Scheherazade Send Message

264 Followers / 340 Following

Scheherazade drank Premium Taiwanese Assam by Butiki Teas

2238 tasting notes

I’m trying to work through my samples from Butiki today and tomorrow. I think I’ve been avoiding them because they’re one-cup, and if I don’t log them immediately I’ll forget the detail.

Anyway. Assam was one of the first varieties of tea I tried, and it’s still my favourite. As assams go, this is an exceptionally good one. The leaves are the first wonder. They’re really long, quite thick, and a bit twisty. They’re also a really dark brown, almost verging on black. I’ve only seen this maybe once before, in a sample of Laoshan Black kindly sent to me by Sil, and I loved that, so I have high hopes for this one.

Brewed, this smells sweetly malty and slightly chocolatey. The liquor is a touch paler than I expected — a sort of medium-brown. Despite my reservations, I added a splash of milk. Thankfully, this is a tea that seems to accept milk pretty well, so I’m glad I did. To taste, this is, like all strong, malty blacks, supremely comforting. It tastes much like it smells — malty, with hints of cocoa, and a raisin-like fruitiness towards the end of the sip. As it cools, it tastes on a sweet, honey-ike taste that’s really quite delicious.

This is a black tea that could well become an all time favourite, and I’ll definitely pick up a bag with my next Butiki order. I’ve a sample of the upgrade version to try next, and I’m interested to see how they compare. Thank you to Stacy for the samples!

Preparation

Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

I Like This

16 likes

1 comments

Sil
Delete

the two are totally different teas imo! I prefer PTA over the upgrade but that’s not to say the upgrade isn’t delicious

People who liked this

Comments

Sil
Delete

the two are totally different teas imo! I prefer PTA over the upgrade but that’s not to say the upgrade isn’t delicious

Profile

Bio

Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.