Harney & Sons

Bought this on a whim, by far the best vanilla tea I’ve had at this price. I’ve yet to try their caffeinated vanilla black.

I don’t even know how tilleul tea is supposed to taste like. I opened the pack and got the mint. Brewed it and got the mint. Mainly just drinking this tea because of mint and I need to concentrate because midterms and tummy aches don’t mix. Mint teas to the rescue!

This doesn’t taste like most Ceylon I’ve had, I must say. It has a bittersweet element, I’m guessing that’s the chocolate/cocoa note the copy describes, that is unusual and quite appealing. At first it didn’t seem particularly drying but as you drink down the cup and it cools that builds, but (at least to me) it’s never out of balance or problematic for a breakfast tea, meshes well with that bittersweetness. I really like this, could see drinking it in the morning. Onto the list of “Harney breakfast teas I could definitely see reordering and burning through first thing” it goes, and my what a stable of teas that is. I’m also a tad curious how this would taste blended with something like rose scented, yum.

Another installation to my sugar-free journey. Tastes like liquid medicine :D :(

Refreshing.

Had to reduce my rating for this tea because even after reducing the amount of water, the flavor is still terribly underwhelming. :(

New tea, and great experience so far! I love the packaging. I’m thinking up alternative uses for the tin already. Also, the sachet is very smooth feeling and you can tell its good quality. It has the greatest amount of full leaves I’ve ever seen in a tea bag! So I steeped this in 16 ounces, which was recommended on the package, and my first impression was that this was a very beautiful peppermint. The liquid stayed a pretty green color for a very long time before settling into a greenish color color (prettier than it sounds). Drinking it, however, the flavor is not as strong as I would have liked it to be, which is surprising just giving the sheer amount of leaves in the sachet. Anyway, next time less water and more flavor!

Sidenote: Does anyone know why the instructions say to boil water until the pot is hot and then discard the water? o.O

ETA: a later second steep of this tea was a no-go. Very bad :(

OK, time for some tealess stuff now that it’s late. When I opened this tonight I was a little skeptical I’d like it—it really does just look like straight up unprocessed planty green tree leaves, needle-shaped and fluffy, hard to spoon out—figured it might be how non-tea people often dismiss tea as just tasting like some weak plant matter in hot water. Very surprised to find it steeps up a brilliant, almost glowing neon yellow-green color, and tastes quite sweet and clean, a bit like grapefruit. Really enjoying that Asian-y (which is to say fresh, not candied like Sweet Tarts) sweet-and-sour flavor. I could totally see drinking this any time of day when I want the bright sweetness of fresh-squeezed citrus juice but also something to warm and comfort me (making actual hot orange or grapefruit juice seems kinda gross, no?). There’s something else to the aroma that adds dimension too—I want to say kind of like hay or straw or alfalfa, hard to pin down. I imagine this’d be delicious paired with the right kinds of foods, dishes that call for something citrus-sparkling clean and sweet. Yum! Just call me the panda at the tea party ’cause I really dig this, ha.

I’ve been having a bit of a stressful and busy week and I just got this tea from a trade and it is wonderful. It has made my day better.

First sip – Very sweet and very fruity. It was a bit more pungent than I was expecting.

This a nice smooth tea with a great vanilla flavor and a citrusy brightness. It also has a bit of a caramel flavor and a nice undertone of the tea that comes out on the end of the sip. This tea is wonderful right after it brews and lightens up a bit as it cools. Overall this is a great tea.

Man, I’m getting into a really weird rhythm with tea. I’ll drink it really consistently for a while, then I’ll just go a week or two where I don’t. It makes me really sad. I think it has largely to do with the fact that we have a Keurig cup coffee maker, so when I’m running late (which I have been a lot because I hate getting up early) I’d rather just press a button and wait thirty seconds. Also, I haven’t been sleeping as much as I should, and I’ve wanted that coffee kick.

I like being a tea drinker, and not being one makes me sad. Nothing like a day off to rectify this situation!

I had this once and hated it because the honey was too artificial and overpowering, so I figured I’d try it again with some adjustments (I want to get through some of the things in my cupboard before my next shopping spree.) I think I adjusted the variables a little TOO much this time around. It’s fairly weak this morning. But more tolerable. Honestly, I don’t think this is a great tea and it only really works if you brew it in moderation.

I was wondering if I would eventually finish off the rest of this sample or just pitch it. That question was answered when I picked up the bag upside down. Worked out perfectly!

Egggggghhhh.

This was WAY too honey-smelling in the bag. I was hoping it would be a little more palatable in brewed form. It’s the opposite. It’s WAY TOO honey – the kind that makes me sick to my stomach and headache-y at the same time – with a bit of grassiness that just adds up to something kinda nasty. And I like H & S, but not this one.

I’m not going to give this one numbers yet. From what I’ve read, I need to go lighter on all the variables to make this work. I treated it like I do any black tea – boil it, big heaping teaspoon, steep it 5 minutes-ish.

Then again, maybe this blend just isn’t for me.

But that’s OK. That’s what samples are for. :)

It smells like Big Red gum… which does not necessarily belong to “top coolest things to smell like” in my book, even though I love cinnamon. And then, the flavor itself – it’s ridiculously sweet! Of course I know they claim it to be sweet and so I should’ve taken a hint but I saw so many descriptions of teas that claim they are sweet and they were only remotely so… This one is upfront, midfront and backfront sweet. And there’s this Big Red presence again. It is different from usual cinnamon notes, it’s just like some kind of powdered, artificial, weird cinnamon that I am not so fond of.

I am not really sure if I like it (at all). While I can see how some might be loving this tea, it’s just too sweet for me. I will try it again, definitely, and perhaps I will be in a better mood for it then?

I had high hopes for this tea. The dry tea has a wonderful scent. It does smell like rose oil, and if I am not mistaken, like the oil of rosa damascena, which is very specific—bright and highly valued in perfumery and aromatherapy. (In fact, I think that the most aromatic rose petals are actually from rose damascena or rose centifolia). So, my hopes soaring, I proceeded to steep the tea. I’ve actually tried this tea twice. The first time I used boiling water (202F) as suggested for black teas. The second time I preheated the pot, but used water slightly less hot than boiling.

The first brewing attempt produced a pot of strong black tea, but not much rose scent or taste. Just to be sure my senses are not completely obliterated from sniffing too many other things, roses included, I asked someone else to take a sip and sniff. His verdict was that this was a very nice black tea, but, alas, no roses. As the pot sat on the counter, forlorn, we decided to turn it into iced tea and finish it off. We were both surprised to find out that, in its iced version, we could feel the rose scent—subtle enough, but it was there.

The second time, I preheated the pot and used slightly less hot than boiling water. The rose scent is here—extremely subtle—but also somehow strangely sour, not in a citrusy way.

I see that most people like their flowers in a cup barely there. For them, I think it would be a good rose tea. I’d definitely prefer this tea iced or at least cool as for some reason it brings out the scent.

Oh, Queen Catherine, I am so glad I got a tin of you and not a mere sample! Because I must admit that you have become the magic morning black of my absolute first choice since my first cup of you. You are witty, charming and sweet and I hope I will never have to experience the darkness of your absence. Your servant forever, Kat.

Sipdown (210/213)!

I have to admit, this cup was alright too. It even was vanilla flavoured enough to sort of remind me of vanilla pudding after I had added a little bit of milk to it. It made me wonder if there’s “Tapioca” tea – because to me vanilla pudding and tapioca pudding have completely different tastes.

This still isn’t my favourite, though – and I still wouldn’t get it. But maybe I’d ask for another satchet or two in a swap because it is a decent enough decaf black option for at night.

Thank you again, Keychange.

So, I made this up last night (one more sachet to go and then it’s a sipdown) and brewed it up pretty much the exact same way as last time – which I know was maybe a stupid approach since I was so disappointed with my first cup which just taste like really silky water. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this cup!

I had a bit of it without milk and then the last of it with milk, and both ways I actually was able to taste the vanilla this time – even if it wasn’t that strong. So, I should apologize to this blend – there’s a little bit more than just water going on…

Still wouldn’t reorder it though, and not super impressed either.

So, I fell asleep at like 8 PM which is really weird for me: Normally I go to bed “for realsies” at like midnightish. But nope, stupid me had to take a nap, and now it’s 1 AM and I’m wide awake. So of course, that means more tea! I tried to pick things that were decaf (this blend) or not very high in caffeine.

This sample comes from Keychange and I received it in sachets! My first and only Harney Experience was with Paris, also in sachets, but I was super sick and out of it and I don’t even remember the taste – plus it’s quite likely whatever I tasted was off from being sick. So, more or less this is my first Harney tea.

I steeped it up based on VariaTEA’s recorded steeping parameters since we have similar enough tastes, and she seemed to really enjoy that cup. I have to admit, both dry and steeped this doesn’t smell like a whole lot to me. Taste wise, it’s a very smooth black base and I for sure can say there’s no astringency or bitterness. I suppose I could agree that it’s “silky” like the product description says. After that, however I kind of stop seeing and tasting what’s being advertised.

I can’t say I get “vanilla” or any creaminess from the taste. In fact, I really don’t taste a whole lot of anything; just a smooth and silky, and fairly weak tbh, black base. I mean – it’s not bad or unpleasant it’s just not really much of anything? Is it possible to have incredibly silky smooth tasting hot water?

I’m gonna leave this unrated for now because I’m not really sure how to even go about rating it. I am disappointed though because I don’t taste a whole lot of anything at all, but I do have two more sachets left to try and get this right. Perhaps this one just isn’t for me though.

EDIT: Ok, after it reached room temperature I finally got some vanilla taste – though unfortunately I also got some astringency.

This is what you get when your phone is dead, and your not able to check reviews for tea. Lol. I picked up this tea because it was clearance at target and I’ve never had Harney and Son’s tea before. Mm, powdered cinnamon all I taste. Eck..I can’t taste tea either…
I’m still drinking it though since I’m lazy to dump it.

When I opened the package, it smelled like chocolate and dust and antiques and good and my friend smelled it and she said it smelled like Rome. Well good since Rome and Florence are in the same country!
But I’m drinking this tea right now, and I’ve never really loved the concept of chocolate in teas, but so far over the past day or so, I’ve had more chocolate-y teas and they’re all pretty good!