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I entered this with low expectations, a vague hope for some mangosteen flavor in mind, and settled for a pleasant peach flavor with a phantom astringancy to assure me there was some tea in there somewhere. But no mangosteen.

Retrying this with vetiver incense it tastes fine. I tried it previously while burning Dragon’s Blood incense, giving it an odd cough syrup tinge, and was ignorant to the source of this problem. I was more curious than concern since I new it was a type of resin. Looking it up, it could come from a number of trees, including Calamus , which are growing by my porch! Dragon’s blood is also used for ink and varnish, which would through off anyone’s sense of taste. A roasted yerba mate or a heavily oxidized oolong might work better but I doubt burnt varnish pairs well with anything. XD

David Duckler has me thinking about how incense and tea interact, this tisane is a good example. Usually it’s a bit grassy and bitter on its own (due to my forgetting about my drink for a good hour or so), but when I burned some Dragon’s Blood incense today to scare off the bugs, the taste took on oddly medicinal and sweet taste. I needed a honey cough drop after forsaking sleep and it tastes like my evening mate. Very interesting…however, I am too tired to ponder the specifics of this. A repeat experiment (I certainly have enough work to get through) is something I look forward to trying.

A sick-day sip down. Even the dust filled bottom scoop of tea is smooth andsweet. It feels like there’s a scoop of apricot compote in each sip. I took a big whiff from the tin before I brewed this pot. The rich honey scent will be fondly remembered.

The local Welsh Association sold this for fundraising. A much more healthful purchase than the Butteryball Butter Shortbread, to be sure.
The color is a DARK red brown, even though I used ice to make it cold and weaker. I can smell peat moss and Ceylon tea from ten feet away.
I took a sip and nearly choked. This tea tried to strangle me! I definately can see exhausted Welsh coalminers drinking this then jumping up and digging tunnel straight to China! It’s bitter and with a general “Indian black blend” taste similar to Irish Breakfast, very well suited as an eyeopener. I don’t think I’ll drink this for enjoyment, though.

This one of the cheapest and most comforting teas available to me. Literally pennies per cup. Which is perfect given my sinuses have rendered all olfactory, mental, and gusatory functions impossible. This is a rough and earthy tea that always gets a tad astringent and tastes like home. It’s hard to completely ruin it, though. Minor oversteeping doesn’t show. I’m grateful since I’m very out of sorts…

I am currently on the tweleve step program to combat melon addiction. The first step is admitting you don’t need three cantaloupe and a honeydew per pound of body weight. The second step is Butiki ’s Cantaloupe and Cream.

This is absoultely the most real and natural flavored tea I’ve had. The next closest thing to real melon and cream. But that’s not vegan friendly.
It starts off oddly more honeydew than cataloupe but the honeydew disappears after four steeps. The mouthfeel is juicy like real cantaloupe and the tea base provides the perfect honey toned background. This tea can only be improved by sharing with one’s pet lizard.

I’ve been admiring my Butiki order and finally have the constant drizzle of a day perfectly suited for bai mu dan. This tea has such large leaves I can’t even fit them in my gaiwan. After much awkward head scratching, I finally decided that a kyusu would be the best method. Wouldn’t it be great to have one?
Regular sencha pot prep this is a slightly floral and earthen. It reminds me of Mars and Frontier’s bai mu dan, oddly. There’s no bitterness and as it cools it becomes less floral and gains a more classic bai mu dan savory taste.
Absolutely awesome. Butiki is definitely one of favorite tea merchants now.