This is the last of the Butiki teas to try out of my first order (disregarding samples), although once my BF order arrives I’ll have six more new ones to dig through. I’m not exactly sure why I left this one for last: it certainly wasn’t a conscious decision. I actually had meant to try it yesterday, but wound up running out of time. That’s ok though, I have enough time before I work today (I’m an idiot and gave myself a stupid three hour shift start at six, for reasons I can’t remember) to sit down and enjoy a cup of it without feeling rushed.
I like the idea of a “pumpkin milkshake” because it’s focusing on the creaminess there without becoming fixated on spices. I don’t think every pumpkin teas needs to focus on spices – there are so many other equally good ways to enjoy pumpkin! Like pumpkin pie with vanilla icecream… Akin to a milkshake ;)
Dry, I definitely smell the pumpkin and the vanilla! Similar to what I get with Vanilla Frosted Carrot Cake, there’s also a “damp dirt after a heavy rain storm” type smell. I should copy my description from my tasting note on VFCC here because I think I managed to word it really well there. But, even though it smells like ‘dirt’ it’s the best kind of dirt possible! It’s like, “fresh air, and the earth at the most calm and peaceful of times”. The calm after the storm…
I steeped 1 1/2 tsp. of leaf into 10 oz. of water at 170 degrees for four minutes. The smell of the steeped tea is practically identical to the smell of the dry leaf, minus the whole dirt thing. I love when that happens (and it really does happen nearly all the time with Butiki teas)!
Taste wise, this has really delectable pumpkin notes married with natural vanilla flavour and a thick mouthfeel. I get a little bit of spice in the tail of the sip, but it’s not a spice overload. I’m looking for the caramel notes like stated in the product description, and they’re very subtly worked into the tea. I bet with a little bit of added cream or milk this would be even more like a milkshake, but it’s fine plain too.
I think this is something I want to keep stocked in my cupboard, but in small quantity. It’s a very nice, delicate, and creamy tea but not something I see myself reaching for on a daily basis. A very nice treat, though!
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Petrichor! I love that smell, but am trying to imagine a tea smelling like that.
Haha, is that what that smell is called? I was trying to describe it to my roommate and I ended up saying something to the affect of “it smells like dirt, but good dirt!”, and he just answered back “tea is stupid”. Hmmph.
What do roommates know!
Gah! tell him to take it back lol
Petrichor! I love that smell, but am trying to imagine a tea smelling like that.
Haha, is that what that smell is called? I was trying to describe it to my roommate and I ended up saying something to the affect of “it smells like dirt, but good dirt!”, and he just answered back “tea is stupid”. Hmmph.
What do roommates know!
Gah! tell him to take it back lol