The Library (formerly Leatherbound)

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Assam Black Tea, Cocoa Bean Shells, Flavor
Flavors
Citrus, Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Grain, Licorice, Malt, Nuts, Rye, Wood, Brandy, Cherry, Chocolate, Molasses, Alcohol, Cream, Spicy, Astringent, Bitter, Spices, Vanilla, Marzipan, Bread, Blueberry, Sour, Yogurt, Caramel
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Organic, Vegan
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
Boiling 3 min, 15 sec 7 g 12 oz / 355 ml

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41 Tasting Notes View all

From August Uncommon Tea

Rich organic black tea with organic dark cocoa and organic caraway

Intensify your breakfast tea. The bold tannins and rich, buttery aroma of this tea mimic the inviting yet austere atmosphere of an old library. Dark wooden walls shoulder the weight of endless rows of well-loved books. Hints of cocoa and sweet almond enliven the flavor like a contemporary novel among stately leatherbound classics. A splash of milk tips the flavor towards a dark creamy stout. Like sinking into a crackled leather club chair to ponder the pages between your hands.

INGREDIENTS: organic GFBOP assam tea, organic cacao shell, organic caraway, flavoring

TASTES LIKE: buttered pumpernickel, molasses, semisweet chocolate, guinness
FEELS LIKE: morning in an old library

ORGANICVEGANGLUTEN FREENON GMO

About August Uncommon Tea View company

Company description not available.

41 Tasting Notes

66
292 tasting notes

Geez, I am so confused by this tea.

First, have to say I was so excited to try it based on it being Library themed, the back description, the lovely fruit smell that erupts from the bag, the company, the ratings.

But this is so ODD to me. The cocoa is very strong. I figured it would be a back layer but it’s strong and predominate. They did the cocoa well and not artificial at all, but I think mixed with something with rye or a liquor type makes it taste very strange to me. The description said toast - but I am not a rye fan. Caraway / Rye – didn’t make the connection lol.

It is drying and not sweet even with some sugar added. Suggests adding a touch of milk but I don’t see that making much difference. Will finish out the sample but couldn’t finish this cup at the current steep. Steeped 3, then 4.

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75
1429 tasting notes

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.

Flavors: Citrus, Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Grain, Licorice, Malt, Nuts, Rye, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
derk

I enjoy your associations and voice. And Dead Can Dance. Good pick for the tea.

Evol Ving Ness

I adore Dead CanDance and Leatherbound and associations. It’s 5:30 am. Thanks, neighbour’s. Not listening just now.

Crowkettle

Why are they making so much noise so unspeakably early?

From my past experience though 3:30am -5:45 a.m may possibly be the best time to listen to DCD (but maybe with some comfy headphones) :P

Evol Ving Ness

Comfy headphones, yes! (no idea where those might be currently.)

Not noise so much as whatever devices they are plugging in? Using? I have no idea what they might be—wireless / Bluetooth something or other? All their wifi etc. Command stations are set up on the adjoining wall. They are avid exercise buffs who have ALL the things—peloton,wii, video games, etc, etc. And they have a large extended family. And they keep odd hours. She stays up late doing whatever wired / wireless things she does. He comes home late—3? 5? And they argue and/or exercise in one form or another. It is the electromagnetic current that wakens me and then I hear the activity.

Evol Ving Ness

And/or he wakes early to work out. There are also two kids that get shuttled around at various times by/with friends/family. Babysitting arrangements? Shift work of babysitters? Who knows.

Crowkettle

I’ve been woken up/prevented from sleeping by the hum/whine of electrical equipment. Can’t even sleep in the same room as my cellphone or have my laptop or PC turned on in the adjacent room.

That’s a lot of tech in close proximity.

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94 tasting notes

The packaging mentioned Guinness-like flavors so this seemed like a good choice for St Patrick’s Day. The dry tea smells kind of like boozy raisins to me. There’s an alcohol-ish (the drinking kind, not the cleaning kind, but I can’t really pinpoint what kind specifically) scent I get from several of the darker cocoa-y type flavor August teas. Maybe it’s something in their flavorings or maybe it’s my allergy-addled brain (yay, springtime) not knowing what I’m smelling, I don’t know. The brewed tea smells like dried cherries and spices. I taste a bitterness that sort of reminds me of the bitterness of coffee but the flavor isn’t anything like coffee. There’s some dried fruit flavor. I guess I could maybe see how if you stretched your imagination you could get pumpernickel but the dry smell was probably closer to pumpernickel than the flavor. Nothing reminds me much of stout beer like Guinness. It’s not a bad tea, I just don’t really taste the flavors listed on the package.

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1711 tasting notes

Sipped this down yesterday. I noticed all the flavors listed on the bag. Buttered pumpernickel, molasses and Guinness. I overleafed a bit to sip down the bag and it gave a slightly sharp edge to the flavors that I would taste some of the time, but not all. I added some creamer, but I think I liked it better without. I still can’t tell if I really liked it or only tolerated it with the hopes I’d grow to like it. This isn’t a repurchase for me.
Also, strange that I finally finished this sample, but hadn’t made any tasting notes for it any of the other times I had it!

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87
1118 tasting notes

Sipdown.

It says something about the way this year has gone that I haven’t reviewed this tea yet. For the most part it’s a boozy chocolate tea with caraway and spice. I’m usually not a fan of chocolate in tea, but this was deep and rich and really good. The mix of chocolate, scotch and the combined spices was well blended. I’d usually add this back to my wishlist, but after dealing with August Uncommon’s customer service (or complete lack there of) I think I’ll look for a chocolate tea elsewhere.

Cameron B.

Oh no, what happened with customer service? :(

Veronica

I was trying to track a tea order I had mailed to my daughter while she was at school. No tracking number was ever sent, so I emailed… three times… and never received a reply. Ever. The package did eventually arrive, but the complete lack of customer service was a real turn off. :(

Cameron B.

Wow, that is discouraging…

gmathis

I’ve never seen a tea with caraway—interesting!

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98
236 tasting notes

I ordered this tea because that is both vegan and has a non-vegan name, gives me a thrill. (I go crazy for blood oranges.) Plus, I was curious about a tea that combined cocoa and caraway. Would it taste like rye bread? The answer is no. It tastes like rich chocolate with a slight leathery smell. Like sitting in a library of leatherbound volumes and drinking a delicious cup of hot cocoa. Top marks for a delicious and creative blend!

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88
2170 tasting notes

I finished my sample of this so I know I’ve had it before, but I haven’t yet logged it here. It’s so deep and chocolaty, the best cup I’ve had the last couple of weeks. I haven’t felt inspired to share on recent cups here since they’ve been pretty mediocre, but this was worthy of a note.

Flavors: Dark Chocolate

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 10 OZ / 300 ML

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80
216 tasting notes

So, this packet was opened about a year ago and has been sitting in my drawer pretty much untouched during warmer weather.

Love it every bit as much as I have before. I think it may have mellowed out a little in flavor, but has not suffered for it.

Love the mood it puts me in. Sadly not a mood that’s work friendly. :D

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15575 tasting notes

My morning cuppa today!

I pulled this one in a rush this morning because I saw “caraway” on the label and that sounded up my alley today – but I totally forgot that it’s a chocolate blend, and I’m not particularly in a chocolate mood today. However, it’s still making for a really pleasant cup today despite that; it’s smooth and full bodied with pleasant and complex notes of smoked chocolate, malt, sweet potato, caraway, and a bit of brandied fruit. Many of those notes are particularly coming from the black tea base, and I really love how much the base contributes to the flavour and compliments the additions.

For a chocolate blend, this is a sophisticated and elegant cup – I love those boozier undertones with everything else. Nothing is “too much” or “too little” and I’m enjoying it as something reflective and calm this morning.

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100
1789 tasting notes

t’s everything I’ve been looking for in a black tea that boasts of chocolate notes. They’re usually boring or otherwise uninspiring. But, Leatherbound is something else. It’s dark and has prominent molasses notes, but the chocolate rounds everything out. It’s smooth and creamy and I absolutely adore it.

Flavors: Cherry, Chocolate, Molasses

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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