Irish Cream Cheesecake

From the queue

This one was also from Courtney, and you may remember that I had asked for either this or the Tealux Cream Irish Breakfast as I thought they sounded interesting and Courtney thought they were very similar, and also that happily she had enough of both to share with me and was sweet enough to do so. I’m therefore having this one on the same day that I had the other, so that I too can see if I find them similar.

I think it definitely smells like cheesecake. It really was the first thing that popped into my head when I first sniffed it. I’m not sure I would have got cheesecake if I hadn’t known it to be there from the title as cheesecake is never really something at the forefront of my mind. I mean I like it a lot, but I have it very seldomly. I don’t think Husband quite got this from the aroma, but then he also started to wonder what cheesecake actually smells like and whether it smells like anything in particular. Well, I think it smells like cheesecake. Especially the crust of one.

Not sure about Irish cream, though. I’m only vaguely aware of that, so I don’t really know what to search for there. I can pick up something of the base underneath though. It’s fairly malty and reminds me a bit of Assam with a smidge of that cardboard-y note. I’m surprised then to find that the base is actually a second flush Darjeeling. This is interesting because when sipping it, I’m getting zero of the notes that ordinarily makes me dislilke Darjeeling. I imagine it’s a combination of it being second flush and it being tempered further by the flavouring. Perhaps it’s time to investigate second flushes, and maybe also autumnal, Darjeelings? This tea makes me think I might be ready for that.

Yes, I can definitely see similarities in the aroma, apart from how the Cream Irish Breakfast smelled very much like strawberry to me (I seem to be the only one) and this one doesn’t.

I can also see the similarity in the flavour, but this one has the cream more to the front and it’s not as smooth as the breakfast blend. It’s a little more aggressive. I have to say that tastewise it doesn’t give me that same cheesecake-y impression that the aroma did, but there is something that offsets the cream note. It’s sweeter than the breakfast blend, which may be the biggest difference between the two.

On the whole I agree with Courtney that they are very similar, but I must say I think I preferred the breakfast blend slightly more than this.

This was, surprisingly, not a huge hit with me. I might have brewed it wrong, or not sweetened enough, but all I got was the taste of the black tea base. I love my Butiki blends, but this one was just not really for me.

Stacy made a semi-custom version of this for me, using Organic Huangshan Mao Feng as a base. Thanks Stacy! Given the number of notes complaining of astringency and finicky flavor, I humbly suggest a reblend using this as the base. No astringency or subtle flavor here. Just smooth cream. Irish on the front end with a hint of cheesecake at the back. Absolutely wonderful. Perfect travel mug tea on a cold day.

I won’t assign a rating because I don’t have the exact tea, but I would give this a 92.

Backlog from St. Patrick’s Day.

I saved this one for dinner so my husband and son could all have a taste of this one…. I was able to get my 8 year old to try it since it was a “perfectly named tea” for the day. He drank it down just fine and said he liked it… Yeah!

Hubby and I didn’t really get too much Irish Cream or cheesecake in this blend. It was creamy and rich. I added a little raw sugar to mine and still a nice creamy tea. It went well with our corned beef and cabbage dinner (a favorite of my Hubby’s).

Thanks MissB for sharing this one. I ‘m glad I somehow managed to save it for the proper day … Sometimes that’s all it takes to get my little guy to try something ;)

Thank you Beorhthraefn for swapping with me and sending me this tea!

I realize that I did not carefully follow the steeping parameters, but I am really liking it. It captures Irish cream and cheesecake well. I think I might like this a bit better if the base was had a thicker mouthfeel, if that makes sense. The texture is silky and creamy, but a little bit thin for cheesecake. Still a winner for me, and something I would order if Stacy ever reblends it.

I am very confused with this tea. I think I didn’t do anything wrong : leaf, water, steeping time..and I get a robust, heavy tea exceptionaly strong on bitterness.

I generally love Butiki’s Tea bases and often their flavoured teas. Unfortunately I have to say this tea is probably not for me. I am unable to get any cheesecake nor Irish cream and all I get is very bitter breakfast tea.
Thank you MissB for sharing I am happy to have had the opportunity to taste it and I have enough for a second try. I’ll do so.

Very good. I may have oversteeped this as it was a little bit bitter – still quite good though. I found this very smooth, creamy and a little bit astringent. There is a definitely cheesecake aftertaste to it which was surprisingly authentic-tasting. Next time I think I’ll add sweetener and see how that changes the flavor. Definitely a keeper.