Hello Sweetie

Absolutely divine. I oversteeped a bit and blended the cup with a tray of ice (in dalek and tardis shapes too!)—it turned frothy and creamy and amazing. This is definitely a much better coconut/banana cream pie than the actual offering from Butiki (but I’m not a big rooibos person) :) Definitely my favorite Butiki tea so far!

If you like coconut, then this is perfect. I was a little disappointed that the coconut drowns out all the other flavor potential this tea has. It didn’t taste bad, it just seemed rather one note to me. That being said, it smelled amazing and felt decadent.

Whew, I did actually write about this one before. (But I’ve had it like, 6 times, and probably only have one note…) Anyhow! Still love this tea, though I didn’t order more (I’m wary of stocking up on teas with coconut, since it seems to go off). Delicious raisiny, coconut, banana, chocolate. Very decadent, and good for a bunch of re-steeps because of the solid base.

800th tasting note!!!

For some reason, this tea reminds me of fond memories from my childhood. I can’t quite put my finger on the reason, but either way, it is wonderful!
Of course, the base is perfect, and pairs perfectly with coconut. I am not usually the biggest fan of banana in tea, but here it is delicious.
I really enjoyed this tea, the mellow flavours that aren’t “in your face” but meld together well. This has a relaxing effect, but energizing at the same time.

I made teatinis for guests yesterday and this tea with Kettle One Vodka was a huge success! I made 8oz of tea and doubled the amount of tea I would normally use plus I added 2 tablespoons of brown crystal sugar while it was steeping. Then added vodka and ice until the shaker was full and shook it. Made about 3 martinis. It came out amazing. It had the perfect sweetness with burned caramel notes, black tea, and the coconut and banana flavors. The vodka was hardly noticeable. The martinis were a huge hit! Will definitely have to come up with a recipe.

As I sit here, watching Ricky Gervais’ An Idiot Abroad and drinking Hello Sweetie, questions pour into my head.

Hello Sweetie is a blend created by Stacy from Butiki Tea and fellow Steepsterite JustJames! I received Hello Sweetie as a requested sample from Butiki, and let me just say what a fantastic buying experience Stacy provides – from requesting samples to getting a handwritten note in the mail along with your tea – it is a pleasure.

Thus, using the 2 teaspoon sample and 500mL of boiling water, I tried Hello Sweetie for the first time. A sweet, caramely black tea, Hello Sweetie has no astringency at all and instead allows for a smooth, creamy sip. I pick up on the banana and (perceived) candied-apple undertones from the scent of the tea, but my cup lacks a bit of staying power and taste. I did, however, only steep for the lower bound of 3 minutes and my next steep will be longer. In addition, I added a bit of rock sugar which only compounds the sweetie-nees to propagate an even more serene ride down the esophagus.

Now back to those questions. On An Idiot Abroad, Karl and Warwick are traveling through India and stop at a village that houses a pair of conjoined twins colloquially known as the spider girls. They walk parallel to the ground using their feet and two pairs of hands, giving reason for the name. Upon this visit, Karl meets with the girls while Warwick stays outside, refusing to meet with them as the desire to seek them out for being different touches an ethical cord within Warwick. As he stays outside, however, he is pursued by a parade of villagers only to watch and observe his actions (as the venerable actor comes in only at 3’ 6’’). Such irony only reserved to British Travel Documentaries, raises deep questions about moral relativism, the categorical imperative, and sheer cultural differences, but I am ill-equipped to handle such questions.

Instead, I look to another part of the show a little later where Warwick is pressured into appearing on-stage with Karl and the spider twins to be watched. The show flirts with the ethical issues of side-shows, but the pervasive theme at play here is really the story of bullying. Throughout the third season many measures are taken to ensure that the lovable, idiotic Karl does not bully Warwick for his physical stature, but in doing so we gloss over the bullying that Karl has endured since the beginning of the show. Therefore, the “bullying” goes both ways, in part, and plays upon the irony and moral dichotomies within the show and the characters themselves.

Moving away from this again, and returning to the issue of cultural differences, I have a question for the steepster community: Do you ever use sugar in your teas or do you find adding sugar to be sacrilege to the sanctity of tea? Also, for which teas and how much sugar do you typically use (.5 tsps)?

Many thanks!

Still one of my favorite teas of all time. Just ordered a ton more….it’s my daily go to tea. Perfect blend of perfection…nothing needed…no sugar or milk or anything.

Just sipping perfection

Now this is a pretty tea! The leaves are dark, medium length, and twisty, but also blended with beautiful coconut shreds and some sort of fruit zest? For those who don’t know, I’m OBSESSED with coconut. It even rivals my chocolate obsession, which says something! When brewing, this tea smells of coconut(!) with an overall tropical aroma. The liquor is a warm red clay color. When sipped, the coconut comes out first (yay coconut!), followed by what tastes exactly like bananas foster. Seriously, it tastes exactly like that! Now, I am extremely picky about my banana flavors. Basically, I like bananas, but have never liked something that was banana flavored until now. The banana is overall incredibly natural tasting. The only thing holding me back from going bananas over this tea (sorry about the horrible pun; I just had to) is the transition from the coconut to the bananas foster. Just for a second, I get a hit of banana candy flavor before it transitions to real caramelized banana. Considering just how picky I am, this is a super impressive banana tea!

Hooray, I got my swap from Sarsonator! I’ve been (im)patiently awaiting the arrival of Lady Gaga (aka Minnesota Blend). However, I don’t believe that she has tried it yet herself, so I’m not going to make it right this second, even though I want to! I’m actually really happy this came today, because now I get to try this tea and Oriental Beauty before tomorrow’s sale so I’ll know whether I need to order them or not. Hooray for excellent timing! :)

Anyway, this tea smells amazing! Very sweet and strong coconut and banana scents, and I definitely get some cookie or pie crust too. It’s like coconut cream pie combined with that amazing banana pudding concoction that has the whipped cream and the vanilla wafer cookies!

And, of course, it tastes fantastic! I definitely still get the coconut cream pie and banana pudding mash-up dessert. There’s a cookie element here, and a little bit of toffee. The coconut flavor kind of reminds me of those chewy coconut candies that have the pink, white, and brown stripes (sorry, I have no idea what they’re called, but they’re little cubes and they’re individually wrapped). I wouldn’t call it the most “authentic” coconut, since real coconuts are much milder and not sweet, but I think it works perfectly in this blend. The banana is the same way – it’s definitely more of a banana candy flavor (reminds me of banana-flavored chews or taffy) but I love it! It’s lovely banana-coconut candy tea with toffee chip cookies and whipped cream over the top! I had mine with a bit of sugar but I bet this would be amazing with milk as well. :)

Edit: Psssst, here’s a picture of the candies! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Sundaes-Neopolitan-Coconut-Candies.jpg

This tea is yet another reminder of Butiki’s closing. Sigh. This blend is just so, so good. I love the smooth and strong black tea base, the banana and the hint of coconut. I love that the coconut doesn’t take over and that the cup doesn’t turn into a tropical-themed mess. I wish there were more banana teas that could be just like this.. natural banana, hints of pudding and bread, sweet and soft. This is just the cup that I needed before going to run errands!