Eight at the Fort

Eight at the Fort by Harney & Sons is a bold, straightforward black tea. Paired with heavier foods, e.g. Chicken Gorgonzola and Pesto Tortellini, the tea’s flavor profile did not get lost in the palate. Instead, the complex yet pleasing blend of Yunnan, Assam, Keemun and others complimented the food well.

My surprise came in preparing Eight at the Fort: the 5-minute steep time was ideal. I also enjoyed this tea with a very rich tiramisu, so I drank it sans cream and/or sugar. It’s a tea that adds sensibility to indulgence.

TTB #3

This is lovely! Complex, well-rounded, and flavorful with notes of honey, malt, and something a bit floral. It does have just a touch of astringency…looking at other tasting notes, I’m wishing I’d tried brewing it at a slightly lower temperature. But I’m still quite enjoying it without milk or sweetener!

I’ve been so distracted tonight that I’ve probably rewarmed this cup 3 times already. Now I’m just drinking it cold. I like it, it’s solid, but probably not a favorite for me. I do think it’s interesting that it has such a mix of teas in the blend. Very cool. Maybe I just need to find a new way to steep it.

A blend of 8 different teas for a 1990s international political summit. Intriguing. I prepared it with 300 ml of 212 degree water: used 3 grams of leaves and let it steep for 3 minutes.

The dry leaves looked not that exciting for a mix of 8 teas: it was mostly medium-sized black tea leaves with some small broken pieces of greens and an occasional white needle. They also had NO aroma, which was predictable for (most? all?) Harney and Sons teas but still rather disappointing.

The brewed teas presented a rather unusual tea profile: a brief splash of Keemun/Fujian, quickly replaced by bitterness and lingering sourness. The dominant notes are of unripe berries, red currant, grass and floral. The overall effect is bracing and energy-giving. This tea was less complex than I had expected and the flavors did not really blend that well, however, this bitterness/sourness was intriguing. It is quite possible that this tea may grow on you after trying it several times. It reminded me a young exuberant and hot-headed sheng, with its imperfections tempered by addition of mellow and wise teas.

I’ve been wanting to try “Eight at the Fort” ever since I read about it:

In June of 1997, President Bill Clinton hosted a G8 (Group of Eight) summit in Denver. One of the events was at a friend’s restaurant: the Arnold’s The Fort that is high above the city. We were commissioned to do a special tea for that event. So we carefully chose eight special teas that would combine together in the hope of a better future.

I decided to dig around on the interwebs and see if I could find this restaurant, and I DID! It hardly has the looks of anything elegant, and at first I found it hard to believe that a G8 was held there … but it’s true. I am very impressed with this tea. Smooth, almost velvet-like. Just a really good cuppa. WONDERFUL.

I’m rather liking this, which is a good thing, since I ordered the 8 oz. tin and they accidently shipped me a whole pound. This strikes me as a great choice for those days when I stand in front of my tea mountain and I can’t for the life of me figure out what kind of tea profile I want to revel in. On first sip I’m getting the malty Assam, but then it breaks away into the subtle smoky, chocolaty keemun. I understand from other posters that this can go bitter in a hurry if it’s not watched, so I stuck with four minutes for the steep, and I’m glad I didn’t go over that. My initial impression is that this is a good, sturdy start-to-the day tea without being overly malty. This morning I’m drinking it hot. This afternoon I might make some iced in my Takeya pitcher, and perhaps stick a mason jar of cold brew in the fridge. Might as well try it all kinds of ways. It’s not like I’ve got a shortage!

Overboard TTB #4

This got better as it cooled… brewed at 212 there wasn’t much flavor… but as the tea cooled the malt and honey characteristics started to shine through. Not something that I would rush out to buy, the flavor profile just doesn’t stand out to me as something special… nice but not a favorite

Trying this again with a Darjeeling fresh in my memory, and I can definitely sense its unique and floral presence in this blend, more so than before. The “backbone” of the tea also seems more Keemun-like to me this time. My perception of this blend probably tends to change not only based on steeping conditions but what other teas I have to compare it to in recent memory. There are so many types of tea in here that it’s a sort of harmonious chaos, and what comes to the forefront might be a surprise each time.

I’m told this is a breakfast tea. They are often too malty for my tastes. This one is not overly malty. There is a very nice, mild malt flavor, not meaning chocolate malt. This is backed up by a very strong sweet flavor that I think I would describe as plums, or perhaps stonefruits, but I think plums is the best description. It also says citrus which is a good description too. Harney and Sons did not have this in the 4oz t tin so I had to buy the half pound. Considering the price, and the taste of this tea I am not at all unhappy having a lot of it. This and one sample was all I bought from Harney and Sons Black Friday sale, but then again their only promotion was free shipping on all orders. It did enable me to buy only one tea from them and avoid shipping charges.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 3 min.

So, I don’t know why I was so eager to try this one…but I was, and I figured since H&S had a free shipping deal the other week, I’d get a few samples.
When I opened the package it smelled strongly of citrus, which, as some of you know, I am NOT a fan of AT ALL. Like….I detest oranges, and things orange flavored.
I almost decided not to try it at all.
But, since I did pay 2 bucks for it, I figured I’d give it a shot.
While steeping, the orange smell went away, and was replaced by a strong leather smell. And when I finally tried it, all it tasted like was leather.
And then it got weirder. The aftertaste just tastes like apricots.
But the tea itself wasn’t even slightly fruity!!
I don’t understand. I really do not get this tea…
But I really hate when teas taste like leather.
Clearly the orange smell was a warning-haha!
Anyway, glad I know. Just…was definitely not worth those 2 bucks. :P