Harney & Sons

The aroma for the teabag and the steeping aroma is heavenly! I just wish it had a stronger pomegranate flavor. I am going to look for this in a bulk loose leaf to try that; I have just one sampler tea bag right.

Wonderful aroma while steeping! Good but not great tea. Some honey with the apricot. Sour aftertaste.

Delicious, balanced with seductive Bergamot flair. Archetypal EG.

Had a sachet of this a few nights back. I love how bright and zesty the lemon is; those top notes really read as fresh squeezed lemon juice. However, the heat and earthiness of the ginger was a little much for me; I felt the burn in the back of my throat as I drank it and I mostly found myself wishing I’d had the foresight to add a little bit of honey into my mug. However there’s no denying IMO that the ingredients used here are fresh and flavourful and (even in sachet form) this tea is capable of packing a punch.

Hmm. Torn about this one. The other pear tea in the Strange VariaTea TTB is the Cultivate Taste Baked Pear Oolong, so that’s the pear tea I’ve had in most recent memory. Between the “baked” part and being an oolong, that one is understandably heartier. This one is lighter. Not weaker, just more like a fresh juicy pear than a pear tart. I particularly like it as it cools down – that fresh fruitiness works well as a cold beverage.

Argh. It’s faintly tea colored water than anything else. Boo!

Let it never be said that I won’t fall for a gimmick. I am gimmick prone, as it turns out.
I’m not quite sure why I bought this one, as I didn’t like this film at all (I love Agatha Christie and have spent every one of the Kenneth Branagh films cluching at my face in horror as the film unfolds), but the packaging was pretty and hey! A pumpkin tea! Its a good season for that.
Ugggh. No. This is so weak that it barely deserves the name tea. I was expecting more of every possible flavor, but it’s not in this cup.
Kinda like the movies, now that I think about it.

Sipdown

This was actually a sharedown. I ended up with a huge amount of Tilluel and decided to share this one with someone who loves using lots of natural remedies.

I still have a big bag of Theodor Tilluel Mint left for cold and flu season.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #19

I had no idea what this blend was supposed to taste like when I grabbed it from the box, but I could see and smell the coconut, so I went for it! Turns out this tea has not one but two of my favorite flavors: coconut and caramel both! It’s super smooth and buttery and rich and I’m quite enjoying it.

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Haven’t been around much in the last week because my mother-in-law was staying with us. Let’s just say, I’m relieved that she left this morning ha ha… ^^’

Anyway, this tea. It sounded so good to me, but I just don’t love it. I get maple in the smell, but not the taste. The combination of the pumpkin (I think) and the ginger together just comes out so earthy, it’s odd to me. And then there’s a touch of candy cinnamon in the background. Just a strange combination of things to my palate.

Anyway, not a fan. But I’m partially glad about it, since this is yet another tea that is only offered in sachets in a tin…

Had to make an order to pick this one up, as the flavors sounded too good to miss. Of course, a few other teas tagged along… :P

To be honest though, I’m not loving it? Mostly I’m getting a little bit of cinnamon candy and a lot of earthy ginger flavor. Nothing here tastes like pumpkin or maple or vanilla to me, and it’s making me sad. I like ginger, but I was more excited for the sweeter/dessertier flavors listed in the description.

Harrumph. We’ll see if my opinion changes after I try it a few more times…

I wanted to like this but something about the strong bergamot and very floral jasmine kind of gave me a headache. I don’t know if it was just too much flavouring oil, but whatever the case I didn’t particular enjoy this one. It’s just a lot.

The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #29

I was in a mood for something simple. Tea bag preffered. Found in the TTB this tea, unknown what to expect.

This is nice Ear… ehm, there is something else. Yes, there is a bergamot, nice level of it, but it is warming me up from the inside, some woody notes… research needed … ah well, bourbon. With that alcohol I have again limited, if any, experience. I drink sometimes Scotch, if offered by brother, but this is certainly more woody.

A bit spicy, if you ask me, about this tea. Nothing distinctive, but it’s part of it. A nice autumn-weather tea, if you are not looking spice-forward tea.

Getting close to half way through this tin and still haven’t written notes.

I find this a bit harsher than I like. A bit astringent and maybe something else? Hard to describe. Its not bad necessarily. I’ll likely finish it, but its not something I actually enjoy.

Astringency gets harsher as it cools.

Another that might work well with add-ins if you are an add-in type of person.

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Been enjoying sipping through this one with milk, and now that it’s gone I had to go and order some Hot Cinnamon Spice loose leaf! Sadly they were out of Hot Apple Spice in a reasonable size.

I’m pretty sure this one is just Hot Apple Spice on a green base. Though to be fair, it’s also basically the same as Hot Cinnamon Spice, since there’s very little discernible apple flavor anyway. Just another of Harney’s sweet cinnamon teas! Not sure why they keep making more that are so similar to their classic version…

Anyway, it’s gone and I’m sad about it. :P

I saw this tea with a “new” tag when I was on Harney’s site, picking up their new A Haunting in Venice tea and restocking a couple of fall and winter favorites (Heirloom Bartlett Pear, Winter White Earl Grey). The description sounded good and I love apple teas, so into the cart it went.

About that description though… It mentions “…fragrant and fruity notes of apple are perfectly complemented by a subtle hint of cinnamon…”, but I’m calling bullshit ha ha. This tastes like all of their other hot cinnamon style teas, with a strong and sweet cinnamon candy flavor. There’s barely even a hint of apple here. I think this is just the green version of their Hot Apple Spice, which tasted similar but has a black base.

Anyway, I’ll still drink it and enjoy it, because I do like their hot cinnamon teas, but I feel like the description is deeply misleading lol. Oh well, I’m partly glad since this only comes in the bulky and expensive 30 sachet tin format… :P

I was a little worried when I got this blend, I’m not going to lie. I am not typically a fan of Harney and Sons’ Pumpkin Spice but this blend is not that at all! It’s a pumpkin (without the spice) black tea with some spices along with vanilla and maple flavors. This blend tastes like a hot cuppa paired with some freshly baked pumpkin bread. It’s super yummy, buttery, and somehow light at the same time. I think I may need to grab some more before it sells out, plus the tin is gorgeous!

A strong CTC black tea. This tea often was unpleasant to drink because it had the tendency to go very strong extremely quickly, but this was a great tea for milk tea. I’m little sad that Harney & Sons doesn’t sell this anymore, though I completely understand why. The full version tastes way, way better and I would recommend that one over this.

sold for $8.5/4oz

edit: The website has it again! Now the 4oz tin is sold for $14

https://www.harney.com/products/songluo-broken

Most companies get the ginger part right but completely miss the pastry side of their gingerbread/cookie teas. (Yes, this means you, Bigelow Ginger Snappish. Sorry.)

Our H&S friends have nailed both elements accurately. Not so much ginger it burns; and just enough “cookie” to make it believable without being cloying. Nicely done. Thanks, ashmanra!

This tea takes you places. There I was in my office, working away at my computer with a mug of this tea at my elbow. Then it was like I was sitting around a campfire, smelling smoke and sipping whiskey. This may not be my favorite tea ever, but I think I’m more impressed by it than any other tea I can remember.

Dry, it has a very pungent smoky scent with a hint of bourbon in the background. Brewed, the smoke is subtler, although still the dominant flavor. I slightly oversteeped my sachet, but the tea was forgiving and did not become more bitter or astringent than the bourbon and vanilla flavors could handle. There’s a slight mustiness to the flavor, but in a pleasant way, like the damp smell you get in the woods when it’s recently rained, and the sweetness from the bourbon flavoring comes through like burnt sugar.

If I made this an everyday tea, it would lose its ability to transport me, but I think it would pair well with certain experiences. Maybe I’ll drink it on my front porch one rainy morning. Maybe I’ll take it for a walk in the woods.