drank Black Currant by Harney & Sons
4349 tasting notes

Home – 12:30 PM

The Great Cupboard Excavation
Untasted teas remaining: 20

So this was interesting. This was actually a tin of sachets, because I have a weakness for Harney’s lovely “HT” line of colorful tins. Plus I can always refill with loose leaf later, and Harney has nice sachets so it’s not an issue. However… These sachets were definitely defective. I took two out and put them in my pot while the water was heating, and then noticed that one of the sachets left in the tin was mostly empty. It had completely split open along one of the seams and the tea had emptied into the tin. Upon further inspection, about 70% of the sachets were already split open, and the other 30% had at least one gap in the seam. Luckily, the two that I had put into my teapot were the latter, so I was able to take them back out without spilling loose tea everywhere.

So I emptied all the sachets into the tin, and now I have loose leaf. XD Obviously it’s not a problem for me, since I prefer loose leaf anyway. But I wonder if I should email Harney & Sons and warn them about this batch… (shrugs)

Anyway… For some reason I really strongly dislike the base tea that Harney uses for these flavored black teas. I don’t remember it being an issue before, as I think I used to like Paris at least. But now it just tastes like chalk to me, and combined with berry flavor it tastes like berry Tums.

Nope.

Going to pass this on to someone else, and not give it a rating (as clearly I have gone quite mad).

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
ashmanra

I would definitely let them know!

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ashmanra

I would definitely let them know!

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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… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- April sipdowns: 2
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 76

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 (or monkfruit, etc.).

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

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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