The Killer’s Vanilla

Stacy was so kind to put this on sale last month, so I ordered a couple ounces. It is one of my most favorite teas. So smooth and delicious and flavorful, I love how the vanilla complements the natural guayusa flavor. And the lavender is so soothing and lovely that I really can’t hate it the way I usually do.

Thank you, Stacy! This tea is just perfect.

Library tea! I’ve always preferred spearmint over peppermint. When I was a kid and we’d go out for dinner, I’d always hope for a spearmint after-dinner mint since restaurants rarely had them. So I’m impressed that Stacy chose spearmint for this since you don’t see that too often in tea either. Way to be, Stacy!

I haven’t had too many guayusas, to be honest. Maybe one or two before this one, but this is definitely my favourite one so far. It’s so smooth! And refreshing, and has that hint of creaminess from the vanilla. Spearmint really sharpens the senses so this is seriously the perfect thing to keep you awake when you’re at the library being an otherwise useless twit.

I don’t really taste the lavender here but either way, I’m happy.

Thank you to Azzrian for sending me some of this tisane. I’ve already had two black teas this morning, so I don’t really need the buzz that Guayusa delivers, but, I randomly selected a tea from Azzrian’s box, and this is what I grabbed, so I’m going with it.

This smells really kind of odd, but, in a very alluring kind of way. It is such a weird smell, but, somehow it is enticing me to sip it. It doesn’t exactly smell like vanilla or lavender or mint … but there are elements of each of these ingredients in the aroma, as well as an earthy/vegetative overtone … like the smell you might experience if you were gardening in the spring, and then somehow a light breeze came over the garden that held notes of vanilla in the air.

But it tastes really good. I am in agreement with TeaEqualsBliss about this one, the flavors sort of jump around. In one sip, I’ll notice the vanilla as the strongest note, and then in the next, the earthy notes of the guayusa and the mint really emerge, and then the next, I notice lavender. It’s like the flavors in here juggle around, and you never know which flavor you’re going to notice next.

I like this a lot. No surprise there, really, since it’s from Butiki Teas!

I found the look of this tea curious whilst it’s raw, it’s big on minty fragrance while consisting of teeny tiny pieces that resembles mixed herbs. Small pieces are always fun to watch dance and swim around in the boiling water. :)

Once boiled this tea is dark honey in colour and smells like spearmint with after tones of creamy vanilla (almost like mint ice cream).
To follow the instructions given to brew this tea I have added a little sugar for my first taste test so I can drink this as it’s deigned to be drank.

I love mint tea when I’m in the mood for them (which is usually quite late at night) and I expected this to be overpoweringly minty judging by the smell alone but boy was I wrong. First sip highlights the mint AND the vanilla that have blended very well together and are of an equal strength. As for the after taste there is a slight (and I mean very slight) floral taste which must be the lavender.

For me this tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream but of course in tea form. It’s so wonderfully uplifting and suitable to fill the urges for anything minty and sweet. :)

Half way down the cup the vanilla becomes the stronger taste sensation out of the two and it gets creamier and creamier with every sip. I see myself becoming a Butiki Tea fan girl completely unashamedly. Everything I have tried so far has been unique and amazingly tasty.

The basics: Mint = Refreshing. Vanilla = Smooth. Lavender = Sweet. Mix them altogether and you get a cup of heaven. Try if you like any of the above ingredients.

Sample sipdown! Found this one in my desk drawer at work. I think it was from BrewTEAlly Sweet ages ago!

Good stuff. So rare for me to like a vanilla tea, much less one with lavender. A testament to Stacy’s blending wizardry, I suppose! I’d re-order this one but I slightly prefer the Good Morning Sunshine for my flavored guayusa kick :)

I’m trying to branch out to more guayusas so I had to splurge on Butiki Tea’s guayusa pack. This was one I would have tried regardless.

Love the packed-vanilla-punch! But even if there’s a loaded vanilla punch I still taste other flavors, namely mint. It’s almost calming too. I didn’t check out the flavors before reviewing because I didn’t want any suggestions or hints, but maybe there’s lavender in there or something like lavender?

This is really good…although I’m not sure calming is what I need at 9:30 am! Time to try the Good Morning Sunshine variety! :)

I have been soooooo tired lately. Once 5 o’clock rolls around, I’m exhausted. Once 9 o’clock hits, I’m dead on my feet. I wish I could use being pregnant as an excuse, but I’m not pregnant. I’m just not getting enough sleep I guess, or at least, not enough restful sleep. We’re going to go see Elysium in an hour, and I want to make sure I don’t sleep through it! So, I decided to make some guayusa.

Butiki’s blog describes this tea as, “Without sugar it tastes like an earthy herbal blend but with sugar it tastes like a creamy dessert tea”. It definitely tastes like an earthy herbal sans additions. I decided to add some Truvia. It made it sweeter, but the flavor profile is virtually the same.

I’m afraid that this isn’t my cup of tea though. Guayusa is a bit odd for my tastes. The flavorings are so delicious in this, but then that distinctive guayusa flavor creeps in. I drank the cup anyway in hopes that it will keep me awake through the movie. I do feel a little more alert.

This is a cup that wakes you up slowly and sweetly. It’s not overly assertive or brisk. It’s just nice and calming and yet awakening as well. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it. Thanks to JustJames for the sample!

EDIT: I told my husband that I drank this highly caffeinated tea in order to ensure I stayed awake through the movie. Upon hearing me pronounce it a few times (it’s pronounced WHY-YOU-SUH), he said, “Guayusa tired?” And then laughed maniacally. LOL! He’s so ridiculous, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. ;)

Well, I’ve never tried a Guayusa tea before, but I’ve been on the hunt for a good vanilla mint tea, so Stacy very generously included this as a sample with my last Butiki order.

When I inhaled the smell of the dry leaf, I got a mild combination of mint and vanilla. I leaned over to have myself a good sniff of this while it was brewing, however, and my stomach turned. There’s something about mint tea that, when it’s hot or brewing, just manages to turn my stomach. I have no idea why this is, as I really do enjoy mint in many other forms: ice cream, milk shakes, candy canes, etc.—but I plowed doggedly on anyway haha. Afraid I’d actually hurl, I took my first sip tentatively, and was pleasantly surprised. I could definitely detect the mint, although it isn’t that really intense mint that leaves your mouth cold and tingling. The vanilla was also present, which actually really helped to tip the mint out of the sickly category. See, I’m convinced it’s a type of mint that I don’t like—not all mint in tea entirely. Anyway, I steeped for six minutes and added in some rock sugar, and I don’t think I’d do anything differently if I were to play around with this tea again. I enjoyed my cup, especially because of the vanilla mint pairing, and might even request another sample of this with a future order.
As for the guayusa flavour itself, I can’t say I could really detect it per-se, as I wasn’t exactly sure what it was I was looking for. I really just mostly got a smooth, creamy vanilla, and maybe a slight hint of lavender, although honestly, if I didn’t know there was lavender in this tea, I wouldn’t have guessed as much—so lavender haters, you need not fear.

Glad I started my day with this!

Yayy my first order from Butiki came! So excited to try it. Wonderful customer service thus far, and quick shipping. I went for this one first since I am super exhausted tonight. Is it seriously only Wednesday? Sigh. Plus it smells wonderful.

I did a 5min steep, which turned out pretty well for me. I’ve only had one guayusa blend, and I only drink that one iced. I wanted hot tea tonight, so I might as well give hot guayusa a try. I sweetened it just a tad, to hopefully bring out the creamy vanilla.

This is such an interesting blend! When I tried it hot-hot, I could taste mostly earthy guayusa. It’s a nice flavour, but I notice a slightly sour note at the back of my tongue. It’s not entirely off putting, just a little strange. As it cools a bit, the vanilla comes out fully and is just amazing. It’s followed by smooth, sweet mint and just a hint of lavender. The guayusa flavour really holds the whole thing together, and the more it cools, the less I get of the sour note.

I really like this blend! I think I’ll bring it to work to get me through the afternoons. Can’t wait to get into the rest of my order :)

I’m pretty sure that as my tastes have evolved, i have ceased to really enjoy Guayusa Tea. it’s just not for me. I don’t need the caffeine boost and the taste just never seems to be what i want. This one came to me from Kallieboo! and i’m glad to have the chance to try this one again. If nothing else, to help me realise that there are other types of tea that i’d rather be drinking. That being said, i finished off the cup, but don’t feel the need to pick up more. Thanks Kallieboo!