Paris Or Tower of London, Which Do You Prefer?

I was curious as to why Harney would have two blends so similar… are they different bases?

Here are the bases of the two teas (I once emailed Harney to ask about this vs. the base for the Earl Grey Supreme):
Paris: Keemun, Hunnan, Ceylon, Assam, Oolong
Tower of London: Keemun, Hunnan

“I can’t give exact amounts but the Chinese black teas [Keemun and/or Hunnan] are the predominant teas in [both] blends. The Oolong in the first blend is a very small amount that we use to soften [it] up a little.” – Harney Rep

As to which I prefer… well that’s an impossible question for me. I love them both a lot. I guess I prefer ToL a little more, but I don’t think I could tell you why. Some people decided they only need one or the other, but I always need both of them. I think Paris has more vanilla notes, whereas ToL has more honey notes. Also Paris might be a bit more berry-ish. Honestly I haven’t tried to compare and contrast them much before, so I’m just going on my previous tasting notes.

I think the bergamot in Paris is much stronger than that in Tower of London. I kind of think of Tower of London as Paris Light.

I love Tower of London because the bergamot is so light. I have a sample of Paris (from SimplyJenW, actually! :D) but I don’t ever remember anything spectacular about it. However, Tower of London is only available loose in 1 lb amounts, which annoys me greatly. Not that I’m willing to order frmo Harneys again after their disastrous shipping treatment the first time, but Chapters carries some of their teas on occasion and I’m always hoping to snag some ToL. Usually they carry Paris though : (

Thanks for the information guys. I think I’m gonna try Tower of London out. And yes Uniquity, I know exactly what you mean about Harney’s shipping problems. Last time I ordered, they took 4 days before they even sent the package out and once I got it the box was dented, ripped, and was taped so poorly that the box was pretty much open.