Hello Sweetie

Had this tea at work today. I can’t believe how good this is. My expectations were high because of how great the reviews have been and I was so excited to see that Stacy was going to sell this. I hope it’s is permanent, because I am going to need more of this. The coconut and banana were the most apparent. I was also getting some nuttiness but couldn’t say that it was specifically praline. I didn’t notice the toffee but I had forgotten that was one of the flavours in this and I wasn’t looking for it. Can’t wait to have this again tomorrow. This one is going to go fast as well!

I brought this tea to work with me today to do some more experimenting. So far I have tried it with…

Less leaf – Love it this way. The package calls for 2 tsp per 8 oz. I steep using a 16oz. infuser, so this time I tried 3tsps instead of 4. I think I prefer it this way. The flavors come through a bit more.

Milk & Sugar – tried milk and sugar on the 2nd steep and I LOVED it. I think I might make that a permanent addition to this tea for me. The tea is already pretty creamy in taste by itself, but adding milk kicks it up that extra notch for me.

Multiple Steeps – I am on my third steep and it is still delicious. I am going to try a fourth before I call it quits with this one for the day.

I can’t recommend this tea enough.

Win! So good. Thanks for posting about it on FB, Amariel. That was the motivation I needed to drink this.

Not sure I’d get it again, just because I love the Caramel Vanilla Assam so much, but this tea is nice. Very delicate, the base shines through, there’s some coconut, some sweet fruitiness, and yum.

Drinking it completely plain. :)

Resteeps pretty good too.

HELLO SWEETIE INDEED!

Just got me my Amoda /Butiki teas (Nutmeg Cream and Champagne Cider), and there was a lovely sample of this included!

YESSSSSS! This is one of those custom teas that are so awesome that they cross over into regular production. Yes folks, it really is that good!

The dry leaf smells amazing…amazing! Did I say amazing yet, cuz if I didn’t, it smells amazing! The first sips are sweet, but sooo smooth. No bitter black base here! I mean, it’s the Premium Taiwanese Assam, and you really can’t go wrong with it. CAN’T GO WRONG! It’s smooth and sweet and requires no milk! It is pretty much sheer perfection as a straight tea alone, but what did JustJames add to this perfect base? Banana, coconut, praline, toffee. Yeah, you heard me.

So what I have here is an incredibly smooth and sweet, but subtle tea with hints of banana and toffee and a little of that praline. I don’t think much coconut got into this steep here, but I can see some in the rest of the sample.

I want to gulp this now that it is cooler. GULP IT!

Uh, CrowKettle…when we do our shared Butiki order, we are getting this. :) I think I am gonna have to save up more money for this order. I’ve already upped the amount of Lemon French Macaron, per JustJames suggestion. I don’t think we could possibly be disappointed with anything we order from Stacy…just saying. :P

Hello, Sweetie (I can’t drink this without imagining that little mischievous smile of River’s….).
The leaf is pure decadence. Baked banana, cream, and brown sugar float up to meet your nose. To say it’s delightful just doesn’t cut it.
What surprises me the most is how pure the banana smells…. real, true banana! Not artificial in any way…. and bananas are good(9th Doctor reference…) when they’re not plastic-like yellow runts (ifjuly, I will use banana runts as my prime example of artificial flavour for the rest of my life. thank you. lol).
The magic in this cup is of Willy Wonka proportions—so fantastic that your senses cry out “FICTIONAL!” But, they’re instantly silenced by your brain assuring them that “No, this is very, very real….. now enjoy.” :)
The coconut is more pronounced in the aroma of the fully steeped cup, which is like the second act in this whole experience.

Finally to the actual tasting of the tea…. The layers of flavour are inexplicably amazing. The balance of them all is perfection. The caramel playing around in the back is the type of caramel that has been taken to the darkest, but still not bitter, form… creamy and complex. It has a ‘baked good’ feel, but baked by someone who really knows what they’re doing…. hints of flambeed bananas, and subtle coconut… It’s happiness in a cup, and I know that sounds cheesy, but it really is.
I can’t possibly feel stressed out by life when I’m sipping this tea….. :)

Hello Sweetie? Hello Amazing! This was fantastic! Rich, but not too rich. The caramel, the coconut, the banana, it all balances out so beautifully. With just a hint of sugar, I feel like I am having a lovely indulgent cup of dessert. I didn’t immediately think to scoop up a banana coconut tea, but this is amazing. I loved my sample and have already ordered some to throw in my cupboard!

Sipdown #18

Wow, the brewed tea aroma is really interesting. It’s unlike anything else I’ve tried. I’ve been making a lot of smoothies lately with my Vitamix (a present from my stepmother that I absolutely adore), and I swear this tea smells exactly like a fresh, ripe banana! Wow, but the taste??! OMG! It’s insane! I thought for sure that I would detest this, seeing as how I generally despise banana-flavored teas. Don’t ask me why. Bananas in a smoothie? Totally fine. Bananas in tea? Yuck, gag, cough, sputter. It doesn’t make logical sense, but then again, I’m human. I don’t have to. :P I’m in quite a mood today, so please forgive my weirdness. Actually, I guess I’m always weird so today is just an abnormally high level of weirdness. Okay, long digression. Back to the tea!

This tastes amazing. I don’t know what this base is, but it is divine! Smooth, flavorful, maybe a hint of malt, but mostly smooth cocoa, bread-y deliciousness! Then the real, authentic, true, ripe banana flavor comes in and mixes with some other element. Floral butter? If that’s a thing, then yes, this tea tastes like cocoa banana bread with floral butter spread. Mmmm! If that doesn’t make your mouth water, then I don’t know what will. There’s also a hint of something almost spicy, like catching a whiff of the spice cabinet without actually tasting anything definitively.

Seeing as how I wasn’t expecting to like this tea at all, I’m that much more impressed that I like it sans additions. This tea is lively and aromatic all by itself. No additives required. As the cup cools, the end of the sip leans toward the bitter end of the spectrum without quite reaching it, so I definitely recommend a 3-minute steeping time. Anything more and I think it may reach full bitterness (without milk to calm it anyway).

Now I’m kicking myself for sitting on this sample from JustJames for so long. I really must thank you, sir, for being such a kind tea sharer. And Stacy!! You are a tea blending magician! I don’t know how you made this, but it is magic in a cup. The added flavorings are so subtle yet impactful. They blend with the base so perfectly that I can’t tell where the flavorings stop and the base begins. Well done, Stacy, well done. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to try this. Thank you, JustJames!! This tea really lifted my spirits today.

This is a strong tea, but I find is absolutely astonishing when coupled with a touch of lavender honey. If you are in B.C., you may want to try the local farmer market and purchase this decadant lavender honey harvested in the mountains.

The Whovian geek in me wanted to love this tea so much. It’s not bad and I do recommend it, but I’m not compelled to buy more. I get mostly the black tea taste, some caramel, a little bit of coconut (smell it more than I taste it), and nice sweetness. It’s a little drying on the tongue. Smells divine dry, taste for me didn’t quite follow through on the steep. I prefer it with a touch of creamer and sugar.

I’ve tried a sample of this one before, but I finally gave in and pulled out my much beloved bag of Hello Sweetie this morning. Ever since I heard Butiki were closing, I’ve always thought twice before starting this one. Knowing I’ll never be able to replace it makes it all the more precious. It’s been another difficult week, though, so I deserve a treat, and this is a worthy choice. I used 2 tsp of leaf, and gave it 3.5 minutes in boiling water. I added a splash of milk.

Fortunately, it’s as gorgeous as I remember. The coconut is the primary flavour, and it’s wonderfully creamy, with a fresh, tropical taste. The banana is second, and tastes slightly under-ripe, but that’s pretty perfect with the coconut to my mind. The black PTA base adds a deliciously sweet maltiness to the whole thing, and somehow manages not to steal the show. This one is definitely about the flavours!

I could rave about this one all day, but I’ve done that already in my original note for this tea. Needless to say, it’s one of the best banana/coconut teas I’ve tried – Butiki teas are one of the best for flavours, and their closure will be a great loss to the tea world. I’m just glad that this one lives up to the memory of my first cup, and I’ll be savoring the remainder of my bag from this point forward!