesn’t become harsh or too grassy, very…clean and bright and spring-y (the name is apt). I really love smooth greens that remind me of being in my grandfather’s vegetable garden eating sweet peas and green beans on bright summer days, and this does. It was really good cold leftover too, refreshing and sweet and silky, a lot like the Laoshan Bilochun Green I love so much.