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When Kittenna came up to visit (her family; not me specifically – I just happened to be a bonus!) she brought with all the tea I’ve ordered from Butiki and the one blend from Verdant in the recentish group orders. That means I’ve had lots and lots of Butiki to try out the last week or so, which I’ve been trying to do among trying everything else I’ve gotten recently.

This is one I was really, really excited about. I don’t drink oolongs nearly as much as other tea types, but I do tend to really like them. I especially really like Stacy’s flavoured oolong. The lychee oolong she has is my favourite Butiki blend, ever, and Flowery Pineapple Oolong probably my second favourite. I’ve found a couple of her oolong that I was neutral towards (grape, for example) but none that I’ve disliked outright. So I definitely had to try this one, and of the stuff Kittenna brought it’s the first that I tried.

The smell of this one is intoxicating; it oozes fresh, overripe raspberries and butter. Very confectionery but without becoming unnatural or fake.

Steeped up, it’s very delicious as well. The raspberry flavour is pronounced without becoming commanding, and tastes both jammy like the name implies and confectionery – like a raspberry danish. I did struggle tasting the cashew in the blend; it was a little more noticeable at the tail of the sip right when the raspberry flavour was fading but mostly it was the “butter” note that carried into the flavour. To be fair, I didn’t get a cashew piece in this cup so I’ll make sure I do in the next one so I can see if that imparts a stronger cashew flavour.

Additional things of note: there’s a floral quality to this blend as well but nothing super identifiable. Also a very green oolong in general I found. But pleasantly so. Ultimately I don’t think I’ll miss this when I’m out because I’ve got a Raspberry Oolong blend from Tea Desire that, while an obviously lower quality tea, is comparable. Same raspberry/confectionery type flavours.

And side note – I feel like I always want to describe floral notes as orchid like; someone should give me more descriptive words for other flower notes present in tea. Sometimes I use lily in addition to lavender/rose, but I feel like I’m repeating the same descriptors a lot of the time.

Plunkybug

This is one I debated about getting with my friend, but we decided not to. Looks like maybe I should have.

Mikumofu

I love this one as well! I think orchid and lily are already pretty unique descriptors that others would understand…more often I find floral notes in teas to remind flowers I’ve only encountered in China and don’t have a proper English name, maybe lily is one I should consider!

OMGsrsly

I found this one to taste super nutty, with only a little raspberry. You’re so right! Taste is so subjective.

Anlina

The floral notes I often taste, in addition to the usual ones you mentioned, are orange or lemon blossom, cherry blossom, lilac and peony.

Roswell Strange

I’ve never had orange or lemon blossoms so I don’t know if I’d be able to use them as good descriptors; but I’ll totally keep the others in mind! Especially peony; that’s totally a good one for some of the teas I’ve had recently.

Anlina

Lemon blossoms are pretty much the best smelling thing ever. I used to go to the conservatory in Thunder Bay, and they had a Ponderosa lemon tree. The flowers were intense and intoxicating and I’ve been trying to find an essential oil that captures that fragrance for ages. I wish I could describe it to you, or give you some way to smell it.

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Comments

Plunkybug

This is one I debated about getting with my friend, but we decided not to. Looks like maybe I should have.

Mikumofu

I love this one as well! I think orchid and lily are already pretty unique descriptors that others would understand…more often I find floral notes in teas to remind flowers I’ve only encountered in China and don’t have a proper English name, maybe lily is one I should consider!

OMGsrsly

I found this one to taste super nutty, with only a little raspberry. You’re so right! Taste is so subjective.

Anlina

The floral notes I often taste, in addition to the usual ones you mentioned, are orange or lemon blossom, cherry blossom, lilac and peony.

Roswell Strange

I’ve never had orange or lemon blossoms so I don’t know if I’d be able to use them as good descriptors; but I’ll totally keep the others in mind! Especially peony; that’s totally a good one for some of the teas I’ve had recently.

Anlina

Lemon blossoms are pretty much the best smelling thing ever. I used to go to the conservatory in Thunder Bay, and they had a Ponderosa lemon tree. The flowers were intense and intoxicating and I’ve been trying to find an essential oil that captures that fragrance for ages. I wish I could describe it to you, or give you some way to smell it.

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Bio

Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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