August Uncommon Tea
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I’m not sure the base adds anything here. It isn’t bad, but nothing about it stands out.
I like the lemon/citrus and the creamy/buttery cookie flavour. This would make an excellent longer brew (overnight) with a touch of sweetener and some ice cubes.
I’m not sure if I get fig, certainly not ripe fig. I’ve eaten a lot of fresh figs in my day, and the fig flavour here is a bit weak. I can tell it is fruity and not citrus, but it could have been stronger.
Flavors: Citrus, Cookie, Creamy, Fruity, Smooth
Preparation
I tried this one hot and deffinitly found it to be quite different than coldbrewed. I also added a splash of almond milk. I get more peanuts and sunflower seed flavour, very nutty, honey, milk, and toffee. I guess it’s a bit like peanut brittle? I don’t know what I expected, but I was hoping for more caramel or pumpkin. Thanks again to CrowKettle for the share. I was considering ordering a bag of this but have decided I don’t need to have it in my cupboard. I really enjoyed tasting it, though.
Flavors: Honey, Nutty, Peanut, Toffee
I have no idea what to think about this one.
I get lots of toffee and vanilla. The most notable note is actually strawberry (or fig?) and yoghurt. Some honey from the rooibos. Oddly woody notes that seem more similar to molasses or resin than pumpkin. I also taste something spicy, maybe alcohol or pepper? It is quite difficult to place.
Flavors: Caramel, Cream, Milk, Molasses, Resin, Rooibos, Spicy, Toffee, Wood, Yogurt
Preparation
I just spent 2.5 hrs waiting for laundry so while I waited I packed teas for Sil and brewed this up. Honeydew and mint sounded like it would shine over ice. I opened the sample pack and I just barely had 3 spoonfuls. Plus majority of the sample was mint. I used two spoons today and am saving the last to try hot once I’m feeling better.
Iced, this is a bit disappointing tbh. It is vaguely sweet through the sip and if I focus I can maybe get honeydew which is a subtle fruit to begin with but then the mint takes over. It’s not sweet and doesn’t really fit in. Instead it’s like a smack of medicine. So the iced tea didn’t really go over well but hopefully the last spoon is better. I’ll hold off rating until then.
120/365
This has to be the weakest of the AU teas I’ve tried so far. I’ve come to expect quite a lot, in flavour terms, but this is just chamomile? I know they’re saying it tastes of rhubarb and custard, but it doesn’t. Not even a hint of it.
As far as chamomile tea goes, this is fine. It’s sweet and honey-like, smooth, and a nice sleepytime herbal to round off the day…but I can get the same thing without the premium price tag and broken promises.
Disappointed.
Preparation
All the points are for the lemon cookie flavouring; jury’s still out on the whole unripe/green fig vibe. I’m meh on the green tea base here (Chinese Sencha blargh). The combined flavouring and tea gives me a marine impression, which I’m not completely loving.
Like Arabeseque, Good Humour’s deliciousness quotient relies on getting those steeping parameters right; too much leaf, temp, etc. leads to a bitter/drowned out cup.
Flavors: Apple, Cookie, Fig, Grass, Lemon, Lemon Zest, Lemongrass, Pastries, Tangy, Vanilla, Vegetal
This tea’s alright? I reached for this one readily enough but I think I was hoping for something else. Maybe something with a complex tart-sweet dancong base?
I would like something with “whipped cream” and “prune” in the description to be a little darker, richer, thicker, and more nuanced¬ overall, with less of the candied thing going on; The plum and white chocolate come across as somewhat artificial over the course of the cup. I like the smell of the dry leaf though.
Flavors: Candy, Plum, White Chocolate
104/365
This one came to me free from AU’s recent “try for a dollar” promotion. In the event, it went through the checkout without asking me to pay anything, and it arrived a week or so later. I’d been curious to try this one, so I was stoked to see it in my mailbox!
It smells wonderful. The apple and fennel are both really clear, even from just the dry leaf. Brewed, it takes on a slightly candy-like vibe – one of my colleagues said she could smell bubblegum, and it is a little like that. It reminds me slightly of apple Hubba Bubba, in the best possible way. It’s more nuanced when it’s actually brewed up – the apple is the main flavour; a touch sharp and acidic initially, with a slowly-developing sweetness. It’s definitely green apple! The fennel comes through second and helps with the sweetness, while adding a licorice-like note all its own. There’s a hint of clove in the background, making this a little less like candy and a little more like apple pie, plus a touch of malt from the black tea.
It’s delicious, and I love it!
Preparation
Sipdown!
My opinions haven’t changed in four years. I still think the flavouring of orange, vanilla, and sandalwood is pleasantly clean and aromatic in a way that invokes incense or essential oils. It’s also vibes like an orange creamsicle in places. The base is meh (Chinese Sencha is my “blah” tea).
Flavors: Cream, Grass, Orange, Orange Blossom, Spinach, Tart, Vanilla, Vegetal, Wood
Preparation
This is pretty nice, except for that weak Chinese sencha blend. I think I may just straight out hate that stuff at this point. It’s such a watery non-substance after such lovely flavours here (orange, vanilla, sandalwood). I think this could be something pretty special if it weren’t for that generic, lackluster, hateful tea base (now let me tell you how I really feel).
Flavors: Cream, Grass, Orange, Vanilla, Vegetal
Mastress Alita’s Sipdown Challenge February 2022: A black tea
Maybe I’ve grown up a bit and overcome my distaste of prunes, or maybe I’m vibing with AU teas now, but these last couple cups were not hard to drink at all (dare I say I found them enjoyable today?). Even at my most “anti-prune”, I enjoy the blend’s balance of cloves to fruit flavour ratio. Today I’m picking up more of the citrus (as a floral accent).
The assam base is pleasant and takes well to milk (imho), although its natural profile does emphasize the candied dried fruit thing (raisins, prunes).
Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Cloves, Dried Fruit, Floral, Lemon Zest, Malt, Orange, Plum, Prune, Raisins, Stonefruit
Preparation
This one tastes strongly of prunes (plum), which I was force-fed as a child. I cannot find the will to love it or even like it much (A+ prune flavour). The citrus and spices do remind me of seasonal things though so that’s nice.
If this had not been prunes I may have enjoyed the interplay of stonefruit, clove, and bergamot a bit more, but alas…
Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Clove, Nutmeg, Prune, Stonefruit
Preparation
I mostly get clove-accented blackberries and stone fruits, with a floral citrus-orange mix that comes off as overly perfume-like. The floral perfume thing is unfortunately a little too much for me; it drowns out the room (and my tongue) for hours after the initial session. I kept thinking about how much Sil would dislike this one if I sent it to her.
Oh well, moving on!
Flavors: Bergamot, Blackberry, Citrus Zest, Cloves, Flowers, Perfume
On a lark I decided to get this massive sampler box from AUT – because why not? Plus, I felt bad about how I wrote them off after that one bad shipping/customs experience (sucks how that can sometimes sour things).
So, I made this one up first, since I vaguely remember trying it before, and my first thought was that I probably underscored it because it’s delicious. Then I came on here to see that I actually gave it a pretty great score of 88 (see? getting slapped with duty on tea distorts all memories).
This may be the only apple tea that I like to date – and I like it a lot! With the clove and herb mix it’s reminiscent of a baked apple or a spiced apple cider (a fav). It’s perfect for the start of fall.
Also, I keep thinking the base is green when I’m not actively drinking it or looking at the packaging. My brain is garbage when it comes to Dots and Loops.
Flavors: Allspice, Bread, Cloves, Fennel Seed, Fruity, Green Apple, Herbs, Lemongrass, Malt
Preparation
Yep, customs charges can bias me against tea companies too, which is completely unfair. Ditto for very high shipping fees.
The last few months have been a bit of a struggle both mentally and healthwise, but the better weather here on the West Coast seems to have given me back some energy. I’m looking forward to drinking teas besides Cold 911 (maybe iced tea is in the cards?).
This one more than makes up for my poor experience with (cue Twilight Zone music) the Black Lodge. This easy steeper had such a lovely balance of sour-sweet green apple, fennel and citrus zest that I ended up never drinking it with milk- the cloves and strong herbs make me mentally group it as a chai but I’ll have to order more if I want a latte or iced cup now!
The description on the back makes me laugh though. “Melodic sonic modulations” what now?! This is a pretty happy tea drinking experience and it got me through quite a few sick days, so I’ll go with it. This will be on the reorder list when I eventually run out of Psychocandy.
Flavors: Citrus Zest, Cloves, Fennel, Green Apple
Aww, I’m sorry you’ve had a rough few months, CrowKettle. I really hope 2018 will improve for you to the max.
I’m pretty sure this one is on sale right now and they are trying to clear it out. I’ve been wanting to try it myself. Hopefully the rest of the year goes better for you.
Thanks everyone. Things seem to be going more smoothly now.
I appreciate the heads-up, Lexie Aleah :)
Oh, this is good! The orange flavour reminds me strongly of another orange leafy-herbal tea I used to have.
It’s very much orange-sage-ginger. I added a tiny bit of honey to take it towards sweet and away from savoury.
Right up my alley.
Roswell’s description is true for the flavour notes, too. Earthy. Orange. A bit of spice. Yum.
(Also, i FINALLY got it today! I ordered right at the end of November, and had an argument with customs (tea is not taxed in Canada…). I’m super excited to drink the rest of what I got.)
Preparation
This one was good today, really clean and fresh-tasting. Now I’ve stopped looking for lemon curd, I feel better able to appreciate it for what it is – a pleasant, minerally green oolong.
I’d still love to get lemon from this, but I can live without it.
Preparation
083/365
So behind with these, but I only have one more left from this collection so I’m nearly there! This is the only non-flavoured tea of the five that were part of this release, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about a “pure” tea being marketed in this way. It feels…well, not entirely honest. I can see why they do it, because going with the name of the variety isn’t half so poetic. But still…
I second Daylon on this, and I think it’s a Jin Xuan. The beginning of the sip is creamy, with very slight lemon notes (although less sharp/sour/acidic than actual lemon, and more lemon flavour frosting). The mid sip is quite heady, with a fairly strong floral flavour; to me, it’s reminiscent of orchid, or lily, and it really lingers. The end of the sip is more vegetal, with a grassy, sometimes-almost-spinachy flavour. It’s a little heavily floral for my liking, but that’s entirely personal preference. It’s clearly a quality oolong, however you want to look at it.
This tea on its own is one thing. When you pair it with August’s high aesthetic and almost visionary description, it becomes something else entirely. This is more tea as artistic experience than “just a drink”. As I said, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about that. I guess it’s adding something to the process, but it makes me wonder how much is real, and how much imagined, and whether that justifies a significant premium on the price.
Preparation
I made this both cold brewed and hot. My preferred method was definitely the hot tea as it made for a more interesting and less cloying drink. Cold it was all pineapple and sweet and not much else whereas hot the generic sweet came through more distinctly as caramel and the other ingredients, such as the lemongrass and barley, had more to contribute.
Check out my full review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2018/04/02/big-easy-from-august-uncommon-tea/
I purchased this tea specifically to have it iced. It is absolutely true to it’s described flavor profile. I had no trouble at all identifying the peach, pistachio, lime and creme fraiche flavors as well as the base oolong tea. I thought that particular flavor combination would be really interesting and it was – and so delicious! The flavors work really well together and make a very enjoyable iced tea. I like this so much I may actually try it hot as well, but for now, I am very happy with it. No need to overleaf, and following the brewing instructions produced a perfect brew. Nicely done, August!
Flavors: Cream, Lime, Nuts, Peach
Preparation
alright bored with this one. I have a coworker who will appreciate this one and even if all he does is use it for cooking, that’s fine with me. :) Even with a little maple this is just a boring old lapsang.