Cameron B. select Send Message

345 Followers / 342 Following

Not Recommended

Cameron B. drank White Christmas by Harney & Sons

4126 tasting notes

This is another Harney & Sons tea I’ve been wanting to try for a while. So thank you to Blodeuyn for including a sample in our swap! I have the sachet version, and the contents basically look like crushed up white tea leaves. Dry scent is sweet vanilla with a touch of spice. I actually had to make this twice… The first time I steeped it for 4 minutes and it was super bitter, ick. The second time I did a 3 minute steep instead of 4.

The brewed aroma has a lot of vanilla with some mild spicing along with the hay and grain qualities of white tea. Honestly, I’m finding this tea really odd… There is some vanilla in the flavor along with the generic hay of the white tea, but the cardamom is horrible. It makes this taste very heavily of menthol or eucalyptus, and it’s basically undrinkable for me. It’s sad, I think this would make a very tasty tea if they were to do cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg instead of the super strong cardamom. :(

Flavors: Bitter, Eucalyptus, Grain, Hay, Menthol, Vanilla

Preparation

185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

I Like This

9 likes

2 comments

Marzipan
Delete

That’s odd, cardamom to me only tastes a little floral. I use it in cooking some.

Cameron B.
Delete

To me, it kind of tastes similar to ginger. But it was just ridiculous in this tea. :x

People who liked this

Comments

Marzipan
Delete

That’s odd, cardamom to me only tastes a little floral. I use it in cooking some.

Cameron B.
Delete

To me, it kind of tastes similar to ginger. But it was just ridiculous in this tea. :x

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- October sipdowns: 3
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 132

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing