My Harney & Sons tea order came in the mail today, and it seemed like a little bit of nostalgia. When I first started exploring loose leaf teas about ten years ago, the first teas I bought were Harney & Sons teas. So I kinda felt like I was coming full-circle having been on this tea journey for a decade.
Anywho…back to the tea.
The tin describes the mix as having extra large leaves of Ti Quan Yin oolong. As soon as you open the tin, you immediately get a strong whiff of pomegranate. Strong and penetrating. I figured that would carry over on the brew, but no…just the aroma. When brewed up, it tasted just like Ti Quan Yin (mellow, buttery mouthfeel, a touch of sweetness at the end). I got very little pomegranate flavor. But then I added more water to the brewed tea (H&S recommends steeping in 2 cups of boiling water, then adding 6 cups of cold water), and the pomegranate flavor started to emerge more. I guess the water drowns out the Ti Quan Yin, so it might be difficult to get a good balance of oolong and pomegranate in a particular brew.
The rest of it is in a pitcher in my fridge, but I’m not too wild about it. A pity.
