Low Country

Finished up this one, still like it. Trying to go through some more samples since have a few days off work.

Sipdown! (61)

This one just doesn’t work for me.

To be fair, I don’t always love lapsang in blends. And that’s the case with this one. I can imagine smoke and caramel working well together, but it just doesn’t happen for me here. And I think it’s because the caramel flavor here is somewhat buttery? And that note doesn’t really meld well with the smoke, so it ends up just tasting like artificial butterscotch layered on top of the base. The base is also fairly bland aside from the smoke, and has a bit of astringency to it.

A resounding meh. But it does smell nice!

After taking a few years to sip down a giant stash, I am finally buying some new teas! Teaching means no time for loose leaf most days except in the evenings, so it has taken quite awhile. I have been taking extra time to brew this in my to-go cup in the mornings, though. The burnt sugar aspect really shines with a little milk and a smidge of sweetener, and it is divine. On it’s own, it edges on a bit tangy.

I’ve never had bourbon, so I’m not sure if this blend tastes like it or not! What I taste is caramel and a hint of smoke, which doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does. A delicious and high quality dessert tea. August Uncommon keeps impressing me!

I can’t get the hang of this tea. If I steep it for 2 minutes it is weak and if I steep it for 3 it seems a bit bitter. It reminds me a lot of MF’s Wedding Imperial, which was also a tricky tea to get a good cup out of and required a lot of trial and error. Maybe I should look up my notes on that tea for the next cup of this. I’m struggling to get a good cup out of several August Uncommon teas. I have followed the steeping instructions, but come out with a cup less than what I was hoping for and not what the scent of the tea teased of. I feel like the times and temps are too high, but haven’t sorted out what they should be for each tea. I don’t want tea to be so much work! LOL!

I smell deep rich caramel in this. The sip starts out neutral, then the caramel creeps in, then the bitterness mid way and through the last of the sip. It fades on the finish and the caramel notes come back on the finish. Adding cream dulls the flavors, but also mutes the bitter. I have a lot more to work out with this tea.

Haven’t had any of my August Uncommon blends for a while. Saw that they were having a sale and was tempted to purchase, but decided to shop my own stash instead. Good idea- I realized I have a ton AU blends that I need to get through.

This is still tasty- smoky/caramelized sugar. I think I prefer Golden Arrow over this one though.

Sipdown (150)

So my awesome tea twin, Roswell Strange, sent me a package with tea and song pairings. I was so excited when I received it a few days back but only now got a chance to sit down and actually listen to a song and appreciate the moment.

This company and band are both new to me so I was really intrigued about what my tea twin had in store for me. However, apparently there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to tea and song pairings. I put the song on and immediately thought I had to drink the whole tea in the 5 minutes. Of course, when I started drinking, it was too hot. I decided to let it cool and then in my usual fashion, started doing a thousand other things and then realized the song finished and two other songs had played. So, I went back to the song, made sure the tea was an appropriate temperature, and tried again.

The second time around, things went much better. I did have to resist starting my note while I drank, which is what I normally do, and instead focused on the music and tea. I let the two consume me. My goal going into this was to try and determine why Ros picked this song for this tea and with this particular pairing, it did not take long. The two are so smooth. There is a sweetness to them that is peaking through and yet there is a smokeyness floating above it all. In the song, this came through as the low almost whisperlike singing that is comforting yet also just a bit haunting, especially when layered atop the soft, mellow music.

As I drank, I couldn’t help but think this is what I think scotch would taste like. Now, I have never drank scotch (so don’t get mad at me if you drink this and it tastes nothing like scotch whatsoever) but a lot of people close to me love it. My brother-in-law recently got into it because he said it tastes like burnt caramel. One of my best friends drink it because she likes the smokiness. Both elements are present in this tea, all floating on a smooth black base, hence the comparison.

I could see both this tea and song being enjoyed on a sort of quiet, drizzly night. Just relaxing and enjoying the calm.

Thank you Roswell Strange for the tea and music suggestion. I enjoyed both quite a bit and the experience was a lot of fun. I look forward to drinking the others and seeing how they work with the music.

Song pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5soixb2U6xM

This is a sample from apieceofquiche. Thank you again for allowing me to give this a try.

Western Style in an Adagio Ingenuitea. 3 minutes. 12 g/16 oz water.

“Smoked Bourbon Vanilla.”

Unsweetened: Every sip seems to introduce a new flavor. However, I taste that smoky bourbon flavor. There seems to be a slight burnt sugar note, maybe a little caramel or honey in the aftertaste. The dry leaf definitely gave off this tomato soup with BBQ sauce smell, but it’s proving to be more enjoyable than expected.

Sweetened: With a little sugar added, I’m getting Tomato Soup Cake. Perhaps this would pair well with sweets, like butterscotch, caramel candies, or cake.

It’d be a good afternoon tea for guests. However, teas like this are often considered to be winter teas for me. I’m mostly a “light” tea kind of guy in the summer; that, or overly fruity, if I drink anything with added flavors. I like it. Definitely has that Bourbon Street Vanilla vibe to it.

Wowzers. Or more appropriately…HOLY SMOKES!

It’s certainly a unique blend. The scent reminds me of aged bourbon while curled up beside a roaring fire. It’s smokey yet sweet. It’s got nice depth and complexity, but it’s a bit too smokey for me to enjoy. Truthfully, I felt like I was drinking barbecue sauce (sans tomato). Does that make sense? I actually started coughing when I removed the cover of my infuser. #lightweight

I’m happy I gave it a try, but I’ll be re-homing what’s left of it. If anyone (in the US) is interested in sampling this, please let me know. Happy to pass it along to someone that enjoys smoky teas. :)

This is a queued tasting note.

There are still a couple teas from August Uncommon that I’ve yet to really tap into, so I took advantage of Easter to break out one of the ones I’ve yet to try, despite not really finding this to fit the “mood” of the day.

I’d forgotten that this one has smoked black tea in the base until I cracked open the sample bag. Then, I instantly remembered! Mmm, smoky black teas!

Steeped up, this tastes smoky at first! Like camping at the family cabin. However, the gentle smoke notes aren’t over powering, and really compliment the other flavours instead of crowding or overwhelming them. The rest of the flavor is a nice, smooth bourbon note accented with the flavour of something nice and roasty, like barley or buckwheat. There’s a pleasant sweetness that reminds me heavily of molasses or brown sugar. When I’m sipping on the cuppa, I feel like I should be on my balcony at midnight, surrounded by the light chirping of crickets and reflecting heavily on the past. In a way, while this tea is rich and indulgent, it reads to be as the appropriate choice for brooding.

But regardless, this is the noms.