mrawlins2

mrawlins2 drank Elyse's Blend by Harney & Sons

Wow, this tea has one potent aroma! After brewing up a batch, the tea is a deep brown color and smells malty and of fresh hay. I tried this plain, but it is definitely going to be a milk/sugar only tea for me as it was quite strong/bitter. After adding a bit of honey and half and half, you are greeted with a smoother, yet still strong black tea with notes of dark fruit and honey. I think this is a great breakfast tea and would probably be a great cold-brewed tea to tone down the strength a bit. Overall, I’m not disappointed in my purchase, but I was expecting this tea to have a bit more sophistication like I find most Harney teas to have. This tea is pure, delicious brute strength!

2011-06-11 16:21:47 -0400

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ashmanra 2011-06-11 21:20:21 -0400

I agree! Sometimes I love it, and sometimes I am taken aback by how strong it is! It tastes exactly like the base of some of the Dammann Freres tea I had, though, so kudos to Harney since I think they are aiming to create a true French blend.

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I am a former coffee drinker turned tea lover.

Black tea is probably my favorite type of tea, but I rather enjoy most types… I’m even developing a taste for pu-erh.

Rating Scale:
0-10: This tea is either flavorless or just plain undrinkable. I will avoid these teas in the future.

11-20: I was only able to make it through a few sips before pouring the tea out.

21-30: I may have been able to make it through the first cup but the thought of having another has me cringing.

31-40: Teas in this range are not horrible, but nothing I would seek out in the future.

41-60: Would drink if offered, but would not purchase for myself.

61-70: Okay, nothing special

71-80: Enjoyable, but I have to be in the mood for these. Probably would purchase if I found a really great price.

81-90: Pretty good tea, will probably be one of my favorites.

91-95: These teas are really excellent. I wouldn’t necessarily run out and buy more of these (just because there are so many teas out there that I haven’t tried), but I would miss this tea.

96-99: Terrific, very impressive.

100: This special rating is reserved for teas that are absolutely perfect in my opinion. I will only give out a rating of 100 to one tea per category (Earl Grey, unflavored black, dessert tea, Irish Breakfast, etc). These are teas that I really want to have around.

Perfect Teas so Far:

Earl Grey: Saint Isaac’s Blend (Russian Earl Grey) from Upton

Dessert Tea: Marco Polo from Mariage Freres

Unflavored Black: Emperor’s Red from Premium Steap