Last tea of the night! I’m probably an idiot for drinking it at 10:00PM; the caffeine is gonna kick my ass. I’ve gone to work on zero sleep before though. I guess we’ll see what happens…
I’m reading other people’s reviews of this as I drink it: I’m really liking Srens description of this as a ‘bolder’ white tea. That certainly seems apt – though I think I’m gonna slightly rephrase and call it, instead, a more ‘empowered’ version of a white tea. The difference there is, of course, subtle but I don’t actually think this has ‘bold’ flavours – more like it’s more nuanced and intricate. Ergo, an ‘empowered’ white tea/white tea at it’s best.
First thing I’ll point out is that this has a rather weighty mouthfeel. It’s thicker/viscous and feels lofty and lush in my mouth, which is really quite pleasant. It’s got that “timothy hay” flavour that is present in so many white teas; although this feels more… present. In addition to the hay notes, there’s a bit of an underlying sweetness that I guess is fruity? Probably the nectarine notes described on the tin, although I don’t really think it tastes like nectarines. I’m not sure what fruit it tastes like to me though; maybe more of a dried fruit/generic “fruit leather” sort of taste? Body of the sip is crisp and vegetal; reminds me a little bit of the ‘pulpy’/fleshy part of a cucumber. It’s also malty in the same way as I’ve found a lot of African/Kenyan whites to be, and has a pleasant herbaceous like finish that lingers for a profoundly long time.
It’s very interesting, for sure. Honestly, overall, it doesn’t have the most unique set of flavour notes does it? But I guess it doesn’t need to be unique to be successful or tasty, does it? I suppose I was just expecting something a little more… out there? But it’s been a really pleasant cup so far and I look forward to tweaking things slightly next time I brew this to get the most out of each cup and improve upon the experience.
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kh09MuIfIU&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=123
Love, love, love this song – and I think Iron and Wine is just really good music to drink tea to in general. It’s so pleasant, and soft and comforting. But more so, I just feel like the overall feeling of the song and imagery in the lyrics really well reflects the aesthetic and vibe of the tea that August Uncommon was going for; both in how they named it, and the flavour notes, and even how it’s described on the tin/on their website.
Mother don’t worry, she’s got a garden we’re planting together…
Love tea/song pairings that tell a story; it just elevates the experience so much.
Flavors: Cucumber, Fruity, Hay, Herbaceous, Malt, Sweet, Vegetal
