Harney & Sons

Loooong day at school. This has been the looooongest week in history, while last week was the shortest wk known to mankind(spring break vs back to work).
I am really tired and the tea that seemed right was the Earl. Love the smoothness of this one. The citrus notes are just right and the tea base is in balance:) Astringency is low to null. Taste is high to perfect.
This is definitely a must order tea for me!

My daughter brought this sample to me saying “I think you will like this EG”
I have tried it this morning and have decided that this must be what Picard was drinking on Enterprise. This is smooth, not perfumey(I am so glad, I hate drinking perfumed teas and I can’t imagine Picard liked perfume either:), the citrus notes are light and flavorful. This is like a cross between a mild EG and Blood orange Black: the base contains Ceylon(I am a huge fan of Ceylons) and the citrus notes are present(not as strong in this tea as the Blood Orange) but I do like it. My search may just be over for an EG. I have found a few others that I liked, but they were out of my price range due to shipping to the US.
I think if you really liked a traditional EG, you may not like this too much. But for me, it is the perfect ratio of everything. Now I can say “EG hot” and get a tea that is very much drinkable!
Thank you Mrawlins2 for the sample:)

Holy cow does this tea smell good… it smells just like vanilla flavoring with a hint of smoothness. It smells so good I had to open the canister again for a second sniff… this will definitely be going to school with me since it is in a tea bag.

This tea is the first bag of tea that I have fallen in love with. When brewing it was almost like a sugar cookie was cooking in the oven. Even my husband came in and asked me what smelled so good!

The first taste of this tea the smell was great but the taste was just so so for me… But I have realized that I need to let it cool a bit to get more of the flavorings. When warm all it tastes to me is black tea which is not a bad thing but I want the sweetness. So I tasted it a bit later and oh my goodness oh my goodness this is heaven in a cup! It is so good and sweet and just perfection in a cup! I love it! Please, Please try this if you like sweet, vanilla teas. You won’t regret it.

Hmmm I wonder how this would mix with the chocolate truffle from praise tea company… would that be to much?!?!? I would get the sweetness and the chocolate hmmm might have to try it!

This is a very high quality tea. The dried leaves are extremely dark, but lighten up quite a bit after steeping, producing a dark cognac liquor. The aroma is what really made me decide to purchase this. I knew that I was looking for a typical Keemun-esque brew, one that was extremely fragrant and fruity. I am by no means dissatisfied. In taking a whiff, I pick up notes of stone fruits, possibly apricots and plums, as well as that of rich cocoa (as was also described by Harney & Sons). The flavor is quite similar. Although I am not a big fan of chocolatey-tasting teas, I must say that as a finishing piece on your palate, it is not overwhelming, but rather a major compliment to the rest of the drink. An excellent batch by Harney!

I received a few free sachets of this tea in my last Harney’s order. It was perfect timing on their part, because I had put this into my cart, you know, the pre-fill for when you are ready to order so you don’t forget? O-kay, maybe not.

Love. Need. The tea is smooth, malty, and simple. Perfect for the caffeine sensitive in the evening hours. Hmmmm. Now to brainstorm on ways to jazz it up when needed……

Second steep 5 minutes…..

What a wonderful aroma that comes from this tea. Chocolate kind like cocoa and nuts yumyumyum!
Brewed it for 5min. wanted to make sure that it did not get bitter and tasted it. It was a really smooth nutty black tea. I added just a touch of sugar because I like my tea sweet and then sipped again yum! It is pretty good, it still has the wonderful cocoa aroma that I love. when it cools I can taste the cocoa a bit better but it is just the last hint of chocolate. Good but still not that chocolate tea that I am looking for!

Trying to switch from a local store brand tea that is REALLLLLYYY bad for you. Thought I would try this. I am very glad I did. Excellent!!

It is too funny that as I am in the process of using this one up…I am growing to like it more. If it just did not smell so soapy dry, it would be on the repurchase list. At least I have several more afternoons of this tea left……

Now that my allergies are not it full flare up, the tea smells a little less like soap. I am glad that I did not let the smell of the dry tea stop me from preparing and drinking it, because it is a lovely tea with a short steep and sweetened. The Earl Grey is light, and the rose definitley comes through. I still prefer Rosy Earl Grey, but this is nice. It definitely tastes much better than the dry tea smells. That is probably a lesson I need to remember…..

I am trying this one again. I think my memory of it was not very accurate, and opening the tin whilst in the throes of allergies and sensitive nose does not help. It is very floral and bergamot smelling. So much that it makes the sensitised nose (remember that it is allergy season for me) think thoughts of finely milled French soap. It did not, however, stop me from trying this one again today.

It is definitely an Earl Grey and rose blend, but it lacks the sweetness of Teas Etc. Rosey Earl Grey. Maybe it is the lack of jasmine? It is still a good cup as long as I remember to do a short steap time and sweeten it. I need to bump up the rating a bit, but I won’t be repurchasing as it makes me long for the Rosey.

This one is interesting….Earl Grey with rose. There is the light taste of the bergamot and definitely faint rose. Overall, it kind of adds a slight twinge. I can’t really describe it any other way….it cuts the sweetness and maltiness of the black tea base. It is definitely enjoyable in a purifying, spa kind of way. Not a favorite, but good.

I am willing to swap an ounce of this as I have three……off to add it to the swap thread.

Tea of the morning…..

Mmmmm. Paris in the morning. This one is definitely emerging as a must have in my cupboard. I think it is time to start buying it by the pound. Notes of black currant, vanilla, with light hints of caramel and bergamot.

Today I am swamped…with alterations for the formal wear for our high school orchestra. Nearly done with the girls…and then onto the guys. Oh, why is formal wear for those squirrely boys more than one piece….. ;)

Anyway, this is the perfect tea to get me going…..

Usual teapot method.

Iced tea of the day……

So thankful I have enough of this in my cupboard now for making iced tea! This is a good one. The notes of berries and bergamot is great cold. The vanilla kind of adds just the perfect bit of smoothness in the beginning and a slight bite at the end. I can tell that I will be drinking this iced for years to come. I love it when I find a tea that is great iced or hot.

Usual iced tea method. (Brewed at boiling double strength and then iced.)

Backlogging tea of the late afternoon….

It is true. I have fallen for Paris all over again. I know I will need more when my 2 oz from the Millerton Shop is gone. (However, I am really waiting for a bit to order more tea! It is so funny that I have reached a point where I am not compelled to buy more…..but once this small pouch is gone, all bets are off!)

Loving the rich tea base, the notes of black currant/berry, slight vanilla, and the touch of bergamot. This flavor is so well done….and I am drinking the decaf version this evening. So glad to have my love for Paris back.

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the afternoon…..

I have not had this one in the cupboard for a very long while, but have been considering getting the bagged version of this for travelling for some time now. Since it was only about $3 to get 2 oz added onto my shop order, I went for it.

I had forgotten how lovely this is. Notes of berries, vanilla, and bergamot on a fabulous black tea base. So much better than Marco Polo in my book, but kind of similar. I will thoroughly enjoy these few ounces and order bags for travel at some point. Yum!

Usual mug method.

Adieu, Paris! (This is the last cup of Paris in my cupboard.) Since I have found a new friend in Tower of London, it is unlikly that you will grace my tea cupboard again anytime soon. It was great while it lasted, though! I will always think of you fondly, as you were the tea that led me to try out Harney & Son’s.

My afternoon tea of the day…..

I had forgotten how much I like this one as it was one of my first teas from Harney. Fruity with bergamot. The tea base is very rich tasting, even moreso than Marco Polo, and rounds this out to be a full tasting tea. Lovely. I only wish the bergamot was a little lighter, so it sounds like I need to try Tower of London. That is next on my list!

Resteep at 6 minutes was also very good.

Still liking this “Lapsang – Lite” very much!

Mmmmm, I like this one more and more…it is becoming my go-to tea!

Popped the top off this one as soon as it was freed from the delivery box. I have waited for a long time to order this one and was looking forward to the experience for quite some time — and took a sniff and sadly did not like the scent. I sat it aside and brewed a cup of Rose Scented Tea (from this same shipment) instead.

The biggest surprise from this tea became evident after I decided to try a cup adespite the somewhat flat, smoky scent of the dry leaves. I discovered that during the brew, the heat of the water releases a tantalizing complexity, smokey, spicy and delicious. A real treat for the senses!