Nicole

The dry leaves smell amazingly malty. I was a tad intimidated to taste it as it didn’t smell like anything that would appeal to my tastebuds. But it is a darjeeling and I’ve been finding more oolongs that I kind of like lately so I had to try!

It brews up very light golden. It seems like it is dry, but then that vanishes and it’s not dry. There is not much malt taste, or if there is, it’s pretty subtle. At any rate, much more subtle than the dry smell would lead one to expect. Even the steeped leaves have a strong malty smell. At least I think that’s how to describe what I’m smelling. Malt and maybe some wet hay? Not a flattering description, I’m sure, but that’s what I can come up with. Definitely a darjeeling, in my mind, though.

Another that I’m glad I picked up and I’ll drink it all eventually, but I probably wouldn’t get it again.

This a dark tea, full and strong. There is a slight hint of sweetness in the background but not much of one in my steep. A slight hint of dryness in the mouth but I may have oversteeped a tad. Stands up well to a bit of raw sugar and it would probably handle milk well if one were so inclined. I probably won’t order it again to keep it in my cupboard, but it was worth the purchase.

I got my mom to part with some more of her stash of this and we’ve gone in together to get a fresh tin as well. :)

This is quite simply, some of the best stuff I have had. I don’t know much about the base teas, but I can taste tea, not just orange. It is blended sublimely and seamlessly. In my mind, the artistry of the blend makes it worth the outrageous cost. And sharing with someone else makes it more do-able as well.

It is calming and subtle and a perfect start to a hectic weekend morning. It’s only a weekend tea for me, though, since I have to use it sparingly to make it last. If it were only a bit cheaper or if you got more in a tin, I’d drink this every single day. A lot. It’s just as good cold.

My sole complaint (other than price) is that I do wish it steeped just a bit better the second time.

Very clean taste. Tiny, tiny leaves – I used a cloth filter instead of my normal infuser, having learned my lesson from a Pakistani tea that was equally tiny. Also from that tea I didn’t oversteep this one. It would be easy to do so, though. After it cools a bit I catch a tiny hint of astringency. This would stand up well to milk and would make a good breakfast tea.

Aside from the gas money spent on a 100 mile round trip to the store where I found it, it’s a very reasonably priced tea. I also won’t use as many leaves so the purchase will last longer so all in all, probably a good purchase. I’d keep it around if I could come by it easily. It’s probably pretty decent iced, as well.

This is the only yellow tea I’ve tried.

I like it. I have brewed it several times but am just now getting around to doing a tasting note for it.

It it mild in taste and fruity without being fruity, if that makes any sense. I don’t taste fruit but am reminded of it when drinking this. I love the mouth feel of it – smooth and somehow buttery. It feels almost slick and smooth on my lips after a drink but the brew doesn’t look like it is oily or anything.

it is an unusual tea to me, decently priced, and I’d keep it in my stock.

Grabbed a small package of this while visiting relatives in Texas – haven’t seen it anywhere around home.

I really, really want to like coconut tea. I love the smell of them but it always seems like once they are brewed they remind me of suntan lotion.

This doesn’t remind me as much of it. But I still won’t be making it part of my normal stock. Of the coconut teas I have tried, this is probably one of the better. The coconut tastes less fake than others and it has more coconut taste than others as well. The coconut didn’t overwhelm the tea but at the same time I’m not sure I could tell you much about the tea itself.

Tried this today from a coworker’s new stash. First off – tiny, tiny, tiny leaves! It reminds me of a Pakistani tea someone brought me – almost looks like instant coffee. Harney site suggests brewing 5 minutes. Coworker said it about knocked his socks off at 5 minutes so I went with 1 1/2. A nice, simple tea for daily use is what I’d say this is. Nothing fancy, just good ol’ tea flavor. Good hot, good cold. I got no hints of mint at all though.

The dry smell isn’t horribly appealing to me. Too much competing for attention, I think. Brewed it is has a nice flavor. Definitely a sweet tea. Reminds me of tea as a child – milk and sugar. I’m not a huge fan of milk in teas. I generally prefer them to be darker, stronger teas to handle milk. I wasn’t fond of the appearance of the brew at all, though. As noted by another reviewer, it looked “scummy.” No worries on taste – it doesn’t taste “scummy” at all. :)

I probably won’t buy this again myself but I will share it with people I know who are not huge tea people but who like sweet drinks.

I had to add another review to my last of this tea. Somehow it totally escaped me the first time I reviewed this that the cup is full of golden glitter when the tea is brewed! I thought the glitter was just the sugar crystals. Soooo pretty! And I am definitely getting more, especially since David’s now has $5 shipping to the US! Woot!

Another good one that I wish I’d gotten more than the minimum of. I don’t want to share the small amount I got! :)

I don’t generally care much for cinnamon teas. This one is an exception. Mild cinnamon, light black tea, slight sweetness. Melds together very well. Everything dissolves completely and quickly. It’s a lovely tea.

Completely worth the shipping from Canada.

Mildly minty, mildly sweet, good black tea base. All the flavors seem to blend well together and none overpower any others. Goes without saying that the tiny candy canes are darling. They melt instantly, which was my fear – that they would be that hard and cheap insoluble “candy” and be a pointless addition.

I wish I’d jumped in and bought more than the minimum.

Heavenly. Simply phenomenal. The orange gives it a lovely scent and the vanilla mellows it out and gives it a richness. Smooth and sweet, it goes well with a spot of cream to round it out and give it a fuller body, making it something that can take the place of a dessert. Without cream it is light and refreshing. It brews decently the 2nd time around but is definitely best on first steeping.

Had this originally at the Grand Floridian Tea Room in Disney World (the tea room is wonderful, incidentally, and worth the money for afternoon tea). Tealeaves.com is the only place I have found so far that sells this tea and it isn’t cheap. But truly excellent tea is worth every penny, in my opinion. Life is too short to drink bad tea.

I hardly know where to start. I don’t like rooibos. I am not hugely fond of mints unless they are black mints.

This sounded intriguing in the swap though (sorry, I have lost track of who sent what, it was all a flurry for a week or so there).

This is a wonderful tea. Refreshing, crisp, light. Very springy and yet would not be out of place at a holiday table either, after a cranberry dessert, possibly. Before bed to calm the tummy after all that bounty of food. :)

I can taste all of the flavors – mint, chamomile, vanilla.. It reminds me a lot of Boston Tea Company’s Lemon Honey Chamomile Rooibos – which I also like a lot. I think, though, that on balance, I like this one better. The mint adds just a bit more deliciousness.

This one is going on the shopping list to make sure I keep it in the cupboard!

Very long leaves. Definitely nutty and I can see where the cocoa descriptor comes from, but I’m not sure yet that I’d call it cocoa. There is something else there, I just can’t place it.

Thus far, though this is the only Kenyan I have reviewed, I don’t think I care much for Kenyan teas. I have tried all of them in the sampler pack I got and while they do certainly seem like quality teas, they have all been much more astringent than I care for. Very, very dry mouthfeel. Almost to the point that my mouth feels parched when I finish drinking. But…

I held off on reviewing after the first cup. I brewed up a whole pot and it was less dry with a whole pot. I’m guessing I’ll have to be pretty strict about amounts and steeping time with the Kenyans.

Yum. Tastes mainly of caramelized sugar to me, with a decent black tea base that does peek through.

Good hot and lukewarm. I am not a milk with tea person but this is excellent with a little bit of sugar and some cream. Can easily take the place of a dessert without either, but with? Yumtastic.

I bet it would make a good infusion for ice cream or for some mock clotted cream with scones. Ooo… I’m doing a tea this weekend with pumpkin scones. I think I’ll try infusing my clotted cream with this tea.

This would make a nice addition to a Thanksgiving meal.

Another Indian tea that I like. I am definitely sensing a pattern here.

I can taste the toasted walnut flavor and the black base is strong, with just a hint of bitter. The bitter becomes more pronounced as the tea cools.

I will be getting more of this but I’ll either drink it only hot or experiment with steeping times to see about cutting the bitter when cool.

Definitely strong bergamot. Also citrusy and powerfully floral. A very thick mouth feel. Good hot and cold. I would probably not choose this over an Earl Grey Creme but this was a good swap. :)

Smells strongly of chocolate. I’m not so much a chocolate tea person, but this sounded appealing for a tasting swap. :)

This is a lovely blend. The hazelnut softens the chocolate, which I generally think is harsh in teas, and the other flavors don’t cover up the tea. I believe I’ll have to order some of this with my next Harney order.

Not really my thing. It is very berry. Green tea isn’t really my favorite to begin with but I grabbed this awhile back to have on hand for tea parties. It has been pretty popular with the ladies.

Very pretty brew and extremely fruity.

Backlogging here. I do love this blend. Very rich and strong. Heavy vanilla and strong bergamot.

I like this but in comparison to other honey chamomiles, this isn’t very impressive. Not bad for a bagged tea, I suppose.

This is a wonderful tea for using in desserts. It makes a lovely ice cream and an excellent creme brulee. I have never tried drinking it with milk, though looking at what I just typed, it seems it goes well with milk and sugar. :) Strong fruit flavors and a good black base. It isn’t my every day drink just to drink a cup, but I keep it around for use in cooking.

Been drinking this one iced and loving it. Mom hasn’t gotten any yet. :)

Just adding to a previous tasting note: If I had to pick one tea to have while stranded on a deserted island, this would be it. I buy this one every time I order from Harney and everyone I have shared it with loves it as well.