3224 Tasting Notes

This was my guest’s favorite tea today! She really loved the roasty, toasty flavor of Golden Snail. Her eyes grew wide when she sipped it. I have been trying to think of a little gift for her, so now I know exactly what to get! An extra tin of this little beauty will be going on my next Harney order.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 45 sec

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drank Royal Wedding by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

I had planned to serve two rose teas for tea party today, but decided to go with this one since it was tres meta! My guest said she really only tasted coconut with the white tea. She liked it very well and said it was a fun tea to try, but she probably would not be inclined to keep it around all the time as it was more coconut flavor than she would prefer. I do not care very much for coconut flavor, but for some reason this tea appeals to me. And Paul, she said she didn’t detect a single molecule of rose flavor, although she thought she smelled just a hint of it when she first poured her cup!

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 45 sec
Paul M Tracy

Good to know! I plan to try it tomorrow. Thanks again!

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This tea came to me courtesy of JacquelineM! Thank you!

I had this today in a side by side tasting with Harney’s Rose Scented. The results were unexpected for me as I thought I would prefer one over the other. I didn’t anticipate the bases of these teas being so different.

First, the rose scent and flavor is lighter in this one, though it isn’t overly heavy in the Harney offering. The tea base is a bit stronger, and I think that made this one take milk and sugar better than the Harney one, which I liked best plain. I expect that the Tuesday tea party attendees, who always add both milk and sugar to their tea, will like this one best, and the Wednesday guest who never ever adds sugar and only very rarely milk will like the Harney one best! As the Upton cup cools I can taste the rose a little more and it seems to get sweeter. Very good tea!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C
SimplyJenW

Thank you so much for doing the comparison! I have not tried the Harney one, but I adore the Upton.

ashmanra

I am sloshing after two 20 ounce pots! Thankfully, one daughter shared a bit of it, so I didn’t drink it ALL by myself! :)

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drank Rose Scented by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

I haven’t had many rose scented teas, or floral teas for that matter. I tried this one because I have spring fever and I like the smell of roses, and I thought it sounded romantic – and also because I get the itch to try new teas! I don’t try hard enough to control it!

First, the aroma of the dry leaves is not overpoweringly rose, but it is most definitely present. When steeped, the tea has a lighter rose fragrance. It isn’t strong enough to make me feel that I am drinking bath water or eating soap! It is a light rose middle note that lingers for a moment and teases your sinuses as it wafts up.

The tea base is smooth. Very, very smooth. I drank the first two cups of this without milk or sugar and enjoyed it very much that way. I made another cup with sugar, and I think I like it best without. The rose flavor is very civilised, but I don’t know if it might be a bit too much for you, Paul, having been through a floral trauma! :)

I tried a little milk in the cup with sugar when it was about half gone. It didn’t hurt it, but didn’t do much for it, either.

The tea was served with pears and it was a nice pairing.

I am always looking for teas that taste great plain because I have two guests who DO NOT add milk or sugar to their tea. (And three who always always add milk and sugar no matter what the tea!) This will be a fun addition to the next two tea parties since we enjoy trying new things and comparing notes, and I think it is balanced enough that everyone will like it. We’ll have to see if anyone LOVES it! I am glad I bought it, and will drink it whenever I want to feel the way Marco Polo makes me feel – soothed and a little spoiled.

I cut a “Madame Marie Curie” rose from the garden to join me at table for afternoon tea today, but it was far enough away that it wasn’t lending any extra aroma to the tea!
Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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drank Chocolate Mint by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

It was supposed to be partly sunny today, but I haven’t seen a single peek of sky through these clouds! (Better than last week when there was a tornado four miles away though!). I am STILL working on our Excel program – which I loathe doing – so I decided to treat myself to a cup of one of the new teas I ordered.
Chocolate Mint would perhaps be better called “Mostly Mint”. I like it, don’t get me wrong, but the tea taste is greatly subdued and the chocolate is definitely waaaay in the background. The mint really lingers…and lingers. I am drinking mine sans additions and the bright flavor is going a long way toward keeping me awake and keeping me out of the doldrums. I made a cup for hubby, who does NOT like chocolate and mint together, and for him I added a lot of sugar and a bit of milk. As expected, he did not care for it. No surprise there. But I tasted it with sugar and milk and found that it acts much like Florence – the sugar amps up the dessert notion and the milk brings the chocolate a bit more to the front. I don’t regret buying it. It will be a nice change of pace! I will probably continue to take mine without milk and sugar, but if you like a nice dessert tea this could be it!

Since there are so many peppermint leaves, I think I may add more leaves than usual next time so there will be rhe right proportion of TEA leaves to water. That may bring out the tea and chocolate flavors even more.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 30 sec

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drank Cherry Blossom by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

Can’t sleep, so I decided to get up and sip a cup of tea. I haven’t had this one in a long time, and I almost gave it all away because I just didn’t get a lot out of it at first. I have given it to two green tea drinkers who both say it is their favorite.

I am glad I kept it because my tastes have changed over the past year. I no longer add sugar to afternoon tea or to green, white, or oolong teas. I think it has made me more sensitive to the real flavors and more delicate nuances of the teas.

As a flavored green, this is very smooth and tasty. Not too vegetal, but also not overly fruity. In fact, I have to really concentrate to detect the cherry flavor! The aroma is very nice, and again, not too fruity. This is a nice contemplative cup, and hopefully it will relax me off to dreamland…

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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drank Royal Wedding by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

I can’t believe this tea wasn’t already in the database. I may have done something wrong in looking it up, but I tried several times and didn’t find it.

When I opened the tin I was reminded of a scented candle called Baking with Grandma or some such thing. It smelled quite good, like the best sugar cookies that are made with a little coconut oil – like Mystic by Pepperidge Farms. The flavors listeed for the tea are coconut, vanilla, and almond. No wonder it smells like a great cookie! When brewed, the tea was darker than I expected a white tea to be. I drank it sans additions and it was quite good – very mild and smooth with a nice, soothing aroma.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 30 sec
Paul M Tracy

I just saw this in the H & S catalogue but the “abundance of pink rosebuds” scared me away. I’ve had really bad rose-in-food experiences. Was it really noticeable?

ashmanra

I neither tasted nor smelled any rosebuds! You should be safe. I got coconut and vanilla predominantly, and lastly the almond flavor hiding in there. Smooth and good. Shall I send a sachet?

Kristen

I almost ordered this one! But I wanted to see some reviews before taking the plunge. I think I will add it to the next one!

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Hooray! My tea box arrived today! I was most excited about trying Golden Snail.

First, the tin is gold instead of the usual black, as is the tin for my Chocolate Mint. The tea was in a foil pouch and as soon as I opened the pouch the most delightful aroma met me! It was so honeyed it is hard to believe it is unflavored. We brewed it using our usual parameters for black tea. The steeped tea smells just as amazing as the dry leaves. It has the same rich body that makes me sigh with happiness as I bring Golden Monkey to my lips. But the taste was very similar to Emperor’s Red to me – sort of a Golden Monkey/Emperor’s Red Cross, which means that this is AWESOME TEA! I drank mine with no additions and it was so smooth. I can’t wait to have it on tea party day paired with our snacks. It is going to be luscious! Roasty, toasty like JacquelineM says of Emperor’s Red, and thick caramel sweet body like Golden Monkey.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C
Dinosara

I had a tasting of this at Harney Soho the other weekend, but I haven’t tried the others you mention, so it’s cool to get the comparisons!

ashmanra

How did you like it?

Dinosara

I thought it was really nice! I don’t have much experience with unflavored black teas, so I don’t have much to compare it to at this point. It sounds like I would probably like Golden Monkey, though.

ashmanra

We LOVE the Monkey! :)

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drank English Breakfast by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

I was going to have Queen Catherine this morning as it is raining, chilly, and I am hunched over a computer for hours again cruching numbers. But ALAS! I opened my tin and there wasn’t quite enough. I almost mixed it with this, but decided I couldn’t sully Catherine with ANYTHING, and besides, I do really love this one on its own.

Harney’s English Breakfast is 100% pure keemun. It smells rich – cocoa and a little smoke blend together so sweetly in this. I always add milk and sugar in the morning, and this one takes it extremely well. This is a bright and bracing cup. It doesn’t knock you over the head like some English Breakfast teas I have had – things like Bewley’s Clipper Gold – EEP!

This is a lovely, refined breakfast drink that isn’t too strong but is perfectly full of flavor. And at the price – an amazing value. I buy it by the pound loose.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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drank Golden Monkey by Teavana
3224 tasting notes

I am going to have to decupboard this one now! I am awaiting a large Harney and Sons order and decided to finish off some teas that were nearly gone.

I had just enough leaves for one pot of this, and it was timely as I was sorely in need of a good cuppa. After crunching numbers on computer all morning, I looked out and saw rain falling on a bit of laundry out on the line, and had to run out and rescue them. It was a bit chilly for shorts and a t-shirt, especially in the rain. What makes everything all better? TEA!

This is an excellent tea, though it is simply not Harney and Sons Golden Monkey. It is very good, and I always drink this one with milk and sugar, while I ALWAYS take H&S with no additions. The aroma is just like H&S, but alas, the flavor is not. It also costs far more than H&S.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fourteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

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North Carolina

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