Josie Jade Send Message

A friend of my fiancee came to stay with for a few months over the summer in the spare bedroom until his new apartment was ready. He had been my fiancee’s intern while he was in college, and he graduated in May and got a job with my fiancee’s company. Although I was hesitant about having a random boy living with us, it turned out great and he was so polite and so much fun to have around. Our dogs and cats loved him, and one of our cats mourned for two weeks when he moved out! He came over in January to watch some football and surprised me with two boxes of Harney & Sons teas. He is from Millerton, NY where Harney & Sons is based, and knew of my love for tea, especially Harney & Sons. It was such a thoughtful gesture and I am so glad that we were able to get to know him during his stay with us, and that we all still keep in touch!

Now on to the tea! This is not one that I would’ve chosen for myself because it includes hibiscus, and in the past I haven’t been crazy about the tart flavor of hibiscus. I do like raspberries, though, and other fruity teas. There is really bold scent of raspberries from the teabag, but also a really odd alcohol smell. Thankfully the tea liquor smells more like raspberries. I was expecting this tea to be a red or pink color from the hibiscus, but it is more of a really deep purple color, almost like a pretty eggplant hue. The night that our friend brought this tea I steeped it in my Adagio steeper and then poured it over ice and it was excellent. Tonight is the first time that I am having it hot, and while it’s ok hot, it is far better iced. It has a tart flavor, but a nice raspberry finish that takes away from the hibiscus taste. There is a little bit of a strange artificial note, but adding a little sweetener lessens that and I didn’t notice that at all when I had it iced. I’m glad our friend brought this because I probably would’ve never tried it on my own. I will keep this box around to enjoy iced during the summer and see about buying more after that!

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells strongly of fresh raspberries with a hint of alcohol. Tea liquor aroma is of musty raspberries.
-Tea liquor is a dark deep purple red color.
-Tart berry flavor with a sweet raspberry finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Tangy raspberry flavor. Best prepared iced.

Wow, this one smells good! My Mom and I were just talking about those little leaf-shaped maple sugar candies that you can get in Pennsylvania, and the smell of this tea reminds me exactly of those candies. The flavor is more like a warm, thick maple syrup rather than those little sugary sweet candies, though. It definitely tastes like real maple syrup – nothing artificial in this flavor. I wish I had made some tea to go with our french toast brunch this morning! Thanks Alphakitty!

-Dry blend has medium greenish-black tea leaves with pieces of flavoring, cocoa nibs and small red berries.
-Dry leaves smell like rich maple syrup candies. Tea liquor aroma is of chocolate and black tea.
-Tea liquor is a thick golden brown color with a small amount of oily sheen on top.
-Robust black tea flavor with a sweet and heavy maple syrup finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Rich and sweet flavor. Reminiscent of real maple syrup.

I made a cup of this tea to take to church this morning. I’m not particularly fond of ginger, but for some reason I like this tea. The ginger flavor isn’t too spicy or overwhelming and has more of a mellow, warming taste. I can imagine this would be a good tea for when you’re not feeling well. It’s actually a good cup to wake up with, and it held off my hunger until we got home and made brunch.

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells strongly of ginger. Tea liquor aroma is of malty ginger.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown color.
-Strong ginger flavor and finish. Small spicy aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Mellow and warming ginger flavor. Not too spicy.

I had a cup of this tea last night after dinner (love that it’s decaf!) We picked up a box of this before the holidays and I expected it to be a regular cup of mint tea. It’s so much better though, with the addition of vanilla and cinnamon. I’ve also made lattes out of this and it’s just perfect. This is a nice twist on the traditional cup of mint tea.

-Regular teabag without a string.
-Teabag smells strongly of peppermint and vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is of mint, vanilla and cinnamon.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy yellow brown color.
-Creamy mint flavor with a soft vanilla finish. Lingering peppermint aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener. Smallest amount of milk optional.
-Very good tea. A smooth and minty cup.

Our neighbor came over today with a package of mine that was misplaced in her mailbox. It was teas from Alphakitty, so thank goodness for nice neighbors! I’ve had a headache all day that won’t go away. I just got home from running errands and decided to have another cup of tea before dinner and this one jumped out at me. I’m picky about cherry flavored things, I like maraschino cherries, but I really dislike cherry flavored candy or popsicles. This tea was really light at first, and I didn’t really get many of the flavors. I added a little more tea from my pot that had steeped longer and suddenly there was the toastiness! I can taste a little of the cheesecake flavor in there with the green tea and there is a nice, light maraschino cherry aftertaste that’s not too sweet. Thanks Alphakitty for your wonderful package of teas that came just at the right time! :)

-Dry blend has large flat green tea leaves and toasted rice.
-Dry leaves smell like vegetal green tea. Tea liquor aroma is of green tea with a hint of cherry.
-Tea liquor is a clear bright yellow color.
-Toasty green tea and cheesecake flavor and finish. Faint maraschino cherry aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Toasty flavor with a not-too-sweet finish.

I drank Red Rose tea at my Grandmother’s when I was growing up and didn’t discover Constant Comment until I was an adult. I know there are hoards of CC fan club members out there who’ve said everything there is to say about this tea, so I will just make note that this tea is nice and I enjoy a cup of it every once in awhile. :)

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells spicy with a hint of orange. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet cloves and oranges.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown color.
-Strong malty orange flavor with a spicy finish. Sweet and numbing clove aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A flavorful and comforting cup.

I’m having a cup of this before bed tonight. I’ve had a little sample pack for awhile and know that I tried it before but don’t remember anything specific about it, so not too memorable (or maybe I just have way too many teas!) The dry leaves smell strongly of spicy cinnamon and cloves. The tea is a little thin, but it’s not weak at all in flavor. I notice a little of the cardamom and ginger, but it’s mostly cinnamon and clove. It actually reminds me of those clove candy sticks that you can find in old timey country stores, yum. I actually like this a lot for a decaf tea and I’m sitting here wondering why I don’t enjoy a cup of this at night more often!

-Dry tea has medium greenish black tea leaves with pieces of orange peel, cinnamon and ginger.
-Dry leaves smell like spicy cinnamon and cloves. Tea liquor aroma is of cinnamon and ginger.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium brown color.
-Cardamom chai flavor with a lingering cinnamon clove finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A warming cup reminiscent of clove candy.

I’ve almost finished this tea without even rating it yet! I’ve gone back to this one many times to make a latte with, it’s really great for that. The dry leaves smell mainly of whipped cream and very little strawberry, but the tea itself has a really sweet strawberry aroma. I’m not really seeing a whole lot of pastry or cream, it’s really just bursting with fresh strawberry flavors. The cup does become somewhat creamy with a little milk and sweetener. This is a nice tea, and I will probably keep it stocked so that I can have a cup (or a latte) every once in awhile. It tastes like summertime to me!

-Dry tea has medium black tea leaves and white and green pieces of flower.
-Dry leaves smell heavily of cream with a hint of strawberry. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet strawberries.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium brown color.
-Strong fresh strawberry flavor with a sweet finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Mostly strawberry flavor, little pastry flavor noticeable. Becomes somewhat creamy with a little added milk.

Woohoo, 100th tasting note! I decided to go with a tried and true favorite for this momentous occasion. I came across Harney’s Black Currant when I first was delving into loose leaf tea and I fell in love instantly. The smell of this tea gets me every time – it’s a little musty and reminds me of the aroma of a cute little old man’s tobacco for some reason. I love that you can really taste the strong black tea in this, and that the berry flavor isn’t overwhelming or artificial at all. The longer this tea is steeped, the stronger the berry flavor becomes, with no real bitterness from the black tea. With a little milk and sweetener, it’s my ideal of the perfect cup!

-Dry tea has medium black tea leaves and twigs with a few dried currants.
-Dry leaves smell musty and fruity. Tea liquor aroma is of malty sweet berries.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Robust black tea flavor with a sweet currant finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Excellent tea. Perfect cup of strong black tea with a hint of juicy currant berries.

This herbal tea smells heavenly – full of cinnamon sugary marzipan amazingness! And even better, this tea is a pretty, perfect reddish-pink color! I can’t help but get excited every time I see that pretty color come out of my little teapot. This is a soothing tea, with a nice almond flavored finish. It’s hard for me to have just one cup of this tea, I always want to brew some more. A perfect tea to have in the cupboard for an evening cuppa!

-Dry blend looks like a trail mix with large pieces of apple and beetroot and sliced almonds. Ingredients plumpen and float to the top during steeping.
-Dry blend smells like cinnamon sugar marzipan. Tea liquor aroma is of warm almonds.
-Tea liquor is a clear reddish pink color with an oily sheen on top.
-Cinnamon nutty flavor with a sweet almondy finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. A caffeine free cup of sweet almond flavor!