Caramel Vanilla Assam

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Caramel, Honey, Malt, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla, Creamy, Cream, Butter, Cocoa, Raisins, Bread, Cherry, Toffee, Earth, Nuts, Wood, Astringent
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Kittenna
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec 5 g 11 oz / 324 ml

From Our Community

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78 Want it Want it

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59 Own it Own it

  • +44

280 Tasting Notes View all

  • “So last week I placed a Butiki order. Then I saw TastyBrew’s review of this tea & there was a conversation somewhere in the discussion boards about it too, & it was like: I must have this!...” Read full tasting note
  • “It’s so annoying when your mind is in the mood for tea, but your body simply isn’t. I woke up this morning and groggily stumbled into the kitchen, but no tea in particular was calling to me. Last...” Read full tasting note
  • “My Butiki order should be in on Wednesday, so I’m drinking this down today. Now I’ve only got one Butiki tea in my cupboard! :O I’m drinking this, looking at job ads, and watching Supernatural!...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “You know when you’re sure there’s a sip down and then evethough you drink giant mugs of tea, there just isn’t enough to actually sip down? So now I have enough left for a single “normal” cup of...” Read full tasting note
    88

From Butiki Teas

Caramel Vanilla Assam pairs our Premium Taiwanese Assam with rich caramel and soft vanilla. The caramel and vanilla notes meld with the tea and almost taste as though they are naturally part of the Assam. Cacao, raisin, and citrus notes can also be detected in this smooth and malty tea. Add a little sugar for a decadent caramel vanilla dessert.


Ingredients: Premium Taiwanese Assam, Organic Calendula, Organic Lotus Stamens, Organic Pure Ground Vanilla Beans (no fillers), Organic Natural Flavoring (vegan)

Recommended Brew Time: 3 minutes
Recommended Amount: 2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 212 F (boiling)

About Butiki Teas View company

Company description not available.

280 Tasting Notes

88
2201 tasting notes

Sipdown, 190. This is my other surprise sample from my last Butiki order. I ordered before this was released, so I didn’t even have a chance to request a sample, though I would have! So it was nice to get it.

This is really quite delicious. Very vanilla-y, like soft vanilla caramels when they are still pale; not too much caramelization, so it’s very creamy. Almost like dulce de leche, actually. Plus I always appreciate it when the base tea is very high quality, and having just tried this one in its pure form, I can definitely say that is the case. I could see picking some up in a future order. Also, I’d love to see this base used in more blends.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

everyone’s reviews make me super excited to try this one.

ohfancythat

Oh man me toooo

Sil

terri was awesome and sent me a small sample to tie me over until my order gets here from kittenna…but now i don’t know when to try it. lol

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89
15575 tasting notes

Another Butiki blend I’m working at sipping down in favour of stocking other blends. I typically adore this blend when I have it, but I crave it so infrequently that its not worth the tin space it takes up as it’s only getting older at this point.

So today’s cup had milk and rock sugar added to it – and I think it actually affected the flavour fairly significantly – and not necessarily in a beneficial way. Caramel? Check! Vanilla? Check! Unwanted notes of raisin that I’ve never got before from this cup? Check…

Yeah, I have this huge thing about disliking raisins which is why I was hesitant to order this blend in the first place (Stacy mentions raisin notes being present) and thankfully I’ve typically never experienced that. But, not this time. I finally found those pesky raisin notes! Ew. So next time, no rock sugar? I’m thinking so.

Also, I’m nudging down my rating: not because of the raisin notes but because of the fact this has kinda lost its sparkle and is almost starting to feel like a chore when I go to make it? Sorry Butiki…

Flavors: Caramel, Raisins, Vanilla

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71
1792 tasting notes

I’ve been avoiding talking about this tea something fierce because I am definitely the odd one out here. To me, the dry leaf smells similar to David’s Buttered Rum, which is another popular one. Well, I have news for you. Buttered Rum smells like powdered cheese to me, and so does this. Both have vanilla so I’m wondering if the flavouring in both have any similarities? This tea does not smell like caramel or vanilla to me at all!

As for the taste, I’m picking up on a hint of caramel, but no vanilla, which again, makes me think that the vanilla in these two particular blends is the culprit. Luckily I don’t actually taste a powdered cheese note, whereas I do with the Buttered Rum. The Assam base is not as robust as I expected, but maybe I should start adding a little more leaf.

The base is still good though. My taste buds just aren’t grooving with the flavouring. Adding half and half doesn’t help with bringing out any creamy vanilla or caramel flavours, either.

I can’t believe I’d ever say this because a caramel vanilla Assam sounds like a dream come true for me (vanilla, a favourite flavour of mine, plus Assam, one of my favourite bases. Are you kidding?!) but I actually prefer straight Assams.

True story!

TeaLady441

Awww. :( I wonder if you just need to tweak your brewing parameters somehow? I find that sometimes when I make this it’s a cup of amazeballs, and other times it’s really sorta meh. I haven’t kept track of what I do to get each result though, unfortunately, so it’s always a surprise whenever I sip it. I hope you can get it to pop, but sometimes a popular tea just doesn’t work out. I get it. I’ve got a few of my own.

Sil

don’t feel bad! you’re allowed to not love a tea that others love! :) I’ve actually loved this a bit less recently. heh

Fjellrev

I’ve been taking this tea out, toying with it, putting it away for a while, retrying, etc, and I’ve never gotten it to shine. I must accept that this doesn’t jive well with my taste buds, and that is ok, damnit!

Sil

yes… three friends upset me in the same way… since i love chocolate orange flavouring. i never made it work.

TeaLady441

Oh – I couldn’t do that one either!

Sil

2 friends. Is better for me cavo remind. Me to share if u haven’t tried it andcomeover lol

Fjellrev

Ah, the both of you too? I’ve yet to write about that one because I don’t know what to make of it. Smells scrumptious but it’s not quite as Terry’s chocolate orange as I had hoped, but I know that isn’t fair.

Sil

Yeah. Kitenna prefers 2 friends as well….I think Terri did too lol

JustJames

caramel is a quirky individualistic thing in teas i find. it doesn’t exist for me outside of butiki. i haven’t tried my 3 friends yet….. it will be a treat after this semester is done!!

Plunkybug

I found out that I had been under leafing this tea from my sample from OMGsrsly when I got my order in. It says to use 2 tsp per cup, but I had been using less before, and I actually prefer it under leafed. I think the caramel and vanilla shone more (in that the base was a little milder and less overpowering to the subtle caramel and vanilla) in this one than with the full leafing parameters on the bag. Also, I found that this is one I preferred without milk. That said, I’m sick, so all of my teas have been tasting off, so I’m trying to not have my Butiki right now since I know I’m missing some of the more subtle tastes.

Plunkybug

Incidentally, I love Three Friends.

Plunkybug

Feel free to dump any unliked Three Friends in my box. :P

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95
1271 tasting notes

Excuse me while I roll around on the carpet hooting how good this tea is.

YUM! Giant Leaves! Super creamy! Sweet caramel! Delicious black tea base! Tasty creamy resteep!

HOOOT

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/2013/09/11/caramel-vanilla-assam-from-butiki-teas-tea-review/
Sorry, no fancy pictures today. I’m tired out from canning pears. Delicious tea and rum infused pears.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
gmathis

I hope you know I get drooly every time you describe your home canning adventures! :) Delicious!

Oolong Owl

If the tea infused pears turns out well I’ll post the recipe on my blog. I’m going to give it a week to marinate in the jars.

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818 tasting notes

Oh, Stacy! How do you do this! You are amazing! I just got my 1 oz. bag in the mail today, and really wanted to try this, but didn’t think I should because it was kinda late for more caffeine. Of course, TastyBrew and whatshesaid persuaded me to try some anyway! Hey you two, it’s your fault if I’m up all night! J/k. ;)

The dry leaf smells delicious. Like caramel. I steeped it up, and at first, I thought it wasn’t what I expected. This is because when I think of caramel and vanilla teas, I think sugary. Then I thought, why would I think that? This is Stacy we are talking about! Just like my other favorite tea from her (maple pecan oolong), this tastes so natural, like the leaves naturally taste like caramel and vanilla. I also get a raisin note, probably from the base tea. I also get a little vegetal note…not sure where that is coming from, but I don’t mind it. I added a little sugar, but I think milk would ruin it. Now, that’s a first for me, because I really like milk in my black teas, and if I’m forgoing it for the sake of the tea, that’s something!!

Had to do a resteep because the first cup just wasn’t enough!! I really am going to be up all night!

Rachel J

I got mine today too! I will wait until tomorrow, though…

TastyBrew

Yay! I had mine at night too as I just couldn’t wait. It’s worth it, eh? So yummy delicious.

Tealizzy

Yes! Totally worth it! I’m bouncing off the walls a little bit though!

Kittenna

Raisin is totally the base tea :)

ohfancythat

Yum!! Can’t wait to try this!! Glad we peer pressured you into it, lol

Tealizzy

Ya, and surprisingly, I slept okay, although, I did wake up a little early. I think the walk my husband and I took last night helped!

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100
1184 tasting notes

Sipdown
This has been my favourite flavoured black tea to date. I will miss the smoothness. It was a delicious tea (especially when it was fresh).

tea-sipper

So many Butiki sipdowns! Noooo

Scheherazade

All my Butiki are gone, which is the saddest thing :( I loved this one, too.

tigress_al

I know!! I have to sip them down though because they are aging (gracefully)

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1440 tasting notes

I did add this into my Butiki order on the weekend, but this cup today came in the mail from Cavovorax :)

I was actually in the field today for my 8am lab. It was a chilly morning and after 3 hours of standing outside in 6 degree temperatures, mostly stationary, identifying plants and grasses, it was so, so nice to get back on campus and have this hot tea waiting in my Timolino.

I had tried this one quickly before and it was good, because all Butiki teas are, but not quite what I was thinking it would be. This time around, similar to Ruby Pie, it seems to be working out much better. The base is so lovely and comforting, and the somewhat subtle caramel and vanilla seem to pair perfectly. This is much better than the few caramel or vanilla teas I’ve tried thus far. I may play around with this one a bit more once I get my order to see what all this tea can do.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
TeaLady441

The first cup or so I had of it was just ok, but I manged to make it amazing. Regretfully, I couldn’t tell you how, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. :D

Courtney

Haha yes I feel it could be made to be so much more! Do you ever add anything? I do rarely add anything to my teas.

keychange

I really enjoy this tea with some cream and sugar—honestly, it revolutionized the tea for me, but then again I add that to almost all my tea, so there’s that.

Courtney

Haha well I don’t do cream, but perhaps I’ll try milk. I usually don’t care for tea with additions, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to try :) Thanks for the suggestion!

TeaLady441

I don’t add anything to mine, but I could see how a splash of milk/cream would be very nice. :)

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80
6444 tasting notes

This tea is delicious but I just don’t reach for it as often as I should. I have had this since December and I think this is the first cup I have made. It is gooey caramel, fresh vanilla, and malty Assam and it is awesome but for some reason, it always gets forgotten.

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93
863 tasting notes

I was blissfully searching through my tea cabinet when I came across this yesterday. The pouch was almost empty, so I went ahead and made an extra strong cup. I had it with milk, no sugar, and it was perfectly sweet and caramelly.

I thought to myself, good thing its from a tea company that I know has been around a while so I can order more soon….and then I read one of Sil’s tasting notes about how Butiki is going to be closing permanently. Cue: record scratch breaking me out of my reverie.

I have been off of here for a while but that is truly sad news. :( I love Butiki teas, but I most especially love this, my perfect vanilla black tea. And I am lucky at least that this isn’t gone yet – time to order it rather than despair at a missed opportunity.

Like I said, a gorgeous vanilla black – and one I’m not ready to say goodbye to yet.

Flavors: Caramel, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
Sil

sorry to break the news :(

Chizakura

NO!

Admittedly it’s been a little while since I’ve placed an order (though I’ve now just made a huge one) but Butiki is my FAVORITE. :( So, so sad! Is it shameful that I actually cried a bit after reading this?

Also heartbroken that I missed out on the last of the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black. I’d been meaning to get more of that for months, but I was trying to save money, and figured I could always get more later…

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98
251 tasting notes

I am on a Butiki kick right now. I’ve tried most of what I ordered recently, but I have been withholding reviews on some of them until I feel like I get the tea right. I’ve discovered (thanks Steepster!) that some of the blends really need to have ingredients shaken or stirred (tea martini anyone?) in the bag to get the true flavor to come through once steeped. I am guessing bits just settle in shipping or something. Just thought I’d toss that out there in case it helps anyone like it did for me. Now on to a review of Caramel Vanilla Assam.

Dry: Long luscious dark and twisted Assam leaves with flower petal bits. Smells very rich, almost buttery, with clear caramel notes wafting from the infuser. This has a very strong dry fragrance and I was worried the brewed tea would taste artificial.

Steeped: I shouldn’t have worried. This brews into a red-brown clear liquor and the brewed aroma is heavenly. Vanilla beans meet oozing caramel with a rich black base. It smells exactly like its namesake.

Taste: This tea can easily be a morning staple for me. With an almost thick mouthfeel, this tea delivers creamy vanilla and rich caramel blended with that famous Premium Taiwanese Assam base. I have struggled to find something vanilla that I truly loved and something caramel that I was a fan of (particularly after my bazillion attempts with David’s Salted Caramel), but I can safely say that this one is both amazing and delicious and will be a re-order for sure. I am having a very good tea week so far!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
keychange

Definitely a Butiki favourite of mine!

Rosehips

One of my favorites, full stop. Glad you also enjoy it!

tigress_al

Mmmm, your review really makes me want a cuppa, but not this late at night!! One of my favs too!

Nightshifter

It’s so good you guys! Thanks for guiding me to all the best teas. :)

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