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This tea was what sold me on my last Harney & Sons order. When I was a kid, I saw a documentary on the Titanic and became instantly fascinated. I read every National Geographic article on it I could get my hands on, and my dad even took us to see a display of the items recovered from the wreck. Fascinating and tragic stuff.

Anyway, I expected this to be some sort of English breakfast deal, and I was right. The leaves are very short, dark, and fine. My teaspoon scooped up what looks like a lot, so I tried to use a little less leaf than I normally would. Though it brews up very deep reddish brown, the flavor is milder than I expected. It tastes mostly like an assam, but I am also getting notes of Chinese black teas. There’s also apparently oolong mixed in, too? I can’t really detect that over the keemun. It’s mostly just a malty, bready black blend. There’s also a pleasant bitterness that reminds me of dark chocolate in a way.

This is a perfect blend for work, I think. High caffeine and a hearty flavor without being too astringent.

Finishing up Kusmi’s Troika by blending it with Harney & Sons’ Earl Grey Supreme.

Troika obviously got buried by the Supreme, but I’m ok with that. I love the way it turned out strong with bergamot, but also with a malty, bready flavor supporting the fruitiness. Kind of like marmalade on toast.

Again, I know he’ll never see this, but I’m sorry, Marcus! :<

Didn’t have enough of Friday Afternoon Tea’s Courtesan Blend for a second pot, so I used what I had left and blended in Constant Comment for the rest, 2:1 ratio.

This is a huge improvement. Sorry, Friday Afternoon. The orange peel just makes it so much better.

Got this one in my Sips by box. I’ve heard of this tea company before, but this is my first time trying them.

Holy clove! The little sample I got is full of whole cloves and lots of cinnamon chips. So many. Combined with the oolong’s natural scent, it reminds me (I know this is weird) of sweet gherkins. It’s also giving off a strong Constant Comment vibe, but without the orange. Instead of orange, they used vanilla. I’m not opposed to that, but I can’t really tell it’s there.

The tea comes out to a nice light green. The oolong notes are right up there with the clove, matching it and adding a pleasant, woodsy depth. The cinnamon is noticeable, but it’s not the star of the tea like it often is. Despite there being no fruit in it, I swear I can taste red grapes or something. Not sure what that is. And the vanilla doesn’t really come through to me much. There is a creamy note, but I think I’m just tasting the oolong again. Anyway, this is pretty good. Maybe not something I’d reorder, but I like it.

So, you might remember that I wrote a pretty harsh review of the last Yaupon Brothers tea I got in my Sips by box. Well, Yaupon Brothers contacted me and offered to let me try some of their other offerings. In fact, they weren’t sure why I got the particular blend that I did. I’m guessing that wasn’t the tea they’d like a yaupon beginner like me to try first. Anyway, they sent a very generous amount of tea! I’m really excited about that, particularly when it comes to this one. Lavender and coconut are both favorites.

Dry, this smells so wonderful. Notes of rich, vanilla-like coconut, clean lavender, and a sort of leafy, springtime aroma. I went back and smelled it a couple times last night. The green yaupon, unlike the smoky fire-roasted one I tried, smells much fresher and gentler. More like green tea. Though when brewed, it looks more like a black tea.

Upon first sip, I realize that this is definitely the tea I should have started with. It’s so smooth and creamy and floral. I find it both soothing and energizing at the same time. I know there is rooibos blended into this, but I can’t really taste it, and that’s perfectly ok with me. The yaupon is also mild, sort of hiding in the background and adding a note like crushed tree leaves or grass. I love the way the decadent coconut softens the lavender. There is something very elegant about this. Luxurious, I would say. I’m so happy they sent me the full size. This tea completely changes my mind about yaupon blends.

Finishing up my sample of Harney & Sons’ Cranberry Autumn. Didn’t have enough for my daily work tea, so I used Joy’s Teaspoon’s Plum Crazy to fill in the gap. It was about half and half, I’d say.

The result is predominately plum in the scent and taste. The cranberry does come through, as does that raspberry leaf flavor, with the faintest whisper of orange peel. Even with 4 tsp at 3:45, this comes out kind of weak. I need to remember that I have to make Joy’s Teaspoon teas like Early 20’s Tabby would, who always overleafed and oversteeped.

Finishing up Harney & Sons’ disappointing Chocolate. I had almost enough for my daily work tea, but I filled in the remaining gap with Joy’s Teaspoon’s Cinnamon Roll. Sort of a 3:1 ratio.

The cinnamon doesn’t really show up. This is still a tea that tastes like chocolate alcohol. Good riddance.

I got a sample of this from Cameron B.! Thank you!

While I’m happy to get to try another one of Kusmi’s Earl Greys, I had been avoiding this one because of the name. It reminds me of a boy I should have been kinder to in high school. I’m sorry, Marcus! I was a monster back then!

Anyway, this one doesn’t really stand out to me. It’s basically just a mild EG with a bit of orange essence. The orange is almost muted by the bergamot, too. I feel like I’ve had this before. It’s really similar to Mélange Hédiard, if you’ve had it. I dunno, I’m just not really feeling this one.

Finishing up Fortnum & Mason’s Assam Superb, but I didn’t have enough, so it’s 2 parts Assam, 1 part Darjeeling. Still working on whittling the sampler down.

This is an improvement from the plain assam, I think. I can’t really taste the darjeeling’s muscatel flavors, but it keeps the assam from being so dang strong.

Couldn’t keep this one unopened for long. After a rough night last night (someone crashed into my parked car), I wanted something I knew would be comforting and good.