August Uncommon Tea

2021 sipdown no. 38

This is my last August Uncommon tea from Cameron and sadly, these rooibos teas have not been good for me.

The combination of ingredients here ends up tasting like a deli meat?

Sipdown! (11 | 84)

I really should stop ordering teas with chocolate flavoring…

There are some elements of the chocolate here that are pleasant, like the tinge of bitterness that makes it seem a bit more authentic. But there’s a booziness that knocks it all the way back to the other direction, into super fake chocolate territory… Also the base seems rather thin and flavorless.

I do enjoy the roasty nut flavor here. But otherwise it’s a no for me.

I’ve been inspired by Varitea to use the alphabet to get me back on track for sipdowns and to try out some of my forgotten and ignored teas. Sooo

A is for: A Field in Innsbruck

Much like the last time I tried this tea, it was forgotten behind a number of other teas. This one is an interesting, savory tea but I always want it to lean a little more into the savoriness. Steeped up, it smells like a barn (in a good way), lots of earthiness and hay. The flavor is kind of a general savoriness mingled with the tea itself. Unfortunately, in the taste I’m loosing a lot of the individual notes that I could smell. I might try steeping this longer next time just to see if they come out anymore. Personally, I feel like this tea could have benefited from some smokiness to pull out the other flavors and bring them together but I also just love smokey teas!

I’ve had this one for a few years now. I was gifted a tin of it a few years back and it always ends up behind all of the newer, smaller things coming in but I finally decided to make some of this today!

I still can’t really decide if I like this tea or not. It makes me think of thyme and hay, which just makes me miss the animal sanctuary I was working at back in March. I accidentally let about half of the mug go cold while I was working and I think I may like it better this way.

Side note, I’m thinking of joining in on Mastress Alita’s sipdown! I haven’t participated in one before but I definitely could use a cupboard clean out.

2021 sipdown no. 32

Unfortunately not enjoying a single rooibos from August Uncommon, which is in complete juxtaposition to their black teas, which I quite enjoyed!

This one is very amaretto-y. There also seems to be a faint hint of what I can only describe as olive tapenade, almost hidden at the end of the sip. I can’t say much else, because I couldn’t finish the cup. I offered it to A and she also did not enjoy. Nonetheless, always happy to have the opportunity to try new teas. Thanks Cameron!

Finished up this one, still like it. Trying to go through some more samples since have a few days off work.

Thank you, Cameron B, for sending me this sample!

A few things about this tea really stand out. One is the strong smell when steeping – as I was scooping the leaves in, I got a whiff of what I think of as butter, and the smell and taste match it to me. I know it’s supposed to be caramel, but to me this is a buttery type tea, and it reminds me a little of the taste of the Butterbeer in Universal Studios in the Harry Potter theme Park section. The tea has a nice and silky texture – I’m a bit smoke fan, but not picking up on that part much. I have another cup to try and will update if the smokiness comes through more my second cup – may try steeping it a bit longer to steep.

One thing is for sure, this one is different and I like different sometimes. It’s a unique tasting tea that’s not overpowering. I can see how I couldn’t sip too many of these cups in a row due to the caramel and almost buttery profile and my sensitive stomach, but I like it for one cup at a time.

Sipdown! (61)

This one just doesn’t work for me.

To be fair, I don’t always love lapsang in blends. And that’s the case with this one. I can imagine smoke and caramel working well together, but it just doesn’t happen for me here. And I think it’s because the caramel flavor here is somewhat buttery? And that note doesn’t really meld well with the smoke, so it ends up just tasting like artificial butterscotch layered on top of the base. The base is also fairly bland aside from the smoke, and has a bit of astringency to it.

A resounding meh. But it does smell nice!

2021 sipdown no. 19

This one is like those wee candies wrapped in clear plastic we would get at Halloween (https://candyfunhouse.ca/products/regal-creamy-caramels-2kg). Far too sweet for either of us. We ended up dumping our cups. Nonetheless, always happy to have an opportunity to try new things. Thanks Cameron!

2021 sipdown no. 16

This is another coffee blend, but it’s really good. It reminds me of a hazelnut creamer you’d add to coffee. There’s a subtle hint of chocolate in the background as well. It somehow achieves a lot of depth as well, making it even more coffee-like. I really enjoy this one, and would definitely order some now and again for my own cupboard.

Thanks for such a great share Cameron!

This tea is an odd one so I’ve been putting off writing a note for it but might as well try to describe it. There is a lot going on in this one. I drank this without any milk or sweetener. This tea seems Turkish inspired to me with the combo (pistachio rose, mint, and apple) The apple is tangy and prominent/ as well as the rose hips.
It’s not something I personally would repurchase necessarily (I have two bags of it that I was gifted) I just don’t think it’s a flavor combo I would reach for but I do see how the ingredients fit together. August Uncommon is one of my favorite tea companies because they offer some really unique blends.

Sipped this down yesterday. I noticed all the flavors listed on the bag. Buttered pumpernickel, molasses and Guinness. I overleafed a bit to sip down the bag and it gave a slightly sharp edge to the flavors that I would taste some of the time, but not all. I added some creamer, but I think I liked it better without. I still can’t tell if I really liked it or only tolerated it with the hopes I’d grow to like it. This isn’t a repurchase for me.
Also, strange that I finally finished this sample, but hadn’t made any tasting notes for it any of the other times I had it!

Another October Sips by selection.

This one is just okay. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Old Barrel’s yummy coffee teas, but I’m not loving the coffee flavoring here. The Assam is quite brisk as well. I get a little bit of maté earthiness, but would love a bit more.

I think part of the problem is, it tastes a bit like hazelnut coffee creamer, of which I am not a fan ha ha. It’s decent, but there are other coffee teas I like much more.

Sipdown! (22)

This one was a bit disappointing to me. I was hoping the flavor would be a bit more multilayered with the maté and barley included and the description of cappuccino.

But it was rather one-note with brisk black tea and roasted coffee. Maybe a little hint of grass from the maté. Not something I would reorder, but glad to have tried it! Luckily, I already have a favorite coffee tea anyway…

Mastress Alita, I found a geeky tea for the sipdown theme! Sipping on a potful of this in honor of the Cowboy Bebop character of the same name.

This has a nice coffee flavor, but the Assam base is a little too brisk in combination with it. I can taste the toasty autumn leaf sort of profile from the roasted maté as well. The barley is adding a lovely somewhat sweet grainy note. There’s definitely a touch of creaminess, and something a bit caramel-y and rich.

It’s good, but not the best coffee tea I’ve had. The briskness is a little bit too much, and I would love more of the supporting cream and caramel notes. I definitely prefer Fairytale of NY. Still fun to try, though!

See you space cowboy…

Sipdown.

It says something about the way this year has gone that I haven’t reviewed this tea yet. For the most part it’s a boozy chocolate tea with caraway and spice. I’m usually not a fan of chocolate in tea, but this was deep and rich and really good. The mix of chocolate, scotch and the combined spices was well blended. I’d usually add this back to my wishlist, but after dealing with August Uncommon’s customer service (or complete lack there of) I think I’ll look for a chocolate tea elsewhere.

Samurai TTB #24

I continue to be impressed by August Uncommon and it’s been a treat to sample more of their blends this month! This one appealed to me because of the ginger and mandarin orange, but I was worried the sage might dominate as it has in other sage herbals I’ve tried. However, this one is perfectly balanced! You get the juicy citrus, warming ginger, and herbaceous sage all in just the right amount. So yummy!

Advent Calendar Day 23

I can’t believe it’s the second-to-last day of advent already! The month has flown by and trying a new tea every morning has made the days feel special. I was excited to see one from August Uncommon today, as nearly everything I’ve tried from this company has been outstanding! This wasn’t a flavor profile I would have chosen on my own, as chocolate and cinnamon can both be hit and miss for me in tea and I’m a bit of wimp when it comes to spice. But this one is so beautifully balanced, I’m actually enjoying it quite a bit! The rich dark chocolate comes to life with the brightness of the cinnamon and the hint of chili keeps things exciting without burning my throat on the way down. Never would have bought this, but glad I got to try it!

Day 19 of Sara’s Old Tea

It tastes like cedar! Smells kind of like a cedar fire. But it’s not quite smokey. It’s kind of like taking a walk through the forest and licking the trees. I kind of like it.

I think it would pair well with any sort of fried potatoes.