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I saw this tea when I was looking on the Harney & Sons website for my favorite Gingerbread Festival tea. In honor of the season, I decided to give the Williamsburg Holiday Heritage tea and this one a try as well. At the first sip there is a warm, spicy flavor but no one particular spice stands out. After the initial warm spice flavor, there’s a subtle molasses taste but it’s not as predominant as it is in the Gingerbread Festival tea. There’s also a subtle orange flavor but, again, it’s very blended and, for me, no one flavor dominates.

I have no idea how a Williamsburg Ginger Cake tastes but if it’s anything like this tea I may have to find a recipe. I think this will become one of those seasonal Harney teas that I will splurge on every winter. I only wish it was available loose as well as in the sachets.

This is a comfortable, reliable, familiar Earl Grey. It’s like an old sweater that may no longer be the height of fashion but still keeps you warm and snuggly. It’s the Earl Grey with which I’m most familiar, and I find myself returning to it time and again. It’s readily available and affordable so I tend to default to it, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I do like it and enjoy drinking it.

I truly enjoyed Malachi McCormick’s brief book A Decent Cup of Tea, so when I learned that Harney had collaborated on a blend with him I had to try it. I’m glad I did.

It definitely has a slight malty & toasty flavor to it but is overall smooth & mellow. Whenever I prepare a cup, I bring the water to a boil, steep the leaves for approximately four minutes and then add about 1/2 teaspoon of sweetener and a splash of half & half. I have noticed that it can get a bit astringent if I let it steep too long but if I watch the time I get a wonderful cuppa tea. I usually get a second steep out of the leaves and the second cuppa is slightly milder but no less tasty.

I’m glad I finally found an English Tea Store tea that I still like. Lately, I’ve been finding that many of their blends which I once enjoyed now taste artificial and chemical to me.

Anyway, when making this tea I heated the water to about 200° and steeped it for 3-4 minutes. I then added 1/2 tsp of sweetener and some half & half. The tea was yummy. I definitely tasted chocolate cake and cherries with little artificial flavors. It reminded me of a black forest flavored snack cake, the kind sold in cellophane wrapped two packs.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t necessarily have a gourmet palate, but I found this to be an enjoyable blend and it scratched my itch for something sweet and dessertish.

Where has this tea been all my life?!! Why did I not try this blend sooner? That I deprived myself if this wonderful blend for so long just devastates me!

All hyperbole aside, this blend is amazing! It’s light and citrusy with an almost fizzy twist. I usually drink it with a touch of sweetener and half & half but I’ve enjoyed it plain too. It’s fairly mild with little astringency, just a lovely uplifting blend.

I’m a big Earl Grey fan and will give most any variations a try. I think this blend with it’s lovely bergamot flavor has shot to the top of my list!

Another tea I had a strong liking for in the past but can no longer drink.

Considering this is now my second English Tea Store blend in which I find the artificial flavors amped up, I can only assume that my palate has changed since the last time I drank this. I can taste the tropical notes in it but they seem to be overwhelmed by an artificial quality that makes drinking it unpleasant for me.

I’m very disappointed because I was quite fond of this tea, but I guess now it’s time to come to a parting of the ways.

I’m not sure if they changed the formulation of this tea or if my tastes have changed since the last time I tried it. I remember liking it and reordered it. I looked forward to drinking it only to be disappointed when I did.

For some reason, although I could taste the maple and some floral and fruity notes, the overwhelming taste I got from this tea was artificial and chemical. I tried it with different sweetener, with and without half & half, I tried different steep times and water temperatures but nothing made a difference.

I definitely liked this tea at one time but either it changed or I did and I no longer enjoy drinking it.

I found this to be a lovely, light tea with a nice fruit flavor. It reminded me of pears sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. I drank it with just a touch of sweetener and nothing else. I really like this blend but after several samples I realize it’s not my cup of tea (sorry, couldn’t resist). I’m just not a fan of white tea. They’re too delicate and fussy for me. I prefer heartier, bolder blends.

So, if you’re a fan of white teas and enjoy fruit blends, this tea should be right up your alley. It’s delicious. If Harney ever releases this with a black tea base, I’ll be all over it!

This is my first white tea blend so I followed the steeping instructions closely. Once I finished the steeping, I added a little sweetener and half & half. I definitely tasted cocoa and vanilla flavors and an additional flavor I can only describe as toasty. Regardless of how I would describe this tea, the overall effect was delicious. Although I may never become a white tea aficionado, I truly enjoyed this cuppa and this tea will definitely go on my repurchase list.