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Kittenna drank Organic Blue Nettle by Butiki Teas

6111 tasting notes

Thanks Stacy for generously including this as a sample with my order!

I love how this tea looks, all twisted into little snakes, which also make it super easy to measure out! I had a bit of an issue brewing in that I guess the mug I used was a little too big width-wise, so the little snakes in my large infuser basket didn’t quite fit into the water to begin with (but I pushed them in as soon as they softened a bit).

I’m getting a flavour that I would usually classify as metallic and therefore reminiscent of oversteeped greens (or, so I’ve learned, tea leaves that have sat out wet for over a day. Ew.), however it morphs into a sort of pleasant tanginess which changes my view to being intrigued instead of icked out! I wonder if this is that lemon that comes out in cold-brewing?? There’s also a nice tangyish green tea aftertaste, and maybe just a touch of astringency.

So as greens go, it’s a different flavour than I’m used to – there’s a bit of sweetness reminding me of Verdant’s dragonwells, but the vegetal qualities are lacking. I’d have to say though, that although it’s interesting, it’s not a green that really fits my preferences for vegetal/seaweedy/rock sugar.

ETA: Second infusion (twisty leaves completely in-mug) for 3 min at ~177F is definitely better than the first. There’s more flavour, I’m getting a definite sweetness and the flavour is no longer coming off as metallic, though I’m still getting a bit of tanginess, which is interesting! Still not a profile I’d be likely to purchase to drink again, but deserving of a better rating than I initially gave it. Word of warning to potential buyers – make sure the little snakes fit fully in your cup! No brew baskets :)

Preparation

180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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3 comments

Bonnie
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I found this tea quite delicate and sweet steeped for the required time. Maybe bending it made it bitter?

Kittenna
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Oh, I don’t think it was bitter. It was initially a similar flavour but I think that was just an association I was getting. Trying a second infusion now, and I think it’s better.

Bonnie
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I’m glad! Pretty cool looking!

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Comments

Bonnie
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I found this tea quite delicate and sweet steeped for the required time. Maybe bending it made it bitter?

Kittenna
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Oh, I don’t think it was bitter. It was initially a similar flavour but I think that was just an association I was getting. Trying a second infusion now, and I think it’s better.

Bonnie
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I’m glad! Pretty cool looking!

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Bio

I have always been a tea fan (primarily herbals and Japanese greens/oolongs) but in the last year or so, tea has become increasingly more appealing as not only a delicious, calming drink, but as a relatively cheap, healthy reward or treat to give myself when I deserve something. I should clarify that, however; the reward is expanding my tea cupboard, not drinking tea – I place no restrictions on myself in terms of drinking anything from my cupboard as that would defeat my many goals!

My DavidsTea addiction was born in late 2011, despite having spent nearly a year intentionally avoiding their local mall location (but apparently it was just avoiding the inevitable!). I seem to have some desire to try every tea they’ve ever had, so much of my stash is from there, although I’ve recently branched out and ordered from numerous other companies.

I like to try and drink all my teas unaltered, as one of the main reasons I’m drinking tea other than for the flavour is to be healthy and increase my water intake without adding too many calories! I’ve found that the trick in this regard is to be very careful about steeping time, as most teas are quite pleasant to drink straight as long as they haven’t been oversteeped. However, I tend to be forgetful (particularly at work) when I don’t set a timer, resulting in a few horrors (The Earl’s Garden is not so pleasant after, say, 7+ minutes of steeping).

I’m currently trying to figure out which types of teas are my favourites. Herbals are no longer at the top; oolongs have thoroughly taken over that spot, with greens a reasonably close second. My preference is for straight versions of both, but I do love a good flavoured oolong (flavoured greens are really hit or miss for me). Herbals I do love iced/cold-brewed, but I drink few routinely (Mulberry Magic from DavidsTea being a notable exception). I’m learning to like straight black teas thanks to the chocolatey, malty, delicious Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea, and malty, caramelly flavoured blacks work for me, but I’m pretty picky about anything with astringency. Lately I’ve found red rooibos to be rather medicinal, which I dislike, but green rooibos and honeybush blends are tolerable. I haven’t explored pu’erh, mate, or guayasa a great deal (although I have a few options in my cupboard).

I’ve decided to institute a rating system so my ratings will be more consistent. Following the smiley/frowny faces Steepster gives us:

100: This tea is amazing and I will go out of my way to keep it in stock.

85-99: My core collection (or a tea that would be, if I was allowing myself to restock everything!) Teas I get cravings for, and drink often.

75-84: Good but not amazing; I might keep these in stock sparingly depending on current preferences.

67-74: Not bad, I’ll happily finish what I have but probably won’t ever buy it again as there’s likely something rated more highly that I prefer.

51-66: Drinkable and maybe has some aspect that I like, but not really worth picking up again.

34-50: Not for me, but I can see why others might like it. I’ll make it through the cup and maybe experiment with the rest to get rid of it.

0-33: It’s a struggle to get through the cup, if I do at all. I will not willingly consume this one again, and will attempt to get rid of the rest of the tea if I have any left.

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