Tangerine Creamsicle

So for some reason, I completely assumed this was a white tea. From the time I purchased it, until I received it, and even as it sat in my cupboard for a few months. So this afternoon, after drinking copious amounts of black tea and matcha, I thought a lighter white tea would be nice as it is getting into later afternoon.

So I opened this up and looked at it and thought, this is the weirdest white tea leaf I have ever seen. Then I sniffed it and it was the weirdest smelling white tea I have ever smelled. I though this must be the wrong tea. It kind of looks like guyasa or mate. I checked the label, it said tangerine creamsicle. So I came over to the computer to email Stacy from Butiki to ask if maybe the wrong tea was sent and it dawned on me that the problem was not the tea, it was me. Ha ha. One of those days.

This tea smells very vegetal and earthy. There is a citrus and orange rind smell. At the beginning of the sip, it is earthy and full bodied. By mid sip, there is a quick taste of an orange creamsicle – like the outer orange popsicle part of a real creamsicle. By the end of the sip it is very dark green vegetal to me. In the aftertaste I definitely get a very specific tangerine citrus taste. After cooling for a few minutes, it definitely starts to taste very creamy. After adding a small piece of brown rock sugar, the flavour meld together a bit more. It is much less vegetal and much more citrus rind taste.

Amazing blend! Glad I was actually able to figure this tea out :)

Thanks so much Stacy for this sample!

Tangerine isn’t my favourite fruit, but this tea has been getting such good reviews, I wanted to sample it.

It is really good, citrusy tangerine that doesn’t taste fake. Sweet and smooth. And it really gave me the kick that I needed because I stayed up untill after 1 am last night finishing book 3 of Game of Thrones! Oy, why do I do that to myself? Haha

I resteeped this and put it in the fridge to chill. It was weaker, but still good!

Just got home from The Avengers and this tea is still on my mind!
First all all, thank you to Stacy of Butiki for sending me this sample! I’m excited to try everything – but this one smelled too good to pass up this morning.

I’m going to write a longer review later once I’ve tried a few more teas, but this one was a real treat! The flavour was very nice and strong – my favourite part was that it was definitely tangerine – I couldn’t confuse it with any other generic citrus flavour! It was very specific, juicy and refreshing. Would make an amazing iced tea I think. Oh and the cream! It’s so nice and sweet, just like a creamsicle. I’m obsessed with making my own creamsicle milkshakes lately (SO not healthy, but SO delicious!) and it reminds me of that!

I’m still a newbie when it comes to guayusa, but so far I’m liking it as a base. This one in particular was quite smooth and produced a dark brew. I used a teasac so the little bits didn’t bother me – all the guayusa’s I’ve tried so far have been quite fine (size wise) – but they hold up to a 5 min+ brew with no bitterness – just a stronger flavour!

Such a treat to try this tea, thank you!

My first guayusa! Also, my first taste of Butiki.. so a double whammy of awesomeness.

I chose this one (I grabbed the guayusa pack, all flavored) only because I had something similar last night (Orange Cream) and wanted to differentiate the two. Even at first glance, this is a far superior tea (although difficult to compare only because last night was a rooibos).

So. Guayasa is in the same family as mate, which I love. I find this tea has a similar smell and taste, and I’m cool with that. A bit of bitterness/bite that reminds me I’m drinking something Ecuadorian (or maybe Amazonian? you guys tell me). It’s tasty, and all I can really detect in my first few sips.

Then I read Stacy’s notes and see that I should add some sweetener to enhance the tangerine… and WOW. Yes, yes, yes! This is how this tea is supposed to be enjoyed.

Creamy. Tangerine. Touch of a tangy bite after from the guayusa. (How do I pronounce this? gua-YOU-sa? I’ll need to know, because I’ll rave about it all day). It is delicious. I am in love. This has definitely put me in a more focused, in-the-zone kind of mindset, and I feel like I can now go forth into the mall and find a tank dress to transform into dazzling flapper getup for murder mystery night on Tuesday. (Something that, prior to this cup, I strongly resisted just due to the crowds). Vavoom!

I got this sample from Stacy with one of my orders (not sure which one) It’s tasty but I’m not getting much tangerine from it. This is still great though :D Although it won’t replace my good morning sunshine :D

I was rifling around in my teas this morning, unsure of which to choose when this tea just jumped out at me. It was a Creamsicle kind of morning.

Upon opening the sample that the lovely Bonnie sent me, I was faced with the bright inviting smell of orange zest which continued through the steeping and into my cup. This was definitely the tea for me!

The tea on it’s own is alive with citrus flavor! I added just a touch of honey and the smallest bit of milk and this tea just exploded with flavor. The creaminess came out and really brought out the creamsicle in this light and airy tea. A very happy tea to brighten up my morning :)

Thank you Stacy @ Butiki for sending me this delicious sample!

Although I had never tried a Guayusa before (which is not proper tea but is still tasty), I was very excited to give this one a go since I thoroughly enjoyed the Pistachio Ice Cream from Butiki and now have high expectations for everything Stacy is working on in the Northeast. I must say that this did not disappoint! The tangerine flavor doesn’t taste artificial in the least. In fact, it tastes very much like biting into a bit of dried real fruit. I found the creaminess to be slightly muted and more of a mouthfeel than a flavor but half a spoonful of agave turned a great fruit forward base tea into a delicious creamsicle of a dessert treat!

This one is going right back on the shopping list and the extra oomph from the added caffeine was just what I needed to get the afternoon going. Well done Stacy!

I’ve been babysitting (doggysitting?) my mom’s three greyhounds today (and last night) while she helps my sister move down in Iowa. So I figured while I’m here (mostly) confined to the house, I could pound through samples and sipdowns!

So this one is from my last Butiki order, and my wish list there just keeps growing. This one got added to that.

The guayasa base tastes like fresh lawn clippings. In a good way. It’s refreshing and light. And the tangerine might smell like citrus peel, but the taste is just right and perfectly balanced between loud and subdued taste. The creaminess isn’t really pronounced until the tea starts cooling and then it’s absolutely like a creamsicle. A little touch of honey only furthers the illusion of drippy melted popsicle bliss.

My trigger finger is getting so antsy on the Butiki site. GAH.

My wards: http://instagram.com/p/Z6SQrtinHk/

I have yet to decide whether or not I like guayusa. I received this as a sample this summer and I just finally got to it now. It was very smooth, creamy and sweet. I have found all guayusas I have tried to taste slightly watermelon-y which was also true for this one. It is the only this I did not enjoy about this tea.
I’m grateful for the sample, though it is unlikely this will make it on to my next order.

I really love that this smells of tangerines, not oranges. That’s a smell that induces Proustian level nostalgia of childhood for me as my mom used to feed me the tinned ones all the time in the dead of winter in Rochester.

(I was assuming some sort of take on that orange sherbet-y creamsicle sort of thing, not paying attention to the entire name of the tea, and this is better. And I say that as someone who’s a total sucker for the candy sweet creamy artificial flavor of a creamsicle…I just figure that’s something that’s probably easier to find. This was quite a surprise in a good way.)

Someone else said it’s like sunshine in a cup, and I agree, perhaps because of said memory. Perfect for when it’s cold and dark out all winter.