August Uncommon Tea

I have drank this on different occasions now because I really wanted to say it… but, this is not quality ‘aged’ oolong. Mine was in one of those August 14g bags and I drank it at least 10 steeps each time because the idea was really cool, but… let down.

I need to try some other August stuff sometime to see if either their audience is different then I or if this was just a fluke or something else

Sipdown (134)!

Finished this one off last night; it was going to be my before bed cuppa as I way to cap off the night but then Trey and I got a text (at 11PM, mind you) basically begging us to come out and celebrate our friend James’ girlfriend’s birthday with the two of them yeah, the same James and the same girlfriend from the night of Trey’s birthday where they got in a fight and broke up: they are now back together. Siri is a wonderful person, but that late at night with no notice did not make for two eager to leave the house people…

But we did; we ended up meeting up with them at a Sport’s bar (definitely not somewhere you would ever see me going by choice) for a couple drinks and some food and I actually wound up meeting Siri’s mom as part of the night. Her mother is a MMA fighter so we got to hear quite a few really interesting stories that made up for being dragged out so late at night/with such little notice.

So instead of a ‘bedtime’ cup of tea this was more a “hurry up and get your ass into something other than underwear and a tank top” type of tea. But just ‘cause I was rushing to get ready doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the tea. First few baby sips were quite smoky and a little harsh so I mellowed this out with some milk, and that definitely improved the brew. In addition to top notes of smoke, there were wood/charcoal type notes and then a very nice deep, in the background sweetness. Thick, sultry vanilla and caramelized sugar notes, bourbon, and molasses. It’s a very full bodied and in your face flavour (even with added milk to temper things) that commands attention. That said, it’s kind of sultry and seductive so even with such a powerful presence their almost a coyness to how the flavours play with your palate.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2LQdh42neg&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=68

Commute tea!

I was craving smoke, but not the intensity of Lapsang so this is what I grabbed for the commute to work. I think I still ended up with LS level of smoke though ‘cause this cuppa was super abrasive with the level of smoke flavour. That said, it wasn’t a purely smoky tea: I also got the richness of molasses and caramel, and the kind of home-y feel of a toastier buckwheat note.

I greatly enjoyed the cup, but it was a little stronger than I remembered it being and I found it was just a touch too jolting so early in the morning. In hind sight, I probably should have brewed up a mug of The Woman instead: that would have been a more appropriate level of smokiness for the mood I was in. Nothing against the tea, though! It does what it aims to do very well – just a bad pick on my part.

This is a queued tasting note.

There are still a couple teas from August Uncommon that I’ve yet to really tap into, so I took advantage of Easter to break out one of the ones I’ve yet to try, despite not really finding this to fit the “mood” of the day.

I’d forgotten that this one has smoked black tea in the base until I cracked open the sample bag. Then, I instantly remembered! Mmm, smoky black teas!

Steeped up, this tastes smoky at first! Like camping at the family cabin. However, the gentle smoke notes aren’t over powering, and really compliment the other flavours instead of crowding or overwhelming them. The rest of the flavor is a nice, smooth bourbon note accented with the flavour of something nice and roasty, like barley or buckwheat. There’s a pleasant sweetness that reminds me heavily of molasses or brown sugar. When I’m sipping on the cuppa, I feel like I should be on my balcony at midnight, surrounded by the light chirping of crickets and reflecting heavily on the past. In a way, while this tea is rich and indulgent, it reads to be as the appropriate choice for brooding.

But regardless, this is the noms.

Sipdown by giveaway. I could never get this as perfect as it was the first time. I quickly got tired of the hazelnut flavoring, though the chocolate component was still very good.
I gave the rest away to a novice tea drinker who I hope will enjoy it.

31mar-This tea smells divine! Chocolate and hazelnut. I ended up ignoring their steeping directions execpt for the water temperature because I was brewing in a gaiwan.

Both my westren style steepers have flavor contamination issues right at the moment. One with ginseng and the other with chai spices. I need to go and purchase a replacement steeper.

Flavor stayed consistent throughout all steeps, all 8. I ended up stopping because I was overly watered, not because the tea was done. Tea was super chocolatey and hazelnut and sweet. Sweet chocolate. It was almost too rich. A very fullfilling dessert tea. Glad I decided to get the larger size. 95

I found this tea in the Beginners Puerh TTB. I actually have to credit Just John a bit for my new found love of whites, the moonlight variety especially. We swapped and he sent me a moonlight white that opened my eyes to the possibly depths of flavor there.

I steeped 4g in about 10-12oz of 180F water for 5 minutes, then 7, then 10.

Full disclosure: I was giving my wife a back massage using a Lavender and Chamomile massage oil and I brewed this tea as the “finishing touches” to the candle lit spa like experience. So, while drinking it, I believe the scent and possibly by extension the taste was a bit marred by that.

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed with this tea. There was some nice flavor, sure. But it didn’t have an oomph or wow factor to it. I’d like to say it was delicate but I don’t want to confuse delicate for slightly bland. And again, perhaps the tasting was altered by the scent on my hands. Perhaps I just didn’t get the brewing parameters right. But, I don’t have any more sample on hand to play with and quite honestly I’m not sure this tea has convinced me to buy some in order to play with it. Especially not for the price I’m seeing it listed at.

I’m not usually this harsh on reviews but I was excited for this one and ended up not feeling it.

The coconut dragged me into this one but I can’t taste it at all. Slight coconut aroma in the dry leaf but nothing more.

With every sip, I go back and forth between thinking this is like a floral green and a toasty dark, so I’m happy to see that Sil had the same experience.

First steep is sweeter and slightly greener, while this second steep is toastier overall. Another interesting observation is that the steeped tea smells damp if that makes any sense, kind of like damp woods.

Ultimately, it’s an interesting oolong but the sample was more than enough.

Sip down! I enjoyed this more the third time around. All the flavours were somehow more balanced. I used more leaf this last time than normal just because it wasn’t enough for two more rounds so maybe that explains the difference in flavour. Smokiness prevalent but not as aggressive as usual.

Hats off to August Uncommon for really capturing the essence of bourbon in a tea. It was also smart to pair it with a smoky base since for me, personally, bourbon is quite smoky in itself. Anyone who knows me on here knows that I am most definitely not a fan of smoky notes in tea. Hell, I’m not even a fan of bourbon or scotch with any hint of smoke. It’s just not for me.

For that reason, I’m going to abstain from rating this. I can see bourbon or smoky tea lovers falling for this.

This is one of the chocolatiest teas I’ve ever had. As a chocoholic, I’m always looking for ways to get my fix that won’t destroy my health…I think I may have found the perfect thing. Why oh why can’t they keep this blend forever?? I just ordered a bunch since they’ve discounted it, but I may have to order even more.

For my fellow chocoholics or anyone interested: here’s $10 off! http://go.referralcandy.com/share/FKRVB4M

This tea smells incredible. I opened the pouch and was met with what I can only describe as ‘fall’. I could pick up smoke, bourbon, and something sweet. If August Uncommon ever decides to make a candle out of this exact scent, I’ll buy it right away.

When I steeped this tea the first time, it came out bitter. I reduced my water temp from 212 ºF to 195ºF and steeped for three minutes instead of five, and that ended up being the sweet spot for me. Speaking of sweet, another reviewer below mentioned the idea of adding maple syrup as a sweetener. What a great idea! I added about a teaspoon (real maple syrup, mind you, not that nasty fake stuff). This tea is so heavenly. I could pick up those sweet, smoky (almost burnt) notes, that call to mind roasting marshmallows over a bonfire on a cool, clear autumn night. I’m still in awe of the fact that August Uncommon has managed to capture that image so perfectly with this tea. Finally, something that’s quintessentially fall – without any pumpkin spice flavor involved ;)

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I ended up with a little of this from Dexter and a little from Roswell Strange.

I was really hesitant about this tea because of the mint. Generally, it’s not my favourite although peppermint is ‘better’ than spearmint (and wintergreen is best). But! Colour me SHOCKED.

This is really fascinatingly tasty! I don’t really get the grapefruit at all. Mostly it’s mint and vanilla and… chocolate? White chocolate? IDK. It reminds me of those soft (English?) mints you get at weddings crossed with Tic Tacs (since they’re vanilla and mint). The texture of this tea is soft, which is weird.

I did add a little honey to combat the rooibos. :)

This one’s dynamite when we’re talking about flavour intensity. So heavy on the cherry almond booze. I’d say it’s more cherry than almond, and that booziness truly elevates the other flavours. I haven’t had Armagnac before, but I can see the brandy -esque warmth here. The good news is that these notes are so strong that they cover up the rooibos base for the most part. Would I get more? No, but I wouldn’t have minded having a 50g portion rather than this 14g sample. 100g simply seems like too much.

My August Uncommon order arrived this afternoon! Since I’m staying in today anyway to get some spring cleaning done, I opened my package and went right to work. Of the four blends I ordered, The Settlement was the one that intrigued me the most – I had never tasted yellow tea before.

I was pleasantly surprised! I love its earthy nuttiness. It’s a very satisfying, savory tea with a slightly sweet finish. I will enjoy finishing this. Now that I’m no longer a yellow tea virgin, I’ll start to seek more out.

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This tisane is so interesting…before steeping, it smells very strongly of anise. That’s pretty much all I was able to smell. Although I do like anise, I am rarely in the mood to drink a tea that is too strongly flavored of it. However, after steeping, the aroma had totally developed. The anise was still there, but beautifully balanced with the scent of baked bread. In other words, it smelled delicious – like a yummy coffee shop treat. When I took my first sip, I immediately understood why August Uncommon listed biscotti as one of the main flavors. With sugar added, this is an absolute indulgence.

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Sipdown. The cardamom’s good but ultimately, this is nothing special.

The time has come. I get to see what everyone is freaking out about when it comes to August Uncommon. I’ve already tried three but have been too lazy to write any notes until now. Since cardamom and I are BFF’s—and because I got only a sample of this—first August Uncommon tasting note it is.

Hot, the cardamom and vanilla are ultra present whilst the base is mild. Initially, the first sip won me over and I immediately thought that I should order more before it’s gone. As this started to cool, however, the vanilla/cardamom and base are swapping places, and this becomes more vegetal.

The second cup I’m enjoying right now isn’t as creamily vanilla-esque as yesterday evening’s. I’d say I added less leaf than yesterday but tried to keep the rest of the steeping parameters the same. I’ll gladly finish the sample size but no more for me. I hands down prefer DAVIDsTEA’s Cardamom French Toast.

Second night this month when I haven’t slept a single minute and involuntarily witnessed the sun rise. Brain please shut up?

Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box
There was 1 cup left of this tea so I was grateful to have the privilege of trying the last of it. It was delicious. It didn’t have a Pu-Erh taste at all, which I really enjoyed. It tasted like a great white tea. Honeyed hay and sunshine, or moonlight I guess. I enjoyed the hints of nectarine that ended the sip. Really good. I would definitely recommend it.

(I listed peach as a flavour, but it was actually nectarine which wasn’t a option to choose.)

I’m reviewing another tea from the Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox! (It’ll probably take me another week or so to finish typing up all my reviews from my notes.) I’m definitely not getting the “artichoke” flavor that others have mentioned, but that’s okay because I don’t think I go in much for vegetable flavored teas. What I mostly noticed about this one is that the green tea flavor is set off nicely by the grain, which adds a sort of nutty note even though it doesn’t really taste like nuts so it’s kind of difficult to explain. It’s quite interesting and really good, though! And I don’t think I’m just saying that because I’m hungry. :P However, I only steeped it for two minutes rather than the recommended five so maybe I wouldn’t like it at all if it was at full strength. Who knows?

Well. This tea really does depend on the ingredients for the taste more than the tea. That taste gave it a 95, but the tea itself lowered it.

I might have oversteeped it. Flat black tea with chocolate hazelnut aftertaste. Great.

Liquid Nutella is the best deccription I can offer. Smells like thick flavored booze or tobacco. And a very smooth black tea base that is INCREDIBLY sweet. Officially one of the best chocolate teas I’ve yet had. I highly recommend. Thank you Sil for giving me the recommendation and coupon!

Now. This is for you guys.

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Finally got to try it! Yay! And I got it really fast. I can officially recommend August Uncommon Tea as a company. I’ve never had better customer service. And they included a tea scoop which makes measuring leaves out so much easier.

Onward to the tea. About 2-3 grams in 2-3 ounces. I could have done it Gong Fu with more leaves, but I turned it into western for strength.

30 seconds.
Orchid. And toasty. Overall pleasant. More time needed.

Two and a half minutes later.
Chocolate orchid dominant, which is something that is hard to describe. It does taste exactly like that flower. Again, that is a distant reference. Still more toastiness and a little bit of the coconut talked about.

5 minutes second/third steep.
Toasted coconut and mild orchid. On the borders of being similar to an almond joy, but not nearly as sweet or chocolaty.

10 minutes, fourth steep.
Toasted coconut and chocolate orchid.

This tea could actually go on.

Anyway, I agree with Sil and it is a fairly typical roasted oolong that is not quite green and not quite dark. Yet I can say it’s one of the better examples of a roasted oolong. If I had more disposable income, I might get the full 100 grams of this because its so calming and pleasant. Really an everyday tea. As for the petrichor, I can definitely understand the comparison and would drink this on a rainy day, too. Chocolate orchid and toasted coconut are the two best ways to describe this tea really. But I do have teas that are similar to this. It actually tastes exactly the base of Tea Spot’s Coconut Cabana which is by no means a bad thing. I actually appreciate the purity this one has. I can now say I feel a little accomplished after drinking this tea.