Kangaita OP

Tea of the (laaaate) lazy dreary Sunday morning here (it was 70F last NIGHT and now they’re saying it’s going to snow today…I can’t take these wild fluctuations!). This one snuck up on me, fascinating. At the front it was a little sandpapery and I thought it’d be like the last few Harney morning blends I’ve tried in that it’d prove a little too straightforwardly rough around the edges (makes sense; I tried all the ones that sounded good and have good reviews first and am now dwindling down to the rest just out of curiosity and Harney devotion). But then at the end of the sip as well as when the cup cools a bittersweet rich smoothness not terribly different from chocolate or bready malt emerges and builds that makes it a rather stunning experience. Harney! You’ve done it again!

Thank you Nicole for some of this tea!
It just happens to be another Ceylon I like! Adagio must have the worst Ceylon ever because for the longest time I thought I didn’t like Ceylon tea.
This one is smooth and its almost like a lighter version of my favorite Assam. No weird metallic taste like I thought was characteristic of Ceylons.

Still trying to finish this one off. It isn’t one of my favorite plain black teas for sure so that’s one reason I’ve had it for so long. It’s definitely on the brisk side which isn’t sitting too well with me this morning. I added both soymilk and sugar but it still needs to be on the mellower side… anyhoo hope everyone is having a nice morning :)

Thanks to Batrachoid for this sample.

I find this really bold and a bit astringent. I don’t really find any sweetness here.

I added a splash of milk, and it cut a little bit of the astringency, but it was stilll there. Not bad, but I don’t think I would re-stock this.

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.

The tea makes me think of Harney’s Dorchester blend. It is a brisk and full bodied tea. The flavor is not a malty as Dorchester. Instead, the flavor is citric, flirting with bitter or maybe sour but not quite crossing the line.

The addition of sweetener and cream takes the edge off without off powering the blend.

A nice morning tea. I did try it chilled and in the afternoon and it maintained its heartiness. I think it would make a nice alternative to morning coffee, though I still prefer Irish Breakfast or Harney’s Golden Blend (though the price off Kangaita OP keeps it in the running for another order).

2nd steep was slightly milder but still full of flavor.

This is a very relaxing brew to make. I recently visited the Harney & Sons tea shop, located in Millterton, New York, next to their distribution centre. I bought this blend in a four-ounce tin for quite a reasonable price.

The tea itself has a wonderful color of deep reddish-brown. It goes great with biscuits, and it’s a fine morning/evening tea. It’s currently 8.50 pm and I’m having a cup of it now. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice, light but brisk flavor.

I’m digging this tea, though it is kind of…odd. Somewhere between an Oolong and a Lapsang Souchon. It has a sweet smell and also hints of old library books (which I guess is vanilla, but not VANILLA, if that makes sense). Brews up to a lovely caramel color, with a slightly vegetal (though not too much for me, and I hate vegetal green teas for example) but mostly malty and smoky taste and a toasty finish.

I bet it would be amazing with milk + vanilla sugar. I might try baking with it, too.

This tea has an odd vegetal aroma…it smells like peas, actually. The taste is all tea, however, and is incredibly round and smooth, not bitter at all, and does have a slight sweetness as described on the Harney & Sons website. This is a pretty darn good cup of tea! It tastes great without milk or sugar but also takes both well.