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“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...” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting 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...” Read full tasting note
HarSha is a black tea blend Mike developed as a fulfilling breakfast tea. It is a blend of extraordinary broken tippy Assam to give body and depth, and muscatel Darjeeling Second Flush to add a little dark fruity flavor. HarSha is a Hindi word from India, meaning “bliss.” Mike thinks you will agree.
Details:
Mike Harney drinks Assam most mornings. However one day he grew bored and added some Darjeeling that was in the cabinet and thus this tea was born. He consulted with some Indian friends and settled upon the hindi word for “bliss” and named this delightful tea Harsha.
Dry Leaves:
Mostly dark brown leaves with smaller golden leaves.
Liquor:
Dark reddish-brown caramel.
Aroma:
The sweet dark honey notes are perfectly complemented by the dark fruity notes of the Darjeeling.
Caffeine Level:
Caffeinated
Body:
It is a medium bodied tea with the body of the Assam lightened by the Darjeeling.
Flavors:
Wonderful notes of light molasses blend perfectly with the dark fruit of stewed apricot and peaches.
Brewing Time:
4 to 5 minutes
Brewing Temp:
212° Fº
Since 1983 Harney & Sons has been the source for fine teas. We travel the globe to find the best teas and accept only the exceptional. We put our years of experience to work to bring you the best Single-Estate teas, and blends beyond compare.
An interesting blend; fairly astringent possibly because I used a big spoonful of leaf for the mug. But also flavorful with apricot notes coming through this morning. Seems to be doing the job of waking me up! Lingering malty assam flavor in the back of my mouth between sips, to stimulate both the senses and and the mind.
Postscript: Makes a superb iced-tea, sweet or unsweet!
I am glad this ended up being pretty tasty – reviews suggested that it was assam and darjeeling melded. Which is funny, given how much I am drinking both and how I am finding they are often not for me, at least not without milk. I brewed this short and cool to make sure it didn’t get bitter and that worked well. Still not my favorite, but a pleasant cup.
Harsha leaves one wondering. Wondering if the bliss you feel comes from the tea you just drank. Quality tea for me is the good clear uplifting feeling I get after drinking it. Harsha lives up to its name, Bliss. Bliss because its such a bargain, bliss because its not to strong, bliss because of its beautiful liquor. This is not experience tea for me, like a pure darjeeling, its an everyday tea, thats close enough to an experience. More than a nice in between tea. Harsha lives up to its name for me. Malty Assam, cut with astringent 2nd flush darjeeling, the normal darjeeling taste wasn’t there, but the champagne buzz was, and thats Harsha!
This tea has a nice, mellow aroma without any hint of smoke and a dark, translucent color. The taste is a bit dry, only slightly bitter; perhaps shortening the steep time will reduce this. A little sugar tempers the dryness a bit and a little cream helps as well, but the flavor is very subtle and somewhat unremarkable. It’s a decent brew, but I personally prefer a tea with little more depth and character to the flavor.
The one thing I dislike is the name of the tea. Sounds “harsh” rather than blissful. Perhaps I’m pronouncing the foreign word wrong, but as a monosonic anglophone, my abilities are limited. So I try to keep an open mind.