Harney & Sons

“One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free…”

For cryin’ out loud, this song is stuck in my head! And it’s not the original version either… Mike Tyson makes me want to beat my own head against the wall! Aaaagh!

Luckily this tea is better than his rendition of the song! Soothing coconut and lemongrass mingle with a light vegetal base… Bangkok, take me away!

I gotta find Murray Head on YouTube and get Mike outta my head…

Thanks again to Alphakitty for parting with some of this – I know how much you like it! :)

Trying to make some progress on all traded tea samples that I’ve accumulated. Three is a good start for today and all of them have been green-type teas. Tomorrow: black teas!

Used a heaping 1.5 tsp of leaf for 8 ounces of water. The brewed liquor smells good – slight lemony coconut over a nice green base. The taste is even more nice. I was tempted to add a little rock sugar, but refrained this time.

I liked this better than H&S’s Tokyo blend. Next time I might use a little more leaf, but it was pretty tasty the way it was.

Trying to get through some more samples today sent from fellow Steepsters before a few new orders come in…

It’s light on the vegetal! While I’m not tasting full-on caramel, there is a nice sweetness and smoothness coming from this blend. I assume the “caramel” is aiding in that somewhat. Also not getting much in the way of toastiness from the sesame seeds.

Probably not something I’d purchase, but really nice to have tried it! Thanks, Alphakitty!

The dry leaf smells a touch buttery and toasty.

Used a heaping 1.5 tsp (maybe even closer to 2 tsp.) of leaf for 8 ounces of water. Brewed, this tastes like a mix of lightly toasty genmaicha smoothed out with a touch of buttery caramel. The flavor is a little lighter than I’d like. It’s kind of meh, but I think that’s because I’m still a little congested.

A big thanks goes out to Alphakitty for sharing a nice sized sample of this! I look forward to taste testing it again, and maybe even iced.

This is a free sample from Russel Allyn and Harney and Sons. Thank you!

I tried this one cold, with some trepidation because I thought it might become bitter or too astringent. Nope! This was not only delicious, but the sweet rising aftertaste was so very good that I couldn’t stop drinking it.

I have had only a few senchas ever, drinking mostly Chinese greens. This sencha is memorable.

This is a free sample provided by Russel Allyn and Harney and Sons. Many thanks!

The dry leaves had a lovely spinach aroma! I love the name – I did a survey once about “worship styles” and my results said that I feel closest to God out of doors. That is absolutely right, though throw in some mosquitos and our summer humidity and I will get close to God right by the a/c vent thank-you-very-much. The aroma of the dry leaves reminded me of the aroma of Weishan Mao Feng that I tasted a few days ago, but the liquor is nothing like!

The tea steeped to a lovely greenish yellow. I poured some into my small white cup and there were tiny specks of dark green, which I find absolutely beautiful. My husband freaks out if there are “bits” in his tea, but with good tea, I consider it to be decoration, like spices sprinkled on food. It makes it look so wholesome, so real, so unprocessed and natural.

The taste of the tea is vegetal, grassy, and very brothy. There is a bit of butteriness as well, but perhaps that is the texture of the tea rather than the taste. This is a wee bit brisk, not unpleasantly. H&S gives it a 2 on their briskness scale, so very low.

After the sip, for several minutes a sweet taste arises – the sweet plum flavor but here mixed with a hint of the spinach flavor as well.

The second steep is as dark, and the flavor almost unchanged.

I am glad I made a lot of this. I have combined the first two steeps in my tetsubin over the warmer so I can drink it all day, and I hope to give these leaves a good run and see how many good steeps they have in them!

Thank you, Russell and Harney and Sons!

I just happened upon this tea by accident. It is truly delightful and will added to my Favs!

This is a sipdown for me. I stand by my earlier notes. This is so fresh and clean tasting that I just want to guzzle it instead of sipping it. Snow melt is the description that comes to mind every time. It is very light – the liquor color, the taste, the aroma, but nonetheless really, really delicious.

I understand this is no longer available. I would love to have something just like it.

Back logging from last night: I decided to revisit this sample from Russel Allyn of Harney and Sons. This was our late night yoga tea for hubby and me! :)

As I said before, this tastes likes snowmelt in which one has cooked veggies, something like artichoke, asparagus, some smooth and mild and lightly buttered. Hubby, who still adds milk and sugar to his black tea, likes green and oolong tea plain. I watched as he poured cup after cup and drank it down. I think I got about seven of the twenty two ounces I made!

I didn’t want to finish my sample so I had steeped the same leaves three times in a tiny glass pot. I am glad I have enough leaves to drink this one more time – probably soon!

Thank you, Russel and Harney and Sons!

My bestie texted me this morning to ask if we could have tea today. I said, “Yes, please!” our computer got a virus and now my daughter’s high school transcript has to be redone completely from scratch. Oy vey! Transcripts are the very least favorite part of homeschooling to me!

Bestie has been wanting to learn to like green and white teas, so I chose this for our first. Since I have reviewed it a couple of times recently, I won’t restate a whole lot of what I said before, but it was a little different today and that is what I wanted to focus on.

The recommended steeping time is two to three minutes, and I was cautious before and kept it on the low side. Since it is such a light tea, I decided to increase my steep time today.

Drinking the first steep, I found myself running my tongue over my teeth repeatedly. I realized that the tea had left a creamy, almost buttery feeling. Yum! From now on, I will steep this one for three minutes.

I am drinking this again today, this time with hubby.

It smells lightly of butter to me, maybe lightly buttered squash, but the vegetal part is mild. There is still a sense to me that the tea has somehow cleansed the water of all impurities, restoring it to its pristine, newly created state. I think of this as a light mineral flavor, like melted frost.

Hubby says it is good, and he doesn’t know what it tastes like, and that he is a Philistine so I will quit asking what he tastes. All done, sweetie! Enjoy your tea in peace! LOL!

This is a free sample provided by Russel Allyn and Harney and Sons. Many thanks!

What can I say about this tea? It is a green tea but the liquor is paler than most of my white teas.
The aroma is buttered spinach.

I used city water to make this tea, but I swear it tastes like pure snow melt with spinach and a little dab of butter. It tastes as though the tea has cleansed the water to a purity not seen in ages. It has that high mineral note you get when you eat frost. (All you young folks – kids used to scrape and eat the fine frost that formed in freezers before they started making them frost free. Mom always told me it was going to kill me one day. LOL! I think food poisoning or something.)

I steeped it for the full three minutes in 170F water, and there is no trace or bitterness or astringency.

This cup is an escape. No more writing. Time to turn inward. Thank you, Russel and Harney and Sons!

It’s March 25th, and it’s snowing. I know, I know. I’ve read so many tasting notes lamenting this crazy weather all over the world! Brewing this tea is my small effort to say, “Hey, it’s actually spring, y’know!” (shakes little fist in vain) Delicious tea base, light and citrusy, happymaking. The only thing is this is my next to the last sachet. More is definitely going in to the next Harney order.

P.S. ashmanra made me a beauteous valentine card, and she included a little tea cup charm on it! Of course I had to make a necklace from it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackiemania/

This one wins the JacquelineM “most delightful to drink new tea released in 2012” award :) That little extra citrus at least doubles if not triples the delight factor of the already very, very fine Earl Grey Supreme. I love this one in all weathers, all times of the year. The tin makes me smile. The sachets have the perfect amount of tea in them. It resteeps beautifully three times. Well done, Misters Harney, well done!

Just a little note of continued appreciation for this one :) So, so delicious. Earl Grey candy! I love the sweet lemon note I get from this tea. The base is fantastic, and it loves being brewed in my little Beehouse pot. I’m tempted to get the sachets again just because I love it so much exactly the way it comes out each time I have it (and ok – I wouldn’t mind having another of those gorgeous tins).

This tea has been my best friend this week. In the whirlwind of new student prep, orientation, transfer student day, and first day of the semester, I had absolutely no time to be careful with tea prep. I had one less thing to fuss over since I was using these sachets. Also, that bright bergamot and lemon (I know it’s grapefruit – I taste lemon!) flavor is so invigorating when tired and frazzled. I drank this every day but one! Love it.

Y-U-M! I am tasting a lemon drop Earl Grey Supreme. I know this is supposed to be grapefruit essence, but I taste a sweet, delightful lemony flavor plus all the flavors I know and love from EGS. I’m crazy for it! The extra bit of citrus definitely gives this tea pizazz, and the usual quality tea leaves from EGS are always a welcome treat. I love those silver tips!

I got the sachets for the beauteous tin, but if Harney starts offering this in the one pound bag size, that is the way I will purchase it. I have no complaints about the sachets, though.

I’m on my second steep, and it’s still flavorful and citrusy. I think I’ll make a third one and cool it for an afternoon iced tea.

Well. I just learned something completely disappointing. One of my favorite hockey players, whose jersey I own while the team was here in Atlanta, got a DUI in his native Czech Republic. He had a .20% BAC level while driving a BMW M6, which kind of says, “I have a lot of money and you know, I probably have it for a cab fare.” I am so angry I can’t even think.

So I need something happy. Chocolate! I’ve been meaning to try this sample from Alphakitty and now is the time.

This is really good. I think the flower petals even add a little something to it. It has a good chocolate flavor, enhanced by the base. As usual it’s not chocolatey enough but I could probably go swim in chocolate right now and not think it wasn’t chocolatey enough. I’m loving the coconut in here too. It lingers after each sip and adds a nice creaminess to the tea without having to add any milk.

I definitely want to get a tin of this!

And now maybe my internet will stay connected so I can post this.

I ordered a pound of organic peppermint tea for the chickens and a pound of lavender for myself and a friend to split. This was one of the samples we received. It has been brutally hot and this was the iced tea version so I made a half gallon this weekend.

I did not sweeten it but rather made a bottle of simply syrup so everyone can drink it however they wish. You will have no doubt there is hibiscus in it when you see the brilliant flush of red as it steeps. The hibiscus is not too tart, though, and is actually pretty good! I taste lots of rosehip in it, but not as much raspberry as you might expect. The rosehip gives it a little savory bent to go with the fruitiness.

With sweetener, you have something that the biggest candy craving kid (or grown up) will enjoy. I like it unsweetened or lightly sweetened, but I bet it makes a nice grown up Popsicle when sweetened a bit more!

I came home from writers’ group soooo hungry. I didn’t want caffeine this late but I didn’t think I should have a chocolate shake, which is my go-to night time I’m hungry snack.

Instead I made the pinterest popcorn in the microwave – pour 1/2 cup popcorn kernels into container, stir in one tsp. oil, pour into brown paper lunch sack, fold top of bag over and microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes. you can spray it with Pam or pour melted butter over it, salt or season to taste.

To go with it and cut down on calories I had this herbal tea blend. Very refreshing, almost no calories since I only added a touch of sugar, and no fat. Hooray! And I finished the pitcher! My next iced tea I think will be Passionfruit by H&S.

This was a free sample provided with my last H&S order. I received the large sachet for iced tea. It makes 2 quarts.

The description states that this is a hibiscus blend but doesn’t go into as much detail as the description of Raspberry Herbal loose leaf, so I don’t know if they are identical mixes or not.

When I was at Barnes and Noble a few months back, an employee was encouraging me to buy a tin of this. I asked if she had tried Tazo Passion and she said yes. I asked how this differed and she said it didn’t. I think she was wrong there.

While the two are similar, this is a bit more restrained than Passion. The hibiscus is there, don’t get me wrong, so if you hate hibiscus you probably won’t like this. But it isn’t so….well, like a kids’ drink.
There is more than hibiscus to this blend and while I think children would enjoy it, I think it has a little more refinement than some such blends.

This is not one I am likely to buy unless the family just goes crazy over it, but I will enjoy this pitcher of it. I would really love to try their other iced blends that have a tea base, black or green!

Thanks to ashmanra for this one, I am enjoying it this morning. I’m not going to rate it because my taste buds are totally askew from not feeling well but it’s a nice blend of citrusy flowers and it did the job to perk me up this morning. :))