Since a Harney and Sons sample bag contains more than just one serving of leaves, I got to perform a second experiment on this one back on Monday. I had to drive for a really long time on Monday – 140 miles round trip; it was supposed to take three hours, and I was very proud of myself when it really only took four, as I am not exactly God’s gift to vehicle usage – so I decided to make up the rest of the sample and try it out with a very light drizzle of honey in my glass water bottle I just got.
Brewing went well, pouring went well…and then I merrily sailed out of the door without picking up the bottle. Naturally. Ah, well. I guess I get to find out something of what it would taste like as an iced tea, then!
My first thought was “milder”, though I can’t say whether this was due to the honey or the temperature. The honey did seem to stay mixed, though, so I’m confident I at least didn’t overload it. It was pleasant and not as dramatically flavorful as the original, hot version, but would have made a nice thing to sip on during the horrors of my attempt to get both into and out of Atlanta alive on the same day. On the swallow, it also assumed an interestingly spicy note that it hadn’t had before. Still wouldn’t buy a full tin, I don’t think, but the next time Harney has samples of black Gulou available, I might grab another to compare, just based on the breadth of behavior seen from this one sample bag.
