Irish Cream Butter Crisps

I drank this last night, and was much more impressed than I expected to be, given that this was never my favourite originally. It still tastes just the same as it did, though, which is extremely impressive given the age of my Butiki teas! My heart wants to hoard them forever so I never run out, but my brain knows that I’m just letting them sit around losing flavour. I’m trying to be better about using them up, because what’s the point in having something you never use?
Most of my Butiki teas I only kept one or two cups worth, but this one is nearly a whole bag, which should let you know how I felt about it in comparison. I had low expectations going into this because of the age and also my previous impressions, but that being said, I really enjoyed it! It was rich and creamy more than buttery, and while this still isn’t my favourite flavour profile, it was a nice sipper while working on my essay. It’s definitely not Irish cream, and I think that’s my biggest gripe with this tea. If it were called something else – buttercream, for example – I think my expectations would have been adjusted going into it and I would have enjoyed it a lot more the first time around. Bumping my rating from 60 because I really did enjoy it.

My dumdum jerkface cat basically knocked an entire mug of this tea into my lap. He managed to spill almost the whole mug, give me two minor burns, AND get my new copy of March wet. All is not lost, however. I got two more steeps out of the leaves (priorities!). This blend is nice and creamy, but I’m too distracted to give it a full assessment. Happy Friday!

Thanks for the sale, Greenteafairy! A chance for me to try a couple more Butiki blends! I really appreciate it. This is somehow such a smooottthhh blend. Whoa. I don’t think I ever tried the Butiki Bai Mu Dan on its own but it sure is a good one. The flavoring adds even more butter flavor. It tastes like buttery sugar cookies, even without adding sugar. Creamy, scrumptious, buttery sugar cookies. The second steep let a little more of the Bai Mu Dan peak through. I don’t really know what Irish Cream Butter Crisps are, but this tea is delicious. Oh Butiki, I’ll miss you forever.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 15-20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep

Inkling and I participated in a swap and I requested a bunch of Butiki teas, because I didn’t get to try them much when the company was around. This one was my tea this morning, because I just couldn’t resist the name.

The white tea base is the main thing I tasted, but it was a very lovely base! There was also a great creaminess, but I don’t know if I can say I picked out much distinct flavor. That was likely my fault though, since I had this with a mint oreo donut, not thinking about the fact that it was likely much too overwhelming for a more delicate tea. Oops!

The best, richest buttercream frosting ever, in a tea. I wasn’t so impressed with this one at first, but it’s grown on me, and I’m going to miss it once it’s gone. There’s just something easy and comforting about it.

I’m working on sipping down my Butiki collection and discovering that I have quite a few that I’ve never gotten around to reviewing on Steepster! I actually wasn’t the biggest fan of this one the first time I sampled it, but it’s grown on me over time. The flavoring is quite light and the base definitely comes through. But it blends beautifully with the creamy, buttery flavoring to give you a cup of tea that reminds me of shortbread. Still not one of my favorites from Butiki, but quite tasty!

I haven’t reviewed a tea in a while because quite frankly, I haven’t drank any tea worth reviewing in a few days now. A few poor yunnan black teas and one very bad English breakfast tea. So nothing worth writing about, since I wouldn’t have anything remotely nice to say.

The loose leaf is your standard white peony, not a super high quality white peony, but it looks nice. The smell is creamy and slightly buttery, maybe a hint of vanilla. I don’t really smell those subtle spicy notes that you get from a really nice bai mu dan, they are masked by the flavouring.

I brewed this tea following the instructions provided. The infused tea had more of a buttery aroma and less of the cream, this is the same with the first sip. There is a taste of vanilla, and cookies. Very pleasant.

Overall it’s alright, I don’t really get an Irish cream flavour. When I hear Irish cream I think coffee, cream, whisky, Bailey’s, that sort of thing. This reminds me a lot of Butiki’s other butter-cream teas. I’d definitely drink it again though, it is not a bad tea by any means.

This is the second tea from the 2-tea Butiki order that I placed. I just HAD to try them before they closed.

After a few sips, I fully expect to find butter on my lips. Wow…this is such a COMFORTING tea! The butter flavor is paired with a cream flavor, like this is real butter on the farm (not that I know ANYTHING about real butter from a farm, since all mine comes in sticks from a grocery store), but this is what I imagine real small-batch butter to taste like. I also taste the sugar cookie…not like a baked one…more like sugar cookie dough. There is also the hay taste of the white tea itself.

I would definitely buy this one again, and like everyone else on Steepster, I’m sad to see Butiki go.

The tea base has a light hay-like flavor to it. It’s also buttery, and floral-vegetal like only a white tea could be. It actually reminds me a little of honeysuckle flowers. It’s delicate. It’s light. It also manages to be savory, somehow! The irish cream flavor is present as an undercurrent, and only noticed after the initial sip. I feel like I’m tasting the tea more than the flavoring…or rather, the flavoring serves to enhance the same qualities in the tea. The overall effect is one that’s creamy, sweet, buttery, and floral. It doesn’t taste quite like sugar cookies but it’s enough to remind me of them. And call me crazy, but the aftertaste that lingers is one that makes me think of soybeans. Soybeans! Interesting. When I started my cup, I was wholly unimpressed, but the more I sip the more I take a liking to it. The flavors intensify and the aftertaste is lush and lovely.

Method:
~175F
2tsp/10oz
3min 30sec

This is another of the teas that I just had to try.

I think I may have steeped it a little weak. I’m getting buttery, creamy flavors but this is remarkably delicate tasting, like I didn’t add enough tea to the teapot type of delicate. I taste all the flavors, it’s just not as strong as I’d like it to be so next time, I’ll add a little more leaf.