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My August Uncommon teas arrived!

I had to start with this tea because when I first found out about August Uncommon this was the one tea I was just drooling over, it felt like an injustice to start with anything else. I made a small pot worth of tea to split with my mom: I was incredibly excited to share a yellow tea with her because I’d never made one for her yet.

Personally; I think this is arguably the best yellow tea I’ve had to date. I really need to try it Gong Fu to be sure as that’s the way I’ve primarily drank my yellow tea from Camellia Sinensis (which is my current favourite), but this just had such a more lively and robust flavour profile.

When August Uncommon describes the tea and “nutty” they’re not kidding! Breaking down the flavour profile, this is a predominantly nutty tea with both peanut and roasted hazelnut type notes. There’s a strong, comforting toasty flavour like eating roasted nuts at Christmas (not chestnuts though; that’d be too perfect) while unwrapping presents. Other notes present are straw/hay and a light buttery note as well. The overall mouthfeel is very rich, and the liquor smooth with minimal astringency. I could probably drink this tea for days and feel happy and at peace.

…And on the flip side.

My mom, who I was hoping would appreciate the uniqueness and rarity of the tea, couldn’t even finish a teacups worth. To her, the nuttyness was overpowering and the straw/hay taste harsh and unpleasant. She described it as drinking “barnyard juices”. What’s wrong with her!? It hurts my heart to see such a wonderful tea go unappreciated. However, I guess that just means more for me, right?

Right.

Flavors: Butter, Hay, Hazelnut, Nutty, Peanut, Roast Nuts, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Straw, Umami

keychange

You have such a discerning palate!

Fjellrev

Your mom is awesome haha.

Marzipan

My mom is the same way. I took some awesome What-Cha Nepal Golden Tips tea to her and she much preferred Della Terra S’mores. Tea is a journey and she is just leaving home on it.

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Comments

keychange

You have such a discerning palate!

Fjellrev

Your mom is awesome haha.

Marzipan

My mom is the same way. I took some awesome What-Cha Nepal Golden Tips tea to her and she much preferred Della Terra S’mores. Tea is a journey and she is just leaving home on it.

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Bio

Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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