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Got this from JacquelineM Thanks! This oolong brews up to a pretty ambery red color. The smell is like a roasted tea smell more of the roasty smell than actual tea but you do smell the vegetal notes as well.
It’s a basic oolong and as I have been drinking so many flavored teas lately this one just isn’t doing it for me. Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad it’s just plain, it is a great intro into oolongs but I prefer silky, milky oolongs. The flavor in this one is not weak by any means in fact it is strong it’s not a bad tea I am just not finding alot to add to the other tasting notes here.

Okay so I have had this in my cupboard for about 2 months and I have had it twice. I honestly haven’t tried many “chai’s” but I keep reading all of the chai reviews on here and some of the sweet concoctions you all come up with had me in an experimental mood and today I am going to do something about it.

One heaping teaspoon of Organic Masala Chai the chai is full of spices and smells mostly peppery so I add it to about 6 ozs of hot water, steeped about 4 minutes tasted it and it’s okay not something delicious like what I imagine when I read some of the other chai reviews so seems this maybe my chance to do my experiment here goes my experiment/sweet concoction.

So yesterday I’m at the grocery store and I pass the creamer section and think hmmm… from time to time I hear my fellow steepsters add some creamer to there tea so I look through the 30 plus creamer flavors and brands and settle on Coffemate’s Vanilla Chai and so I think I AM going to add some creamer to my chai. I know people normally steep chai in milk but I am out of milk as usual (teenager still at home) and so I add a tablespoon and half of creamer and it tastes okay nothing to write home about or anything just okay. Then I think what the heck I’ve already added the creamer what could really sweeten the deal!? I do a quick sweep of the fridge and see that Mrs. Richardson Butterscotch Caramel Topping so I decided to give it a shot. I pop the the bottle of B.C. into the microwave and ding ding it’s soft enough to add a tablespoon to my chai. At worst I’m thinking could be a sugary sweet mess at best I could have created something that should go on a Starbucks menu I’m hoping for the latter but who knows? Well the final result is neither :(

It’s a milky, butterscotchy (butterscotchy? there’s something I never heard myself say) chai mix not something worthy of resale :)) but not something that I really want to pour down the drain either. It is what it is……..whatever that maybe. Definently don’t see myself trying it again.

If anyone else has any tea recipe ideas for me so that I can try to find away to use up my Vanilla Chai creamer I would definently appreciate it.

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Okay so after reading Cait’s review I thought “Yeah why not have dessert tea for breakfast!?” So I looked in my cupboard and discovered this Harney and Sons sample just sitting there staring out me it. It was as if it was saying Hey Lady if your going to go for a dessert tea you might as well give me a try! :) So I accepted the offer.

I open the package to discover it smells like an Andes Mint or the cheaper version (junior mints) and so I start to think about the smell while I let it steep and realize it smells like Adagio’s Cocomint.

I would normally pick a Harney and Sons tea over an Adagio tea any day that’s just me though. So back to the review so steep’s over and the tea still smells like an Andes mint I say Andes because it smells richer than a junior mint. I take a taste after letting it cool a few minutes and the first thing that hits me is MINT, WHOA! It’s like it shocked my tongue into wake up mode and not necessarily in a good way not bad but not hey that’s really good. I need more let’s at it to my shopping list good more like if I was out somewhere and someone offered it to me I would probably accept it but I probably wouldn’t offer it to you if you were visiting that’s unless of course you said hey I want a mint chocolate tea and even then I probably steep you up some Cocomint. :))

It’s a pretty good tea while I don’t really taste the chocolate I know it’s there it’s not the main character though the mint is definently the Angelina Jolie of this tea. It’s a good tea not better than Adagio’s even though it smells a little better than Adagio’s it’s not better just a little stronger in mint flavor.

Tried this blend today courtesy of Meghann M (Thanks Meghann). When I opened the package vanilla tones hit me and the woodsy smell of rooibos. I pour a teaspoon and see small bits of coconut and there too I identified the rooibos that I thought I had smelled. As I said before I like most black teas and this one does have black tea in the list of ingredients but I don’t taste the black tea (at all) I mostly taste rooibos and vanilla while it’s not a bad combination I would like to be able to pick up on the black tea a little more (but that’s just me). As I have said in some of my previous post me a rooibos can go either way it’s kinda a hit or miss sorta thing (same goes for chai’s) and this one is okay. I’ve been in search of a good chai and while this one is not quite it I can see why others would find it appealing. I would like to try it with milk and MAYBE sugar too but unfortunately I am out of milk right now (Thanks to my teenager who is a bottomless pit). I will try this next time I have milk and post the results. Thanks again Meghann!

Okay so I stayed at B & N a long time yesterday (long enough to try out 2 teas). This tea my husband encouraged me try because it was the only tin left of it’s kind while the others were stocked pretty full (he assumed it was the best since it was closest to being sold out). Not that it was hard for him to talk me into trying a new tea or anything :) but I usually don’t just pick white teas I don’t know why but I think it may have something to do with their lack of full body flavor. At least that’s what I typically think when I try white teas but this one was totally different it was surprisingly full bodied and the taste of the fuzzy peach filled your mouth. The color I found surprising as well in that it’s not clear it’s not even close to clear it’s amber in color and the smell it sooo nice it’s peachy but not in an artificial type peach way in a natural peach way it’s a soft peach smell but not as soft as one might expect for a white tea. I tried two teas yesterday and I think I might have to go back today and pick them both up :))

I brought the tea bags home in there respective cups and resteep and while the the taste was a little fainter than the original brew it was still quite enjoyable and was definently a true reflection of the original steep.

I tried this today at Barnes and Noble while shopping and it was so good. I totally agree with the other reviewers in that this tea is a tasty green tea and you get hints of coconut and I don’t taste the ginger very much at all but just enough to give the coconut a briskness it also does seem to have a buttery taste to as other posters mentioned. I am definitely adding this one to my list of “To buys” from Harney and Sons.

I was feeling really tired (even after two cups of Florence) so I decided to open my sampler pouch of Palm Court another Harney and Sons Tea that I have been dying to try based on the reviews from fellow Steepsters. I opened the pouch and the smell of Tea hits me bold just Tea smells (but they are good tea smells) and so I think this is going to be just what I need to wake me up and get me going. I take my first sip and I think wow it’s pretty good I really don’t know how to describe the flavors other than they taste like tea a strong black tea, I can say I smell the oolong which is never a disappointment as I love me some oolongs but the other teas are I think Assam and Keemum which I have never tried on their own so I cannot give a tasting note on that portion. It’s full bodied and so I thought this tea needs a little sweetener so I then added a little german rock sugar (I normally do not add sugar to my teas) so then I took another sip and I think WOW that’s sweet maybe I overdid it with a teaspoon of sugar it’s pretty sweet now so I do not think I can give an accurate review of this tea at this time because of the sugar but I will say that it does seem to be waking me up which was the point after all. Oh and I almost forgot the color of this tea is beautiful, it’s a red orange color I am so glad I bought this glass mug because I did not realize all the beautiful tea colors I had been missing out on the colors really bring a new dimension to the enjoyment of Tea! Back to the review as with all the teas I’ve tried from Harney’s this seems to be of outstanding quality and the brewed leaves unfurl and you can see the different types of leaves quite nicely.
This might sound weird but this tea now that I have sweetened it would probably be really good iced. Hmmm come on summer months I am ready to start icing me some teas!

What more can I say that hasn’t already been said about this tea? I TOTALLY agree with all the other reviews. It’s nose is spectacularly chocolate mixed with hazelnut. And the flavor is awesome black tea (probably Ceylon) and the same as the nose, chocolate and hazelnut. It just works! Yum.

UPDATE: I find myself craving this tea more and more Thanks to Amazon V for fueling my addiction (she is a tea enabler). Bumping it up.

Paul Harney don’t tell my husband…. but I love you. I love Harney and ALL his Sons for that matter. The only person who might love you more is JacquelineM and I love her too for her wonderful reviews of your teas that introduced me to you to begin with. :))

I had a cup of pu erh a while ago and wasn’t thinking about what I would try next and then that knock at my door came that wonderful, glorious knock the knock you’ve been waiting a week for! I froze and then broke out in a full sprint It’s from you Mr. Harney (I won’t tell my husband that you keep sending me these lovely little gifts it’ll be our little secret) that is until my husband sees my C.C. statement.

So I decided since I just had pu erh I better go for a green and I selected the Green Hot Cinnamon Spice and what can I say it is so perfect. It is the exact same essence of Black Hot Cinnamon Spice only milder way MILDER and I love the black H.C.S. but this is perfect when you need a cup of green tea or if you just don’t like the black version> I think it was Jillian who didn’t care much for the black H.C.S. and if she were here right now I’d pour her a mug and reassure her that just because the black was not her cup of tea don’t give up try this cup of Green H.C.S.! It’s smooth yet spicy a MUCH better version of Teavana’s White Ayurvedic Chai/Samurai Chai Mate. Don’t worry Mr. Harney I haven’t been cheating on you with Teavana I pledge to you that after drinking your Green H.C.S. I won’t betray with that White Ayurvedic stuff anymore just please don’t change!

There’s only one thing I would change about you as with most guys your a little hard to read as in your suggested steep times and temps. LOL such a great tea!

What can I say about this savory little beauty? When I open my sample packet and took a sniff I thought " Oh wow, this smells yummy" as in orange, blood orange yummy it smelled not like an artificially orange flavor but like the real thing just not quite as strong. Then I did the pour water over (Yes I followed the instructions) and then the actual steep and I start to get the dreaded pu erh fishy smell but not as sharp as other fishy smelling pu erh’s I’ve tried. This fishy smell is tolerable it’s actually quite tolerable even. Then I take a sip and the orange pu erh taste fills your mouth and you think NOW this is a good pu erh! I have had other orange pu erh’s so I can safely say this is the best one I have tried. I own another orange peel ginger pu erh that is pretty good and I enjoy it too but the ginger feel in that Pu erh is like going to P.F. Changs and having a meal this pu erh it’s like an appetizer. You know when you order the appetizer and it’s sooo good that you think How can the meal outdo this I wish I would’ve just ordered more of this appetizer! It’s like that it’s the awesome appetizer that is better than the meal! If that makes since?

The color is beautiful it a dark red, orange black color. Back to the taste it also leaves an orange aftertaste and I really appreciate that as most other flavored pu erh’s I have tried just leave me with a pu erh after taste. I like this I may order more very soon!

Okay so you all have me very intrigued by your awesome reviews of Samovar Teas. I placed an order of about 8 samples and got it in the mail today (yea!). I thought since it ‘s late afternoon I should start with something mellow sorta low key and so I picked Downy Sprout. As I believe it was Takgoti who mentioned the leaves are beautiful like green and fuzzy and they are beautiful I agree. I steep the leaves for 2 minutes and out came this champagne colored liquor (another quote from Takgoti’s tasting note) there’s simply no other color match that better suits it other than Champagne color. The nose is a cross between fresh hay and tea and I do love the smell of fresh hay so that’s a compliment. The taste is buttery and I don’t know why but I just want to say the flavor is calm? I guess because it is very relaxing not alot of flavors going on I mean it is an unflavored white tea so I didn’t expect alot of flavors to be going on and it’s quite pleasant nice actually. There’s a very light flavor that I can’t quite place which is probably because I haven’t had anything with this flavor. It has no bitterness and it seems almost like a honeysuckle flavor when I slurp it I definently get honeysuckle but when I just sip the honeysuckle is not so noticeable. A very classy cuppa in my opinion a very sophisticated tea (if tea can be called sophisTEAcated) So this tea note comes to end along with my first cup of Downy Sprout.

Update: Bumping up rating I steeped it for the second time this morning and it was more enjoyable.

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Yum what a smooth cup to wake up to. I do love to wake up by drinking a big mug of black tea too but this is sooo much smoother than many black teas.

Okay so I’ve had this sample sitting in my cupboard for a few weeks now and to be honest I was kinda hesitant of it by the smell and me and rooibos can go either way. There’s not really much to say about this tea blend it taste mostly of rooibos and the nose to it smells like apples to me (I know it says orange) but I get apple for some strange reason but mostly just rooibos and I think I just figured it out maybe the orange mixed with the chamomile creates an apple smell hmmm. It’s not bad but it’s not something that I would ever crave. So I will rate it according to the accuracy of Adagio’s description and not by my own feelings (which are subjective and would therefore be very low)

Decided to spice my afternoon up a bit with some Spiced Apple Chai. First let me start by saying that I have only experimented with about a dozen chai teas, that being said I haven’t ever really found one that I liked and made me think WOW I have to start trying out more Chai tea (which is what I usually think when I try a good tea). Back to the review it smells incredible that is if you like the smell of apple cider and I do so that was a plus. The taste of apple is faint or maybe it’s just the sharpness of an apple and not so much the sweetness and I was after the sweetness so I am a little disappointed by this the spices do blend well with the sharpness of the apple taste. It’s an okay apple chai but I probably won’t order it again however I could see how others who aren’t after a sweet apple taste could very much enjoy this cup. It’s not torture to finish (torture meaning something I usually pour out) and start over with something I know that I like but it’s not something I think I will crave anytime soon either.

Okay so I read all the reviews and was impressed by it’s award and decided to order Golden Moon Coconut Pouchong I was so excited to get it in and when I opened it to smell it it smelled wonderful. I will start by saying I have never had “pouchong” I love me some oolongs and I love coconuts so I thought hey I can’t go wrong. My first sip and I think buttery and almost a salty taste to it and as I continue on I realize that what I am drinking tastes just like movie theatre popcorn. I find myself disappointed I was looking for a sweet coconut feel but this is more hardcore like unsweetened coconut water but I just can’t stop thinking that it tastes just like popcorn with butter on top. Not my cup of tea. I have read other reviews on GenMai Cha (I think) and they describe a popcorn taste well it never appealed to me and now I am left wondering if Gen Mai Cha tastes like popcorn how does this too not taste like popcorn? Hmmmm…..

YUMMMMM……I read the other reviews before purchasing this tea and someone said that it is comparable to the White Avuyredic and Samurai Chai mix from Teavana but better I could not agree more it is like a stronger version with more intense flavor. I am loving this tea right now it is like you went in the kitchen and poured redhots in a pot and melted them on the stove and drank them (a little less spicy) it is good. Not only am I loving this tea I love the steepster reviews where I learned about this tea and soo many other great teas. Thanks steepsters!

Updating: I had this cup just now and was not disappointed it’s great for a dreary, rainy winter day like today. It’s a warm pick me up.:))

UPDATE 2: Having this one iced today, I made it this morning and let it cool and then stuck it in the fridge it is YUMMY. This iced tea doesn’t even require sugar!! I am really hopped up on caffeine today I’ve had about 6 cups of black tea from am til now and a bowl of matcha and a bit of coca cola while out at lunch. I hope I don’t have problems going to sleep tonight or weird dreams of fighting with Matcha :).

Mmmmm. A very good cup with a wonderful nose to it. It smells strawberrish mixed with vanilla in the tin and then once it has had time to steep it smells more flowery to me. It is very smooth going down not so much as creamy or silky just that it is not as strong or bitter as some blacks that I have tasted do (I love black teas).
The more it cools off the more flavors I am able to pick up I definently taste berries but not necessarily strawberries more like maybe a black raspberry sorta taste and a very soft floral taste it tastes like the black coffee is going to come out and try to add a bitter taste to it but the berry/floral won’t let the black come out and bite you with it’s bitterness. Almost like the black and the berry/floral are at war but a good war… not that wars are good in any sense but I guess I should say flavor war in my mouth and I am enjoying their war. As I near the end of my cup I get a taste and smell of something familiar yet I can’t quite place it….hmmm I’ll try to figure it out in my next cup! A very nice cup. I can’t wait to try it with some La Madeleine Strawberry Napoleon for dessert YUM.

I agree with the other posters in that this tea is chocolately and nutty but not too chocolatly more of a dark chocolate taste and smell. I mixed mine this morning with Matevana for an extra morning wakeup and I enjoyed it but my tongue is still pretty badily burned from my panera tea experience yesterday so I can’t be sure but this tea tasted really smooth. I will update when my palate has had time to fully heal.

This is interesting for it being a black tea. It is sweet with a bit of a malty flavor and the smell is unusual and wonderful… it ‘s a sweet smell like a honeysuckle mixed with a fresh made bread if that makes since. It’s quiet nice.

Update: Totally bumping this one up because I seem to crave it more and more and only had one tsp left.

Just had a cup from Pandera Breads and enjoyed very much except it smelled wonderful so I took a big sip and burned most the skin off the tip of my tongue Ouch! I agree with the other reviews it smells peachy and taste peachy but the more you start to drink the more you realize it’s a green tea. Nice tea!