August Uncommon Tea

Aside from its terrible name, I’m generally in favor of this tea, which has surprised me all over again with each cup.

Rose, cocoa, and clove don’t feel like they should go together, but I am a fan of all three. The scent gives clove and smoke with a background rose. On a sip, the bitterness hits first, but is quickly followed by the cocoa, with the clove and rose finishing at the end. Every cup out of this sample pack has been balanced and strong.

I’m a huge fan of a strong, potent rose and spice, so this is mostly a win for me. The bitterness up front is my biggest sticking point and keeps me from putting this up with some of my other favorite teas. I find it fascinating, but don’t feel like I need more.

A good tea, although a little simple. I steeped at 3 minutes but will try 4 next time. Goes well with a cube of sugar, but honey does not complement it nearly as much.

I really enjoyed the last of this small bag in my order. It is unique. Not something I’d drink every day but good for certain and moods – and you can’t argue the name is not memorable. Planning to order some more of this one. The caramel comes through decently strong and is of course enhanced by some sugar

This tea smells great, but when I tried it hot, it tasted like almost nothing. I let it cool, and now it’s pretty nice. The chocolate is quite rich. I get a bit of extra desserty flavor, but I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint it as hazelnut specifically. This is lovely both at room temperature and refrigerated. I don’t think I’d reorder a larger amount, but I had a good time with it. The chocolate flavor is quite authentic and nice. It has a pleasant richness.

2022 Spring Tea Swap – Day 25
From Emilie!

This is so unique! I can taste both the mint and the melon. It’s very refreshing. I think I’ll add a bag of this to my next AU order. I don’t have many melon teas, but it’s a flavor I really enjoy.

Mastress Alita’s Monthly Sipdown Challenge
June 2022 → An iced/cold brew tea

I steeped up the last of this blend from Emilie to have iced. I used the recipe from August Uncommon’s website for a shandy but subbed orange soda to make the mocktail version.

https://august.la/blogs/news/biarritz-tea-and-weiss-beer-shandy

I have to say, it is not my favorite. I’m not sure if it’s the temperature, but it tastes just like cherry cough syrup. If I ever have this one again, I’ll be sure to keep it hot.

2022 Spring Tea Swap – Day 23
From Emilie!

So unique! The aroma is cherry while the flavor is just like a black jelly bean. Those aren’t my favorite, but I don’t hate them. The cherry mixed with the anise definitely works. I don’t get the amaretto or orange blossom flavors which is kind of a letdown, but I’m going to use the rest of my sample in a cold brew to see what other flavors might come through. AU really has the most interesting blends!

I absolutely love the pineapple flavor that August Uncommon uses in their Big Easy tea, and I taste a similar flavor here. Unfortunately, it’s overshadowed by tons of black pepper flavor. This blend is supposed to be spicy, but the spice element here comes really just from the black pepper. So I wish there could be more pineapple, less black pepper, or maybe just more complexity here. Pineapple plus pepper isn’t great for me. It’s like eating a stir fry with pineapple in it or something. I actually enjoyed the resteep more because the super fruity sweetness had faded and it was just the savory pepper with a more savory cooked pineapple remnant. The second time I had this, I tasted mostly pepper with only a hint of pineapple, which was just too savory for me. This tea is definitely interesting, but it’s not really for me.

This is a tea from AJRimmer. I’m always excited to try an AU blend, they’re always interesting at the very least.

For some reason this one tastes like chocolate and banana to me. I don’t know if it’s because I let it get cold or what but how strange! I’ll certainly have to try this again and see if I get a more expected result

2022 Spring Tea Swap – Day 7
From Emilie!

I was a bit distracted while drinking this one, but I know that I really liked it. There was a deep caramel note that was so delicious. I’ll do better with my next note!

2022 Spring Tea Swap – Day 4
From Emilie!

This is so unique! I couldn’t place the aroma at first, but after cheating and looking at the ingredient list I definitely get tropical fruit vibes. I still have a bit more of this one to play around with, but if the rest is as good as this cup then I think I’ll pick some up with my next AU order.

I have an August tasting box and am excited to go through each of the teas. Trying to remember to make notes so I know which ones to repurchase!

Silencio is interesting. The smell is a strong pineapple; I actually noticed the pineapple smell several rooms over in my house while it was steeping! It didn’t give the same pineapple taste, however. The original sip is fairly bitter, but the cacao smooths it out a bit in the aftertaste. I cannot begin to explain why it reminds me of a coffee cocktail – maybe just the combo of bitter and cacao?
The spice is there, but much more subtle than the packaging implies. I notice the pineapple flavor only really as it cools.

Bold, different, and kind of a warm & cozy tea, but ultimately not one I think I’d seek out for repurchase.

This one tastes very similar to Bird & Blend’s black forest cake. I get a pretty balanced fruit and chocolate flavor. It’s done decently well, though it’s not one I’d really choose frequently due to my own preferences.

This tea has a lot going on, so I’m always amazed with how smooth and tasty it comes out. I made this iced today and it’s giving me a lot of lime and peach candy flavor, with an aftertaste of pistachio and maybe a bit of woodiness from the base. I believe this is also supposed to have floral and white chocolate notes, which I’m not getting. However, I’m fine with that as I think that would just be too much all at once

I’m drinking this with milk, and I feel pretty medium toward it. I taste the clove and maybe something fruity or like bergamot? It’s not super clear or delicious, just kind of there? As I keep drinking this, most flavor disappears and it’s just sort of lightly flavored black tea with no particular character. The resteep tastes pretty strongly of clove. I just feel like this one isn’t up to AU’s usual standards.

I know I’m not a lapsang fan, but I bought this anyway since I was ordering all the flavors I hadn’t tried yet. Yep, as usual, the lapsang isn’t even that strong, but it’s too strong for me. I don’t really taste any desserty flavors or anything else. It’s just that flavor that’s a bit too smoky for me, even with milk added in. I shared this cup with someone else who didn’t love it either. I left it in the fridge for two days, and now, actually I do taste something like burnt toffee. It’s sweet and nice but a bit too overshadowed by smoke.

I enjoy this blend best cold and sweetened. I get a bit of fruitiness and a bit of nuttiness. It’s pretty smooth and pleasant. I often don’t love white tea, and I can taste its presence, but it’s not too bad. This isn’t my favorite, but it does a good job.

I’m having this with milk, and the chocolate is pretty thick and authentic. I also taste cinnamon and some sort of spicy pepper. It all goes together super well. It’s complex and interesting. As it cools, I feel like the spices are disappearing into the chocolate a little bit, but I’m a fan anyway. The resteep was decently chocolatey as well. This is my second favorite spicy chocolate tea after Mayan chocolate chai from 52teas.

I can taste the alcohol and prunes here, along with some sweetness from the white chocolate. I liked it without milk, but it was even better with milk. I just soaked a bunch of dried fruit in alcohol for a homemade panettone, so I have to say that this tea does quite the authentic job at imitating fruit soaked in alcohol. It’s sweet and unique.

Unexpectedly, the strongest flavor I taste is anise. There’s a bit of almond, but it’s difficult to taste it past all that strong anise. I’ve had this plain cold and with milk warm, and I think I prefer it cold because the almond can come out more that way. Then it tastes like alcohol and almond, so I guess like amaretto? Plus that strong anise flavor, which sometimes gives it a bit of a soda taste. I enjoyed it much more the second time I had it because it tasted more balanced.

I can definitely taste the lapsang in this blend. It’s not overly smoky at all, but since smoke isn’t a flavor I love, it’s still a little much for me here. I totally get creamy desserty flavors as well. It tastes more mellow and smooth after it’s cooled. I enjoyed my cup of this, but I don’t know that I’d reach for it again.

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.

What a delightful blend! Although the candy apple scent is super strong in the dry leaf, the flavor itself is more muted—I’m getting a nice balanced blend of fennel, clove, and apple. Which sounds very autumnal, but that’s not really the vibe I get while sipping it.

I’m glad I ordered a package of this one last month, because I just saw that August Uncommon is discontinuing it. What a shame! I feel like it’s one of their better blends, without lots of flavorings gunking it up.

Although the dry leaf has a slightly off-putting, artificial-y scent, the brewed tea is much more palatable. There’s a slightly drying spiciness from the cardamom layered on top of a custardy, eggy vanilla flavor, making for an overall pleasant blend. The green tea base has a minerality and slight grassiness; the fact that this is a green base is a bit surprising—I’d expect these flavors on a black base—but I actually don’t mind it. It’s a nice twist and it makes for a gentler cuppa. I could see myself restocking this one for those times I want something flavorful but mild.