Cinnamon Vanilla Squash

After the aged offering from Nannuoshan, I was in the mood for more Bai Mu Dan, so I picked this one out. It maybe wasn’t the best idea because even though I do really enjoy this tea, it’s always been on the more ‘delicate’ side, and it doesn’t shine as much after the thick, nectar-like aged Bai Mu Dan. It’s not surprising, and I love delicate white teas, but with a flavour like squash I want it to be more hearty than light. I’ve noted before how I wish this one were richer, with a thicker mouth feel. I wonder if I could Frankenstein the two to create the perfect tea?

This. Is. EXCEPTIONAL. Somehow the second steep is even better than the first. My guess is that the base tea is inherently buttery. The flavoring is soft cinnamon and cream. It’s maybe more sweet potato than squash but entirely delicious. I love how the flavor is robust and delicate at the same time – it’s substantial but not cloying or overly sweet or artificial. I’m glad that this has held up so well!

My kitchen smells like I’m baking something delicious when I brew this tea! The sweet, creamy vanilla is the most prominent note in both aroma and flavor, followed by a light, natural cinnamon flavor and a bit of nuttiness which I’m guessing is the squash, though it doesn’t really scream squash for me. Personally, I’d call it Vanilla Cinnamon Cookie instead, but whatever you call it, it’s yummy! This is one of just 3 Butiki blends remaining in my stash. I know I should sip them down before they completely lose their flavor, but I’m dreading the day when there’s no Butiki left in my cupboard…

This tea makes me so happy! Sweet cinnamon vanilla love. Ah. So Good. I’m cold brewing the rest for tomorrow. This tea is one I could have been good friends with.

I’m counting this as Sipdown #2 since I threw the pkg away (That might be cheating a bit since I used the majority of the leaves for some cold brew love tomorrow).

Drowning myself 6-26-15 #8

100% honesty here:
My mom really likes vanilla and this was about the only vanilla tea I had and I’ve never brewed it because it has the word ‘squash’ in it… that sounds like one of those things called ‘vegetable’ and I’m not too keen about those finding their way into my tea. Anyways, it’s Butiki right? Well, this tea is very complex. Not only does it have a slight vanilla taste to it, the squash is actually in there which is so bizarre but it isn’t unbearable. I drank this down and was quite impressed by all the flavor that was in this tea, though it is not something I personally enjoyed very much I do understand that it did a great job getting those taste in there somehow. I just don’t think squash is a very appealing taste to have present in a teas.

I’m working from home today, the baby’s at daycare, and I finally have a moment to myself to brew a cup of tea. I swore to myself I wasn’t going to order a bunch of Butiki teas and then let them sit around for months untried. But then I had a baby and all Hell broke loose! The only tea I’ve had in the past 3+ months is Mother’s Milk teabags. I hardly remember what it’s like to have time to enjoy my old ritual of brewing tea: heating water on the stove in my kettle, using a thermometer to get just the right temperature before adding the leaves, waiting for it to steep and then enjoying multiple infusions while musing about what to write in a tea note. Those days of abundant time are gone! I’m lucky if I find time to shower once every couple days. Don’t get me wrong; being a mother is the most rewarding thing I’ve done with my life to date. But I do miss some aspects of life before motherhood, and brewing tea is definitely one of them.

So today I am making some tea and taking the time to enjoy it! I’m so sad Butiki Teas has closed. I managed to place a large order of my favorites (sans Almond Indulgence because it was already sold out) as well as some new-to-me ones before Stacy closed for good. The brewed tea aroma of this one smells amazing! I’m definitely getting cinnamon and a hint of vanilla. The flavor is WOW! So nuanced and delicious. The flavor seems to evolve throughout the sip, first being cinnamon and vanilla and ending in a lovely, hay-like Bai Mu Dan. Yum! White tea is the perfect base for these flavors. This is good!

I added a tiny bit of Truvia to see how sweetener affects the flavors. Hmm, it really seems to have brought the squash to the forefront. I was missing that before. I’d say the most downplayed element in this tea is the cinnamon. It’s there, but only a quiet whisper complementing the other flavors. This is a really lovely tea. I’d say that I recommend it, but sadly you can no longer buy it. :( But if you’ve been hoarding it like me and have yet to try it, you definitely should!

For those of you who are interested, I’ll write more about the birth of my daughter in another note. For now, here’s some pictures of my Olivia. :)

https://instagram.com/p/18NGUjF-nY/
https://instagram.com/p/18M_VTF-nM/
https://instagram.com/p/zIz1qIF-gs
https://instagram.com/p/zI8JP-l-iU/
https://instagram.com/p/2B_deSl-ld/

I’ve drank this a few times without logging it, I think that’s because though I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a super STAND OUT type of tea.

The flavours are tasty, the cinnamon is the sort I enjoy in tea, natural – not a fake hot candy heart sort of taste.

The cinnamon, vanilla and squash notes all work well together. It wasn’t super squashy. I kind of thought it might have more of a hearty sweet potato sort of feel to it, but it’s a very light note.

I think I would have preferred something heavier in terms of the squash. But nonetheless I will enjoy what I have left of this tea!

Sample from Kittenna! Thank you. :)

As bai mu dan isn’t really my favourite base, I wasn’t expecting much. Aaaand… I was right. Although the flavours smell and taste good, the base tea isn’t doing anything for me.

Cinnamon Vanilla and Squash with a very carby black tea? Oh, I’d be all over it.

Oh well, can’t win them all.

Thanks so much for sharing! I appreciate the chance to try this tea. (And I’ll probably do another steep in a bit, just because I can…)

My mom is someone who believes that if there aren’t enough leftovers to feed an army, than she did not cook nearly enough. So, when a vegetarian friend of mine came to visit for thanksgiving, my mother found herself stressed over what to make for this friend specifically. To the normal turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes menu, she added a green bean casserole, spaghetti squash, a sweet potato casserole, brussel sprouts (though she cooked it with pancetta so that was added but not vegetarian friendly), and acorn squash coated in cinnamon and brown sugar. This tea reminds me exactly of that dish. All the components are present. The earthy but rich squash, the sweet vanilla, and the hint of cinnamon spice to round everything out. It’s delicious and ever so nostalgic of a fun time. And a side note, she also added two extra turkey breasts and a ham to that particular Thanksgiving dinner, despite only my vegetarian friend joining us. Our 16 pound bird never even made it to the table.

Queued Post.

Revisiting this one like I said I would after not paying attention to it the first time around. Pretty average as a cold brew; not a very impressive flavour. The cinnamon and vanilla are soft and immediately noticed and the cinnamon is actually really well balanced for my tastes; feels like it’s sprinkled on and not like caked on spicy, dry cinnamon death. There’s a dull hay and an unsweetened starchy vegetal taste. I suppose squash? Though there’s enough dissimilarities that the comparison is a little forced, and for sure not something I’d blindly know.

I did like it; but it was a touch underwhelming. Perhaps it’ll be much better hot, though.