Harney & Sons

A lovely, twisted Earl Grey—Light citrus notes; smooth nutty flavor with an almost peppery finish. I was concerned that the bergamot would overshadow the subtle flavor of the white tea, but this was a very pleasant surprise.

Pussimbing is probably one of the least astringent darjeelings. It is light and fruity with great aroma. It will pair excellent with a dinner meal.

A light tea with lots of delicate notes, it’s pleasantly smooth and buttery – not grassy at all. There are subtle hints of coconut here and there and a light spice on the midsection of the tongue when drinking. Just wish the taste could be as strong as the aroma

I was looking for something full of flavor and without caffeine when I pulled this out of my cupboard today. This is definitely on the mark for “full of flavor”, though the flavor is more lemon-raspberry than just raspberry. Am wishing I drank this while it was hotter than it is now, even though I was really enjoying the fragrance while letting it cool. It reminds me of making fresh raspberry pie in the summer.

The leaves are long and slender, and very fluffy. They are green and white with yellow hues, and covered in fine white down. They let off little to no aroma, though the smells that do seep forth are light, fruity, and very pleasant (observed before my stuffy nose).

The wet leaves are a little less fluffy, and the down is gone, but they retain the beautiful range of light greens, light yellows, and whites. I can’t describe the smell too well today, because I am stuffed up, but I bet it is nice!

What a pretty liquor! It’ a pale, delicate yellow. Very transparent. The flavor is very subtle. As with many of the lighter whites and greens I’ve tasted, the first thing I notice is the flavorless water base. Then, right as I think, “hey, is this tea or water?” the flavors blast in through the mid-tones. I’m not sure how to describe it other than earthy. It’s like the smell of rain, but in flavor, with freshly turned dirt. There are hints of sesame on the backside of the middle, and the sip finishes with an almost fruity essence and an aftertaste of backed apples. This is a crazy tea, and I love it. I would advise that more seasoned tea veterans go after this one, as it is a bit pricy, hard to track down, and is very, very subtle. I’ll definitely stock this again, if I can find it.

This is the second brew:

It had lost much of its flavor, and has much less of the strong Assam taste (malt and honey and good, clean earth), but it is still better than most of the teas I have tried. I brewed it long, and could have brewed it longer, but since it is so expensive I wanted to get the most bang for my buck. All in all, still a great tea, even on the second brew. When I grow up and have lots of $$, I will get this tea on the regular.

What can I say to describe this tea? The leaves are beautiful, like lightly toasted, spun gold. The liquor is a deep, rich red. I am a bit sock, and can’t describe the smell too well, though I recall the dry leaves smelling malty and earthy.
I normally take my Indian black teas with milk and sugar, and although this tea is no exception, I needed less sugar. It is naturally light and sweet, and almost airy for an Assam (somehow it is both airy and earthy…). This tea is a real treat, and I am happy to have had the chance to taste it. Thanks Harney and Sons!
I would say that this is a tea that even novices could appreciate, but that only experienced tea lovers could really understand. Maybe don’t go buy a ¼ pound, but I’d recommend that everyone try at least a sample pack of it.

I don’t think I’ve yet to find the oolong that’s right for me. Oftentimes I feel like Goldilocks with this type of tea. It’s either “too this” or “too that” and never quite fitting for my taste buds.

So let’s start with the First Steep, which was the only remarkable one of this oolong.

First off, again, Harney’s product here is really gorgeous. Silver-tipped russet and olive green leaves, twisted nicely. You can tell that they’re full and whole. The aroma from the dry leaf is really inviting. It’s a honeyed smell, with a blush of apricots and peaches. There’s also an underlying dark sweet smell. There’s an underlying darker tea smell to it as well, similar to what you smell in a black tea, but lighter.

Anyway, the leaves unfurl at a rapid rate in the hot water, twisting and blooming. The resulting steep was a pretty sunny orange color, and it smelled buttery and smokey. A bit roasty, with a lot of fruit notes characteristic of the dry leaves.

I was actually really surprised when I sipped this at how light the flavors are. From the smell, I was expecting something a bit deeper. Fanciest Formosa is very floral. Really floral. Not in a jasmine or a rose way, but just in a way that evokes lilies and a florist’s shop in general. There’s that almost soapy, spring note to it that’s pretty interesting. The floral is accented with notes of fruits like peaches, but these flavors pale in comparison to the floral notes.

As the cup cooled, some of the more buttery notes began to come out towards the tail end of the sip. They weren’t as aggressive and creamy as I would have liked, but at least they made themselves known. The entire cup is pleasantly sweet, but nothing to write home about.

At this point, I was actually really excited about the second steep, guessing that it’d be even greater than the first.

Second Steep (3:30, 205 degrees)

Steeped this one up again, and by this point, the leaves were completely unfurled and full. Now this steep has a bit more of a floral smell to the nose, with a hint of ripe fruit-like sugar at the end. The honey/apricot notes of the first steep are gone.

This one is already weaker than the first. The floral tastes are still there, but they’re noticeably weaker. Overall, the flavors are more fruity-sweet. Interestingly enough, when the tea was at its hottest temperature, I was getting this almost burnt sugar taste at the end of every sip. It disappeared fairly quickly, so I’m maybe thinking I imagined it, but it was there.

What marked this one was a roasty element as well. Not as pronounced as I’ve tasted in the other dark oolong I’ve tried (Imperial Formosa by Golden Moon), but it’s still there. This cup was definitely not as enjoyable as the first. Maybe the third time’s the charm?

Third Steep (3:45, 205)

This tea is done. You can just smell it in the wet leaves. There’s that vegetal note that reminds me that tea is a plant. And it’s not a nice vegetal note either. It’s that note of the leaves waving the white flag.

The taste now is remarkably flat, with mostly vegetables and roasty notes in what’s left of the body. Mainly, though, it just sort of wastes like hot water. Which is pretty disappointing, since the color has remained pretty uniform across all three steeps.

Overall, the first steep of this was pretty decent, but the second and third… not so much.

I haven’t had any success yet with multiple steeps of oolongs. I know I have some fabulous stuff from takgoti to try, but I’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations for oolongs that have lasted through more than a steep? I’m not sure if I’m supposed to push past the vegetal state to get to something better.

Dong Ding is a lovely example of a creamy, lemony oolong, slightly darker than it’s high-mountain brethren (Ali Shan) and slightly more restrained. It is one of Taiwan’s most famous and beloved oolongs and most likely its first.

I probably steeped this too long (close to 2 minutes), so it’s a lot more vegetal than I expected. That’s not a bad thing; this has a very smooth mouthfeel and even with the more floral tastes coming out, I smiled after my first sip. I am tasting some creaminess, as well, though. I like this.

A simple and good tea that I drink on nearly a regular basis. Lung-Ching tea is classified as a China-Green tea (superfine), with the liquor having a pale yellow appearance. The taste is mild and sweet,with an almost nut-like flavor.

Other Names: Dragon Well (most common), and Long-Jing

Steeping Suggestions:
2 1/4 grams per cup
Water Temp 160 degrees
Steeping time 2 minutes

GOOD GOD IS THIS LAVENDER.

Holy… what the… oh em gee.

First off, my hat’s off to Harney for the sheer beauty of this. The lavender blossoms are an absolute joy to look at. Seriously. The prettiest tea I’ve laid eyes on. They feel silky and petal-like, as if they were just plucked. A gorgeous, violet color. And the smell… it’s so in-your-face lavender that it’s almost spicy and pungent. I used a scant teaspoon for fear of my life.

So I steeped this one up, expecting the water to turn a brilliant lavender-blue, as shown on Harney’s website. Blue is my absolute favorite color. Instead, sadly enough, the tea remained very, very clear. Only when I poured it into my porcelain mug did I see that the clear-looking water was actually tinted purple. Hilarious-looking. And smelling ridiculously of lavender.

Don’t think this is some dainty, lady-like tea. It seems like it at first glance. You’d picture this tea as a beautifully dressed Victorian woman, nibbling on crumpets and flouncing around the town square. Well, if you thought that, YOU’RE WRONG.

This is STRONG. This is so strong it’s practically manly. It could probably drag freight trains by its teeth alone. So fearsome that it would guzzle Everclear – straight. And wear a lumberjack shirt. And possibly appear in Inglorious Basterds. It’d best Rocky in a fight. It farts in bacon and beer’s face. That brawny. The lavender gives you a one-two punch of spicy floral insanity. This lavender means business. Serious business.

I mean, for as clear as it looks, it’s just lavender. Very, very lavender. The spicy, heady beginning fades into a taste that’s akin to… lavender bath products. And then that fades into an overall very sweet floral note. We’re talking chamomile sweet here.

I’m so fascinated by it. I keep taking sips and mentally going “WOAH” and then shaking my head, trying to clear the taste out of my mouth. It’s almost peppery at points. It’s intense.

I have no idea where to go with the rest of the review. This tea is ridiculous. I doubt I could ever stomach another cup again, but if I decide to get in the ring with this beast again, I know for sure that it’ll win.

Mmm, this is just a darn fine breakfast tea.