Coffee & Cigarettes

Couldn’t recall why I hadn’t liked this tea (espresso flavouring + smoky tea, which is what I thought it was, sounds ok). Then I saw it was pu’erh, and remembered. Haha. The tea tastes like a blend of earthy pu’erh and smoky tea. No coffee flavouring at all.

Going to pop some maple syrup and cream into the last of it to see if I can improve it.

Not a fan, but this probably wasn’t intended for me. I do wish there was some espresso flavouring present, though. Now that I’m revisiting it, I recall missing that the first time around too.

This is starting to lose some of its flavour. Weirdly, the added flavours seem to be what’s sticking around the longest, and the base tea is what is losing its complexities. The result is a still tasty, less robust tea which for most tea companies would be pretty decent but when I remember how amazing this used to be it makes me want to cry a little.

This is my second last untried Butiki blends, I think. Yes, I know it’s been a year… but pu-erh gets better with time, right? Anyway, I think I’d put off trying this one because I suspected I wouldn’t like it—it came in my mystery box and certainly wasn’t something I would’ve chosen for myself, not being a huge fan of either smokey teas or Butiki’s coffee flavoring. And it does smell overwhelmingly smoky, both dry and while steeping. The taste, thankfully, is much lighter. There’s still quite a bit of smoke, but it’s not overpowering, and the pu-erh base comes through nicely. What I’m not getting is the coffee, but that’s very likely due to the tea’s age (and probably not a great loss, given my above comments about coffee flavoring). This isn’t a standout for me, but it’s quite drinkable. Still, I think I may try to rehome it—I’m moving to London (!!!) later this year and have way more tea than I’ll be able to either sip down by then or take with me, so much as it pains me to part with teas I enjoy I think I’ll be trying to do a stash sale of some sort soon.

Picked this up in a stash sell for a friend and I. This doesn’t taste like coffee nor cigarettes, but it does have nice smoky earth like taste that was enjoyable. I can’t pinpoint exactly what I was tasting with language but it was nice. I wish it kind of had a scent of ashtray with a strong burst of brisk coffee to it… oh well, was a nice sipping session either way.

I have not been on Steepster in awhile!
While I’ve been drinking tea, I just haven’t had the time to log it here. I miss reading what everyone is drinking!
Had to log this, though, because this tea is one fantastical creation… I instantly feel like I’m Tom Waits sitting with Iggy Pop in a booth at a diner, all in black and white… and it’s so comforting in such a strange way. lol
Really, this tea!
I’m not a smoker, because lung issues run in my family, but I have enjoyed cigarettes and coffee in the past…. and it’s a taste that just sticks with you forever afterwards, filed away in the ‘nostalgic tastes and smells’ cabinet of the mind.
I really do wish this was one that could be ordered again, basically because there is nothing like it out there. nothing. (and, the aftertaste is spot on. SPOT ON!)
Thanks for making this one Stacy. It’s quite special. :)

I almost didn’t try this tea since I really dislike both the taste of coffee (love the smell), and the scent of cigarette smoke. But I was curious after seeing so many reviews of people who loved it, so I decided to give it a chance. This was definitely not for me. I couldn’t even stand more than a couple of sips. I will definitely be trading this away.

This was really interesting. Smokey, coffee, almost savory. I am not a huge fan of smoked tea, as it happens. I really enjoyed trying it even though I don’t think I appreciate this as much as others might. It is pretty spot on. I am going to rehome this one – if anyone wants it, let me know. I am tasting a bunch of other things I have before deciding on an official post to sell off some of my stash excess.

Cavocorax gave me up a precious bit of her tea because her package arrived before ours..and let me tell you. I wish to heck i’d been able to buy more of this now. As gross as this tea sounds (i don’t smoke, can’t stand it..though i do enjoy coffee…) it’s fantastic. It’s got that depth to it from the puerh…..the coffee kicks in making it seriously yum and then there’s that smoke hanging out in the background. I had several steepings of this today while trying to eek out as much as i could from this. Adding sugar made it more like a dessert…adding cream just made it more coffee like. I am a fan. seriously. SO GOOD! Anyone doesn’t want theirs, just pass that on to me!

Dry leaf: smells like freshly ground coffee beans, strong earthy notes, a light touch of hay,and a touch of smoke.

Liquor Color: deep dark brown.

Notes: I instantly fell in love with this tea. I am in trouble, because it is all that I will ever have. Even though I have only tried it once, I can have already been hunting for another coffee-flavored puerh to add lapsang souchong to. About the LS in this tea, I personally think it could stand to be a little more present in this tea. You know me, I really like my smoky flavors! The coffee flavoring is spot on as well. It is like a fresh brewed cup of dark roast coffee with the addition of a very light smoke.

I gongfu’d this tea, and was able to infuse it 16 times before giving it a rest. The earth and wet wood flavor carried the whole way through, as well as that coffee flavoring. I remember from pumpkin butterscotch coffee that the coffee did linger longest in the brew. The smoke fizzled out within maybe 10 steepings. This was a very good shou puerh base!

I shared the first eight steepings with my ever-patient boyfriend. I rinsed for five seconds. I left the room to grab a pitcher of water and heard my boyfriend exclaim, “Wow, this really does taste like coffee and cigs!”
“But I haven’t made the first cup yet!” I shouted back, confused as hell. Turns out he had drank the rinse that I had left in the cha hai LOL. I tried to explain to him that the water from the rinse was not good, and meant for only your worst enemies, but he didn’t seem to understand.

I don’t know about this, but part of me wants to add cream to this tea as if it was actual coffee. I want to know if anyone has done this, and… is that even a good idea? :P

This is certainly an interesting blend. I’m not quite sure what to think of it.

The front of each sip hits my tongue with a damp earthy flavor, quickly followed by dark, charcoal-like smoke. It develops a roasted tone before easing into a concoction of coffee and cream. The smoothness of the coffee notes intensifies over time. The long aftertaste is a mixture of sweet, creamy latte and woodsmoke. As I continue sipping the earthiness slips into the background. It’s overpowered by strong notes of wood and a touch of leather. (I’ve noticed this with a few other puerhs.) There’s a drying quality to it. It’s not thick, or heavy. It’s relatively light on the tongue, though the coffee flavors stick to the inside of your mouth. I’m thinking this tea might benefit from a dash of milk or cream.

There’s a reason smokers like to drink coffee with cigarettes. It’s a good blend. Still, the combination of flavors in my mouth makes me feel like I need to go brush my teeth. Not because it doesn’t taste good! But because the coffee/smoke combo does NOT make for good breath. Lol.

What a wonderfully creative idea for tea. Thank you Stacy. (: