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TTB #17

Another flavored oolong by Butiki, another win! While this doesn’t seem as complex and decadent (yes, I am totally using this word) as Rose Violet Calendula Oolong that I had a couple of days ago, it is still delicious and provides everything that the name promises, that is flowers, pineapple and oolong! :D

I got a bright yellow infusion that smells very delicately of pineapple. The flavor is much bolder, even a little tart, with a sweet, flowery finish. The oolong base shines through and binds the pineapple slightly sour notes with the flower notes. Very refreshing and summer-ish! That doesn’t seem to correlate with the weather well – there’s another snowstorm here in PA – so it’s best not to look out of the window ;D

I should really resteep this but I feel I should go on with my tastings… I still have about 3-4 teas to try before I have to pack the Traveling Tea Box and pass it to the next person tomorrow.

TTB #16

Yummy! I don’t know much about elderflower, but it seems to taste a bit like prickly pear and a little bit like quince. It gives this green a cool spin. The tea is smooth and a little bit creamy. While it is not particularly complex, I could definitely see this one as being my default-go-to tea in the afternoons!

TTB #15

What is this I’m drinking??? I want to know because it’s filling me with light and joy! Oh, it’s another Traveling Box tasting! Wow, this one is all over me.

I am so glad that my SuperHub got me a variable temp kettle because before that I was reluctant about having green tea (as I had to wait for the water to cool down after boiling and then it was always oversteeped anyway). Now I have more and more greens and I see a moment in the future where they might substitute most of black teas for me (except for the Chinese ones – we have certainly established that!) because they make me positively hyper! At the same time, black teas have an effect on me that is slightly similar to what coffee does to me – a moment of alertness followed by a crash.

Anyway, the tea! This tea is awesome! The leaves are beautiful green, the kind of green you only see a very good quality green tea to have (obv. it depends on the kind). They steep into a straw yellow infusion that over time turns into more definite brownish yellow. The fragrance matches its flavor well – it’s vegetal with a hint of citrus. The prominent note is asparagus… Yes, definitely, asparagus. So refreshing and yummy! I might be tempted to re-steep it…. IMMEDIATELY :D

EDIT: It appears that this tea is from one of these “French places”, or, in other words, completely unavailable to me, or, if physically available, then at least financially unavailable. Well, dammit :(

TTB #14

Usually, it seems, flavored oolongs, especially flavored green oolongs, are not my thing. There’s always something funky about them. It’s totally different with this one, though. It’s plain lovely.

With a blend like that it would be probably easy to swerve mostly to jasmine flavoring, but Butiki is not a kind of company that would go the path of least resistance with their blends! The fragrance is very complex, one can definitely get calendula (sweet honey-like) and rose. The same goes for the taste – there’s rose and jasmine co-existing quite happily with the oolong base (jade oolong?). I think it gets more perfume-like tasting as it cools down, which is not a bad thing for me, but the people who are not fond of flower teas should either drink this one within 10 minutes of having made it, or probably not at all.

I really love it and hopefully I will order some for myself one day :)

TTB #13

Umm… This is okay, I guess. There sure is a lot of coconut pieces! They don’t seem to do a whole lot for the flavor, though. It’s definitely coconuty (although that dissipates quickly), yes, there’s vanilla in it as well but somehow the whole thing just tastes boring. Slightly sugary. I barely detect any tea in it or it’s jut not particularly strong, probably because the coconut pieces tooks so much space in the heaping teaspoon that I used.

I think this one looks and smells more interesting as a dry leaf than as a steep.

TTB #12

This is such a sweet tea! The color of the steep is pretty light, almost like a dark oolong’s light brown hue. It is most definitely a full-bodied tea, tasting of chocolate and, actually, dark bread. I also detect a tiny hint of smokiness. It’s one of these sipping experiences where every sip is a surprise of flavor.

I am definitely in love with Chinese black teas and they are the ones I want to continue exploring. Not that I find the Indian and Sri Lankan ones hideous, definitely not. But these sweet, rich yunnans… They are going to be the death of me.

This is a sipdown! I should probably start counting them…

It is a very refreshing, nicely flavored green. I detect mostly citrus, melon is hardly there (I am guessing it is a hard flavor to bring out in tea). Nothing artificial about it, which is good considering the dry leaf of this can be on the funkier/artificial side smell-wise. I’m not sure if I would ever re-order this, but it wasn’t a bad experience.

TTB #11

The thing about flavored Golden Moon teas is that they are extremely subtly flavored. So is this one. I barely detect any melon flavor in it, but it is certainly there and pairs with the base tea very nicely. I’m guessing it would make a delicious iced tea, as the melon is the most prominent when the tea is cold, but since I am not a fan of iced teas that quality is mostly lost on me.

It is a top-quality white, fruity and brisk, with a hint of lovely, juicy watermelon. I might consider getting at least a few samples of it in the future, if I don’t feel like committing myself to several ounces just yet.

TTB 10

I am enjoying this greenpowder green although it is almost ascetically basic. I also must have slightly oversteeped it, which makes it taste slightly roastier than it normally would. It’s very grassy too – I’m guessing it’s supposed to be. I still don’t have as much experience with green tea as I would like to have.

All in all, an okay, decent simple green. Not anything crazy or overtly crave-able, but just fine.

TTB #9

This is… pretty bitter! I think I steeped it right but ‘right’ might not always mean ‘according to my tastes’. I am not sure about a summer cherry fig part, even if there are some fruity notes, they are burried deep under the kind of bitter of unsweetened cocoa powder (minus the chocolate part of it) – if that makes any sense.

However, as it cools down, the cherry comes out more, and then it is slightly reminiscent of Lupicia’s Sakurambo – but I don’t think nearly as good. It is an okay tea, probably a little bit less steeping would do it good, but it is not something I would jump at buying.