Butterbeer

I have seen people giving rave reviews to 52teas.com all over Steepster, so I knew that the tea would be good, but I’ve been holding off because I have so much tea. But then Butterbeer.

I don’t think I can possibly explain how much of a Harry Potter fan I am. I started reading right before the Goblet of Fire came out and was addicted every since. I went to midnight release parties, I read every book with my two best friends and then we talked and laughed and cried over them together. I’ve written fanfiction (yes, I am admitting that). I got in on the Pottermore beta just to find out my house (Ravenclaw represent!). I don’t think I will ever outgrow these books, and I don’t even care.

So when I checked 52teas.com and found out that Butterbeer was an option, of course I had to order some.

This is how good it is. I got the package today, brewed it, took one sip and then immediately went and ordered another pouch. Now I’m sitting here sipping a second cup and munching on a pumpkin cookie (because Harry Potter!) and debating ordering a third pouch just in case I can’t live without it. Why didn’t I order two more?

Anyway, I guess I should actually get around to talking about the tea. It smells amazing, like a root beer float with some licorice aromas. And in fact, I can taste the root beery flavors when I drink it — along with very nice black tea, a hint of licorice and a smooth butteriness and that might not even be a word but it fits perfectly — and it FANTASTIC. Seriously, if every one of the teas from 52teas is even half this good, I can see why they are so popular.

I’m seriously considering never drinking any other tea ever again. No, really.

0.8 tablespoons for 375 ml of water.

Sweetness throughout. Mild, pleasing astringency from the black tea. Smooth and buttery. Light overall taste.

Rating: 83

Other people have said that this one is better than DT’s Root Beer Float. And it is. Root Beer Float is damn good, in my opinion, but this one tops it just that little bit in basically every way.

The dry smell is amazing – like root beer, but with something else almost spicy underneath, and the wet smell has the same promise of deliciousness. The tea itself has a strong flavour which is predominantly root beer with something deeper and richer underneath…possibly that’s the chicory? I really wouldn’t know. It’s very smooth, and basically just has a richness and complexity that DT’s Root Beer Float lacks.

Which means I’d like to order more now that it’s available. Which brings me to the fact that I have a little problem.

Well, actually, it’s rather a large problem, which is this – I am a hoarder. Ever seen TLC’s mental illness porn, Buried Alive? (As opposed to, you know, their obesity porn like I Eat 33, 000 Calories A Day, or their child abuse porn like Toddlers & Tiaras, or… TLC is the king of exploitation programming, people.)

Well, it’s basically like that. Although not as bad. (This is an ugly thing to tell people, usually because they picture people who hoard jars of their own urine and sleep in piles of roach-infested baby blankets they won’t use because they don’t have an infant.) Possibly because I have the advantage of complete self-awareness that I have the disorder (at least for the past 5 years or so), I actually try to clean a bit at least weekly.

I was actually pleased when most of my hoarding tendencies got fixated on tea about a year ago. I may have trouble getting rid of stuff, but what can you really do with tea except get rid of it by drinking it? I was absolutely thrilled that I’d found something to hoard which was consumable and thus wouldn’t permanently take up space. Way better than years ago when I was hoarding newspapers and magazines, and they formed dangerous, chest-high teetering piles of solid, yellowing objects that just sat and grew.

But I know I’ve hit the point where I truly need to admit I have a lot of tea. I stood in my room today and just held my head looking – really looking – at the tea. I ran out of the shelf room that I had in front of some of my books, so now I just have bags lined up on the floor. Ack, stop! At least nearly all the newer stuff is 10g samples. I can drink that up in no time. (See? So good at the excuses.) I need to consider: I’m getting to the point where drinking my tea up will become a chore. I don’t want that, right? I want to enjoy it.

So I went downstairs and nixed most of the order I was composing from 52teas. Cherry Almond Gunpowder? What was I thinking? I hate gunpowder green. Gone. Anything from the permanent collection? Maybe another day, but not until I’ve drank a lot. Gone. Cotton Candy SBT? I have a half-pound of the bags of Cotton Candy, I don’t need another cotton candy tea. Gone.

I’m down to another bag of this one, Earl Grey Cheesecake (pass up cheesecake? inconceivable!) and a couple of SBT bags. Should I take this one off, too…?

WHAT TO DO, GUYS. Advice is welcome.

I was a bit apprehensive about this tea due to the addition of licorice root, but being a big fan of Harry Potter I had to order a pouch. Besides, if anyone could make a somewhat strange flavor combo work, it is going to be Frank! This tea is really, really good. I drank some last night while watching a Harry Potter movie and it was a cool experience. I woke up wanting this tea again! I think this pouch is going to go fast. I appreciate that this tea is good for at least 2 infusions also. There is a root beer flavor that is backed up with a buttery taste and texture. I don’t really notice the licorice root or chicory – I think they just add to the general texture and smooth flavor profile. I am loving this!

I was very excited to get my box from Azzrian, and I’m pretty adventurous, so I’ll try any kind of loose tea. However I confess I was skeptical on this one-that is, I prepared myself not to like it. I like rootbeer, but licorice and chicory? Not too sure about that. Even the name butterbeer (and I know it’s from Harry Potter and all that), but butterbeer doesn’t sound appetizing to me. So with my sights set pretty low, I brewed this up (steeped 3 minutes), took a sip, and then as always, added some sweetener-wow, how about that! Pretty good stuff. Then a little milk, since others suggested that. Well, I like it both ways, and once it got to room temp I saw it’s potential as a cold tea too. It was fine unsweetened, but you don’t get the full rootbeer effect without sweetening it. I could see ordering it if it were available again, because it’s quite a novelty. It tastes just like rootbeer to me, and I think the college kids in my family and their friends would get a kick out of it too. As long as you like rootbeer, I think you’ll like this. Oh, and I got 2 steepings. So once again, thanks to Azzrian. Without that box she sent, I would never have tried this, and I have some more left to share with my kids when they are home.

I was kind of surprised to see this one in the bestseller sampler. It seems kind of plain and easy for a 52Teas blend.. but what do I know, I’m not a Harry Potter fan. I wanted a tea with licorice in it, since my throat seems a bit sore. I steeped for two-three minutes… 52Teas are always questionable on steep times. Sometimes they work at 45 seconds. I may have let the water cool too long ( a few minutes – I was deciding what I want), since this seems like just a black tea to me. The flavor is too mild to make it special for me. It seemed like the fragrance of the dry leaves was stronger than the flavor. A bit of a root beer, not a noticeable licorice difference on my throat. This reminds me of candy corn which I love more. To be honest, the second cup kind of tasted like wet cupboard (I would imagine anyway… and I’m sure Rowling imagined Butterbeer differently as well!) I wish a different tea was included in the sampler!

I came home from yoga this morning to find my very first 52teas order in my mailbox! I just about squee’d right in the lobby of my building. I was expecting a longer wait to ship to Canada, but I think it was only about a week ago that I ordered. Tea surprises are the best surprises!

Of course this was the first one I wanted to get my hands on. Ever since I first read the Harry Potter series (and every time I’ve read it since then!) I’ve been dyyying to try some butterbeer. Anyone who has read the books knows how incredible the characters all make the drink sound. Found a few recipes online to make my own, but they all called for butterscotch of some sort. Blech!! I hate butterscotch and I don’t think it has any place in butterbeer, thankyouverymuch. So when I saw that Frank had come up with his own flavour concoction to try to imitate the legendary beverage, and had combined it with TEA no less, I knew I had to try some. And from what I’d read in reviews, it didn’t sound like this one would scream butterscotch.

When I first opened the packet my heart sunk a little. It smelled just like root beer. I love root beer, but I wanted it to be a note in the blend, rather than the dominant flavour. I had no reason to worry though, because once it’s steeped up, it is so perfect! I get the root beerish taste, but also the lovely creamy butteriness that everyone has been raving about. It’s so warming and complex and just delicious that I imagine this is the closest I’ll come to butterbeer heaven.

In conclusion, I’m SO glad this lived up to the hype, or else I’m pretty sure I would’ve been heartbroken :P I can’t wait to sip on this in the fall (my favourite season!) with a cozy scarf and a good book. It’s just that kind of tea!

I just made up the last of my Butterbeer and then sent K off to get me coffee… /o\ I can’t help it, I am a coffee ADDICT. Still drinking this tea, though.

Phonecalls that begin, “Don’t panic, but..” tend to make me panicky. This is helping ever so slightly.

So thankful this is only a 3-day workweek. I hope my holiday and weekend go as planned, and that neither weather or life get in the way of fun, happiness, and quality time with family and friends (plus a bit of time to myself).

Frank had me at Butterbeer. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan, and have been curious about what it might taste like. There are a multitude of different recipes for Butterbeer, but add in the tea and I’m there. I didn’t even flinch when I saw licorice (well, maybe just a nanosecond), and the ingredients quite possibly could have included dirt and I think I still would have tried it. In the end, it’s here, it’s ready and I’m drinking it.

The dry scent is interesting. It has a sharp feel to it that is rounded out by the sweetness of the root beer scent. It reminds me of a spicy rootbeer, with something… foresty.

I went a bit light on the steep time and I can taste it. Next time, I’ll make it stronger. It has an interesting flavor. Hearty, but something else, too. It’s almost slightly acidic, but not tart. I definitely taste the chicory, which I love and think is perfect for this hearty cup. Licorice is there, too, but it’s not offensive. More like anise-laced and very light. It’s not sweet at all, which I thought it would be with all of the root beer scent in the packet.

A bit of the way through my cup, I added German rock sugar to it. Now, it’s sweet. And buttery. I can smell the butter just before I sip it. It’s also cooling and I can taste the chicory a bit less. This tea is quite complex and, dare I say, magical? Yes, magical. It’s hard to pinpoint the different flavors as they blend so well together. All in all, it’s a very different cup of tea.