Custom - Harney and Sons

It has been raining and/or cloudy all day long so I wanted a nice pick me up for afternoon tea. I mixed these two together and got just what I wanted, plus we had a few S’Mores made in the microwave by putting a large marshmallow on a Ritz cracker, zapping for a few seconds, then you press in chocolate chips and top with another cracker. YUM!

I have been intrigued by the Valentine’s Blend but have never purchased it. I bought Chocolate Mint, but mint and chocolate in tea have not appealed to me together thus far, thought it is nice enough. I also bought plain chocolate tea a long time ago but back then I was just giving up milk and sugar in my tea and didn’t really appreciate it yet.

Today I decided to try my hand at making something akin to what I think Valentines Blend must taste like. While I do not know what the original one tastes like, this one was excellent, and my guest loved it and asked for more! She said she hoped I wrote down the proportions I used, so I would say this was a success. I love keeping Rose Scented on hand to blend with other teas!

The aroma is almost exclusively chocolate in these proportions, but the rose is subtly there and adds such a delicious touch!

This was my first cup of the day around noon. I know! I was moving slow today. I tried more vanilla comoro this time and it didn’t seem to work as well as I would have hoped it would. It was ok…kind of a funky flavor that I can’t put a finger on. Oh well back to the drawing board and on to another tea.

Finally at long last, IT FEELS LIKE FALL! That means I will really enjoy morning tea, and I don’t even have to sneak the thermostat way down. :)

I mixed this the opposite way today because I was feeling a little bruised on the inside – too much thinking does that, you know – and I wanted a black tea that would also be calming or meditative, and florals do that for me. So I went with two teaspoons of Rose Scented and one of Palm Court, but honestly, I think I prefer it the other way round!

The tea and a nice chat with a neighbor while the dogs played and the gentle breeze blew have made things a little lighter. The horrendous humidity is broken for now, and you can actually stand outside for more than ten minutes without needing a shower.

Tea of the evening….

I did my own version of this tonight. My teapot requires three perfect teaspoons for the perfect pot of tea, so I added 2 Decaf Paris and 1 Vanilla Comoro. I guess I was looking for a more berried version of a decaf tea. Somehow, I do think I need to go the other way and do 2 of the Vanilla Comoro and 1 of the Decaf Paris. The way it is now, it is just a slightly more creamy and vanilla version of Decaf Paris itself, because the flavors in the Decaf Paris are generally the stronger of the two. Black Currant, Vanilla, Caramelly-creaminess, and the bergamot notes add just a hint of brightness. I am not sad I tried it this way and will thoroughly enjoy this pot. More testing on another evening!

Usual teapot method with above ratio for 3 minutes. Slightly sweetened.

I picked up both of these teas when at the Millerton shop yesterday as one of the women in the tasting room suggested these two played very well with one another and were a great way to end the day. So I’m giving it a go this morning (we got home very late last night…too late for tea making.

I really love the extra Vanilla flavor that comes out of mixing these two together! I’m also glad I went with her suggestion of how much tea to use 1tsp of Decaf Paris to 1 1/2tsp of Vanilla Comoro. Actually I think it could use a little more Vanilla Comoro, but the way I currently prepped it keeps the flavor of Paris out in front too. Naturally I wanted both flavors to rock out and that’s just what this mix did.

I did later add a little sugar and some very vanilla silk milk which really knocked all the flavors up a bit for a really nice first cup of the day.

No notes yet.

Every time I see a review for Valentine’s Blend by H&S I think, “Rats! I keep meaning to order a sample of that and I never remember.”

I got the bright idea to just try mixing their plain Chocolate tea with their Rose Scented. I haven’t had their blend, so I don’t know how this compares, but I do know it was pretty good. My guest at tea party today liked it a lot, and encouraged me to keep making some special blends for us.

Rose Scented is great by itself, but it wins a permanent place on my shelf as a great tea to add to other teas to change them up a bit. It is a great mixer.

Our second tea party tea today was this blend of two Harney and Sons teas that we have come to love. Two teaspoons of Palm Court, one of Rose Scented, in a 22 oz. teapot. Delicious and sweet!

Tea of the afternoon……

Since I had all of the components of this blend created by Jenn, I had to give it a try! The only sub I had to make was Harney’s Valentine Tea for the Chocolate tea. This is good! I get the black currants and chocolate, and then the vanilla just smooths it all together. I will definitely be mixing this up again!

Teapot usual method…..

I have to tip my hat to the lovely SimplyJennW who coined her custom blend of Harney & Sons Vanilla Black and Black Currant “Hobbit Tea”. So, keeping in that vein, I’ve added Harney & Sons Chocolate Tea and cacao nibs to create Bilbo’s Dark Side. Bilbo’s Dark Side is regular Hobbit Tea with a tad, a touch, a smidge, a bit of evil chocolate.

Tea of the morning…..

I did alter the ratios just a little to incorporate some of Harney’s Rose Scented at the recommendation of Dinosara last time around. Since my math brain is a little fuzzy this morning, the ratios are 1Rose Scented:3 Vanilla Black:2 Black Currant. I know it sounds crazy, but I usually do 3 perfect teaspoons (or 4 1/2 actual teaspoons) per pot. That works out to be 1 scoop Black Currant, half a scoop Rose Scented, and 1 1/2 scoops Vanilla Black. Are we utterly confused, yet?

I do like the addition of the rose. I am not sure it is totally necessary, but it is Rosie’s Hobbit Tea, after all! I would definitely make it this way again. And it is reminiscent of that favorite Mafia tea blend!

Second breakfast tea…..

I just noticed the last few pots of tea I have made have been a little on the strong side… And then I remembered that the difference coincided with my replacing our water filters. Let this be a lesson that better filtration on the water makes it so you need less tea! Or that you can simply taste the flaavors in it better…..

Good, but as I said, a little on the strong side even though I was careful not to do heaping spoons. I have just a little over an ounce left of this blend. It is still rosey and wonderful.

Mmmm. Tea of the late, late afternoon. The rose is so sweet in this blend. It has me contemplating switching to this from my beloved Rose Congou from Upton. I guess I have a while to contemplate……about 1 1/2 ounces of this and over 8 of the other…..

My first attempt at this… My ratio is one part Black Currant to two parts Vanilla Black. I definitely like this. I might give a one to one ratio a go, but I am thinking this is pretty close.

24 oz teapot, 1 1/2 tsp Black Currant tea, 3 tsp Vanilla Black tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Now I need a name for this. I hate to steal the brilliance that is Christa Y’s name, but am looking for something that is equally as cool. I am thinking along the lines of Liz Bennet, Spymaster……. You know, the original M, which is just short for Mrs. Darcy.

Or maybe this will be my Hobbit Tea. I can picture Rosie Cotton Gamgee making this tea for her friends. I am leaning toward this one…Rosie’s Hobbit Tea. What do you think?

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I had a few ounces of Panyang Congou sitting in my cupboard. After trying Rose Scented with Queen Catherine (which has PC in its blend), I decided a little punch of Rose Scented was the perfect addition to move this tea along. It is good on its own, but great with a little rose. Ratio is somewhere between 2:1 and 3:1.

Tea of the morning….. This is really good! The rose notes are subtle, but it perks up the Panyang Congou just enough to make it a tea I will drink often, rather than once in a while. (Yes, I have a thing for tea scented with roses, and I never would have thought that would be the case as rose scented things almost always turn me off…) I will be sad when my blend is all gone…I premixed this one…, but then I will just go back to the Queen with Roses. I need more room in my cupboard for new tea! I find it funny that I don’t like Harney’s Rose Scented as much on its own, but find it invaluable as a mixer.

I did my own version of this today….

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 tsp Queen Catherine + 1 tsp Rose Scented, 4 minutes freshly boiled water. Lightly sweetened.

Yum! This is really the perfect amount of rose plus having added it to one of my favorites makes it even better. Do I like this better than Rose Congou? You bet I do. It is more complex. Am I giving up the Rose Congou? No way! It still makes the best iced tea and at a bargain.

Note to self…a little less of the Queen next time since you added the Rose Scented at the last minute. It will be perfection.

I am loving this combination! Palm Court was already an enjoyable tea, but the addition of rose flavor takes it to a new level. I am thankful to JacquelineM for suggesting it. Delicious! This was the second tea of tea party today. We also had Golden Monkey by Harney and Sons, Jasmine both hot and iced by Fujian, and Silky Green, which I already reviewed today! Yes, I am VERY well hydrated!

Thanks to Jennifer and teawing I have been wanting to try this for two days! I don’t recall ever having a Creme Earl Grey so I am not sure how this would compare, but I find it very tasty. This is also my first time having Harney and Sons Earl Grey, so I really want to try it standing alone as well. In the past I have had their Earl Grey Supreme and Imperial Earl Grey. EGS is my favorite, but for bergamot lovers, I think the sachets of Imperial Earl Grey maybe stronger on bergamot.

From what I can tell in this mix, this Earl Grey is of moderate strength. I tried it first without additions and it was smooth and somewhat mild, not too much. I added sugar, which really brought out the bergamot, then milk, which made the creaminess of the vanilla shine. All in al, a delightful cup of tea as I chill out to Spa Suite Radio on Pandora and hide from the 95 degree temps I was just hanging out clothes in…

I am trying this one out today from our discussions about Harney needing an Earl Grey Cream or an Earl Grey Vanilla.

Today I tried 2 parts Earl Grey Supreme to 1 part Vanilla Black. It is pretty good, but it seems light on the bergamot. It is still pleasant, but I am thinking I could handle the flavors being just a little more intense. I would try a different ratio, but right now the vanilla is about right. Has anyone tried Harney’s regular Earl Grey? Is the bergamot more intense in it?

It does seem like a sophisticated version of my Metro Earl Grey Creme, and certainly much more grown up tasting than Upton’s Earl Grey Creme Vanilla (which reminds me of creamsicles). I woud likely drink this again, which is a good sign…..

I used to dislike hazelnut. I gave away any and all Ferrero Rocher chocolates given to me. Then I had Florence. At first I liked it a little, then a lot, then I started craving it. I thought it would be a great tea for the Rose Scented addition experiments. I think I like this! I used three teaspoons of Florence and one teaspoon of Rose Scented. You might think those proportions wouldn’t have much impact, but it really does change the flavor. Florence has deep, dark flavors to me, and the addition of that small amount of rose really brightens it. I drank it both with and without milk and sugar, and it was equally good both ways.

This is absolutely delicious! There was a bit leftover in the pot from yesterday, so when youngest said she needed a pot so she can brew some Vanilla Comoro I volunteered to drink it up. I wasn’t even planning to reorder Palm Court, but this is making me rethink that decision. She mixed one and a half teaspoons Palm Court with one and a half of Rose Scented. Up to one teaspoon of Boston accidentally was dropped in, and mostly fished back out, but I am sure it contributed something. This is a very satisfying midday cup, sans additions.