HarSha

Shame on me. This is a sample sip down and I see that I bought this sample three years ago. I can hardly believe it.

My opinion holds. This is exactly what it says. I had a waffle with maple syrup for breakfast and drank milk with it, but I swear I think the milk is ever so slightly off, and I just bought two nights ago. I followed breakfast with a pot of this tea.

The first cup was really great, cutting through all that sweetness. The tea seemed especially fruity and because I was still encumbered by the syrup and milk it was refreshing. As I drank more, it became a little astringent. I didn’t add any milk or sugar to it, and that is really how I should drink it since I am not a huge fan of Assam, Darjeeling, or astringency. I think cooling also made it a little more dry.

I recognize that it is a really good tea, just not the tea that I prefer. If you like a black tea to wake you up (which I don’t need as I am outside feeding the chickens before 7 am every day) and you like Indian blends, this would indeed be bliss for you.

Took this along for errands yesterday morning. I can’t drink it unadulterated—I added a splash of milk to soften the tannic astringency—and even with milk it’s a little rough at the end of the sip. I reckon this needs greasy breakfast food to really shine—someone mentions grapefruit and I agree, there’s a morning citrus juice tartness that is remarkable but also hard to take on an empty stomach. I already like Big Red Sun for greasy spoon-style big breakfasts though, since it seems personally I reach for earthy legacy tea bitterness over fruity astringency. So. Won’t be a restock but I can see how others with different inclinations might find its grapefruit-tart charms appealing.

Wow! This one took me by surprise! A wonderful tea with a hint of…grapefruit really isn’t it – the closest I can come to is that it tastes like a faint and pleasing flavor similar to St. Germain liqueur (which is one of my favorite spirits!). It’s in the background – this one is all about the tea – but a really nice grace note.

Another ‘gift’ from Jacqueline. Thanks J! This sample is extra special to me! When I found out that HarSha meant Bliss in Hindu I smiled…that just happens to be part of my real name (as well as my steepster name). This has a pleasant black tea smell with almost a semi smooth yet peppery and nutty scent mixed in. I’m just towards the end of the infusion time and I am very eager to try it. It’s medium brown in color. My water isn’t as hot as it should be…Oops!

Anyhow…this is a very pleasing to the senses type tea…not only to sniff but to sip. There is no after taste – which is great. It’s a very good go-to tea! Nice and even taste.

Tasted this tea at the H&S Flagship store last weekend. Lives up to the hype! A full-bodied, sophisticated, deep-flavored tea, HarSha is the most whole, rich breakfast tea I’ve ever tasted.

Full, but never heavy, HarSha will fill you up but not weigh you down.

I’m not a big fan of the English breakfast variety because of the richness, heaviness, and bitterness. But this one lacks all the qualities I dislike about English Breakfast blends. If you’re a fan of that type of tea, and want something that will make you feel rich enough to afford the most delicious tea in the world, this is the one you want to fulfill your fantasy. =)

Good first-of-the-morning cup—inviting aroma, incredibly smooth, full-bodied, malty with a slight fruity finish.

This is a good tea, but not my favorite. Surprisingly, the Darjeeling muscatel fruity flavor is initially much stronger than the Assam, which adds some body and depth to the Darjeeling. The malty, caramel taste of the Assam comes out more as an aftertaste.

Here’s another tea from Harney and Sons that scored high marks among other Steepsterites. Needless to say I purchased this with high expectations, so I suppose its unfortunate that I have to be the voice of dissent. I did find this blend to be interesting in the way its flavor seems to “morph” on that first sip. When it first it my tongue it seemed to have the champagne-like floral notes of a Darjeeling, yet as it traveled down the back of my mouth it seemed to change to a rich Assam with just a tiny hint of citrus on the finish. While that interesting “taste sensation” of the first cup did intrigue me I found that the more I drank, the poorer the tea began to taste. Ultimately tea began to leave an aftertaste in my mouth that I can only describe as “mildly seaweed-like”. I guess I’m trying to say this tea lost its appeal to me very quickly after the first cup. I’ve tried several subsequent brewing and have had the same results every time. Maybe its the water I’m using, maybe its not meant to be paired with sugar and milk. Either way (in my book) this tea just did not live up to the hype its found here on Steepster.

This is an okay breakfast tea for me. I can get three steeps out of it, and it takes well to lots of milk and sugar. I try to drink it plain, to see what the notes are, and nothing in particular stands out. Not a reflection on the tea; more a reflection on my tea rookie status. I’ll finish the canister but likely not re-order.

HarSha is the last tea that we are presenting this weekend. It has the highest quality leaves of the three blends, as well as the smoothest flavors and aromas. You don’t need to add a thing!