Violin in C Sharp

 When I opened the package, the immediate nose on the dry tea blend was very strong and very sweet plum.  When the water first hit the leaf, the plum faded into the background behind the suddenly very strong clove, but as the leaf opened the aroma became more bergamot and blackberry.  It was a very interesting progression. The plum is present both on the top note and the final note, and I enjoy that it is a tarter plum than some other teas I've had with plum who go instead for the cloyingly sweet side of the plum.  The tarter plum pairs nicely with the nice assam that they've used in this blend. For as dark as the brew turned after the 5 min steep, I expected more tannin and bitterness, but instead the end note is a mix of clove and citrus peel with a milder less tannin filled finish.  I think my favorite part is that in the mid note when my mouth is full of the liquid, I can really taste the nutmeg and the mallow flower which is not a combination I would have t...

 It's been nearly two months since I was in the mood to try out one of my new blends from August Uncommon Tea.  When searching through my cupboard this morning for what I wanted to drink, however, this blend called out to me. I've been in the mood for smoky teas of late - but I wanted something more complex in flavor than a Lapsang or a Russian Caravan, and the write up on this made it seem like it would fit the bill. When I opened the bag and took a whiff of the blend, I immediately wondered if I had made the right choice and worried that after brewing I might have to throw the entire pot out.  Why you ask?  Because the nose on this blend before brewing is ALL CHERRY ALL THE TIME.  I feared from the scent that I was going to have a pot of tea that tasted like cough syrup. As soon as the water hit the leaf, my fears didn't dissipate, but instead changed.  The initial hit of water sent up a scent something akin to the scent of pipe tobacco and turned my stom...

 August bills Jet Black as "A rich black tea with roasted mate and espresso bean". Now, I've had tea with espresso beans before and I've really enjoyed the combination.  However, I was expecting far more coffee flavor than what I got from this.  Especially since on the back of the package, the very first taste they list is espresso beans. August bills the taste profile as espresso beans, hazelnut, sugar cane, and steamed milk.  That listing sounded delicious to me, which is why I bought the blend to try in the first place. My first confusion came when I scooped out the leaf blend into my strainer. Where are the espresso beans??? Not seeing any espresso beans in the actual blend worried me.  All the other tea blends I've had from other companies that bill a blend of tea and espresso beans have actual espresso beans in the leaf blend! Confused but still hopeful, I poured my water into the pot and was treated to something terribly special - within 10 seconds of the...

  The front of the package bills this as a boozy black tea with white chocolate and prune. Well... I don't get the boozy bit at all.   The white chocolate is the dominant fragrance in the bouquet of the dry leaves and it adds a sweetness to the brew that means this does NOT need any sugar added to the cup for my palate. However, it is thankfully not TOO sweet.     Do I taste the prune?...... *sips again* ...... only when I'm really looking for it. Mostly, I think this tea reminds me a bit of a plum pudding..... which I guess means that it does have a sort of boozy prune profile after all....just... in a very specific combination.     The back says notes of armagnac which I maybe get? I think of armagnac being a plum and vanilla taste though I have had some armagnac that have more of a caramel and burnt orange taste and this tea has a bit of plum and maybe some burnt orange... so that could be their armagnac claim there. The back also says prune - which...