August Uncommon Tea

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Saturday, November 20th: National Absurdity Day

While it’s not unheard of, there’s something odd about coffee flavoured teas (who wanted this and why). For one, All the coffee drinkers in my life dislike every single one I’ve ever showed them (this one being no exception).

The coffee beans in this are nice ones and when I got the steeping parameters right my cup tasted like a coffee cake, which is alright. Maybe. Unfortunately for this sipdown, the mate in the blend is coming through in an overly earthy way today. It tastes like dirt coffee compost. I do not love it. I want tea.

Happy National Absurdity Day! Today the prompt is to drink your strangest tea blend.

I think this tea is probably the most off-the-beaten-path tea I have, as it uses a lot of savory herbs that I personally don’t really get in my tea blends, like rosemary and thyme. A blend of black and pu’erh for the base, with juniper berries, black currant, rosemary, and thyme, the aroma of my steeped cup is spot on for a forest of cedar and pine. It’s a little tickly on the nose, but pleasant.

On the sip, I’m getting a very forward pine tree flavor, which I really like. I was a little skeptical because of the herbs used (I have memories of a tea with rosemary and sage getting very savory and hard to sip) but a gentle hand must have been used here, as they are blending with the juniper note very well to add a somewhat brisker pine note, and the lingering rosemary aftertaste makes me think of sap. There is body to the tea, but it is hard to taste any base flavors beneath the strong pine flavor; a touch of musty earth, if you really reach for it. I only started to taste a subtle black current note as the tea started to cool down, which hits the back of the throat at the end of the sip. It goes nicely with the juniper notes, and I wouldn’t mind if it was a bit stronger or popped a bit more.

I didn’t really think I’d like this one much going in, but I’m really digging the strong pine flavor. I really need more juniper-forward teas in my stash.

Sipdown!

Now this is more like it. Usually I’m extremely disappointed in chocolate pepper teas; they’re never fiery enough, or the chocolate is off (and Silencio was just black pepper, not good chili pepper). This, however, has a decent fiery kick and tastes like Mexican chocolate minus the actual powdery texture. Although it feels like it’s crunchy.

I drank this all today, in-between the 5 hour power outage and news updates on regional flooding and landslides (In the Lower Mainland, we are effectively cut off from the rest of Canada right now; all of our main highways took some serious blows). I’m trying to imagine being in a baking hot desert that is not flooding aggressively and this tea helps.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Saturday, November 13th: National Hug a Musician Day – Dead Can Dance

Sipdown! This tea is musty, bittersweet, and earthy in way that does feel like an old library, but it also has lots of sweet grain and nut notes. Its profile and creative vision remind me of that time I was an anthropology undergrad student, reading lots and lots of books and articles late into the evening (and early in the morning) on agrarian societies, reciprocity, liminality, snub-nosed monkeys, funerary practices, and the like. Dead Can Dance was not the only music to get my through my school work but it’s definitely the one I most associate with the smell of musty books, grains, old bones, and pottery fragments…

Here. Have a book. “Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOunrC2QQa8

Taken with milk.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge Saturday, November 13th: National Hug a Musician Day – Tame Impala

Sipdown! I’m partially giving this tea to Neo-Psychedelia Aussie artist Tame Impala because, flavour-wise, I largely feel like I’m in surfer’s territory with this one, and the “there but not really there” coconut thing that’s going on (also, as mentioned in another note, I’m stuck in 2012 today). However, the name and concept of this tea just as easily make me think of artists I’m less familiar with – like the Red Hot Chili Peppers or an ensemble like the Buena Vista Social Club.

I reaaallly like the aroma of the loose leaf and the steeped mug. Pineapple is apparently an easy win for me and I should bump it up on the priorities list when looking for flavoured blends.

The main flavours I get out of this are fruity pineapple and tobacco flower (a secretly good combo, even with the cocoa). I liked this one much more than August Uncommon’s other tea with tobacco notes. I don’t get too much chili from it except as an element that makes the cocoa pop a bit – kind of a pleasant finish/aftertaste component.

“Apocalypse Dreams” – again, I blame the fruity pineapple, the flowery veneer, the trippy “not-coconut”, and the black pepper that really comes across as more of a texture – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQH2Kq1QXaI

Taken with milk.

Ashmanra’s Sipdown Challenge | January 2023 | A tea by candlelight

Heh, I seem only to log this one as a sipdown! This one always ends up in my cart on the rare occasion I purchase from August Uncommon (typically when they email me about rewards points or a sale or something). I had a couple servings left and brewed a potful to enjoy while doing some leisurely reading on this very cold and rainy afternoon. I did cheat and plug in some twinkle lights alongside the candle because it’s too grey and gloomy to read by candlelight alone. (As a side note, we in Maryland have gotten no snow this winter and I’m so over it. I WANT SNOW, DAMN IT. Not freezing rain, not sleet, not hail… GIVE ME SNOW. Seriously pondering a move to colder climes at this point.)

Aaanyway, I continue to very much enjoy this tea, and also to think that it is almost too aggressively flavored. It’s also strong! I’m slightly regretting drinking so much at 2:00 p.m., but the damage has been done.

Leaving my rating the same.

2023 sipdown count: 13/75

Sipdown!

Low Country is the one blend I repurchased when I ordered from August a second time. I dig the malty-sugary scent, although I’m glad the steeped cup has more bitter notes to cut through the sweetness. I don’t get much smoke, interestingly, and I’m not sure I’d pinpoint the flavor inspiration as bourbon if the label didn’t tell me to do so. In general, though, it’s a solid breakfast brew.

Unfortunately, I think I’ve ruined this tea for myself by drinking an over-steeped and too-strong cup while feeling sick after getting my covid booster. Now the smell (and thought!) of Low Country makes me faintly nauseated. Good thing I finished the packet this morning. So long, Low Country, and thanks for all the sips.

Not sure what prompted me, back in 2018, to order a plain white tea from August Uncommon Teas (a company known for blends), but I suspect that it had to do with the fact that, back at that time, all their flavored teas were in massive 100g size tins but this tea only sold for an ounce.

I first made a batch as cold brew, but it turned out super weak with my typical parameters… it just tasted like water to me, with an inkling of a citrus-hay note in the background. I increased the leaf for the next cold brew pitcher as an experiment to see if that gets some flavor out of it, and will have to see what tomorrow brings on it. I usually love cold brewed greens and whites, but maybe this one just isn’t cut out for it…

So this morning, I decided to drink it gong fu.

7g / 200ml / 185F / 20s|30s|40s|50s|60s|90s

The liquor smells wonderful. There is this effervescent and sort of vinegary-bite to the smell alone that makes me think of wine or champagne. There is an autumn leaf aroma, but somehow more golden and sweeter, like it is mixed with the scent of honeyed fruits. Unlike the cold brew, there is definitely flavor here. The main sip is filled with the flavors of honey, dates, hay, and autumn leaves, with a sort of dandelion blossom floral/pollen note at the end of the sip that lingers on the back of the tongue. There is a hint of melon there as well. The second steep brought out a fruitier flavor, tasting of dates, nectarine, and raisin, still with a strong hay/floral/pollen flavor in the close. On steep four, the flavor was starting to be less intense, but that also brought out a strong peach/nectarine note. The flavor was quite delicate by the fifth infusion, but I did a sixth just to use up the water I already had heated.

A nice aged white… at least prepared warm. Jury is still out on cold-brewing.

Still absolutely love this one. It’s such a unique flavor combo.

Sipdown!

It’s alright but not generally what I look for in my green oolong or natural jin xuan types. It has an almost “light roast” veggie quality that’s not quite working for me here (like bitter spinach? definitely grassy). I get more lemon verbena (don’t love verbena) than lemon proper.. maybe lemon zest, but imho, this isn’t buttery enough for full-blown “curd” (although there is some nice butter/cream notes, especially on 2nd steep).

Steep Count: 4

Third steep-: I’m reminded of a buttery water chestnut (weird, but kind of like cross a between an apple and a coconut). Somewhat lemony. Also softened spinach for sure now.

Fourth Steep @3min: coconut, butter, mellowed out grass, sweetish lemon (mostly nose/finish). Favourite cup so far.

I can’t really decide how I feel about this tea! I got suckered into a purchase thanks in large part to the write-up on the August Uncommon site. (AU hires some fab copywriters!) It’s probably just my pandemic-induced wanderlust exerting its influence, but the description of a gilded café in turn-of-the-century Vienna won me over. Plus, chocolate and cherry! What’s not to love!?

The thing is, I don’t really get much of the cherry flavor. Chocolate, yes, and it’s not a bad chocolate, either — it’s rich and slightly bitter. But the cherry gets a bit lost for me, other than a whiff in the dry leaf. Like many AU teas, this one has almost overwhelmingly powerful scent before steeping, to the point where it’s almost off-putting. Thankfully, the flavor is more subdued.

Hmm… as it cools, the cherry is maybe coming out a little more. But I don’t think I’d identify it as such if I didn’t know it was in there. It’s just a round fruitiness backing up the chocolate and the slightly astringent base.

I’m definitely digging it more as it cools; the flavors come together and make this a satisfying cup. I bet it would make a good nighttime dessert tea if I weren’t sensitive to late-night caffeine.

Worth a try, I’d say, though I don’t imagine I’ll repurchase.

Sipdown!

Taken without milk – because I was curious. Still smells and tastes like hazelnut brittle and (a darker) chocolate, but the finish is kind of bitter in an alcohol way; charitably, I could call it rum.. The aftertaste is 100% hazelnut though, which is lovely. Not bad, but definitely prefer it with some kind of milk to soften out the flavouring bitters and make it into a flat but tasty Nutella.

Drinking dessert tea with milk. This doesn’t seem like a good sans milk tea (imo, cocoa can be so meh and artificial without milk), but who knows.. maybe I’m missing out.

It tastes like chocolate hazelnut (Nutella) in a cup. Sometimes the creamy milk chocolate with nuts veers into dark chocolate territory but that’s as exciting as this gets. It’s probably the least funky tea I’ve had from August Uncommon. It’s smooth and an easy drinker and I’m alright with it.

To me, this tea smells amazing. The cloves and rose build on extra dimensions to the cocoa – giving it the profile of a fine dark chocolate. It reminds me a bit of Mexican hot chocolate (just needs chili?).

To taste (with milk) the flavours don’t mix the same. It still has the air of enhanced bitter dark chocolate but the clove note is its own deep, dense thing. The rose is a dusky mid-note that blends a bit (but who can ignore rose?). Strong personalities, all three – it’s a darkly seductive blend that I’ll have to think about a bit more (leaning in favour since I love rose and clove, but it’s a lot.)

Also Darjeeling as a base? Yeah, I can taste that too underneath those domineering three. it provides some extra tannins to the cocoa, emphasizes the spice, and adds a muscatel quality which I think builds the rose. Such a moody, neatly crafted tea.

Sipdown!

This tea made me so happy. Eucalyptus, melon, and dragonfruit? Yes, I love all of these things. The Eucalyptus is woody-fresh, almost minty chill, the melon is sweet candy, and the dragonfruit is both a sweet, vegetal cactus fruit. This makes a pretty refreshing and clean-tasting cup. I’d be happy to drink more of this in the summer months.

Sipdown!

This one has excellent elderberry flavouring. It’s really fruity, bright, and floral (violet is good here too). It pops and I love it. Also, I’d no clue that this contained (AU’s signature use of) lapsang souchong, as well as some oolong. I’m sure they add important dimensions to this tea but I don’t notice them much for the vivid flavouring and the milk I added.

Anyways, glad I enjoyed this tea; it was one of the AU blends I was most looking forward to trying too (its name and ingredients list speak to my not-so-secret love of symphonic metal and Alcest).

Cold Brew Sipdown (1540)!

I’m not gonna lie, when I decided to cold brew this tea is was so I could finish off the rest of the sample in one shot. I did not have high expectations for the flavour at all since my first cup wasn’t exactly something I was in love with. However, I think it’s better as a cold brew! Definitely very thick and anise/licorice forward in taste but the chocolate is more mellow and whatever funk/sourdough type quality I was getting from the barley has been essentially chopped in half. I still don’t love it, but it was improved!

It takes a lot for a tea to turn me off so much based on aroma alone that I actively put off trying it and, thinking about it now, there’s only one tea that comes to mind that smelled so off putting to me that I flat out refused to try it…

But I considered, with this one.

Which is crazy honestly because it sounds like something I should like! Sure, I’m not huge of chocolate teas but roasted barley is incredibly up my alley and I really enjoy anise/black licorice flavours for the most part. However, the dry leaf aroma of this tea smells like gross sweaty feet to me mixed with an almost sickly sweet licorice smell and it makes me feel icky giving it a whiff…

Despite that, I did steep up a mug earlier this week and it’s not awful. It definitely (thankfully!) doesnt’t taste sweaty or like feet at all, but there is a slight sourness to the barley that is a little more in the vein of like a sourdough/rye bread but with that roasty undertone. The chocolate is strong and not great but not bad and the licorice/anise flavour, while sweet, is a very reasonable level. The anise is my favourite part. I don’t love this overall though and I’ll definitely not seek it out after I crush the sample – but more because I just don’t think the chocolate and anise compliment each other and less because of the weird smell thing.

Oat milk makes everything better but this is still an odd and rough tea! The cardamom flavour morphs into musky, floral tobacco and back again. With a hint of pine, it’s pretty drying/astringent. The flavour combo definitely reminds me of a mix of essential oils (the ones that are usually marketed as “woodsy fresh” and “sweet manly musk”).

It’s a pretty neat and novel blend but I don’t love it.

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge, April 2022: A tea paired with the weather

This tea feels like a close relative to “Walking on Sunshine” by 52Teas – although it’s more citrus bloom that citrus fruit, it carries those same bright, clean sunny vibes that are perfect for a heralding in a positive change in weather. It’s not quite an exact match for today’s weather though (I need to find a gusty, sea breeze tea).

I cold steeped mine over night and while it still contains notes of orange blossom and almond, the crisp honey is so dominant. While sipping the last of it, I think of (and crave) some of Humblebee Meadery’s fun and surprisingly light flavours, like Green Tea & Lime, or Saffron & Orange (http://www.humblebeemead.com/)

This smells like a type of almond cookie we get a lot around Christmas and sort of tastes like it too. While the cup was still hot the honey flavour came on very thick but as it has cooled it toned down enough to let the almond cookies (with orange blossom highlights) shine through a bit.

The white peony (bai mudan) works really well here as a base, emphasizing those sweet, floral flavours of blossom and rich, fruity amber honey. I think I taste a hint of natural hay, stonefruit, and cucumber notes, which I didn’t expect when I smelled such a flavourful tea. Good combo.

Steep Count: 2 – Yep, it’s mellow. Barley malt comes through more on 2nd steep (interesting ingredient – builds both the almond cookie and honey imo).

2021 Sipdown #35
Final piece of sipdown spam! This was the next tea we used for my partner’s sore throat. I was sad to see this one go, as it’s one of my favorite green teas to have warm or cold but it went to a worthy cause. The next time I get anything from AU, I’ll definitely pick up some of this!

This is a super cozy cup and so easy to drink. Trading the smoke of Outlaw for chocolate, this blend almost makes me like chocolate cherries and remember that Black Forest Cakes exist and are some of the few cakes I like.

This tea is also a nice consolation for an eventful Canadian Thanksgiving (only three of us this year). First, my father accidentally poured the gravy into a pot with soap (ahhh… he’s the saddest about the loss of gravy). Then I placed a stirring fork on a hot stove element and then touched said fork with my middle finger, somehow. My finger is currently in a nice cold glass of water… but I at least I have tea!

Taken with oat milk.