Harney & Sons

The last of the Harney oolong sample tins. The tea inside smells lovely; floral, buttery, lightly vegetal.

I rinsed and then started with 15 seconds in the gaiwan increasing in 5 second increments.

The tea is a clear lemony-yellow color and has a strong creamy, buttery, aroma with floral component. Gardenia, more than anything else.

The flavor reminds me of everything I love about green oolongs. It may be my favorite kind of tea overall, though I hesitate to go out on that limb because the minute I do, some wonderful green or black tea comes along and makes me rethink myself.

The problem with tasting so many teas over such a long period of time is — I forget what the things I love in each genre taste like over time. I can’t remember the others in the category well enough to say how this stacks up against them. I can just say that I’m getting a cup of wonderful here and now.

The tea becomes crisper with subsequent steeps but otherwise remains deliciously buttery and floral. The vegetal note is juicy and sweet, but not distracting.

Sipdown no. 1 of 2021! (no. 621 total).

Happy New Year, and may it be a lot better than 2020!

Still continuing with the house project. Going room by room. The easiest rooms first. I feel a lot better without all the clutter around. I don’t have high hopes that it will stay that way, though.

Anyway, I thought this tea would be right up my alley. I love fruity teas, and particularly French fruity teas. And yet, as I said in my original note, this one doesn’t have that mysterious French thing going other than in the name.

It’s an ok fruity tea, but I prefer the ones from Kusmi, Mariage Freres, etc. Those have more depth — this one has a sort of painted on quality to the fruit flavor.

In the tin, this smells like cherries and plums, a little raisiny, too. I don’t get apricot either in the tin or after steeping.

The smell in the tin is consistent with the smell and flavor. The tea is a dark honey color and clear.

It’s a solid and enjoyable red fruit tea, though it misses that “French thing” that makes the French fruit blends so amazing.

I think that a bit more steeping time might serve this one. I intend to bump it to 4 minutes next time.

An Ode to Tea challenge – V

I honestly believed this would be a sipdown when I scooped it out of the package.  Nope, next time.  It was a perfect tea for a cloudy, blustery day anyway.  I guess I never realized a “london fog” requires milk which I never tried.  So I tried it.  Must have added too much milk, as then I was only tasting milk and this is actually a stronger tea for the milk to take it over. I prefer it without milk – strong lavender and bergamot.

Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug// 14 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 8 minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep

Sipdown no. 8 of 2021 (no. 628 total).

I remain fairly unimpressed with this one. I had wanted to love it, but the flavors weren’t strong enough to overcome the rooibos base sufficiently to make it work for me.

To be honest, I liked the Lupicia one I sipped down right before this, La Vie en Rose, a bit better, so I’m bumping this one down.

It wasn’t unpleasant, just not something I need to have in my cupboard long term.

Building on the success of my Paris Decaf experience last evening, I though I’d give the herbal version a try tonight.

The vanilla smell is pronounced in the tin, no doubt because of the rooibos. The bergamot is less strong in this version, and the caramel is stronger in the balance of the dry blend’s aroma. There’s a berry/currant overtone, but it is subtle.

It’s definitely the Paris flavor profile, but the rooibos version isn’t as wondrous to me as the decaf was last night. I think I would put this the lowest of the three, though I need to go back and revisit the original tea version as I didn’t rate it as highly as I think I might now.

In its favor, it isn’t woody, or hamster cage filler-y. The rooibos is pretty much the canvas on which the flavors are painted, not the painting itself. But the aroma after steeping, and the flavors in the sip aren’t as deep, round, and substantive as they are in the tea version.

It’s Paris lite, really. I could try putting a bit more rooibos in next time as I used level spoons, and that might make a difference, I suppose.

But for now, rating it on the low end of yum.

Always a delight at this time of year! Buttery, cinnamon-y, warming, earthy. Using rooibos as the base is a stroke of genius because it offers a caffeine-free alternative to the pumpkin spice chai lattes that abound from Sept- Nov. I think the earthy rooibos works better with pumpkin spice mixes than astringent black tea, too. Personal preference.
I got the last tin of these sachets at Target though, so I’m definitely not alone with these feelings!

Still warm and spicy and delightful. <3

Oh noes! This one is nearly gone. Only a few sachets left. Sad face.
Cinnamon, cloves, wood, vanilla notes.
Pretty red liquor.
I’m going to need to find another H & S rooibos blend for the afternoons.
Am I the only one who thinks pumpkin spice should be both a fall AND winter flavor?

Ooooo, I do so love this blend.
Notes: Warm mulling spices, sweet vanilla, woodsy rooibos, just a hint of savory pumpkin mouthfeel.
Appearance: Lovely reddish liquor and a soothing potpourri perfume.
Characteristics: Uplifting to the spirits, which is good, because it’s getting to be that time of year that good ol’ S.A.D. starts rearing its ugly head.
Miscellaneous: Available at Target, which is very convenient.

My first encounter with the non-decaf version of this was some time ago and judging by my note, I was less impressed than I think I probably should have been. I can’t imagine that a decaf would be better than a straight version, and man, this is really quite something.

The smell in the tin is quite intense — the bergamot gives it a zest-bitter smell that’s intense enough to open the sinuses, and the other flavors sort of wave from a distance. But after steeping, the aroma is more balanced, with some lovely vanilla and caramel notes, as well as berry-ish, raisin-ish smell. The tea is a reddish brown, slightly cloudy color.

And man, is it hitting the spot. I’m not sure whether it’s because I don’t often have black tea at night, or whether it’s because it’s going well with the remnants of my dinner, but it is really delicious. It doesn’t taste faded or papery in the decaf sort of way, either.

It has a richness that is surprising, and the flavor blend has a sweetness that’s kept from being cloying by the bergamot cutting through — the sweetness in turn tamps the zesty bitterness.

Yum.

Brewed in a gaiwan. Light and sweet with mango and honey notes, mild smokiness, and a hint of spice in the finish, which I always enjoy. Something about it reminded me slightly of rooibos. The last couple infusions were used to brew kombucha, so I don’t know what those tasted like.

For those who don’t know, Kim Tuyen is Jin Xuan. That’s probably why Harney describes it as being like an oolong: it’s a black tea made from a cultivar normally processed as an oolong. This does come through in the taste. Its body has a softness that reminds me of some Taiwanese oolongs even if it lacks the milkiness Jin Xuan oolongs are known for. The floral aroma and light but honey-sweet tropical and stone fruit flavors, too, are quite oolong-like. Yet, despite everything it shares with oolongs, it’s still recognizable as a Chinese-style black tea.

As I hoped, gongfu and western style both work well with this tea. Gongfu brings out the complexities and the aroma of the tea more, while western style is sweet and mellow. Either way is satisfying to me. This is very cheap, so I recommend it for anyone who enjoys mellow Chinese black teas or fruity dark oolongs as this has similarities to both. Avoid if you think of Darjeeling or full leaf Yunnans as too weak or if a bit of smokiness bothers you, because this is light, but also a bit smoky.

A free sample from my last Harney & Sons order.

I honestly haven’t had many pure chamomile teas. My past experience with chamomile has always been some dusty, faint flavor that was not interesting in the slightest. I should have known that there were varying degrees of quality, like any other tea.

Compared to what I’ve had, this tastes so fresh. I taste notes of apple and flowers. There’s also something that reminds me of clean dried grass or fresh hay. It leaves me wondering what I’ve been missing all the years I’ve skipped chamomile because I’d had bad ones…

It’s annoying that chamomile isn’t listed under Flavors when filling this out… there have been a couple teas where I’ve wanted to list it recently.

Sipdown no. 10 of 2021 (no. 630 total). Sample tin. Backlogging from yesterday.

Continuing with the sipping down of samples project, this had just enough left for a western steep in the Breville.

Mostly what I got this time, which I didn’t in my multi-steep extravaganza recorded in the initial note, was nuttiness. Almondy/chestnuty nuttiness. Which is interesting because in my original note I had it pegged as pecan. I suppose there was a bit of that, too, as I think about it.

I enjoy tasting teas I’ve written about a while back and then comparing what I thought with what I wrote. Nuttiness ftw with this one.

It was a nice afternoon drink. I’m not going to second guess myself but I’m not sure I would have rated it quite so high this time. Then again, I didn’t take it through multiple steeps and part of my oolong ratings are based on how many steeps they’ll support and how interestingly they change from steep to steep.

The third of the four Harney sample tins of oolong that I have mysteriously not written notes about previously.

The first thing I noticed about this was the leaves. They are delicate, spidery-twisty, and tippy — very visually interesting. They have a winey, almost darjeeling note to them in their dry form.

The leaves steep up lemon-yellow, with a toasty, stone-fruit aroma and flavor. Also, there’s something nutty in the flavor, rather like pecans. There’s a freshness in the aftertaste, like the feel of an evergreen needle but without the aroma and flavor of one. The flavor is surprisingly mild, no pungent or sharp notes which I would have expected given the winey aroma of the dry leaves.

The wet leaves look twiggy, dark brown, sort of like the nest of a tiny bird. If they were fluffier they’d look like pipe tobacco. Steep 2 has a darker liquor, more toward amber, and a very peachy fragrance. The tea at first seems to remain surprisingly mild with a soft mouthfeel, but there’s a sharpness to the finish that isn’t quite a throat grab.

Fortunately, the sharpness receded by steep three and the mildness returned. A lovely floral note emerged in steep 4, as did a buttery mouthfeel. Still flavorful and soft in steep 5, and continued to be mild and peachy/pecany/aromatic.

Although I prefer green oolongs, this is a really nice dark one.

Also, I’ve caught 2 shiny beldums (beldi?) so far…

February in October!

Back from the fun run. I plan to give the PTA a piece of my mind because this year there was NO COFFEE at the finish line. Plus, I wasn’t about to eat the coffee cake, muffins, and other assorted carbs, or drink the juice.

So I must have caffeine and I must have it now. Tea and chocolate. Score!

I think Harney does a really nice chocolate tea, and that’s mostly what I smell in the tin. Amazingly, because the chocolate is so rich, I smell a tiny touch of rose as well.

The tea is a dark, clear copper color, and smells like a rich chocolate tea with a floral overtone. The rose is quite subtle, which is a good thing in this case. Too much rose on top of very rich chocolate could be a stomach churner.

Amazing flavor! Just the right amount of rose to lift up the chocolate and make it interesting.

I feel like I’ve been rating things high lately. Maybe it’s my mood.

Or maybe it’s just that the teas have been really, really good.

This is the second of four sample tins from Harney that I seem to have never written notes about.

The leaves on this one are beautiful — long, twisty, and chocolate brown. In the tin they smell roasty, smoky even.

Gave them a rinse and then started at 15 seconds in the gaiwan at 195F, increasing by 5 seconds.

The tea is clear and golden and smells, unexpectedly, floral. There’s a sweetness that reminds me of brown sugar. Or maybe dark honey. But also a toastiness that wafts in and out among the other aromas.

The flavor is sweet and toasty-woody, and much milder than I would have expected. No sharp edges. I sort of understand the note that likened this to cannabis, though I am not really getting more than a hint of that. I do get some peach, though I wouldn’t call it juicy.

Second steep, 20 sec. A little darker all around. The liquor is closer to amber, the floral (lily of the valley? lilac?) is deeper and more polleny, the smokiness more prevalent amid the roastiness. Some stone fruit, woody pit notes.

Third steep, 25 sec. Interesting. The sugar and the stonefruit finally came together for me in this steep and I am definitely getting peach in the aroma. And in the flavor, too, though not as strongly. Also, a nutty note. Ashmanra said walnuts. Yep, that’s what I get, too!

Fourth steep, 30 sec. I am looking at the list of flavors I’ve identified so far and am realizing how complex this tea is. It’s still going well on the fourth steep, though starting to get that crispness to the flavor that signifies it may be soon giving up the ghost. Still tasty, though.

I am, however, going to stop here because:

(a) I am impatient to get back to binge watching The Wire
(b) I am impatient to move on to the last caffeinated tea of the day
© I am generally impatient
(d) all of the above

Choose your own adventure.

Work – 11:00 AM

I received a single wrapped sachet of this as a sample with my last Harney & Sons order.

Wow, this is much better than I expected. The black tea blend is light but malty and flavorful with notes of raisin and brown sugar. And there’s a hint of hay from the white tea as well. I wish companies would give more details on which black teas are in a blend, or at least which origins. Generally I associate raisin with Assam teas, so I would guess the blend is at least partially Indian. But I am no expert, so who knows? ;)

Overall, this is a nice refined Earl Grey that’s still fairly traditional.

knittingopera Swap Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 5 (my pick)
Theme: A Partridge in a Pear Tea
Her pick: Spiced Caramel Pear from Adagio Custom Blends

Just… yes. This has such a good pear flavor to it, and it’s so crisp that it just makes me think of biting into the real thing. Goes so nicely with the white tea too. There are some spices in the blend, but I feel like I don’t taste them at all. Not that I’m complaining, as it allows the pear to shine. :D

Had to restock this favorite for fall!

Definitely my favorite pear tea, this really captures the flavor of crisp, fresh raw pears. I don’t think I’ve eaten them enough to recognize bartlett specifically, especially since, given the option, I generally buy Asian pears.

The crisp pear flavor paired with the soft, mellow white base is just lovely, and perfect for those cool fall days. We’ve had a couple of cooler days here in Austin lately, and I’m loving it. Looks like it’s back up into the 80s next week though… :|

Sipdown! (64 | 338)

Truly my favorite pear tea. The pear is just so natural-tasting, and it has such a nice crispness to it that I love. I never noticed the ingredients before, but apparently there’s a little bit of peach flavoring in this? Super interesting, I feel like maybe I can taste it a little? Could also just be because I know it’s in there though, heh heh.

Not getting much of the spices from this anymore, but it was almost four years old, so it’s definitely possible they’ve lost all their flavor. Still such a tasty, crisp and refreshing yet comforting pear tea though, and I love the light white tea base with it. Definitely a reorder for me!

365 Days of Tea Challenge – Day 15

Ahhh my love, we meet again…

I absolutely adore this one. Pear is one of my favorite flavors in theory, but I’m often disappointed in its execution. It’s often either overwhelmed by other notes, or it lacks the crispness that I long for.

But this tea executes it perfectly, in my opinion! The white base is a great choice – it’s soft and mellow with a comforting oat-y flavor that’s light enough to support the pear while letting it shine. The pear flavor here is delightfully crisp and fresh, just like a firm and juicy pear. There’s just a light kiss of warming spice to give it an added comfort factor without making it seem like pear crumble.

Nom nom nom. And what a lovely tin, too! This one will definitely be a permanent resident of my cupboard, lovingly restocked each and every time I sip it down.

Bumping the rating!

P.S. – I’m halfway through the first month of my 365 Days of Tea challenge! Yay!

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