OMGsrsly and I met up today so I could grab my part from the massive Butiki group order we did. Wow, that was a lot of tea (back up to 113 from 86)! Thank you, Stacy and OMGsrsly, for the lovely packaging (and repackaging) of that crazy amount of tea.
The loose leaf smells exactly like chocolate oranges, a seasonal favourite of mine. I’d forgotten that Zhen Qu is the base for this; it’s a neat tea to see and deliciously chocolaty.
Steeped, the chocolate orange aroma becomes a little more subdued and the marshmallow comes out. The orange, chocolate, and marshmallow flavours are all easily distinguishable. The chocolate in particular is dynamic. Through the course of the mug it went from being as strong as cocoa nibs to being as creamy as milk chocolate, with the wax and wane of the prevalence of the marshmallow and tea base. There’s a subtle hint of nuttiness, that when coupled with the citrus, suggests a bitter intonation.
Not that this tea even needs it, but I gave the last of the sample the soy milk treatment. I think it may have multiplied the marshmallow flavour by a hundred. The orange is toned down too, and the chocolate is now strictly milk chocolate. This cup is insanely rich and indulgent.
Mmm, I see myself picking up more of this near the fall, as a healthier alternative to marshmallows, chocolate, and chocolate oranges.
Preparation
Comments
Waiting any length of time for a Butiki order is a awful, but I’m impatient. I hope it get’s to you by Monday! Did you order this one?
alas i did not! when i spoke to stacy she said i had three samples i could choose… i chose three, would switch one, then two… i was playing three card monty with teas! i finally settled and refused to look any further, lol.
grrrrr… can’t remember… one second….. tick tick tick: rose violet calendula oolong, pineapple cilantro creme and the lychee oolong. these ones! along with 5 guyasas (the sampler), some caramel vanilla assam and something else that i have lost track of.
P.S. i have been told that stacy is the best in the business for flavouring. so i went for so more challenging samples because it will show just how great she is!
I will say this: one has never tasted real flavoured tea until he/she has tried Butiki’s. And no one is paying me to say it!
Ooh, this sounds good. I’m always willing to try flavoured teas, but they so often disappoint. (Googles Butiki…)
I’m probably extremely biased, but it’s hard to go wrong with Butiki, whether they teas are flavoured or unflavoured. :)
@JustJames, I picked up the rose violet oolong for a sample too, this time around. I haven’t tried most of those yet, but have only heard good things about the caramel vanilla assam.
@Heather, yes she has it! ;)
the shipping gods hate me….. i’ve been waiting for my butikis for 10 days.
Waiting any length of time for a Butiki order is a awful, but I’m impatient. I hope it get’s to you by Monday! Did you order this one?
alas i did not! when i spoke to stacy she said i had three samples i could choose… i chose three, would switch one, then two… i was playing three card monty with teas! i finally settled and refused to look any further, lol.
What did you end up getting? I know I find it hard to choose too. :)
I’m glad you enjoyed drinking this one! Definitely not a favourite smell for me. :)
grrrrr… can’t remember… one second….. tick tick tick: rose violet calendula oolong, pineapple cilantro creme and the lychee oolong. these ones! along with 5 guyasas (the sampler), some caramel vanilla assam and something else that i have lost track of.
P.S. i have been told that stacy is the best in the business for flavouring. so i went for so more challenging samples because it will show just how great she is!
James, I’ve been pretty well impressed so far! The base teas are also really lovely.
i am exceptionally excited…. and distinctly impatient, lol.
I will say this: one has never tasted real flavoured tea until he/she has tried Butiki’s. And no one is paying me to say it!
Ooh, this sounds good. I’m always willing to try flavoured teas, but they so often disappoint. (Googles Butiki…)
Did you get OMGsrsly the Pineapple Cilantro Cream for her and I to share, out of curiosity?
I’m probably extremely biased, but it’s hard to go wrong with Butiki, whether they teas are flavoured or unflavoured. :)
@JustJames, I picked up the rose violet oolong for a sample too, this time around. I haven’t tried most of those yet, but have only heard good things about the caramel vanilla assam.
@Heather, yes she has it! ;)
Awesome, awesome!
I haven’t been brave enough to try it yet, Heather! But I’ll take a couple spoonfuls and pass it on. :)