Cult of Demeter

Tea type
Food Herbal Blend
Ingredients
Barley (Roasted), Cocoa Husks, Organic Anise Seeds
Flavors
Cacao, Fennel Seed, Anise, Bread, Licorice, Malt, Chocolate, Creamy, Medicinal, Roasted Barley, Cocoa, Sweet, Grain, Toasted, Butter, Cookie, Salt, Smooth
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Caffeine Free
Certification
Vegan
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 g 12 oz / 355 ml

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20 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I like cocao teas and the spices in this one were a welcome addition, giving it digestif qualities. They remind me a bit of the candied spices that some Indian restaurants give out (Mukhwas). ...” Read full tasting note
    82
  • “I ordered a sample-sized bag of this one a while back, tried it once, and promptly forgot about it. So I’m going into it somewhat fresh tonight! Dry, I’m mostly getting anise with a tiny hint of...” Read full tasting note
    60
  • “Sniffing this tea, I really didn’t think it was going to work for me, but I’m so happy to be wrong. The anise is really strong, but the barley gives it a breadiness that fits really well. I add...” Read full tasting note
    86
  • “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...” Read full tasting note

From August Uncommon Tea

Silky organic cocoa, barley and anise

Divine comfort in the dark hours of winter. Inspired by the original barley tisane kykeon, the ritual drink of devotees of the Greek goddess Demeter, this tea has satin texture and creamy flavor. Nutty roasted barley and malt is enriched by the subtle aroma of sweet aniseed and roasted cacao. A splash of your favorite milk turns up its natural sweetness.

INGREDIENTS: organic german barley malt, organic egyptian anise, organic cocoa husk

CONTAINS GLUTEN FROM BARLEY MALT

TASTES LIKE: biscotti, aniseed, cocoa butter, toasted barley
FEELS LIKE: golden grain harvest

CAFFEINE FREEVEGANNON GMO

About August Uncommon Tea View company

Company description not available.

20 Tasting Notes

82
43 tasting notes

I like cocao teas and the spices in this one were a welcome addition, giving it digestif qualities. They remind me a bit of the candied spices that some Indian restaurants give out (Mukhwas). However, it doesn’t quite have the flavor and body of other cocao teas like Crio Bru.

Flavors: Cacao, Fennel Seed

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60
316 tasting notes

I ordered a sample-sized bag of this one a while back, tried it once, and promptly forgot about it. So I’m going into it somewhat fresh tonight!

Dry, I’m mostly getting anise with a tiny hint of cocoa. But my brewed cup smells… kinda funky and murky. There’s a smell that some fruity baked goods (blueberry muffins, banana bread) get when they’ve been sitting at room temp for too long and are just about to turn, and the scent here aaalmost reminds me of that smell. But it’s really mild and not enough to put me off.

The taste is actually kind of weak! There’s a hint of anise behind a thin, bready flavor, but not too much more. The mouthfeel is really nice and silky, but I want a little more flavor behind it.

A dash of oat milk bulks up the body, but does nothing for the flavor. Meh. Not a repurchase for me. :(

Flavors: Anise, Bread, Licorice, Malt

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86
2285 tasting notes

Sniffing this tea, I really didn’t think it was going to work for me, but I’m so happy to be wrong. The anise is really strong, but the barley gives it a breadiness that fits really well. I add milk, and this tastes just like biscochito. The resteep tastes basically the same. I’m really enjoying these cookie vibes. My next cup of it tasted much heavier on the rich chocolate, which was also lovely. I’m now out, and I think I may need to get the larger size next time.

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15575 tasting notes

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.

Courtney

My note for this one says it smells like deli meat XD. I’m glad I’m not the only one who had such an experience. What a bizarre scent for this combo of ingredients!

Roswell Strange

It seems to be pretty polarizing, just skimming through the reviews.

Crowkettle

Yep, this sounds on point (I was alright with it but it made my mother gag lol).

derk

Now I wonder if there’s something wrong worth me haha!

Crowkettle

Nah, nothing wrong with you for liking this one (unless there is something sort of wrong with me lol)! This is totally on August Uncommon for playing with divisive (and striking) ingredients + pairings, lol (yes, I blame them because they dared to create Black Lodge).

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76
1430 tasting notes

This is definitely a niche tea but I like it more than not for its similarities to Silk Road’s Chocolate Panda (which contains vanilla so I like that one slightly better).

I think the aroma and flavouring is reminiscent of those licorice hard candies you get at Greek restaurants (there are also cinnamon ones). Sweet sugar, anise, with a touch of chocolate and barley (all hail the Barley Mother) to give it a “thickness” which I will generously dub “creamy.”

I added milk to my last steeped sample portion and kind of wish I’d been drinking it that way the whole time. It toned down the more medicinal aspects of this blend and made “creamy” truly creamy. Also a nice way to wind down with some “horror” novels (plural) last night. I don’t usually read or watch a lot of horror – I’m more a fantasy/sci-fi person but it’s always nice to branch out to the other speculative fiction genre every now and then.

My mom could not even handle the smell of a steeped cup so your mileage may vary.

Flavors: Anise, Chocolate, Creamy, Licorice, Medicinal, Roasted Barley

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec
derk

Hm, yes. I might have to buy this again.

Crowkettle

When I’ve worked my way through the AU samples I think this will be part of the reorder too. It’s soothing.

tea-sipper

ooo.. wondering which horror novels?

Crowkettle

Oddball ones: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (almost finished), Revelator by Daryl Gregory (just started), Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo (finished; more of an LGBT+ Southern Gothic), and queuing The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. Also queuing the not-horror Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett because I value my sanity and it’s spooky month themed too.

I’ve never read a single King novel in my life and I feel a tiny bit bad about that. I’m open to general horror/gothic recommendations right now, lol

tea-sipper

Oh cool, no time for King because you’re reading a bunch of new stuff! Everyone else can have him covered. haha. I have been meaning to read ‘House of Leaves’ for about a decade of spooky months now. :/

Crowkettle

Picking up the more recent stuff means I’m not sure I’ve the best baseline for what “horror” in book format is supposed to look like. I’ve read some old Victorian gothics, children fic (Coraline count? lol), and then this new stuff – a lot of it reminding me of the old gothic stuff or the kids stuff haha.

House of Leaves sounds interesting (and also a lot): “their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” – Dr. Who, is that you? Will also to the TBR list for.. one day.

derk

House of Leaves was the most intense read I’ve ever experienced and it so deftly applied fire and ice to exposed nerves. It was like a Choose Your Own Adventure for overthinking adults. How far into insanity I was willing to go was up to me, though I wouldn’t say I was always at the helm.

derk

Either of you have any southern gothic recommendations? Why am I asking, though. I should really finish the Dark Tower series.

mrmopar

Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz.

Crowkettle

I just learned Southern Gothic is a thing 9 days ago and was sort of hoping for suggestions too, haha

Thanks, everyone.

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1299 tasting notes

Creamy cocoa notes reminiscent of hot chocolate. Sweet anise flavor as well. This tea is nicely balanced. I would like this to drink occasionally but with the anise I don’t see it as being an everyday cup. It’s definitely a unique blend true to the brand’s name.

Flavors: Anise, Cocoa, Creamy, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling

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65
3986 tasting notes

Sipdown! (22 | 95)

I didn’t realize I only had one serving left of this, I’ve never tried it but sent it to a couple of people. So that was a nice surprise when I opened the pouch!

Wow, there’s a lot of anise going on here! It ends up tasting a bit like fennel, even though there’s no fennel here. I do taste some creamy cocoa and a nice toasty grain note from the barley.

But really, I feel like the anise is out of balance here. I do like anise, but it’s overpowering the other flavors a bit, and the tisane comes out tasting like black licorice. A shame, because the ingredient combination sounded really good to me…

Flavors: Anise, Cocoa, Grain, Licorice, Roasted Barley, Sweet, Toasted

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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1440 tasting notes

2021 sipdown no. 38

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

The combination of ingredients here ends up tasting like a deli meat? I can’t really peg down which deli meat since I haven’t eaten meat in many years, and this was not a positive reminder of the taste haha!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 3 g 14 OZ / 414 ML
derk

Haha, wut!

Courtney

I know!

derk

Tonight I understand. I boiled some on the stove then simmered with milk. Kiki came home and said “What’s that smell? Did you make something with pepperoni?”

Courtney

Finally haha!

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1557 tasting notes

Pretty proud of myself lately with keeping my tea purchases small. I feel like I’ve finally entered this stage where I can slow my roll with exploration, whittle down my current cupboard and focus on the types of teas that I know complement my constitution. Watch me go back on my word sometime soon :P

Cult of Demeter is one of those complementary blends. Heavier on the cocoa notes than a previous batch, less on the anise. Barley malt feels about the same. It smells and tastes like an anise biscotti soaked in a hot cocoa water. Kind of thin but I’m not bothered by the fact. Still amazed this is only 3 ingredients with no added flavorings.

Natural feeling. Gentle. Swaddling, even?

Listen: Familiarity by Punch Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sya6Jh2pwzA

Crowkettle

Mmm.. biscotti.

Mmm.. biscotti.I think I’ve returned to being “over my tea budget” adventurous again, and hope to once again find the state you’ve discovered soon! XD

gmathis

Ooh…Punch Brothers! Now I know what to listen to on Spotify while I’m doing drudge work today! (Quietly…I have slightly more conventional officemates.)

Crowkettle

PS – I tried to to remove the double biscotti love but this site seems determined to keep it as bicotti (x2). I guess it deserves the extra love.

derk

double biscotti, the more to share :)

gmathis: Punch Brothers are like classical music to my ears.

Sierge Krьstъ

I think pandemic really pushed my budget in terms of sourcing reliable stashes.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xSUUV0hr1oc

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81
1789 tasting notes

I just finished off my sample size and purchased another bag. The cocoa and anise is so well-balanced, and such an interesting combination, I’ve found myself craving the flavor combo recently. August Uncommon posted a recipe for an affogatto using this tea, and I’m very interested in trying it. I’ll have to grab some vanilla ice cream next time I’m at the store.

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