August Uncommon Tea
Edit CompanyPopular Teas from August Uncommon Tea
See All 63 TeasRecent Tasting Notes
Loved this one so much when I first had it that I bought another sample size of it.
It was very disappointing to me though, and didn’t taste anything like I remembered it tasting. Like, I 100% would have thought that it was a different tea than what I had bought the first time. I had added milk too, because I was expecting something like last time I had it – and milk ended up being such a bad choice with how it ended up tasting. It was just so bright and fruity with very distinct orange and lemon notes that were juicy, and tangy and… not what I wanted.
Where’s the soft, supple buttery toffee quality!? GAH! Not happy.
Crossing my fingers for better cups in the future.
Cold Brew Sipdown (232)!
So, this cold brew isn’t bad per say, but I definitely do kind of regret finishing my sample as a cold brew because it’s nowhere near as good as the hot version. I don’t know, it’s a little hard to explain because the flavour profile is essentially the same, only A LOT stronger – and in this case, stronger kind of equals a lot less good.
A touch too lemony, and a bit of a sickly sweet finish. Not quite cloying but totally verging on it…
Wasn’t planning on drinking this one tonight, but when I went to dig through my sample box on the shelf to find the tea I did plan on drinking I saw this in there and went “Fuck it, I can drink two teas at once!” so I grabbed both and brewed them both up…
It’s been a while since my first tasting of this one, and honestly I’ve put off trying it again not because I didn’t like it the first time but because I’ve been scared that the second cup wont come close to tasting anywhere as good as the first one did. I should have had faith though because this one was also gentle and delicate buttery pineapple with rich caramel sweetness! I mean, I look at the ingredients list and I feel like this shouldn’t taste the way it does at all but it’s so pastry like with that golden, complimentary pineapple note and I don’t know how AU is doing it!
This just reconfirmed that I’m in love with it though and that my first cup was not a fluke. Knowing that, I can seriously see this being something I’d want to order more of from AU in a larger quantity – and that’s a serious statement because I don’t know when I last said that about a green tea that wasn’t matcha.
Mmmm!
Another of the new ones from August Uncommon.
When I saw this one, I wanted to be excited for it so badly because Pineapple tea! But all I could think about what “What if it tastes like DAVIDsTEA’s Grilled Pineapple?” ’cause the ingredients are fairly similar, and Grilled Pineapple was SO BAD. So, I had a lot of hesitation brewing this one up…
However I didn’t need to because it’s REALLY GOOD. I was expected something a bit more bold and fruity in flavour, but it was actually quite light and buttery with a sort of lightly toffee like note, some soft roastiness from the barley, and then this sort of fruity pineapple undertone that was really soft/delicate and kind of reminded me of the sort of softer pineapple glaze/sweetness on cakes like Pineapple Upside Down Cake or even the brown ‘outer crust’ type part of Angel Food cake that’s sort of like a caramelized sugar type thing? I don’t know if that descriptor makes any sort of sense, or if anyone will know what part of Angel Food I’m talking about – but like that but a bit fruitier.
So good though! I feel like even my descriptors don’t really do it justice. It was such a pleasant surprise though – it made me really happy.
Flavors: Butter, Cake, Caramel, Fruity, Pineapple, Sweet, Toffee, Vanilla
Sipdown (215)!
Finished this one off as a latte with a little bit of agave added in.
- Sweet cherry top notes; agave brought them out more
- Very smoky finish with a woody aftertaste
- Woody notes/smoke made this feel campfire-esque
Again, I continue to enjoy the contrast between heavy, thick and savory smoke note sand brighter cherry/fruit components. As a latte, the smoke was a LITTLE bit weird because it still had some bitterness to the flavour, but the mouthfeel was thick and creamy and somewhat disjointed. I still enjoyed it a lot overall though.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Gg9CqhbP8&list=WL&index=6
This song is actually the one that was playing on the radio at work when I drank this – and it took me a VERY long time to find it because I wasn’t familiar with it prior. I had to reverse search for it using only some snippets of the chorus that I remembered. That said, I think it was well worth the hunt because the song is so good. Really moving, and emotional video too…
First tea of the morning.
I added some cashew milk into it this time because last time I thought it was a little harsh and I remembered wanting to mellow it out a little bit.
I think the cashew milk is doing wonders here; the tea is definitely still thick and very smoky with tobacco, ash, and leather notes but I don’t feel nearly as assaulted by it and it’s smoother/creamier . Previously, it had a level of astringency that sort of felt the way that nail on a chalkboard sounds. In addition to the wonderful Lapsang, the cherry also comes through very nicely. It’s dark and seductive, and tastes sweet without having the brightness that a bing or maraschino cherry would have. If this cherry note were a person, it’d be at the point in life where it’s a bit of a Silver Fox. You know, still very hot/attractive but with hair starting to grey and wrinkles in just the right places. Yes, this cherry is the Clooney of cherries…
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv_nBEgwCaw&index=1&list=WL
Ah, perfect mood music! Completely matches the tone of the tea and is submersive in every way. Plus, Iwan Rheon is just so nice to look at. Whether you see him as Simon from Misfits or Ramsey from GoT I think you’ve gotta agree the man can sing…
I didn’t know Iwan Rheon had his own songs! To me he is Ash from Vicious lol, but I agree about him being nice to look at.
I’ve never seen Vicious – would you recommend it? And yes! His music is SO GOOD.
It depends on the kind of thing you like to watch, I come down on the side of HELL YES but I also know some people that hate it… I have a deep and abiding love for Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, sitcoms and anything camp so I’m biased lol. I’d recommend giving it a shot if you don’t hate anything I’ve listed haha (:
Can women be silver foxes?
Hmm, I’d think so?
I’ve never heard the term referring to a woman. My mind jumped immediately to a male and then, boom, Clooney.
Silver vixen for a woman? I immediately think of Clooney too lol.
:)
This is a queued tasting note.
It sort of feels like AU releases a new “smoky” tea with each collection, doesn’t it? The last one, Silencio, didn’t really deliver on the smoke notes in my opinion though so I definitely took the ‘smoke’ descriptor for this tea with a grain of salt. I was wrong to do so, though, because I think this is arguably the smokiest tea that AU has released to date.
Honestly, it was almost even a little to harsh for me. I like smoky teas; but I kind of borderline felt attacked by this one. However, I did enjoy it even if it was a bit jarring. Plus, the dark cherry/overripe cherry undertones that crept through underneath that thick top layer of smoke was really lovely. Very rich, and in a way sultry as well.
What it actually reminded me of was a more blunt and heavy handed version of Adagio’s The Woman – which is the fan blend for Sherlock’s Irene Adler. Personally, The Woman is by far my favourite Adagio blend to date. So, the fact this one made me think so vividly of that one is a good sign! It means with just the right bit of tweaking to just slightly mellow out that smokey edge, this could be a truly divine tea instead of just a quite good one.
I also really want to try it with milk, as well.
When I was reading your description I was like this sounds like The Woman, which I am currently drinking, and then I kept reading and laughed.
When AU announced this one I was definitely hoping it’d be comparable – I’d prefer to buy from AU than Adagio for that sort of flavour combination. Need to play more with this sample, but I could definitely see this being one I stock up on/get a tin of. Finally got my larger quantity of The Settlement! Now just to decide if I want more of Ventura Highway…
Sipdown (532)!
Firsr cup of the morning; wanted something strong and full bodied and I knew that I’d get both of those things from this tea on top of getting in a sipdown.
This is nice – it starts with a sweet note that’s giving me vibes of honey, dark rye, and some subtle fruity undertones. The body is more malty and savory, with notes that are a touch more herbaceous such as tulsi. There’s also a buckwheat sort of undertone and more generalized sweetness carrying throughout the sip; almost like a light, brighter sort of molasses quality. The finish is very lingering and a little bit brassy, with a sticky sweet date kind of taste. It’s very full bodied, without any astringency or bitterness. Just smooth, interesting layers of flavour.
This is one that I’ll miss, if nothing else, for its uniqueness.
Hot with milk.
I feel like I’ve been experimenting with this one a little more than I have with the other straight teas I’ve gotten from August Uncommon. It’s not that there’s anything I dislike about this one, I just feel like I’ve yet to find a way where it just tastes really good or stands out as ‘amazing’.
Milk was a little weird with the flavour profile of this one. It did give more overall body to the mouthfeel, which was pleasant but that extra creaminess over top that range of spice notes in the tea (cinnamon, cumin, basil, allspice) was kind of weird and didn’t work terribly well. It wasn’t bad either; just kind of average or ‘just there’. I did pick up some light cocoa notes though, and milk was complimentary in the case of those notes in particular…
I don’t know – I still feel kind of ‘meh’ about this tea overall/as a whole.
Just finished an iced cup of this with an added hit of chocolate agave.
It was alright; definitely had that sweet chocolaty taste form the agave but the tea itself wasn’t drowned out/lost or anything. It was a bit herbaceous; I can see the basil comparison that August Uncommon makes for sure. I also thought that there were still some woody notes, a bit of that sour sort of rye bread kind of flavour and some malty undertones.
According to August Uncommon this tea should have a chocolate taste to it anyway which is why I thought the agave would work well with it, but I didn’t taste chocolate last time and apart from the taste of the agave I didn’t really get much chocolate from this infusion either. In fact, the chocolate sort of felt out of place with the other flavour notes I observed. It was still good, and refreshing but maybe a bit disjointed?
I got this one a while ago from AU but honestly I’d kind of forgotten about it amidst all the other new goodies I’ve had incoming – I pulled the package out yesterday though and brought it with to my other job where I made a cup.
Overall, I found this to be a really interesting and enjoyable straight oolong (though it reminds me more of a black tea). Notes I picked up throughout were soft earth tones, wet wood, spices, raisin undertones, perhaps a whisp of malt, and smoke. It reminded me in a few ways of a Keemun? I enjoyed that overall it was very smooth without being robustly sweet, though. It’s nice having different smooth straight teas on hand with contrasting flavour profiles. When I want sweeter I can reach for some Foxtail from BLT or some Bang Dong Hong from W2T but I definitely see this as being good when I want something with flavour notes that fall a little more on the savory and ‘outdoorsy’ side of the spectrum.
Definitely worth a taste.
i can’t keep my life straight anymore. Working from home for the past 3 days because a) my husband is sick and has slept for 2.5 days straight and someone needed to take care of the puppy and b) because i’m sick and while i’m not resting, at least i’m not having to get dressed and make the trek in to work. Add to that some re-org changes that are giving me an opportunity to create my own job role (if i can do it in 2 days while sick) AND a massive delivery going in next weekend followed by supporting teams in chicago for a week after the deployment…oh and throw in our holiday party and other such seasonal festivities and you have yourself a crazy life! I’ve been drinking tea but just too busy to much but tread water. All that aside, i’m not complaining…just explaining. I love the challenges and honestly, life’s too short to complain. (though sometimes it’s hard not to!) haha overall things are good…just crazy busy! :)
this was my compromise for not going out to get coffee today as it was just too miserable outside for me to want to leave. thanks for the share dexter!
Another one from Dexter this one isn’t bad. I wish it was a littler richer – i find that mate tends to thin things out for me. I’m never a huge fan of mate. I do like the coffee flavour that this one has, but i’ve had other coffee/teas that i prefer. Really happy to try this one.
Hey Sil,
I’ve been trying to find anyone who might have some Majesteas they are willing to swap. Especially the Highland one, but I’ll take whatever. Any chance you have some you’re willing to part with? Thanks!
Sorry, I just noticed you don’t have any of the Majesteas. My bad. I was going by some of the comments on their tea, so maybe it was from a while ago. Sorry!
@ debi – i didn’t manage to get over there before they closed :( You could try looking their teas up on steepster and seeing who has them in their cupboard.
Yes, I also missed stopping by the store before they closed. :(
I just logged on now to look it up in peoples cupboards. :)
Finished this one today as well – just trying to get through some sipdowns so that i’m at least close to my goal. haha. This one just doesn’t seem to work for me as it’s intended. all i get are the smokey notes, not matter how much i play with the leaf and steeping times. It’s a REALLY nice smokey tea, with a little maple but the other flavours are absent for me, making this one a miss.
Thanks for sending this one my way for me to try Dexter The dry tea is incredibly smokey, but that translates in to a brew that is not quite AS smokey as the dry suggests. When this is first made, all i can taste is the smoke. Good for me that i enjoy the occasional smokey cup. As it cools though, the cherry starts to peek through and it becomes a cup with much more going on. Going to need to try this one again to decide where i stand on it :)
Final Count yesterday: 80
I didn’t find this one as smokey as you are suggesting. Odd for sure, changes as it cools – definitely. I’ve had it a few times and am still on the fence. I think it’s better with less leaf, cooler water and longer steeps – but that’s just me. :)
yeah i’ve got more to play with. Maybe i was just having a smoke sensitive day haha
Uggg I’ve been dealing with condo board issues since I got off work. How did I get talked into doing this?
I don’t drink enough oolong and I really don’t drink enough aged oolong. This is a good one. This makes me happy. It’s really dark and roasted with out being smokey. It has some really nice woody notes, and it’s a little nutty.
This is a formosa oolong, I normally prefer wuyi yancha. I’ve steeped this tonight in one of my yixing clay pots – trying to get some of those mineral notes from the clay. Clay and dark oolong is a beautiful thing.
(the light caught my stone weird in this photo – looks strange…) https://www.instagram.com/p/BcTa0d-hwBE/?taken-by=dex3657
Beautiful tea ware.
And your tea postings make me deliriously happy. :)
Thank you – I have MOUNTAINS of tea ware. I’ve been really good about that this year too – I only bought that tiny yellow gaiwan while in Toronto. LOL One piece of teaware in a year is unheard of….
Clearly, I have a lot of catching up to do. (Nope, not doing it or that’s what I say now.)
I’ve been drinking this tea this afternoon while eating Chinese takeout and watching the hockey game
Mmmmm nice, very nice. Roasted without being overly smokey. Bold without being bitter. Nutty, woody, little charcoal and that old quality in good aged oolong. This is just very comforting – the kind of tea you just want to hug your mug. I’m happy with this one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMw-Yk2AeB-/
Seriously thinking that tea and cookies will be dinner tonight. Just can’t seem to make descisions right now, the tin of this was sitting on the counter so Jet Black it is. It was sitting on the counter because I was drinking (well making then not drinking) it the other night. Got distracted, Jets won 8-2 switched channels and well that other event happened, tea did not get drank or appreciated. Trying again tonight….
I’m finding that with the bold AU teas I’m enjoying them more if steeped with less leaf, cooler water, longer steep time than my normal flavored black parameters. I feel that way about this one too. It’s just less weird when it’s milder.
I love coffee flavored teas. This one has a bit too much mate for me. The coffee is good, the base is fine. Not my favorite coffee tea but it’s good. Deep dark roasted smooth not bitter….with a little AU unidentified strangeness. (Might need to find some booze to dump in here…..)
NOMS. dexter sent this one my way along with a number of other samples i’m excited todive in to even if i’m really close to 100 again. My weight is still under what i was hoping for the end of year so i’m laughing. :)
I really like this one. It’s, as dex mentioned, not as out there as other AU blends i’ve had but i love this a lot more than i thought i would. probably because it doesn’t come across as a green tea lol this is really much more pineapple, caramel donut….not as light as like an angel food cake with pineapple..but it’s very dessert like. am a fan!
Count: 95
Woo! You’re going to be at 75 by Monday, aren’t you?
haha not likely. Wine touring this weekend so guessing end of the month.
Happy you liked this one – in hind site, I should have sent you a sample of Dark Iris, but it’s oolong and I hadn’t tried it yet when I put your package together. It’s base is really non invasive and the fruit flavors are nice.
not to worry. I’ll have to sit down and figure out if there is a need to order things once i’m back this weekend. I’m so happy to be under 4kg…
I haven’t looked at my spread sheet since early May. That might be a project for this weekend.
As you all know, I’m a HUGE moonlight fan. So of course I had to pick this up with my last August Uncommon order.
This is a good one. Light on the hay, some apricot, some honey, nice mild, no bitter. I am drinking this gongfu tonight and I feel like I under leafed it a little, maybe not quite as deep as I would like. I used boiling water with flash steeps and it’s just a little flat, I think a little more leaf will fix that.
This is not my favorite moonlight, and it’s pretty expensive. Happy with it but not sure I would buy more at this price.
My throat hurts tonight. Not sure if I’m getting sick or if I was just talking too much at work (training a student).
I love this tea, I really love this tea. It was on sale during Black Friday so I bought 2 tins. What I really like is that it’s different every time I have it. The first cup tonight was really lime. The second cup was more peach. Either way it’s just amazing. The base in most fruity oolong is normally pretty green. This is a darker oolong and that makes me really happy. I’m not really getting much that I would call pistachio but I’m pretty sure if it wasn’t there I would feel something was missing. Dunno – I just love it.
The instructions say to steep it for 5 minutes, I think it does better with a shorter steep. 3.5-4 minutes seems to work best for me.
