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Paris is one of my two favorite teas from Harney & Sons (the other being Indian Nimbu). Before I placed my most recent order with Harney, my youngest daughter had asked me if I had any “Paris” teas, and this was the tea that immediately came to mind, so I was sure to put a sample package of the tea in my cart when I placed my order a couple of weeks ago. So my youngest and I are enjoying a cup of Paris this evening!

This cup reminds me of just how superior the loose leaf is to the sachets. Having visited Myrtle’s tea room several times in the past few months, this tea (in sachet form) is the tea that I always order because I prefer sachet to loose leaf when I am at the tea room. Why? Because they used to brew the tea loose in the tea pot – which is what you’re supposed to do, I know! – but since there was always at least 3 or 4 cups worth of liquid infusing when the tea brewed, the loose tea remained in the teapot while I would enjoy my tea time at Myrtle’s, and while the first cup would be splendid, the second cup was less so, and by the time I got to my third cup, it was so bitter I couldn’t enjoy it. So I learned very quickly that it was best to order sachet teas which I could easily remove from the teapot when the tea was brewed to perfetion when I had tea time at Myrtle’s. (Trust me, tea time at Myrtle’s is worth overlooking this little issue.) And since Paris was offered in Sachet form, this was the tea that I would order.

But this cup of tea is better than the tea that I usually drink at Myrtle’s … I can definitely notice a difference. Oh, the tea is still nice at Myrtle’s (but really, I go to Myrtle’s for the ambiance and the food rather than the tea, which I can brew better at home), but, this is superior.

And ahhh! I love it.

Backlog:

Indie Tea is one of my favorite tea purveyors because they offer some very unique blends in a very fun format – the packaging is fun and the names of the teas are fun! It’s just a fun company!

A yummy tropical blend. I’m glad that the hibiscus was not overdone, in fact, the only place I really noticed it’s presence was in the color of the tea which brewed up to a very pale pink. (VERY pale!)

The mango and coconut do not overpower the white tea (and neither does the hibiscus.) Everything is soft and in keeping with the delicateness of the white tea. A soft, earthy quality and a hay-like vegetation, with notes of coconut and mango. Really tasty!

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A really, really, really good Gyokuro!

A truly extraordinary Gyokuro. If I could only have one tea to drink for the rest of my life and I had to choose a Gyokuro, this would be the one I’d choose. I’ve tasted quite a few Gyokuro teas, and I’ve liked just about every one that I’ve tasted, but this one is the best of the best.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/23/yunomi-monthly-mystery-tea-samplers-club-2013-kurihara-heritage-gyokuro-from-the-kurihara-family/

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Absolutely YUMMY! A bit too much cinnamon in it, in my opinion, but other than that, I really like this one a lot. And since I usually like to use a cinnamon swirl bread when I make french toast, the cinnamon didn’t bother me, and I actually found it in keeping with the flavors I’d expect from a plate of french toast. (However, one of our local bread companies made a Peach Cobbler bread a few months ago, and this is even better than the cinnamon swirl in french toast … and I think that Frank should make a Peach Cobbler Bread French Toast blend … oh drool!)

This is definitely one of the best teas of the year, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it is one of the teas featured in the 12 days of christmas sampler box. If it isn’t, it should be!

Backlog:

Even though this is not a matcha, I prepared it the same way I would a matcha, in my chawan, whisking it with my chasen. I was surprised at how much froth the powdered sencha produced! It resembled a high-quality matcha! Impressive!

Sweet, vegetative (this side of grassy) and buttery, with creamy notes, there is some bitterness to this, but I like it. It offers a nice contrast to the sweet notes and gives the overall bowl a sort of savory quality.

A very invigorating tea! Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/22/organic-green-tea-powder-from-shi-zen/

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Really tasty! The cherry notes do not taste of cough syrup, at least not to me. It tastes like an authentic cherry taste and the mango notes are very nicely balanced with the cherry.

A little bit tart to go with the sweet, and a pleasant creaminess from the vanilla. The tea base is a green and black tea base, and it was a little bit earthy and a little bit vegetative.

I liked this one.

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A really lovely Iron Goddess. My first infusion was delicate, with notes of flower and a delightful creaminiess. Subsequent infusions became creamier and smoother. Hints of vanilla! Toward the end of my “infusion party” with this Tie Guan Yin, I started to notice a slight acidity to the finish … almost like citrus, but not quite.

A really delightful tea, I love that it’s Organic!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/21/organic-superfine-tie-guan-yin-iron-goddess-oolong-tea-from-teavivre/

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A really refreshing lemon-flavored black tea. I like that it is more a sweet lemon note than a tart one. No puckering! Sort of reminiscent of a lemon-curd kind of taste. YUM!

The black tea base is even-tempered and somewhat mellow. Probably a Ceylon.

Very tasty.

Backlog:

I cold brewed this first to make a half-gallon of iced tea, and then resteeped the bag hot-brewed. It was yummy, but I was hoping for a bit more watermelon flavor from it. It is tasty, but, not watermelon-y enough for me. I’m not sure if that’s because I cold-brewed it or not.

I can still taste the watermelon, but, I just want more. (I like watermelon!)

The tea is a nice, brisk, refreshing iced tea … and I’m really glad I tried it!

Backlog:

A really impressive rooibos blend. The blueberry is intense here.

The sweet, nutty flavor of the rooibos creates a sort of pancake-y kind of flavor, and accents the blueberry notes well. Very good iced or hot.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/07/18/blueberry-bang-rooibos-from-culinary-teas/