81
drank Butterbeer by 52teas
4 tasting notes

Note: This is an edited version of a review I wrote for one of my Tumblr blogs. After some thought, I changed my mind about my original review and have edited this review to reflect it.

I added: A small spoonful of sugar. (I’m not meant to have much and I couldn’t find the honey.)
Smell (dry): Awful and disgusting, with a flirty tint of something candy-nice. (Note: If you think “rootbeer and butter vapor” it does honestly smell much nicer – it smells quite “good”, actually. Perhaps having a “name” for the scents helps your brain rearrange the scent a bit better.) The scent clung to my hands somehow and smelled even better, which was a large part of what changed my mind about my review.
Smell (brewed): Muted licorice and subtly nasty. (Note: As above, if you smell it with “rootbeer and butter vapor” in mind, it does smell nicer – as long as the tea/water ratio is right. If you don’t smell the rootbeer even when thinking “rootbeer” you may have to add more water.)
Color (brewed): Deep mahogany red/brown.

Taste (plain): An awful lot of nothing, followed by a confusing mixture of licorice and “something else” that approaches nice, but doesn’t quite get there. (I didn’t try the “rootbeer and butter vapor” trick, so all I can give you is this not tricked-out review. Since every time I’ve tried it without “help”, I’ve seriously not liked it, I’m going to skip doing a re-taste on the plain version.) ((Note two: I probably didn’t add enough water to this version either. I don’t think it’s worth it – to me – to try it again without some sort of sweetener, though.))

Taste (sugared): Thinking I might have added too little water, I added a bit of water as well as the sugar. Now I can properly taste the flavors. I’m not sure if the water was what helped or the (really tiny amount of) sugar, but it gives it a bit of a hint of something I can only call “candy nice”. I originally started to label it as “butterscotch”, but I don’t think it smells or tastes anything like it. It does have the sort of creamy taste to the sweetness – perhaps vanilla-ish or cream-ish. I’m curious as to how much honey might add to the flavor.
(Again – the above was written without the “rootbeer and butter vapor” trick.)

Now that I’m on my second cup, I added a bit more sugar than last time. Obviously, just about any tea will taste nicer with sugar (especially more sugar than the last time you tried it), but I do honestly think that keeping the flavors you’re “supposed” to taste in mind will absolutely help the taste of this tea.

Other comments: Also, being a Harry Potter fan and finding the idea of butterbeer interesting, I had to take the shot at ordering the tea attempt.

I highly recommend that if you don’t like the scent of it, you don’t breathe in as you’re taking your sip. It helps avoid the smell tainting the taste, which is much better than it smells brewed and a million times better than it smells dry. (Or – as I later realize after reading a review on Steepster – if you keep in mind “rootbeer and butter flavor”… But I say that a lot in this review. It’s very interesting how much of a difference in flavor it actually makes to do this.)

Here’s a tip I’ve learned after cup number two (for this review – this is actually my 4th since I purchased it): If it smells really nasty and you’re having trouble with the “rootbeer and butter vapor” trick – add more water. It’s probably not the proper mixture. I think this particular flavor may need a bit less on the tea leaves than other flavors.

Would I buy it again?: I think I would. Initially I said “probably not” because I’d formed an opinion on it based on an incorrectly prepared cup and it not quite living up to what I imagined it would taste like, but I don’t think I really did it justice because I was disappointed.

I’m not a fan of licorice and it seems to require doctoring to make it taste its best. (The first time I had the tea I had to add sugar too. If I can find the honey, I’ll try it with honey. If I had butterscotch, I’d probably try that – just to see what it tasted like.) I don’t taste any of the “butter vapor” they talk about (though I suppose that might be the unidentifiable creamy taste) or the “rootbeer” flavor others on Steepster mention (though now that I’ve seen it mentioned, I do smell it in the steam). ((Even with the “rootbeer and butter vapor” trick I don’t taste either even though I can smell them.))

Would I recommend it?: My review is sort of all over the place, isn’t it? If you know to keep in mind “rootbeer and butter vapor” and the idea of it seems interesting (and I think it might help if you like licorice) – go for it, absolutely!

Southern Boy Teas

This is an awesome review! I love that you really agonized over this tea, because I kind of had a similar experience creating it. I wanted our butterbeer tea to be something that was totally unique and not really comparable to anything else. Initially it tasted too much like rootbeer. Ho hum. Then it was kind of rootbeer floatish, better, but too sickly sweet for a butterbeer. I imagined butterbeer to be an aquired taste of wizards. Granted the wizards drinking it are kids, but it’s supposed to be something of an adult beverage (at least in my mind), so I added some chicory root, which gave it a little depth and oomph. Finally, it still needing just a touch of zing, so I put the licorice root in it. I had a lot of fun creating this blend and when I was done, I felt like I had really created something that didn’t really have any equal. It’s very unique, and at first I wasn’t sure about it, but it grew on me, kind of like beer. LOL. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Klawzie

Oh yes, I can absolutely imagine the agony over getting the balance just right! And I do think it is an acquired taste too! Every time I try it, I like it a little better. :) I keep experimenting with it (and all the teas I’ve purchased from you), trying to get it the best it can be (to my tastes). :3

To make an odd sort of comparison, I think of tea blends like listening to music. You listen the first time just to hear the song. Then you pay more attention each time to something else. And the longer you listen to a song, the more you understand about it until either you approach understanding the song the same way as the artist, or on a different level from the artist because of different interpretations of the lyrics. :3

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Southern Boy Teas

This is an awesome review! I love that you really agonized over this tea, because I kind of had a similar experience creating it. I wanted our butterbeer tea to be something that was totally unique and not really comparable to anything else. Initially it tasted too much like rootbeer. Ho hum. Then it was kind of rootbeer floatish, better, but too sickly sweet for a butterbeer. I imagined butterbeer to be an aquired taste of wizards. Granted the wizards drinking it are kids, but it’s supposed to be something of an adult beverage (at least in my mind), so I added some chicory root, which gave it a little depth and oomph. Finally, it still needing just a touch of zing, so I put the licorice root in it. I had a lot of fun creating this blend and when I was done, I felt like I had really created something that didn’t really have any equal. It’s very unique, and at first I wasn’t sure about it, but it grew on me, kind of like beer. LOL. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Klawzie

Oh yes, I can absolutely imagine the agony over getting the balance just right! And I do think it is an acquired taste too! Every time I try it, I like it a little better. :) I keep experimenting with it (and all the teas I’ve purchased from you), trying to get it the best it can be (to my tastes). :3

To make an odd sort of comparison, I think of tea blends like listening to music. You listen the first time just to hear the song. Then you pay more attention each time to something else. And the longer you listen to a song, the more you understand about it until either you approach understanding the song the same way as the artist, or on a different level from the artist because of different interpretations of the lyrics. :3

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A writer and artist and part-time tea-dabbler.

Please read my Standard Disclaimer (http://klawziereblogs.tumblr.com/tea) about how I review tea.

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