Raspberry Jam & Cashew Butter

This is a very tasty tea. It has strong notes from the cashews and the raspberry, although the raspberry flavoring is not strong enough for my tastes. It melds well into the oolong background. It a dark oolong that looks more like a black tea in color of the dry leaves. It is a very heavy tea. I ordered four ounces of this tea and it looks like two. I don’t think the cashews in the blend will last as long as the tea so I am glad I didn’t get a pound.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 2 tsp leaf and 175 degree water for 4 min.

When Kittenna came up to visit (her family; not me specifically – I just happened to be a bonus!) she brought with all the tea I’ve ordered from Butiki and the one blend from Verdant in the recentish group orders. That means I’ve had lots and lots of Butiki to try out the last week or so, which I’ve been trying to do among trying everything else I’ve gotten recently.

This is one I was really, really excited about. I don’t drink oolongs nearly as much as other tea types, but I do tend to really like them. I especially really like Stacy’s flavoured oolong. The lychee oolong she has is my favourite Butiki blend, ever, and Flowery Pineapple Oolong probably my second favourite. I’ve found a couple of her oolong that I was neutral towards (grape, for example) but none that I’ve disliked outright. So I definitely had to try this one, and of the stuff Kittenna brought it’s the first that I tried.

The smell of this one is intoxicating; it oozes fresh, overripe raspberries and butter. Very confectionery but without becoming unnatural or fake.

Steeped up, it’s very delicious as well. The raspberry flavour is pronounced without becoming commanding, and tastes both jammy like the name implies and confectionery – like a raspberry danish. I did struggle tasting the cashew in the blend; it was a little more noticeable at the tail of the sip right when the raspberry flavour was fading but mostly it was the “butter” note that carried into the flavour. To be fair, I didn’t get a cashew piece in this cup so I’ll make sure I do in the next one so I can see if that imparts a stronger cashew flavour.

Additional things of note: there’s a floral quality to this blend as well but nothing super identifiable. Also a very green oolong in general I found. But pleasantly so. Ultimately I don’t think I’ll miss this when I’m out because I’ve got a Raspberry Oolong blend from Tea Desire that, while an obviously lower quality tea, is comparable. Same raspberry/confectionery type flavours.

And side note – I feel like I always want to describe floral notes as orchid like; someone should give me more descriptive words for other flower notes present in tea. Sometimes I use lily in addition to lavender/rose, but I feel like I’m repeating the same descriptors a lot of the time.

A lovely sample from Kittenna!

I totally spaced and missed that this is an oolong. Whoops!

190F for 2 minutes.

Dry, the tea smells SO freaking amazing. Like buttery thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jam and rolled in crushed cashews. Yum!

Steeped, it smells super amazing still. The flavour is distinctly nutty, and there’s less raspberry and more baked-goods.

The second steep is even sweeter, but there’s still more of a nutty flavour and scent than raspberry.

This is really nice, but I kind of wish the raspberry was more present. And that it was a black tea. :) Just personal preference though, as this is lovely.

I had this yesterday while doing a few chores around the house. I sorta drank it mindlessly so I don’t remember much but I do recall thinking this tastes like cashew butter and raspberry jam so that’s good. Next time, I’ll be sure to pay more attention.

Another tasty Butiki offering!

I ended up ordering another bag of this because I decided I liked it enough to hoard a bit.

It’s pretty true to its namesake, as far as the flavours go, though I wish there was a bit more cashew flavour. The last time I drank it though, it had cooled down a lot by the time i finished my cup, and the raspberry flavour had really taken over.

This is definitely one I enjoy!

Yum yum, this is super tasty. Primarily raspberry, but the rich nutty flavor is there too. The second steep is significantly more tart from the raspberry and the nuts step back. This was lovely, I am glad to have gotten to taste it.

This is one very good tea (that I almost burned myself preparing, as the lid to the kettle fell off when I picked it up, but it was worth the danger)

The dry blend consists of tightly rolled oolong tea, raspberry bits, and cashew pieces. The aroma is rich, buttery cashew. Brewed up, there’s an entirely different dimension to the aroma, floral, complicated, and a little mysterious. The oolong in this blend is not as green as Tie Guan Yin, and has a richer and darker feel overall, though with some similarity in floral notes. In terms of flavor, there’s a light touch of raspberry sweetness, and the cashew note is still quite strong, but the tea itself is dominant. Having grown up in a region more known for greens and oolongs than black teas, and with a family that favors them more, the taste of this brew is what I immediately recognize as what “tea from back home” should be like. It’s very distinct and almost indefinable, and the addition of raspberry and cashew, in this case, balances it quite well in a way I would never have imagined. I also sense that the caffeine content of this one is fairly high, it definitely wakes me up a little bit while having a calming effect as well. Overall, very glad I tried it, and sad that there’s only a little bit.

Tea of this afternoon. I was feeling nutty. :)
This is layered, complex, sweet, but with the warmth of the nuts to keep it from going too sweet. There were, in some sips, almost too many flavors, but once I slowed down I could pick out the various elements.
It made for a lovely cup on this winter afternoon, but I think it would be spectacular in spring.

Of all the new teas Stacy has come out with recently, this is the one I was most excited to try. The dry leaf is beautiful with slightly rolled dark oolong leaves, freeze-dried raspberries, and lots of big chunks of cashew. It has a strong fruity, nutty scent. Steeped, I get a nice buttery texture with a very natural sweet raspberry flavor. I don’t taste the cashew as much as I was hoping to, but I love the raspberry/oolong combination! I also love how well this re-steeps. The raspberry flavor is milder, but still present, and the floral oolong base starts to come through a little more. All in all, a lovely treat!

Yum – this one is fairly tasty, all nutty and fruity. I do wish there was a bit more raspberry, though, since it’s not quite jammy enough for me. Good base selection though, definitely; enough body for the flavourings but light enough not to mask them, and the lovely oolong aftertaste. Kind of want a bit more of this one, but it’s not quite in the same category as the Nutmeg-Dusted Custard.