White August

I enjoyed the presentation of the tea as well as its taste. A classmate of mine brought this for our class to try, and it was good.

This was tea

Thank you to Paul M Tracy for this sample!

The green tea base is more assertive than many of the flavored greens I have tried. In some, I almost can’t detect the tea base flavor! Not so here. This one is clearly a Japanese green and has a grassy taste rather than a vegetal or buttery taste to me. I picked up a slight astringency. There is a good coconut flavor, not as strong as in Harney’s Royal Wedding or in Bangkok, but still the forefront flavor in this tea, besides the base. I don’t have the most sensitive palate in the world, I confess it, but I didn’t pick up the ginger. It may be a very light touch of it, or maybe I don’t know exactly what I am looking for since I think the only ginger I have had in tea has been freshly grated in. Love the look of those bright flowers in the mix!

My guest really liked this one, and thought the coconut was just right! Thank you, Paul!

I read about Russian Caravan online—it was described as a blend of Lapsang Souchong and Assam—and couldn’t wait to try it, since I have always loved Lapsang… and since Russian Caravan is such a beautifully evocative name (always a plus). Also read a great review of White August’s version in a Steepster discussion. And it’s true—this tea is quite, quite awesome. It’s also true that it smells very smoky, so at first I wasn’t sure it was actually a blend—it seemed like pure Lapsang. But it’s mellower than I expected—still lovely and smoky (some reviews of other Russian Caravans say they’re not smoky at all, and I definitely wanted quite a bit of smokiness), perfect for late morning/early afternoon. I’ve been drinking this every day since my order arrived.

Winding down with this tea. This is really delicious, the coconut is the dominating flavor, but I like how the blueberry and pomegranate mingle with the coconut. The result is a sweet, creamy, berry delicious rooibos blend that is light on the rooibos flavor (a plus).

I like this one a lot. The Pouchong is light and velvet-y and pairs very well with the sweet, creamy vanilla flavor. The lemon myrtle is a soft flavor, it doesn’t interfere with the pouchong and vanilla. A very smooth, sweet, delicious tea.

LOVE! This is a fabulous Golden Monkey. I taste so many layers of flavor. In one sip, I can taste notes of caramel and honey, raisin, spice, malt, wood, earth as well as the faintest hint of smoke. It is very smooth it its approach. No bitterness and very little astringency. The finish is sweet and vaguely smoky. So very beautiful. I love this one.

Yum! Chocolate!

I have been spending this early part of the day waiting (and waiting and waiting… and still I wait) for the FedEx truck to arrive. I don’t think I’ve ever been so anxious for a delivery before!

Anyways, while I wait, I decided to have some Yerba Mate. Not that I needed to be caffeinated on top of this anxiety. I didn’t really think that part through very well. haha!
Fortunately, this also has chocolate which has a way of soothing me even when I’m bouncing off the walls.

This is really good. I do wish that there was more chocolate because more chocolate = better. But as it is, it is very pleasantly chocolate-y, and I’ve always felt that Yerba Mate and chocolate are a perfect pairing. The earthiness of the yerba mate works so well with the flavor of the chocolate. This tastes rich, smooth and delicious! YUM!

This smells amazing. After brewing it my kitchen smelled like plum cobbler and berry compote!

The flavor is delightful. A strong fruit essence – a mixture of plums and berries. The black tea is also strong. A very delicious blend: sweet, with just the right touch of tartness to it.

I really, REALLY, really like this one! When I first started sipping it, I felt kind of unsure about it, maybe I liked it, but not a lot. But now that its almost gone I am going to miss it! It’s really good, and it has a flavor that grows on ya!

First tea of the day. I really enjoy the hint of smoke in this one. It is just barely there, but no mistaking it. The color is vibrant green and gold. The flavor has a depth to it. Levels perhaps. At the beginning of the sip there is a silky richness of tea flavor, green and vegetal yet oxidized. Middle sip, this one really fits the Oolong description of lightly fermented, between a green and black. Some Oolongs are something else on their own, but this one seems to be right there in between with notes of both. The end of the sip gives up that hint of smokiness that I love. However, it is a small trace, so if you are not a Lapsang lover, give this one a chance. I purchased this with some other teas from White August during their Spring 25% off and free shipping sale for Steepsterites. I am SO GLAD I did. All their teas have been to my liking and when they have a sale, they really have a good one.

YUM!

My first impression of this tea was “chocolate covered cherries” but as I continue to sip, I am finding more interesting flavors than I would normally find from a box of chocolate covered cherries. I especially like the addition of the Schizandra berries which add just a hint of tartness to keep the tea from tasting too sweet.

I really like this one!

This tea makes for a lovely after-dinner tea. The smooth richness is so soothing.

The aroma of the liquor is smoky, but the flavor I would describe more as roasted rather than smoky, although there is an element of smoke to the flavor as well. It has a deep woodsy tone and hints of peach-y flavor in the background.

A really lovely Tie Guan Yin.

This is a darn fine Darjeeling, I can taste the berry notes very clearly and it has a silky texture that makes you want to return to the cup. At the end of the sip, that welcome black tea flavor pulls it all together.
I like everything I have tried from White August. Their service is very good, prices fair, and the teas excellent.

So yesterday was my birthday, and let’s just say that the majority of liquids consumed were not tea (though I was drinking wine from a tea cup for a good while yesterday). Cue this morning with utter dehydration, headaches, and exhaustion. My first thought? “YAY! Now I have a valid reason to try that hangover tea from brandy3392 (thank you, by the way)”

It is very tasty, which I need in a herbal “medicinal” tea. If it tastes like medicine, I won’t drink it, no matter the benefits. But this is very good, and it is helping with some of the hangover.

That all being said, I don’t think I’ll be replacing my Detox from DavidsTea with it any time soon, but I’m glad I made a pot of it this morning and that I’ve gotten to try it. Thanks again, brandy3392!

I like this one a lot! I’ve tried a couple blueberry jasmine teas in the past. Either my palate is acquiring a taste for the combination, or I just happened to get lucky with my steeping parameters, or perhaps this is just a superior blend to the others, but, this one tastes much better than the first one that I tried.

The blueberry tastes genuine, the jasmine is soft but develops in flavor as I continue to sip, and the green tea tastes fresh and vegetative. This is delicious.

I love the sprinkles :)! They are so much fun, it just brought a smile to my face! When I smelled this tea it had a nice vanilla smell mixed with black tea and a hint of peppermint to me, yummmy!

After the steep most of the sprinkles are melted and the smell is more black tea with a hint of vanilla. The liquor is such a pretty dark amber color. First sip, too hot too hot.. how I wish I had patience!

Let it cool just a bit and yum this is a good tea, I can taste the black tea first it is pretty mellow and smooth, next your get the sweet vanilla and it lingers on the tongue very subtle. This is a great dessert tea! After it cooled a bit more it starts to taste more like a sweetened sun tea from the south. Really good and just nice and refreshing!

So another relaxing tea for me tonight. I was really excited to try this because first it has chocolate in it and second it has bananas… which I love. I open up the package and I don’t really smell much.. hmmm I stick me nose further in the bag and there is a bit of a banana smell and a bit of rooibos but both are subtle.

After the steep it is the gorgeous color that red rooibos tends to be, red! I can smell the bananas and rooibos much stronger now, I have such hopes for this tea if it tastes as it smells.

First sip not to much flavor but I need it to cool a bit, so I wait. Next sip very subtle banana and a hint of rooibos with a touch of creaminess (maybe the chocolate). Good but the flavors are not in your face which I tend to like.

After letting it cool a bit more the flavors come out more, the banana is a cross between banana runts and banana bread, I don’t really chocolate taste :( but more of a mouth feel, and the rooibos is just in the background. A nice tea but it was just that, nice.

All right second tea from White August, this smells just like the description, vanilla and rooibos. It smells like a sweet woodsy forest! I love the name of this tea, there is something to be said about creative names!

After the steep the liquor was such a beautiful deep red color, I love it! The smell is still the same but a bit stronger on the rooibos. First sip, hmmmm….

Need to try another sip… still not much, it is not a very strong flavor at all, truth be told I would say it almost just tastes like slightly sweetened water. The smell is pretty vanilla and I was expecting that to be the flavor, or at least be able to taste the rooibos (even though I don’t really like strong rooibos flavor at least it would be something).

Even after it cools it still does not have much flavor, but at the same time it is still comforting just drinking something warm that smells pretty darn good, but I just wish that it had a bit more taste!

MMMMM another great coconut tea! I ordered a bunch of different teas from White August and I love their create your own sample packet which is is what I did. This tea smells just like the creamy meat of a coconut. It is very refreshing and just by smelling it I felt more relaxed but energized!

I steeped it and it was a light pale golden color, very pretty and summery! First sip tastes just like it smells, the smooth creamy white meat of coconut. It is not like the toasted coconut you would get at a store it is more smooth and mellow. I love it! After it cools a bit I can taste just a hint of the yerbe mate… it adds just a hint of vegatian to the coconut. I did not notice the cinamon at all!

This is a really good tea and I could see drinking this on a hot summer day iced or in the dead of winter when you are longing for just a hint of sunshine and warmth! I am impressed with this tea and can’t wait to try more of the teas I received from White August.

Nice! The Assam base is bold and pleasantly malty. Delicious! The flavor is sweet and berry-like, and because of the currants it does have a definite wine-like quality to it. There is some astringency at the tail that is slightly dry. Like a fine wine! This is really quite yum!

I just love how tasty this berry green tea is – I can taste the pomegranates and raspberries so well. The green tea base is decent too. (Please see other notes.)

This is a light, yet full-bodied fruity tea. Brews up and smells like raspberry pie. The green tea base is subtle, woodsy and soft. The taste is incredible – light as a wisp yet berry-ful. Delish!

LOVE the name of this one, and love the tea! It’s chocolate-covered cherries to the max! There is a floral hint at the edge of the flavor, but this tea mainly tastes like chocolate-covered berries. Delish!

EDIT: OK, I had to drop this a bit; as the tea cooled, the smell started to give me a headache. Grr! Guess I have to gulp this quickly… It’s still delicious, and sweetener enhances the flavor for sure. :)