August Uncommon Tea

I went through a phase some years ago where I craved a good masala chai. The problem was, I really strongly dislike clove and almost every single masala chai out there is like being smacked in the face with a 5 lb bag of cloves. shuddder

For some reason, every single time I try to drink a tea containing clove, it brings to mind something my mom would make over the winter. She’s put a pot of water on the stove and set it to a a temp that would allow it to steam, but not really simmer or boil. Then she’s put in an old manky orange that was due for the trash, a cinnamon stick, and a bunch of cloves. In her words, it made the house “smell nice” and added some much needed humidity.

To this day I still associate cloves with mushy, pulpy, disgusting oranges.

Anyway, Painted Desert seems to be seriously satisfying that craving I had for a masala chai that didn’t overwhelm with clove. I have a feeling this is going to turn into a seasonal staple.

Several years ago, I ran across something here on Steepster that brought August Uncommon to my attention. Browsing their web site, Painted Desert stood out to me. I thought it looked good. I mentioned it to my mother. She promptly spent a significant amount of effort convincing me it would be horrible and bitter and, yadda, yadda, yadda. (Seriously, how do you know if you don’t ever try.) I let her convince me and so I didn’t order it. Then I lost interest in flavored teas (or even tea blends for that matter) and the subject was dropped.

Recently something brought my attention back to August Uncommon. And I was regaining interest in flavored teas again, especially with the onset of fall and colder weather. So I went back to their web site, poked around, and made my first order. Of that order, Painted Desert is the last one for me to try. I’m one of those people who likes to save the (what I hope to be) best for last.

Opening the packet, the very first thing that jumped out at me was cacao, REAL cacao, not some chocolate flavoring kind of thing. I know that smell. As mentioned in another review, I adore brewing cacao. And right on its tail was cinnamon. And again, this smells like a cinnamon stick, not some overpowering cinnamon oil that never tastes like actual cinnamon to me. Can we say I am excited?

I can’t help but get diverted here. Have you ever actually tatsted ground cinnamon all by itself or licked/sucked on a cinnamon stick? Serious, it ain’t sweet. I don’t understand how people think cinnamon is sweet. Its actually slightly bitter. It does go excellently with sweet, but is not sweet in its own right. And neither is this tea. Yippie!

Once steeped, the cinnamon takes center stage and the cacao steps back a little. I can’t really detect the chili, which I am disappointed about. I was really looking forward to the chili.

Second steep and I feel the cacao is standing out a bit more this time. There might be a tad little bit of astringency in there, but I’m not sure if its the tea or the cinnamon. I also steeped it for longer, so that might be a factor in both cases.

Verdict, while my chili hopes were dashed, the result is still really enjoyable and perfect for a cold gray Seattle October day. And true to form, as soon as I typed that previous sentence, the sun came out from behind the clouds blazing in its brightness. grumble

I need to start off with a bit of a warning. I enjoy eating unsweetened 100% pure dark chocolate. You know, that stuff in the baking aisle your mom kept in the fridge that you tried eating as a kid because it was chocolate and discovered that real chocolate with nothing else in it tastes like bitter dirt. Yep, that’s the stuff. I eat that almost daily . . . for pleasure. I keep a bar in the top drawer of my desk at work as an afternoon treat. I have a bag of brewing cacao in my tea drawer that I enjoy pretty much as often as I do tea. (No, its absolutely nothing like hot chocolate.) So my perceptions of bitter and chocolate may not match the average person.

So, onto In the Mood for Love.

What can I say, its black tea. I don’t detect chocolate at all. Or malt for that matter. Actually, what does malt taste like anyway? I honestly have no clue. I had a chocolate malt once. It tasted exactly like every other chocolate milkshake I have ever had.

I don’t taste sweet. Given the fact that I have avoided anything containing any type of sugar at all for almost 7 years, I am pretty sensitive to the whole sweet thing. Carrots actually make me sick at my stomach because they are so sweet. There is none of that here at all.

On the first steep I detected no astringency or bitterness (note my bitter warning above however). It seems like a basic black tea with, as far as I can tell, no offensive qualities. As things cooled, I did notice a tiny bit of astringency show up, but it was pretty mild.

On the second steep there was still a slight hint of that astringency there, but never seemed to be more than just a hint

This is the second keemun I have tried. I was not a fan of the first one. I would be more likely to drink this one but there’s a lot of other straight black teas out there I would prefer.

Overall: decent but doesn’t stand out.

Revisited Leatherbound again today and suddenly I can taste the caraway. Funny how that works.

Its still eliciting the same reaction from me, especially when this morning started with rain, hail, thunder, and similar. Oh if I could only go home and curl up with this tea and a good book.

To add to my previous review

At the end of the day, while I was cleaning out my infuser, I finally smelled the caraway. :)

Once upon a time, I bought a set of tiny flavor concentrates/extracts that are used to make candy and similar. One of the flavors in that bunch was Brandy. This is the first thing I noticed when I opened the packet of Leatherbound. In fact I still had the little bottle of the brandy flavor in my drawer. Comparing the two, they are not identical, but wow it seems really close.

I think the first thing I had to come to terms with in Leatherbound is its all about the experience. Not the flavors so much as how it makes you feel I guess.

The name is very apt. In my mind I see a well worn oversized overstuffed leather chair. You know one of those where the leather has turned all soft and comfortable and its big enough for two people if you don’t mind snuggling Its in a big room in dark wood paneling filled with bookshelves (and LOTS of books) that go something like 12ft high. There are small lamps by the chairs, but otherwise the lighting is dim. There are large windows with heavy drapes that look out to a cold, gray, and rainy day. Somewhere nearby, someone is smoking a pipe. You know how pipe tobacco has a smell all of its own.

My first repose is, OMG I want to live there for the rest of my life! I don’t have a dream house, I just have a dream room, and the paragraph above describes it almost perfectly.

So, lets get down to flavor.

I find it funny how taste perception can vary so much from person to person. Its either been so long since I have smelled or tasted rye bread (or any bread for that matter) that I might not be able to recognize it if it were shoved into my face. So I don’t get any bread vibes or caraway vibes for that matter. Given caraway is in the ingredient list, I find that surprising.

Two steeps, multiple sessions in the microwave (because I can’t stand cold tea unless its iced), and I cannot detect any astringency or bitterness. The cacao flavor is very mild and doesn’t seem to stand out very much.

What I keep going back to is that brandy extract/flavoring, which drags me back to that room with that comfy overstuffed leather chair. Oh and there is a fireplace. There needs to be a fireplace. Not because I can detect smoke, but because rooms like that just need big stone fireplaces. Oh and there’s a bottle of brandy on a side table with some glasses, because its necessary for a room like that as well.

I should note: You don’t really notice the tea base with Leatherbound. Its not that its being over powered (I’m looking at you Market Spice!), but how much do you notice the canvas of an oil painting. Its a vital component, but it doesn’t stand out on its own. At least to my current tastes.

Its funny how our tastes can change over the years. I initially got into teas via flavored ones. I then moved on to pure teas, realizing that a really good tea was a delight all of its own. And for some reason, this fall I am drawn back to flavored ones.

The description of this tea sounded intriguing, but the presence of Lapsang Souchong made me nervous. I am not a fan of smoked anything. Mildly smoked pork is ok, but anything else is pretty gross. I have another smoky tea that I can’t stand and has never been used beyond the first cup.

But this was my first August Uncommon pourchase and I had an introduction 20% off code I wanted to make good use of. I have also not consumed sugar in any form for almost 7 years and I rarely make use of alternative sweeteners (months can go between uses). My options were limited. So i bought it anyway, telling myself you never know for sure until you try. And I’m glad I did.

The smoky flavor is mild, barely a hint, which helps a lot. There is a slight taste and smell of toffee. Nothing strong or overpowering, but it is there and its quite pleasant. None of the various flavors overpower or dominate over any of the others. This can actually be a failing in others where the flavors drown out the tea base itself. I feel Golden Arrow has a very nice balance that is so rare to find.

I also have to give kudos to August Uncommon in that they allow one to search based upon criteria such as sugar free. I very much appreciate not having to guess on which teas may or may not be safe for my consumption. (T2 diabetic. Just because sugar won’t kill me today doesn’t mean it won’t kill me in 20 years. Seriously, go on, have a little arsenic. You won’t fall over dead today, so obvious it must be safe.)

I put off drinking this for so long since it’s never really well received. However, as one of the oldest teas in my stash, I figured I should at least try it. I was surprised that the first sip actually had the burnt toffee flavor August Uncommon promises. The next mouthful was just lapsang and one that was sort of metallic. It seems the key is small sips. It’s fine but not something I really care for.

Very smooth consistency. Lemony flavor.

I haven’t had a cup of this in awhile, but it’s still quite tasty. Adding honey brings out the toffee notes and mellows out the sweetness a bit.

This is one of the August Uncommon blends that I’ve repurchased. It’s extremely comforting, and though it’s something I generally like to reserve for cooler weather, I decided to brew up a cup this morning. Smoke and burnt sugar notes, the addition of a bit of honey enhances the creme brûlée experience and makes the smoke more mild.

This is a nice one to drink all afternoon. It’s a white puerh, and it’s not my absolute favourite one (I have a cake of my fav!), but it’s nice and sweet and the leaves look cool.

Yum.

At least puer teas age well, even the white ones! This is delicious although I oversteeped it at 1 min. I did a quick rinse, then 1 min at 165F. I’ll do 1-2 more steeps as I finish up my work and then the presentation I’m doing for class tonight. Heh. Yeah, I haven’t written it yet.

Soft, sweet, fruity, and then tannin.

Sadly about half my tin ended up as a sacrifice to the floor gods. Oh well, I’ll savour what I have left then maybe break into one of the other 5 (est) white puer I have.

Yum. This tea is still so good!

I rearranged my kitchen cupboards which necessitated rearranging my teas, and I found this one.

I still really like it. Why haven’t I drank it more? No clue. I would order from them again if… oh hey, they are now offering “15-cup” bags for about $10. It looks like they’re not doing those seasonal releases in tins only! Oh, I might be able to pick up some of my favourite herbals. I’ll have to see where I’m at with drinking up all my no caffeine teas before I work teas into my budget again…

Oversteeped, but it was still nice – more hazelnut than chocolate, which is the balance I want out of a chocolate and hazelnut blend. The flavour of the nut is way more interesting to me, and harder to convey, whereas I can get a chocolate tea just about anywhere…

Also, am I crazy or didn’t this tea used to have a longer name!?

Sipping on this one currently!

In ingredients list alone I felt pretty confidant that I would enjoy this tea; boozy almond with orange and anise!? Yes please! Even the dry leaf smelled very appetizing to me. However, steeped up I’m finding the taste to be a little much. It’s not that any of the present flavours taste bad – in fact they’re all quite lovely! The almond/amaretto is really clear and coating on the palate but not artificial/chemical or too concentrated, the anise is sweet and licorice-y with a hint of warming spice but doesn’t mask the other flavours, and the orange is delicate and floral.

The main issue here is that it’s simply too much when all together. Single out any two of these flavours and this would be a good tea – but all three together is very rich and really coating on the palate, so they all linger for a VERY long time after each sip. That is often a reoccurring theme to AU blends; there’s just so much going on!

I will revisit and see if this is something I adjust to with subsequent steepings, but right now I just feel a little bit impartial towards it as a blend.

Thanks so much for the excellent swap, derk! Some amazing teas that I have wanted to try in that package, including the first I’ve ever been able to try from August Uncommon! So very thrilled for that.  I tried this a few days ago, late on the tasting note, but I was drinking this from derk and Yeti from Annie and was feeling quite tea spoiled!!  I’m grateful to Steepster for all the tea buds and the oceans of tea I’ve been able to try over the years because of those tea buds. 
This is GOOD.  A great tea to have on hopefully one of the last colder days of the season.  Apple, yet also savory from the clove and fennel on a lighter black tea base. I love to find an occasional fennel tea.   I debated using two teaspoons for a BIG mug to finish the sample off but I’m glad I didn’t, as the flavor is certainly full and lingering in the mouth long enough to only use one teaspoon. Now I have the extra teaspoon for another day. A great introduction to August Uncommon!
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon for a mug // 22 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 3 minutes after boiling //  3 min steep

It was a nice refreshing, herbal tea. I think it was better cold.

As a black coffee drinker, I really liked this one. Coffee flavor is subtle. No need for sweetener.

I’ve tried this one on two separate occasions, and I pretty strongly dislike it, despite consisting of flavors I generally love (orange blossom, honey, almond). The first time, it somehow tasted like pencil shavings. This time around, it has a strong alcohol flavor that overpowers everything else.

This tea brewed up rather weak the first time I drank it, so this time used double the leaf and it had a lot more taste. The tea can be steeped for 5+ minutes without getting bitter, but I’m not sure steeping longer makes for a better cup. There is definite smokyness here, not sure about the Assam or Yunnan. Sweet, burnt brown sugar lies under the smoky Lapsang Souchong; it reminds me of the top coating on a creme brulee or the sauce in bananas foster. While the caramel taste is interesting, it really doesn’t add much to the tea overall. I wanted to like this tea as it sounds yummy, but even adding honey to the second steeping didn’t change my opinion here. I won’t be drinking this again.

I had a cup of this earlier and was so pleasantly surprised! I had tried this once before, when it first came in, and didn’t like it at all. It was too strong (my fault for using too much tea) and gave me an awful headache with its strong aroma. The bergamot caught my eye today so I thought, why not? I’m glad I gave it another chance. Really delicious.