Kenya Kangaita

I added this to my shopping cart a few weeks back on a whim, mostly because I’d like to get around to trying all of Stacy’s blacks and because Stacy was kind enough to let me add to my order to take advantage of her free pitachio ice cream promo. I ordered the summer sampler when she was out of pistachio ice cream so this was a chance to try it outside of a sample size. (Don’t get me wrong, i LOVE stacy’s samples! but they usually just leave me wishing i had more lol)

Anyway this is a mouth full of tea! It has a very full body, no stringency and like others have mentioned its earthy and roasty and really nice. I will enjoy drinking this tea down though i’m not sure it will become my first black for the morning tea. We shall see though. I’m enjoying this quite a bit so far.

Thanks Stacy for this tea sample!

The last time I tasted this tea, I had been drinking loose leaf tea for about 4 months, so tasting it again was a fun comparison!

I’ve learned that I LOVE strong Kenyan tea so I ignored Stacy’s suggested brew time of 2.5 minutes and opted for 3.5 minutes testing along the way. The longer time would suit others who like the bang of a bold tea that can handle the time.

The taste was black current, sweet dry prune and black pepper…all of which came as a swelling up of flavor towards the back of the throat.

I sweetened my tea and added cream (it was my morning tea)…then sat while my body continued to slowly awaken from sleep.

I’ve never been a morning person, even through three decades of work, I would arise an extra hour earlier than necessary to sit with ‘coffee’, until I had to get ready and could cope with the day.

Now tea is my morning companion, and I can make the wake-up time last as long as I want it to. What a luxury!

While I was sitting in appreciation of my wealth of ‘time’, my thoughts began to wander.
I’ve been making lots of curries, something that I find comforting in cold weather.
Because of my allergies, I’ve adapted recipes to remove beans, tomato, eggplant, green peppers and potato. Thai curries, instead of Indian Curries, have given me more options (Indian Curries use potato and beans in almost everything!) and are delicious.

Along the way, I’ve discovered that certain tea’s are better companions to the curries I make. Kenyan tea’s, some Puerh’s and Thai Chaa Khao Hoom Reistee stand up well to spice (depending on the dish).

I’d like to expand my list of tea’s and welcome comments from other people who make curry.

I appreciate the unique tea sourcing from Butiki (and we all love Stacy!)!

So, my mom just called to ask me if I saw the weather for Sunday and Monday. Let’s just say I have some pretty amazing -15F (-26C) weather to look forward to. I’d imagine this was once of the last cups of iced tea I’ll be having for a little bit. I wonder if hibernating for a week is an option.

Very mild and smooth when cold steeped, with accents of honey and currant. While I’m still partial to my Darjeelings as a luxury iced cup, this is very, very good.

Stacy thank you! This is a great black tea! A nice Kenyan Tea! It’s bold, full-bodied, a nice eye-opener! It has a touch of dried apricot flavor to it as well as a citrusy note. I really like it! A great delight!

I drank this all day at work today.
I found it to be very similar to the Butiki black I was drinking yesterday. I didn’t do a very good job of describing that one, and won’t come up with a proper description of this one either. This is bold an dark, but different from most of the blacks I’ve tried.
Nice, I liked it, but odd/unusual.

Thank you TheTeaFairy for sharing.

What was I thinking?! Nearly all the teas I brewed up tonight are black teas! Seriously, I’m an idiot. It’s already half past 4 in the morning… Anyhow, onto a tea I had yet to review!

The aroma of the tea is lovely, reminding me of a bagged tea but without the astringency and with a fair bit of richness (again, I need to work on descriptors for this particular aroma. It’s so common and I don’t know how to describe it!)

The tea is quite a bit milder and smoother than I was expecting, and tastes like…. figs?! Whaaaat? I’m pretty sure that’s what I’m tasting. Figs, like those from fig newtons, but a touch less sweet. Fascinating! I’ll admit that I didn’t have high hopes for this tea as I’m pretty picky about blacks, but this is both intriguing and quite delicious! Definitely drinkable sans additions, which is critical for me. I’m glad I finally brought this one out to try!

ETA: Second infusion (boiling/2.5 min) doesn’t have much flavour beyond that of a weak standard black tea.

These dark leaves have a full body brew, with a smoky citrus taste. Pure smoothness, that is bright with no bitterness – only a good astringency towards the end of the sip, that turns slightly sweet.

I really want iced tea but for some reason my ice maker isn’t making ice and it’s driving me crazy.

I really like this tea! It’s a bit earthy and malty, but then it has some citrusy notes at the same time. It’s silky smooth, no hints of bitterness or astringency.

This is a nice black tea for something from a different area than the usual. And it’s pretty reasonably priced, also given that it’s handpicked unlike most Kenyan teas!

I think I’m actually starting to trust the hot drinks can keep you cool concept, because I just went and watered my plants (and picked nearly a dozen jalapenos, no idea what to do with them anymore) and I’m not even sweating. Good to know! But I want ice already!

I’ve been afebrile all day! woo! Still having the wet cough and a new onset of runny nose, but I’m so happy there is no more fever. Having fevers stink! Anyway, I decided to drink this tea and write a review. My notes may be skewed considering my current situation.

This smells like Butiki Tea’s other Kenyan teas. Delicious, fruity, and sweet. In the cup, it is a honey brown color. On my tongue, it is light and airy. There is a touch of toast in there and warmth with a hint of fruits. It is fine on its own. There is a tiny, tiny hint of astringency. It is barely there. Delicious tea overall. Not one of my favs but it is still good.

Additional notes: This was the last of my sample from the awesome Butiki Teas! I didn’t have enough leaves for another cup, so I used a slight bit more for this last cup! (I actually got to remove a tea from my Steepster shelf… sadly, it was just a sample!) Since there are more leaves the flavor is very full & strong this time. Very delicious. There is a slight biscuity flavor, with a sweetness that lingers on the tongue. The perfect amount of astringency for a nice kick. I needed a wake-me-up tea. I’ll be outside on one of the last few nice days this year to read Italo Calvino’s ‘If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler’, which I’ve wanted to read for a while now.